Good for Joe

As a long-suffering fan of the Chicago Cubs, my allegiances lie with the National League. I generally have no affinity for the American League, where they insist on playing the game with a designated hitter. Suffice it to say, I am not a Yankees fan, although I can easily admit that their dominance of the sport over the past 100 years is certainly worthy of respect. And in winning their 27th World Series championship last night, they got the job done with an ex-Cub at the helm.

I have long been a fan of Joe Girardi. Over a 15 year playing career that started with him behind the plate at Wrigley Field, Girardi was a steady force and a prototypical student of the game. He was not a dominating hitter, and he only made one All-Star team (2000, during his second stint with the Cubs). But he played the game with class, and thus far appears to be managing the game with class. He was a part of three Yankees championships as a player, and I'm glad to see him earn his 4th ring as their manager.

I'll never forget sitting down to watch the Cubs-Cardinals game one Saturday afternoon in 2002. I missed the pregame, but when I finally tuned in, the announcers were breaking the terrible news of the death of Darryl Kile. I was transfixed as Girardi, the Cubs player representative, took to a microphone at home plate to announce to the sold out crowd at Wrigley that the game was cancelled. I remember thinking at the time that the Cubs could not have had a better spokesperson at that moment in time - that having Girardi make the announcement (instead of a PA announcer) exhibited the right tenor for the moment. Girardi simply commanded that much respect from both players and fans.

Even last night, apparently Joe was in the right place at the right time to provide assistance to a motorist involved in an accident well after the game. Again, I'm not surprised, because that fits with the character he seems to have demonstrated time and again.

So, while I cannot cheer for yet another Yankees victory, I will say wholeheartedly, good for Joe. He's a class act, and I'm happy for him.