MLB’s originally scheduled Opening Day is just less than a week away. Obviously, with all the seriousness surrounding the current global health scare, that glorious first day of baseball in late March won’t be happening.
Just like the rest of us baseball fans, newly hired Phillies manager Joe Girardi has been struggling to cope with the lack of the nation’s favorite pastime.
“We’re home with our families just like everyone else, we just really miss it, that’s the difficulty”.
Brought in this offseason to replace the often-criticized Gabe Kapler, Girardi had just a few weeks with his new team before spring training was put on hold. A World Champion with the New York Yankees back in 2009, Girardi is often hailed as one of the best managers in the game.
The new skipper quickly received praise from his new players. Franchise megastar Bryce Harper spoke candidly about how much he’s enjoyed the change that Girardi has brought, and a plethora of pitchers on the staff have expressed their appreciation of the way Girardi and his staff were running things down in Florida.
Girardi has a lot of down time currently, which is giving him an extra opportunity to assess and evaluate his team’s current roster. Some tough decisions will have to be made regarding the team, especially when it comes to how they formulate their starting rotation.
Phillies fans and MLB fans all over the world are missing baseball at the moment, and Girardi isn’t any different. However, safety is no doubt priority number one, and seeing the league take a hard stance on keeping players and personnel healthy is a huge positive.