The Post reports Joe Girardi has removed himself from consideration for the Nats' managerial opening, and it provides quotes straight from Girardi as evidence:
. . . "We just moved [to Miami ten months ago]," he said. "This was a tough decision, but for my family, it's the right one."
That sounds pretty official to me. And now, I suspect Girardi will a) do television work or b) serve as one of Joe Torre's coaches . . . right out of his home in Miami!
Anyway, the Post notes:
- Cecil Cooper and Joey Cora are out of the running (informed last week that they didn't make the first cut);
- Dusty Baker's candidacy is "at best, dormant";
- Manny Acta, making the interviewing rounds, will stop by the Nation's Cap this week;
- Tony Pena and Terry Pendleton are still viable candidates (although, the Post conveys, "it's unclear whether Pendleton would want to leave his three children in suburban Atlanta to pursue a job elsewhere");
- And "it's possible there are other candidates who have not been publicly identified"---which I'm tempted to surmise yet again means "Davey Johnson," but I'll finally give up the ghost on that one.
* * * *
In other news---which is to say, the tag paragraph(s) of the same article---the Post reports that the Nats haven't contacted Frank Robinson about any job within the organization as of yet. Frank's response? Essentially, Sure, I'd listen if the Lernastens called. And I think they should call.