The Yankees have picked a successor to Joe Torre's managerial throne: Joe Girardi, the former Marlins manager and Yankee coach who was a catcher on three New York title teams in the '90s and worked for them this year as a TV analyst. The New York Times reports that though fired in Florida, he was a popular candidate for other jobs, having been courted by the Nationals, Orioles, and Dodgers.
Girardi's agent said he's in discussion with the Yanks, but: “No timetable has been set," although some outlets report the hire could be announced tomorrow. He was chosen over internal candidates Don Mattingly and Tony Pena, both members of Torre’s coaching staff. Mattingly, a Yankee icon, made his disappointment clear when his agent announced today he would not return to New York in 2008. (More Joe Girardi stories.)