For a long time, from 1989 to 2003, Joe Girardi had a very successful MLB career as a catcher.
From 2006 to 2022, he managed MLB teams, with varying degrees of success, too.
After being fired by the Philadelphia Phillies earlier in the year, however, the former catcher and skipper is ready to try a new role and put all the knowledge he acquired throughout a life of baseball into practice in a booth.
“Joe Girardi, the former Cubs catcher and ex-Phillies/Yankees/Marlins manager, will join the Marquee Sports Network broadcast booth for two upcoming series, this weekend at Wrigley Field and Sept. 19-21 in Miami,” senior baseball writer at The Athletic Patrick Mooney tweeted.
Joe Girardi, the former Cubs catcher and ex-Phillies/Yankees/Marlins manager, will join the Marquee Sports Network broadcast booth for two upcoming series, this weekend at Wrigley Field and Sept. 19-21 in Miami.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) August 17, 2022
Girardi played seven of his 15 MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs.
A New Chapter In Girardi’s Career
Now, he will work as an analyst for Marquee Sports Network, the regional sports network operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group and the Cubs.
Having a former player or manager has become the norm in sports broadcasting, and there is no denying that Girardi has baseball in his veins.
He won three World Series rings with the New York Yankees as a player in the late nineties, and one as a manager in 2009.
Despite some recent failures with the Phillies, he knows baseball like few others and has deep roots to the Cubs organization, after being drafted by them in 1986 and staying in the franchise until 1992.
It’s a new challenge for Girardi, and it implies talking about and analyzing a team that has no real shot at contending for the playoffs in 2022, but does have some interesting pieces for 2023 and the future.
A good test for him. If he can make it pleasant making a bad team sound good, in the last days of a season. Nothing on the line, no real interest. If he can make it worth listening to, good for him!
— crazycatladythat loves dogs🇺🇸💙 (@bhalpop) August 17, 2022
Fans are eager to hear him in the booth.
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