On Joe Girardi’s unsatisfactory job security comments

If Philadelphia Phillies manager Joe Girardi’s goal is to dispel speculation of his apathy, his performance in Sunday night’s postgame media availability resembled the performance his Phillies team had provided just minutes before — in that it was a disaster.

The on-field performance capped off a three-game embarrassment in New York, courtesy of the team now 10 ½ games above Girardi’s in the NL East standings. It brought the Phillies to 3-9 against the Mets in 2022 — as many losses in 12 games this year as they had in 19 head-to-head matchups last year. And it dropped the Phillies to six games under .500, an abyss they hadn’t found themselves in since Oct. 1, 2017, when they finished the regular season at a dreadful 66-96. 

And the disastrous postgame performance, lower in stakes but perhaps more revealing about the team’s direction, only fueled concerns about the factors that arguably got Girardi’s Phillies here in the first place. 

“I don’t worry about my job,” Girardi said when NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury asked whether he was, well, worried about his job. “I’ve never worried about my job. I don’t worry about my job. I’ve got to do my job. It’s the business of being a manager. I don’t worry about it.”

It’s a cliché line, Ole’ Reliable for managers and coaches on the hot seat seeking to feign confidence and control. Usually, it can be taken with a grain of salt and appropriately analyzed as fluff.

In this instance, it’s telling. 

There are two interpretations of Girardi’s supposed lack of anxiety about his job status, neither of which are particularly glowing endorsements on the third-year Phillies skipper. One assumes that the manager is telling the truth — that he really isn’t concerned, despite the myriad factors (such as standings and payroll) that may reasonably warrant concern.

That doesn’t bode particularly well for a manager accused of an almost daily basis of indifference and disinterest. And, frankly, he’s provided support for that assertion more than once throughout the season’s first 47 games.

Whether it’s choosing not to get fired up about the abysmal umpiring during the infamous Ángel Hernández Game in late April, neglecting to come to his players’ defense when Yoan López threw at Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm in the ninth inning of another loss to the Mets in early May, or trotting out a team that far too often seems lifeless and uninvested — an indictment on many, including the manager — Girardi hasn’t exactly instilled much confidence that either the Phillies will figure things out or he’ll die trying.

Perhaps when Girardi says he’s not concerned about his job status, he’s being truthful. But perhaps that’s not because he thinks he’s in the clear. Perhaps that’s because he’s indifferent. 

The other interpretation, of course, is that he’s lying. 

Let’s parse that theory out. I don’t worry about my job. Does he really think that’s what the fans want to hear? 

Girardi’s team is, as mentioned, 10 ½ games out of first place. It’s not even June. A team that was widely projected to win somewhere between 84 and 87 games is on pace to win 71, well short of even an expanded playoff field. We’re more than a quarter of the way through the season, and at this point, the panic meter is at 11. 

Phillies fans — even the few that might want Girardi to remain in his post, wherever those folks are these days — should want him to worry that the sword is his on which to fall. If nothing else, a little acknowledgement that it’s time for a sense of urgency would be appreciated.

There’s a third way to interpret Girardi’s postgame comments. Option three is that he’s not worried about job security because he sees no reason to be worried — that is, no reason the temperature on his seat should be rising at all. 

Maybe Girardi’s been told by the Phillies front office that his job is safe until the offseason, regardless of how bad things get. If so, congratulations, skipper. But that kind of guarantee feels unlikely, unless John Middleton is content with exceeding the luxury tax threshold only to waste another year of Bryce Harper’s prime. More likely, option three would suggest that Girardi is completely disconnected from reality. Not a great look, either.

So pick your poison. Based on Sunday night’s comments, Girardi is either disinterested, dishonest or disconnected. However you choose to slice it, the manager didn’t answer with any semblance of reassurance that the criticisms levied his way are misplaced.

Quite the opposite, actually. He supported them.

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