By Vincent Mercogliano

Just as their biggest rivals were about to claim the World Series title, the Yankees found a way to steal the spotlight. On Sunday night, just as the Red Sox were about to win the deciding Game 4, completing their sweep of the Colorado Rockies, Alex Rodriguez’s agent Scott Boras announced that A-Rod would be opting out of the remaining three years of his record-breaking $252 million contract. The very next day the team announced that it had offered Joe Girardi a deal to replace the beloved Joe Torre as the Yankee’s new manager. So much for letting the Red Sox savor the moment.

The A-Rod decision came as a shock to many, but ultimately did not surprise people within the organization. After many attempts by the Yankee’s brass to set up a face-to-face meeting with A-Rod and Boras had been denied it was becoming increasingly clear they fully intended to test the free agent market. Too bad for them they will not have the Yankees engaging in any bidding wars to raise A-Rod’s price tag.

The team had reportedly been set to offer A-Rod a five-year extension worth up to $140 million. This extension would be added on to the three years remaining on the contract A-Rod signed with the Texas Rangers, therefore enabling the Yankees to continue to receive what was close to $30 million that the Rangers agreed to give up when they traded A-Rod to New York. Now that he has refused to even listen to the Yankees offer, which would have increased his pay to approximately $28 million per year, the Yankees have stated that they refused to pursue A-Rod in free agency.

“We wanted him to stay a Yankee. We wanted to let him know how much we wanted him,” said Hank Steinbrenner. “The bottom line is… do we really want anybody that really doesn’t want to be a Yankee? How the heck can you do that? Compare him with Jeter. Jeter, since he was a little kid, all he ever wanted to do was play shortstop for the Yankees. That’s what we want.”

The fact that A-Rod shunned the Yankees offer with such ease showed a lack of loyalty and ultimately the fact that he does not have the desire to play in New York that he claimed to have. The timing of his announcement should only enhance the perception that A-Rod is self-centered; he in effect tried to outshine the World Series. Major League Baseball officials were not pleased.

“There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game,” said Bob DuPuy, baseball’s chief operating officer.

After the controversial week the Yankees had with the exile of Torre, fans should feel better about the manner in which they have handled the A-Rod situation. They were prepared to make him a handsome offer, and essentially told him if you want to be a Yankee we’d love to have you but we’re not going to play any games, and you have to applaud that stance.

The very next day the Yankees made another key decision by selecting Joe Girardi as their next manager. It really came down to either Girardi or bench coach Don Mattingly, who seemed to be the early favorite of owner George Steinbrenner, but rather than make the decision himself, the Boss allowed his General Manager Brian Cashman to have the final say. He made Cashman a promise that all final say in the baseball related decisions would be his and Steinbrenner stuck to his word.

By all means, Yankee fans should be happy with the Girardi hiring. He is more qualified than Mattingly (he won Manager of the Year in 2006 with the Florida Marlins), and is better prepared at this point in his career to handle this Yankee team. As a former catcher Girardi is considered to be one of the brightest young minds in all of baseball and with all of the upcoming young pitching the Yankees have there is no better man to help them develop. He differs from Torre based on his intensity, but at the same time he has a very calming influence on his players.

According to his former teammates and players, there are not many people who prepare better than Girardi. He is also familiar with the town and the players which should make for a smooth transition.

By all accounts the Yankees are experiencing major changes, but in a two day span they not only rid the team of one of the most selfish players in the game, but also made a smart decision on their new leader. It will be a difficult task for Girardi to replace A-Rod’s offensive production, but maybe he will restore the unity on this team that he helped created during his playing days. It wasn’t too long ago that Girardi helped bring a championship to New York as a player; now he’ll get his shot as a manager.