Iwakuma 00740314

10/31/2007 7:30 PM ET
Girardi's coronation set for Thursday
Official introduction scheduled for 1 ET at Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK -- Joe Girardi is set for his official coronation as the new Yankees manager.
The team has scheduled a 1 p.m. ET press conference for Thursday in the Diamond Club at Yankee Stadium, introducing Girardi as the 32nd manager in club history.

Girardi and the Yankees agreed to terms of a three-year contract that extends through 2010 on Tuesday, announcing the deal on a conference call with reporters.

Now, Girardi -- who experienced life in New York from the unique prisms of a player, a coach and, in 2007, a broadcaster for the YES Network -- will face the cameras and flashbulbs for the first time as a Yankees manager.

"I understand the expectations, and I think that's the advantage of being a player in New York," Girardi said. "You understand what's expected. I expect it as well. I expect to be playing in the Fall Classic next October -- I think that's everyone's expectation. You do everything that you possibly can to get there."

The 2006 National League Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins, Girardi is the 17th former Yankees player to manage the club, beating out candidates Don Mattingly and Tony Pena in an arduous interview process conducted over three consecutive days last week in Tampa, Fla.

"He's meticulous in his approach," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of Girardi. "Three characteristics that probably describe his beliefs are hard work, accountability and discipline. One thing I know about him is that he likes to compete all the time. It's not just what happens when the bell rings for first pitch."

A former catcher for 15 Major League seasons, Girardi played on the Yankees' 1996, '98 and '99 World Series teams. Known for his gritty work ethic, it was Girardi's third-inning triple in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series that helped the Yankees clinch their first title since '78.

Girardi succeeds Joe Torre, who led the club to four World Series titles, but none since 2000. Torre has been linked to the Dodgers in published reports after he turned down the Yankees' one-year, "performance-based" $5 million contract offer on Oct. 18.

Girardi said that he was not worried about following Torre. In 1996, Girardi replaced the popular Mike Stanley as the Yankees catcher, and he said he would take the same approach in this situation.

"I'm going to be myself," Girardi said. "Are there expectations on me and the coaching staff and the players? Absolutely. The same expectations that were on Joe Torre when he came in 1996.

"I don't think Joe was necessarily concerned about being the guy that he was replacing. He was concerned about being himself and getting the most out of the team, and that's what I'm concerned about. I can't be Joe Torre, because I'm made up different. I'm a different character."

Cashman said that he is certain the Yankees have selected the right man for the job.

"Joe Girardi's not afraid of anything -- that's the way he approached things as a player," Cashman said. "He looks forward to the challenge ... of how he is going to do the best job possible with the 2008 New York Yankees. I know he's ready to hit the ground running."