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For now, Wrigley just nice place to visit for Girardi

Joe Girardi honestly couldn't remember the last time he was at Wrigley Field.

“This was my home for so many years, and to not be here for a long time feels odd,” Girardi said Friday morning as he sat in the visitor's dugout. “I guess the last time I was here had to be with the Marlins (as manager in 2006) or as a broadcaster (in 2007).

“It's great to be back.”

But don't misunderstand his love for Chicago or the ballpark, because Girardi never had any intention of returning this season as manager of the Cubs.

Even if the Cubs had interest, which they didn't, Girardi wasn't going anywhere.

“My first goal last year was to win the World Series. We fell short,” said Girardi, who won it in 2009. “My next goal was to be the Yankees' manager again and win the World Series this year.

“I never even thought about the Cubs. Besides, they had already signed Mike Quade before I signed my new deal so there was never anything to think about.

“That all happened while we were fighting to make the playoffs and trying to win the pennant. I was busy.”

You have to think Girardi is going to be a Yankee a very long time, but he's only 46 and it's not hard to imagine him returning to Chicago some years down the road.

It would be as natural a fit for an owner who grew up a Cubs fan, Tom Ricketts, and a manager who grew up a Cubs fan, Girardi, as there's ever been.

It seems inevitable but rather distant, and between now and then it's quite likely Girardi will win another World Series or four, though judging by the Yanks' performance Friday you wouldn't believe it this year.

The Bronx Bombers were befuddled by the pitching of one Douglas Davis, he of the 0-5 record and 5.90 ERA.

Davis absolutely stymied the Yankees with a pitch that would otherwise be known as a fastball if it were actually fast enough to be classified as such.

With the wind blowing in a gale, Davis threw it right over the plate all day, let the Yankees swing hard, and gave up just a run on 3 hits in 7⅓ innings.

The bullpen finished it off for the Cubs' fourth victory in five games.

“He was on the edges with a number of different pitches,” Girardi said of Davis. “He changed speeds. He did a good job. Give him credit.”

OK, credit given.

As for the Yankees, they remain 10 games over .500 and safely in a playoff position despite several injuries, so Girardi was not about to lose sleep over one game.

More prominent in his thinking is his drive to Peoria early on Father's Day, with the Yanks not facing the Cubs until Sunday night.

The timing allows Joe to see his dad, Jerry, who has battled Alzheimer's for a decade, and Girardi knows his trip Sunday morning could mean his last visit with his father.

“I'm aware of that every time,” Girardi said. “There's a part of me that believes he still knows who I am, and there's something about the energy in the room when my kids are there that gives him a spark.

“But it doesn't get any easier, that's for sure ... and it's Father's Day of all days.”

Girardi comes from a very close family and the pain is apparent in his face when he talks about his dad.

“He raised me to be a Cub fan, took me to my first Cub game, taught me everything about baseball,” Girardi said. “He was here for my first game, for my first playoff game, for everything important to me.”

History is important to Girardi, as are his memories of Chicago and the Cubs, especially Cubs fans, and he can't walk into Wrigley Field without thinking of Ron Santo.

“He was so good to me,” Girardi said. “He pulled for me and looked out for me. He was always there for me, even throwing (batting practice) to me in the winters at Northwestern.

“He was a good friend and I miss him.”

Girardi also remembers his toughest day as a Cub, telling fans the game had been canceled after the Cardinals discovered Darryl Kile dead in his hotel room in 2002.

“All I could think of was his family,” Girardi said. “I knew those little kids wouldn't see their daddy again.”

Yeah, Girardi's about as genuine as they come, a man of faith and principle, who stands for something in a cynical and wicked professional sport that generally requires none of the above.

He's someone you would be proud to say is the manager of your team, and someday it's likely to happen here in Chicago.

But for now, and for those who hoped that Girardi would be here managing the Cubs this year, rest assured that in so many ways, and on so many days, he's truly in a better place.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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