Yes, this is the NFFC Zone, intended to bring our readers an interesting angle related to the National Fantasy Football Championship. But I must digress for a short while.

I am fortunate to live in South Florida and to have witnessed before my very eyes the job that Joe Girardi did as manager of the Marlins. I challenge you to find an “expert” that predicted the Marlins to lose less than 100 games this season. Yet the baby Marlins, under the leadership of Girardi, won 78 games and were in the wild card race until the final week of the season. Girardi was unceremoniously fired on Tuesday morning, as owner Jeffrey Loria lacked the guts to even meet Girardi face-to-face. Loria sent his henchmen - David Samson, Larry Beinfest, and Michael Hill - to tell Girardi that he was relieved of his responsibilities as manager of the Marlins. Loria then called Girardi from his office in the same building.

It is pretty clear that Girardi was sold a bill of goods when he accepted the Marlins managerial job. Remember the make-up of the team when Girardi was hired. The big player-dump had not yet occurred. Imagine hiring in to manage Josh Beckett, Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Paul LoDuca, Juan Pierre, and Mike Lowell only to start the season with a team full of rookies.

Girardi told Evan Cohen (Tuesday on Girardi’s regular weekly show on local ESPN radio) that the objectives of Marlins upper management conflicted with his. While Girardi was all about winning games, Marlins management was upset when Girardi would not meet with suits in a suite on opening day during the one hour after batting practice ended and the game was going to start.

I do not know Girardi, never met him, and probably will never have the opportunity. But he can manage a team for me any day of the week.