Yankees Manager Joe Girardi Says Rant Was About Protecting His Family

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi wasn't a very happy man last Wednesday. During an interview with the media after a loss to the Chicago White Sox, Girardi yelled at a fan who heckled at him.

Girardi has surely been heckled many times before, being that he is the manager of one of the most popular sports franchises in the world. However, it was personal this time when his family was there.

"My wife and kids were in there,'' Girardi told Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. "Other kids were there. And our families shouldn't be subject to that. It's not right. It's terrible.''

The fan was quoted yelling things like calling Girardi "a bum" and saying that the "Yankees suck." Girardi would come back and yell, "Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Shut up! I'm doing an interview!" as he then went towards a security guard to "stop him and shut him up." He would then resume the interview again as if nothing happened.

Girardi's wife, Kim, and his three kids (Serena, 12; Dante, 10; and Linda, 5) were in the area during the shouting.

"They can heckle me,'' Girardi said. "They can say whatever they want to me. When my wife and kids are there, it's a different story.''


Photo Credit: Brett Carlsen/Associated Press

Josh Dhani is the founder of FootBasket. You can read more about him at his website. Follow him on Twitter @joshdhani.