Girardi

NEW YORK Joe Girardi has yet to manage a game for the New York Yankees and already he has one loss.

Skipped over for the job, Don Mattingly told the Yankees on Monday he had no interest in returning next year as bench coach or in any other coaching position.

Beloved as team captain, Donnie Baseball was the early favorite to replace Joe Torre and openly coveted the spot. Instead, the Yankees picked experience over popularity, choosing Girardi even at the risk Mattingly would walk away from the franchise.

"Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn't the organization's choice to fill the managerial vacancy," Mattingly's agent, Ray Schulte, said in an e-mail. "Instead, he was informed the organization offered the position to Joe Girardi."

Girardi was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with Florida, plus he has a pinstriped pedigree. The hard-nosed catcher played on three Yankees teams that won the World Series, served as their bench coach and was a TV announcer this year.

"Joe Girardi is a good man," Torre said Monday on "Late Show with David Letterman." "He's got a feel for this organization."

A baseball official confirmed the Yankees are negotiating with Girardi's agent, Steve Mandell.

The official said general manager Brian Cashman made the recommendation and it was accepted by the Yankees.