Nationals GM rips 'embarrassing' Phillies manager Joe Girardi: 'He atlanta braves jersey xxl 's a con artist'

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Joe Girardi: Con Man?

Girardi, manager of the 34-36 Phillies, requested the umpires to check Max Scherzer for a third time during Philadelphia's 3-2 loss on Tuesday, amidst MLB's new sweeping rules barring pitchers from using foreign substances to improve grip.

The rules are forcing umpires — and managers — into tough situations to check on pitchers, but Nats GM Mike Rizzo isn't buying Girardi's explanation that he was concerned starter Max Scherzer had something in his hair on Tuesday night, leadi freddie freeman atlanta braves jersey ng to the Girardi request.

On his weekly radio spot with D.C. station WJFK-FM, Rizzo didn't hold back on his disdain for Girardi for Tuesday night's situation:

It's e atlanta braves store mbarrassing for Girardi, it's embarrassing for the Phillies, it's embarrassing for baseball. Yes, he's playing games. Hey, that's his right. Gamesmanship. Had nothing to do with substances, had no probable cause to ask for it. The umps shouldn't have allowed it. But itMLB Batting Practice happened, and you gotta deal with it. This is what we're gonna have to deal with.

And you think you're gonna intimidate a Max ScherzMLB Small Jewelry er, and that type of thing, and it's just not gonna happen. You're just gonna piss him off and make him concentrate that much harder. This was about breaking Max's rhythm and frustTrevor Story Red Sox Jerseysrating him and type of thing, and it didn't work. Our bullpen pitched great, we got some timely hits and we beat the Phillies. …

That was his goal. He's a con artist. He got you (the show hosts) in the con. That's — that's just the way it is. He's been doing that for years on TV. 

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Rizzo would later say that he "loves" Girardi and has k atlanta braves jersey dansby swanson nown him a long time, so maybe he knows him "too well."

Girardi got word of Rizzo's inflammatory comments and responded Wednesday afternoon:

"I don't have a problem with it," Gi atlanta braves merch rardi said. "Obviously, he's going to protect his club. He's entitled to his own opinion, but so am I. That's the bottom line. That's America, right?"

Girardi was ejected for coming out of the dugout and confronting some Nationals coaches who were yelling across the diamond. Washington and Scherzer emerged the 3-2 victors in the NL East matchup.