Joe: Players free to protest

TORONTO — The Yankees did not do anything out of the ordinary when the national anthem played prior to Sunday’s 9-5 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. During the anthem, everyone on the field for the Yankees — including nine players and Girardi and his coaching staff — stood. Not all players were on the field, but that is not uncommon for a road game.

Girardi said beforehand he will always stand for the anthem. Whether his players did so, however, would be completely up to them.

“Well, it’s not something that I would choose to do because it’s my opinion,” Girardi said. “I’m entitled to my opinion and others are entitled to their own opinion.

“There’s going to be a lot of things in this world that you may not agree with, but I think it’s a player’s right. That’s the country we live in. You don’t necessarily have to agree with it, but that’s what people do.”

Many NFL players elected to kneel during the national anthem in response to President Donald Trump’s divisive comments blasting them. In the majors, Oakland’s Bruce Maxwell became the first player to do so on Saturday night.

Asked for his stance on the issue, Aaron Judge responded: “I’m a baseball player. My job is to focus on playing baseball right now.” Asked if players talked about the anthem protests, Judge responded: “No, there was no word of it today. No one really talked about that. A lot of us saw what happened in Oakland, but we really didn’t talk much about it.”

CC Sabathia told The News on Saturday that he would “never” visit the White House if the Yankees won the World Series. “I just don’t believe in anything that is Trump,” Sabathia said. “So there wouldn’t be any reason for me to go at all.” Girardi feels differently. “I know that when we had a chance to go there — whether I agreed with a President’s stance or disagreed with a President’s stance — I thought it was an honor to go,” he said. “I’ve been there a number of times. I was as a college player and I thought it was an honor to go. I know I wouldn’t want a President’s job.”

JOE’S FUTURE

Girardi deflected questions about his future. The Yankees manager is in the final year of his contract.

Given that Girardi guided a young team that many felt was in rebuilding mode to the playoffs, it seems reasonable to believe that he will be asked to return. But there is a question of how long Girardi — a family man now in his 10th year at the helm — wants to continue managing.

“No,” Girardi replied when asked if he’s thought about how long he wants to keep doing this.