New York ? Joe Girardi spoke with George Steinbrenner, and they quickly found common ground: Northwestern football.

“I talked to him about their 5-3 record and that they were one game from bowl-eligibility and that was big for Northwestern, so we had some laughs about that,” Girardi said.

Girardi is a Northwestern alumnus, and from his days as a catcher for the New York Yankees, he knew the owner is a former Northwestern assistant football coach. On Monday, they talked on a different level, with Girardi becoming the first person to interview as a potential replacement for departed manager Joe Torre.

Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly, scheduled to be interviewed today, is considered the favorite. New York first base coach Tony Pena is slated for a Wednesday interview.