The public image of Joe Girardi, with his square chin, G.I. Joe haircut and righteous assertions, might best be described as unforgiving.

He rarely concedes, be it a hopelessly lost ballgame or a pointed question. He might stomp out of an interview with reporters or blame umpires rather than his own players — as he did recently as the Yankees faded from postseason contention — but he does not yield.

This season, though, there has been a window into another side of Girardi, one that has rarely been on view in his nine years as Yankees manager. It is a side where Girardi might be seen as something he is not in the dugout: sensitive, poignant and exceedingly human.

For the pregame news conference at almost every home game this season, broadcast on the team’s YES Network, Girardi has worn a T-shirt representing a different charity. Before taking questions from reporters, he gives a brief but detailed description of each charity’s mission.