Steinbrenner obviously out of patience
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- October
- 7
Just arrived at Yankee Stadium and everybody is buzzing about George Steinbrenner’s ultimatum to Joe Torre.
Basically, either the Yankees win this series or Torre is fired.
Whether it was a good idea by Big Stein or not isn’t really the point. It’s his team and he can say or do what he wants. Besides …
2003: Yankees lost in World Series
2004: Yankees lost in ALCS
2005: Yankees lost division series in 5 games
2006: Yankees lost division series in 4 games
2007: Yankees down 0-2 in division series
Steinbrenner is 77 and losing patience. He can see the trend as well as anybody because he signs the checks. I’m not convinced somebody other than Torre would make a big difference. In fact, somebody else could make things much, much worse.
But the idea of at least trying somebody else starts to make sense at some point.
Besides, Steinbrenner can always fire Torre and bring him back in a year or two. He’s done it before. Torre has managed 12 years. The Yankees had seven managers in the 12 years prior to that.
Hold on tight, it’s going to be a wild ride. Just remember one thing: Torre has been a survivor since he got this job. The Yankees have beat Cleveland three times in a row twice already this season, after all.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, October 7th, 2007 at 3:27 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
It’s going to be crazy, that’s for sure.
And I’ll be there every step of the way.
Wow did the Jets just hand the Giants a score there. That was awful. And I hate Plaxico, too bad they didn’t just hit him, take the pentaly you’re going to lose anyway. TERRIBLE!!
I hate Burrus to but I`ll take it
What a showboat!!
Still time left, and Jets ball. Not worried yet.
Since Torre’s contract is up anyway, being “fired” is not really the issue.
That said, I question the value of stating this “ultimatum” explicitly. It seems pretty obvious that if the Yanks lose, changes are coming.
Will they be improvements or just changes because of dissatisfaction with the status quo? That’s always the question, isn’t it?
I love Plax. . . his attitude is no match for his height and play-making ability. What is this, this Giants kick-off special teams has been horrible. Anyway back to baseball—who do you guys think should be Joe’s replacement? I’d like Girardi, cuz he has more experience than Mattingly and I thought he was great with the Marlins.
The Boss is 100% justified in saying what he did.
I just serioulsy question the timing of it. The team should be focused on one thing, winning this one game tonight. This is HUGE distraction now. How well would any of you be able to do your job with your boss holding a gun to your head?
In the days, weeks, months ahead when this series is over you will for sure hear some players saying that this was just too big a distraction for them. Just like last year when Torre dropped A-Rod right before Game 4.
Just a very self destructive act by Steinbrenner in my opinion.
If Joe T is gone, I’d rather have Joe G. I’ve heard some people say Larussa that could be one of the worst things for this team. Also I don’t think Donnie should do it.
Pete,
I certainly thought (and wrote) that Torre should have been canned after last year’s postseason.
However, I can’t really blame him this year (including this post-season – Torre can’t jedi-mind trick the Yankees into hitting and I don’t think he has superpowers to kill-off Lake Erie bus).
Strange.
Way to put pressure on not only the manager, but the entire team!
Steinbrenner really has become a senile mess. The best thing for this team will be when he becomes completely incapacitated and can no longer stick his nose (and his mouth) into anything to do with the team.
This may be Steinbrenner’s stupidest act to date. I wish he’d just go away already.
That’s George for you: thinking that a baseball team is motivated the same way as one of his old college football teams (even if he was the assistant coach). 33 years and he still doesn’t get “it” about this game. Go Yanks!
“Basically, either the Yankees win this series or Torre is fired.”
Pete, Joe is not being fired.
He will not be invited back, even if he wants to come back.
He has no contract for next year.
Hopefully, the separation will be handled with dignity on both sides.
I still beleive that Yanks have life in them this season. However, if the Yanks do not make it to the WS, Joe will not have the chance to manage next year and he should not.
Is it unfair not to invite him back? I do not think so. He should have been let go quite some time back based on the results of the past few years. He should be thankful to Cash that he lasted this long.
Maybe Stein will fire Torre on Tuesday and then hire him on Wednesday for the 2009 season.
“Steinbrenner really has become a senile mess. The best thing for this team will be when he becomes completely incapacitated and can no longer stick his nose (and his mouth) into anything to do with the team.
This may be Steinbrenner’s stupidest act to date. I wish he’d just go away already.”
Do not wish for that!!!!
The younger Steins will be more profit oriented and they may not spend at all costs to win.
In fact, Joe not coming back will save some money to them given he gets paid far and above any manager in baseball and the post season results are bad. If they hire someone like Girardi, there itself they save $5 mil a year.
win or lose this series torre is gone, i hope they bring in girardi and not let the man with no shoulders become manager
PETER,
the movie All about Eve said it best “Fasten your seat belt
it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Let’s remember that Torre is 67. He’s no spring chicken here either. It’s not like he hasn’t made mistakes in this series.
First off, instead of Sean Henn in the last game of the season, Wang should have pitched 2 or 3 innings so that he (a sinkerballer) wouldn’t go 8 days between starts and become too strong.
2nd. After the Yanks made it 4-3 in Gm. 1, bring in Hughes to start the 5th instead of sticking with a struggling Wang. When does he use Hughes? In the 7th down 11-3. That is when you use Ohlendorf, not in the 5th after you let Wang let the game get away.
3rd. Sticking with Matsui, who has been slumping, had his knee drained, and who right now can’t get the ball out of the infield instead of Giambi (8 for 16 vs. Cleve. this year, 1 double, 4 HR and 6 RBI) has been another mistake. In a 1-0 game, and with it apparent that Matsui couldn’t hit the ball out of the infield, Joe didn’t switch Giambi for Matsui in the DH spot.
The team hasn’t hit, but Torre hasn’t been Einstein-like so far.
I think Torre has been great for the Yankees. That being said, just as he was getting the praises for wins, he must suffer the consequences for losses. I do not think it is unreasonable for Big Stein to demand wins from Torre, especially when he has spent the money he has over the years. If Torre does go, whant about Tony Pena. He did a great job with those bad KC teams and has a good repore with players etc. I do not see how Joe G, LaRussa or Mattingly (at this stage in his career) would be an upgrade from Torre.
Torre leaves, and so do all of Pettitte, Mo and Posada….and probably A-Rod.
Uhm, remember when Clemens said there was another reason for him to come to the Yankees this year? How about this…
Next year, Joe is gone, and it is not Girardi or Mattingly managing this team but the one and only Rocket!
There you go Johnny!!!
The time will come when NO ONE will want to play for the Yankees. Steinbrenner sense of timing is impeccable; nothing like adding a little distraction. He doesn’t deserve Joe Torre or any of the other players who are here because of Joe and his low-keyed manner.
You think everyone would leave with Rocket as the manger of this team? Everyone leaves because of the manager? I’d like to see that… That would just give us more room to maneuver, not that I want mo, andy or jorge to leave.
Unreal .. UNREAL JETER!!! Took the wind right out of me!
Joe and his low-key manner? You mean sleeping in the dugout is low-key?
Oh, so Tony LaRussa whose contract is up with St.Louis after this season and who qualifies as “someone else”, would make things “much, much worse” huh Peter?
You don’t have a clue about baseball outside N.Y. do you?
How’d you get a job beat-writing for the Yankees let alone an M.L.B. team? Or I should ask who did you and/ or your father know?
Go back to covering college sports, newjack.