Today in The Journal News
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- October
- 20
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Joe Torre felt he wasn’t wanted so he walked.
The process of finding a new manager has started and Brian Cashman has three candidates.
Rick Carpiniello writes that this is Yogi Berra all over again.
Joe leaves with one regret: those damn midges.
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on Saturday, October 20th, 2007 at 11:57 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Hello everyone,
I’m a long time reader, but this is my first post. I think we have to take a step back, analyze what is going on and not rely too heavily on the opinions of the media to form our own (not a shot at Pete, the media in general). While I think Torre was the best manager in a Yankee uniform I have seen during my lifetime, his time to go was eventually going to come. Thats not necessarily saying that he had to leave now. Yes, the disrespect was shown with only offering a one year deal. A man with his credentials should have earned an extra year on the proposal and manage this team into the new stadium. But, I think the amount offered was legit. We were overpaying him to begin with (an yes, i know we overpay everyone), as he more than doubles the next manager’s salary. As people who run a business view it, why should we pay championship money when a championship isn’t being returned? I believe they saw it as: yes, he is the best manager for this team, and we are going to pay him as so, and he will have the ability to accrue more money based on performance. The performance incentive was not used as a motivational tool (like at many of our jobs), but as a way for ownership to pay for what they are getting. I do not have a problem with this.
I do not think Torre or Levine or Steinbrenners, are the heroes or the villains in this situation. A proposal was made, which was made with what they thought was fair and in the team’s best interest, and they could not come to a median. And it was decided that parting ways was the only solution left.
That said, I do not think this is the end of the world. This team is set to manage itself on the field (minus handling of bullpen). What they do need is a manager with good social skills: one who can handle the egos in the clubhouse, show composure, exhibit confidence in his players, and be “media-friendly”. While these are not qualities that are easy to find, I have confidence that Cashman will find someone who he feels will fit this description.
But, we have to remember, at the end of the day, its all about what the players do on the field.
Sorry for the long post, I had to stop myself or I would keep rambling.
P.S. Thanks Pete for providing such a good source of information and opinion on all Yankee related topics and issues. You are doing a great job and I refer all Yankees fans I know to your blog. Keep up the good work.
What Carpiniello leaves out is in 2000 the Rangers bring Messier to a huge contract and loud cries of “we got our captain back! He won’t allow us to miss the playoffs”. They did for 5 straight years with the highest payroll in a joke league where over half the teams make the playoffs.
Whatever Pete.
Pete, now that the season is over…have you given any more thought to making this blog accessible only through registration?
After 12 incredible seasons of baseball at it highest level of play The Joe Torre New York Yankees are no more.
Make no mistake these were Torre’s Yankees…he was the field general…12 post seasons, 10 Division Championships, 6 American League Pennants and 4 World Championships.
Thank you Joe Torre…Good on you and yours!
The Steinbrenner Yankees were hot in the late 70’s and early 80’s…then 16 years wandering in the desert.
The team is void of strong leadership. Cashman and Gene Michaels are the only one’s with a clue.
Back to the desert…for how long…
Maybe the comparison to Yogi in terms of resentment to the organization will turn out to be accurate. Too early to tell.
I just cannot put Torre on the same level as Yogi as a Yankee icon. I just cannot feel the same for a manager as for a PLAYER. Especially one who played in 75 WS games.
And I never saw Yogi play!
i have to respond to ashley taylors post. no longer being a yankeed fan because of the meanie steinnbrenner and comparing him to marge schott.
what planet are you living on????Torre was treated terribly for 12 yrs so bad he wanted to come back for a 13th….
steinbrenner is a bully is that a suprise or something people are unaware of when they take the job???
Yeah steinny lowballls his players, makes them pay for airfare to go home when they are injured, and is cheap..
get a clue be real…they wanted poor Joe back for only 1 yr. he declined because his meager $5 mill guaranteed was an insult.. no villian no hero just real life. In todays LA times they have managers salaries check them out torre made more then double the next highest paid manager and quite a few managers make $5ooK..
the hysteria is ridiculuas and stupid…worrying how it ends with mattingly before it starts…………….to the managers and most players it is strictly business the allegiance to the team is temporary….
poor poor Joe, grady little in LA gets $6590k a yr. you think they will pay Torre $5 mill a 800 % increase.
the stupidity of some fans and the belief Joe was mistreated is ludicrous…. Again he was so mistreated he wanted to continue to be mistreated……………..
1 last point on the torre saga. they lost trust in Torre, is that really an outrageous belief?????
yeah the yankee mantra of winning it all is a ridiculous idea but have they showed in recent years that things are going in the right direction?
3 1st round exots, uyes making the playoffs is a accomplishment but the way they have lost in the playoffs the last few years does not lead anyone to believe they are moving forward.
they fired showa;ter after making the playoffs with a young team and losing a heartbreak game 5, so is any of this a SUPRIE………………..
they also hires a guy who never won to replace showalter, how did that moron steinny’s hire work out????
I THINK THE MEANIE DUMMY DID ok .in the TOrre hire what do you think????
They fired Stengal after 1960(I think). cASEY Friggin stengal, so stop the hysteria and amazement of this…..
Hey Gary!
I am sure that was all Clueless Joe’s doing. It had nothing to do with George willing to outspend everyone. Nothing to with Stick developing players. Nothing to do with Jeter, Bernie, and Rivera. Nothing to do with Zimmer telling Joe how to manage. Nothing to do with Cashman pushing Joe into the 21st century.
It was all Joe Torre, right? I mean his record before the Yankees was so amazing.
The Yankees made Joe Torre. Give Joe the Pirates job, then see what he does. You go wander around in the desert, or maybe go root for the chocking Mets. The Yankees will be fine.
It is in the long term best interests of the team that Torre is not coming back. He is not the right manager for this team any more, in spite of his past success Regarding Bowa and others leaving, so be it whether they are the best at thier craft or not. They did not win in the post-season together and we will do no worse with some other group of coaches. The new manager has to be given freedom to bring his own coaches any away.
There was so much written on this blog about Torre’s incometence about in game and bullpen management. Yesterday he said someting (after he had some time to think about it), that really borders on bumbness.
Regarding the bugs in game two he said, he should have done something, which it right. But the reason he gave why he did not was real dumb. He said that if he goes to the mound he was worried about it counting as a trip.
How dumb it is….. He should go and talk to the unpire at home plate to stop/delay the game. That visit does not count as a trip. Doeen’t he know that after managing for so long? The worst that would happen is that the umpire would not agree to delay the game.
There are lot of ipinions about who did wrong in the whole Torre saga. I do agree that untlimately the way it turned out, it was insulting to Joe.
But, the real mistake was done by Goerge. If he did not say any thing after game 2 of ALDS, after we lost ALDS, the majoriry of the public opinion, inluding media, would have been against Joe. Then it would have been easy for the yankee brass that they are going in different direcction and not bringing back Joe.
in summary torre good guy and good manager. thanks for unbelievable results but it is time to move in a new direction.
sounds reasonable to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chris,
Thanks for the comments.
Joe Torre was the right man…in the right place at the right time. Torre, Cashman, Stick and Watson know baseball. George in his prime was the best owner in history. Any many that can take a $10 million operating business and turn it into a Billion Plus operating business in 35 years is what an examole of the what smart people can do in the land of opportunity!
George will always be the Boss…But George is not George anymore…
Team Tampa ain’t the Yankees.
Despite it all…Glory days keep rollin!
It is in the long term best interests of the team that Torre is not coming back. He is not the right manager for this team any more, in spite of his past success Regarding Bowa and others leaving, so be it whether they are the best at their craft or not. They did not win in the post-season together and we will do no worse with some other group of coaches. The new manager has to be given freedom to bring his own coaches any away.
There was so much written on this blog about Torre’s incompetence about in game and bullpen management. Yesterday he said something (after he had some time to think about it), that really borders on dumbness.
Regarding the bugs in game two he said, he should have done something, which it right. But the reason he gave why he did not was real dumb. He said that if he goes to the mound he was worried about it counting as a trip.
How dumb it is….. He should go and talk to the umpire at home plate to stop/delay the game. That visit does not count as a trip. Doesn’t he know that after managing for so long? The worst that would happen is that the umpire would not agree to delay the game.
There are lot of opinions about who did wrong in the whole Torre saga. I do agree that ultimately the way it turned out, it was insulting to Joe.
But, the real mistake was done by George. If he did not say any thing after game 2 of ALDS, after we lost ALDS, the majority of the public opinion, including media, would have been against Joe. Then it would have been easy for the Yankee brass that they are going in different direction and not bringing back Joe.
Conspiculously missing are any comments or thoughts from Derek Jeter. Is he that distraught over Joe Torre leaving or is he wondering if he’ll finally be asked to step up his role as the Team’s Captain ?
Sorry for the double post. The blog is really acting up and there seems to be some techincal problems.
Joe Torre is well aquainted with the NY metro area and the tempo of some Yankee fans. He’s also aware of media that will work this story dry. Meantime, he’ll bask in the sympathy he’ll hear until that too runs dry. They’ll be days when he’ll wonder if he should have taken his pride and put it in his back pocket and left under different terms.
“Conspiculously missing are any comments or thoughts from Derek Jeter. Is he that distraught over Joe Torre leaving or is he wondering if he’ll finally be asked to step up his role as the Team’s Captain ?”
I said it before, I will repeat my prediction again.
Boras will insist on making A-Rod a co-captain as part of the deal (as he did with Veritek in Boston) and Yankees will gladly agree to it.
I felt that last year A-Rod showed more leadership qualities by mentoring the youngsters like Cano and Melky. You could see on the bench how the youngters were having fun with A-Rod and they hardly interact with Jeter. That tells something.
There’s one remaining managerial opening in baseball…the Pittsburgh Pirates. Just let Joe Torre sign a 3-year deal for $350K per year and see how quick he loves last place finishes and sparse crowds. A $500K bonus would look sweet just to get out of last place in the NL East.
The Yankees are turning into the Dodgers of the 50s and 60s.
No manager will be offered any more than one-year contracts.