A Sad Time for the New York Yankees: Joe Torre Cannot be Replaced
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Big news of the week: Torre’s out (obviously; it’s the New York Yankees; how could we not know?).
It’s probably for the best. Torre’s 67; how much longer is he going to put up with Steinbrenner, the New York media, the superstar egos, and the Yankee expectations? He’s had an incredible run: 12 years, 12 playoff appearances, 10 division championships, including 9 straight, 6 World Series appearances, and 4 championships. Not many others can come close to this resume, not even the two active managers ahead of him in total wins, Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox, who are also hall-of-fame managers in their own rights.
It will be good for the Yankees as well. Big George is ceding everyday control of the team to his sons; change will be afoot for the entire organization. For such a storied franchise that expects nothing less than winning the World Series every year, seven years of championship drought is a long way to go, especially with their $200 million payroll. In the eyes of management, Torre has failed these past seven years, and bringing in somebody new perhaps will emphasize that no matter how good you are or what you have done before, not getting it done now will not cut it. Other teams would have extended Torre’s contract before spring training; 12 straight playoff appearances do not happen everyday. In fact, no team currently has been in the playoffs even two years in a row besides the Yankees. But the Yankees are a different story; they don’t just play with the big boys, they play above the big boys.
The way the Yankees pushed him out though was quite classless, the complete opposite of what you would expect from this storied franchise, but much like what you would expect from a business giant. Knowing the New York fans would backlash if they let Torre go outright, management offered him a 1-year $5 million contract with $3 million in incentives after days of apparent haggling over if Torre should go or not. Torre was right that this was a slap in the face. A $2.5 million pay cut from the richest team in baseball and a single year inevitably full of job-security questions after guiding this team to places other Yankee managers and other current teams have not done sums up the front office’s feelings for Torre: “He’s not worth what we once thought he’s worth anymore, but to prevent a massive PR backlash, we’ll offer him something he can refuse. Get him off our hands.” Torre has conceded that he does not expect to be paid as much by other suitors as perhaps even the $5 million offered by the Yankees, and he’s fine with that, but given that the Yankees are the Yankees, such a big cut is uncalled for.
Again, Torre’s had a great run of success with the Yankees, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations, what with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and others. They’re all great players, but for something to have gone awry on the way to the World Series there must have been something other than these all-stars, right? Plus, he hasn’t done what he was supposed to do for seven years now. How good of a manager was he to begin with anyway? He did not have much success before the Yankees, leading mediocre teams with the Mets, Braves, and Cardinals. When he got to the Yankees, he was inheriting the biggest spender in baseball with superstars everywhere, from Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, Joe Girardi, John Wetteland, to Alfonso Soriano, Kevin Brown, Randy Johnson (though the latter two didn’t do much), to the current guys mentioned above. He always had the talent, money, and resources to win; what kind of idiot would not have succeeded with these at his disposal?
Ah, but with those benefits come disadvantages. He handled the superstar egos quite well; nary has a clubhouse controversy lasted longer than perhaps a month. He satisfied the Boss quite well that he’s the longest-tenured manager under George’s reign. He’s a favorite of the fickle New York fan base, something very hard to achieve. He’s the father figure of the biggest franchise in America, the leader of a herd whose members would have been leaders of other teams, and the most successful manager in recent baseball history. With the dawn of a new period coming up with new Yankee Stadium opening in two years, would it not have been smart to let Joe finish out this final year at current Yankee Stadium, or even linking his success at the old stadium into the new one the year after that? Maybe an idiot would have won at least one ring with the Yankee bunch, but only Torre would have done it with such class and without much controversy (La Russa would have made fast enemies with the media and fans; a reason he’s not going to take the job and should not even be considered, and Cox would have been highly controversial among the fan base).
Joe Torre’s done an amazing job for the Yankees; for that the Yankees should be grateful. Torre should be grateful for his time with the Yankees as well, especially for catapulting his career into the Hall of Fame. The Yankees could have handled his contract offer better, letting Torre know their stance and doing so quickly, and giving Torre the right to negotiate with them, which he should have earned. The Yankees’ point of view is understandable; it actually says in their mission statement that the goal is to win the World Series every year, and they will settle for nothing less. But they have let go a very successful manager and an amazing person, and there will be a big void in the Yankee clubhouse next year.
