As a Yankees fan, I am torn about what should be done....I could understand why The Boss wants to replace Torre....I firmly believe The Boss has nothing but good will toward Torre, but for the third straight season, the players who are on the field during the playoff games have failed their manager, their owner, and their loyal fans.....with this continuing failure, the players have put Steinbrenner in a difficult situation....maybe the players are no longer responding to Torre and his ways of managing thus a change in day-to-day leadership could be healthy.....
The blood of this disastrous playoff loss is on many hands....obviously the main culprit is Alex Rodriguez....throughout the series he had ample opportunities to provide a spark but failed.....in the ninth inning of game 2, with Bobby Abreu on second and two outs in a tied game, A-Rod could have won it with a base hit....instead he struck out.....in game 4, he allowed Paul Byrd to strike him out twice on just three pitches each time.....believe me, I don’t expect A-Rod to get a base hit everytime he comes up in a crucial situation in the playoffs, but damn, with the money he is making, he needs to come through once in a while....I like A-Rod - I think he is a good person.....you never hear about him involved in DUIs, dogfighting, thuggery, etc....but it may be time for him and the Yankees to part ways....he has $91 million left on his contract and if he opts for free agency in order to make more money, I don’t blame Yankees general manager Brian Cas
hman for saying that the organization will not pursue him....
Another major culprit who has as much blood on his hands as A-Rod is Derek Jeter.....Jeter is my boy!!!....but just as I praise him when he does well, I will also criticize him too.....he failed throughout the series by hitting into three inning ending double plays that killed possibly rallies....what I did not like the most about Jeter during this series happened the night before game 1....I read on ESPN.com where Jeter went to dinner with Cleveland Indians Kenny Lofton.....I don't think a player should be going to dinner with an opponent the night before a playoff series...this is the same Lofton who supported former Yankee Gary Sheffield in his accusations that Torre was a racist....that is fine if Jeter and Lofton are friends, but I just think it was not appropriate to go to dinner with an opponent prior to a playoff series....when the series is over, they can hook up for dinner whenever they want.....for me, that just did not sit well....
So we come back to the question at hand - should Torre stay or go?.....I just don’t know.....part of me does not want to see Torre go because he is a great manager who has displayed integrity and good sportsmanship....he has proudly represented the Yankees organization and I believe he is still a quality manager....he should be Manager of the Year for the way he guided the team this year after their 21-29 start....but maybe the players are not responding to him anymore....it is not a knock on Torre, but more of a knock on the players.....former Detroit Pistons coach Chuck Daly once said there are only so many ways a coach can motivate a team before they start tuning you out because they have heard the same message over and over.....maybe that is what has happened in the Yankees clubhouse?.....I don’t know.....
If Torre is let go, the players should not rip The Boss for his decision....instead, they should look in the mirror and realize that they were the ones for Torre’s demise....they were the ones who left The Boss no choice....
3 comments:
As a Yankees fan myself, I kind of want to see some change. I would like a young fireballer like Girardi in there. If it's Tony LaRussa or Fake Mustache Valentine, I might kill myself.
I don't think you have the sense about what Torre is dealing with. He has one of the oldest starting pitching staffs in baseball. He was straddle with rules to use his bullpen. He was forced to use more rookies in a starting pitching rotation more than any other team or in Yankee history and despite all of this, Torre almost pulled off winning a Pennant, which is expected. The play-offs must be won by the players. Torre can make changes...Pitching Wang on short rest is questionable, but he had a much better year than Mussina. The real issue is to go younger within the team...Clemens, Giambi, Matsui, Mussina, most of the mid relief pitchers must be let go. We have to keep A-Rod due to financial and baseball reasons. He is as good as there is. He played better and may not have gotten the key hit, but he provides so much additional revenue that he caanot be let go. We also need to re-sign Posada and Rivera as both are still delivering what is expected. Please shut-up about Jeter-One bad series and now he is washed up. You have no baseball sense if you think this. This team went as far as it should and Torre was the catalyst to their success. Restructure A-Rod's contract and keep him a Yankee-There would have been no play-offs without him and I am not a A-Rod fan. The real question is why we have kept Brian Cashman for so long. He has just realized that we need to keep our younger talent and his role has led to the issues that Torre has been dealt. Fire Cashman, go younger and someone tell George he should watch the ESPN series and see how stupid he really is!
I have recently become a Yankee fan after years of rooting against them. The reason was Joe Torre and A-Rod. I lived in the Pacific North West when A-Rod first became a Mariner at 18 years old (signed). I watched his career there blossom where he should have been named MVP on a squad even with Ken Griffey Jr at least 3 times.
I think what made me a Yankee fan was the heat he and Joe Torre took in New York as they both are winmners and both show class in every way. Torre took the high road in every situation with the media and his beloved coaches and players. He has reflected the integrity all managers aspire to under the intense pressure of the New York media. The same can be said for Alex in my opinion. I applaud him for exiting in the integrity of his terms. A-Rod might do the same. Yes they both want a world championship and still may get it together as a player and coach. Who knows how this departing by Torre will effect his staff and coaches. If he is hired by an immediate contender, Alex maybe in the lineup. It probably is another Yankee system guy that will take over. Probably the "G" man.
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