In all the writings and musings about Joe Torre’s dismissal from the Yankees, the one word that keeps coming up is class. Few have mentioned Torre’s four World Series victories (and two additional trips there) or his inevitable and well-deserved trip to Cooperstown. Most people today are talking about Torre’s character and people skills, which speak volumes about the respect he has earned as a manager. It also leaves quite a bit unsaid about the class and character of the Yankee front office that made him an offer he could, and should have, refused.
Even here in Boston, the heart of blind and knee-jerk Yankee hating, people are actually upset for Torre and wish him well. That speaks volumes to the kind of competitor he is. While he didn’t quite leave on his own terms, it always looks good when you’re able to leave a job with your dignity intact and character uncompromised. What he said in his press conference today says it best: “It’s not the money that’s going to be the determining factor,” Mr. Torre said. “It’s the commitment and trust. You can’t have one without the other.”
A year from now, after invaluable longtime Yankees like Jorge Posada are gone and the Yankees still have that overpaid and over-the-hill payroll they seem to always end up with, whichever Steinbrenner is running the team will then realize – too late – how valuable Torre was. They will see how he always managed to get a high-ego team focused and productive. They’ll understand how he was able to coax wins out of teams that were not as good as their record, either by forcing high pitch counts from opponents or loading up on runs because he knew the Yankees could only win by scores like 9-7. Can you see Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi or Larry Bowa simultaneously juggle the Yankee roster, front office, media pressure and rabid fan base and deliver 12 straight playoff appearances?
It’s been said people don’t appreciate the best things in life until they’re taken away. The Steinbrenner family is about to discover that the hard way. The Bronx will soon be burning again.
Even here in Boston, the heart of blind and knee-jerk Yankee hating, people are actually upset for Torre and wish him well. That speaks volumes to the kind of competitor he is. While he didn’t quite leave on his own terms, it always looks good when you’re able to leave a job with your dignity intact and character uncompromised. What he said in his press conference today says it best: “It’s not the money that’s going to be the determining factor,” Mr. Torre said. “It’s the commitment and trust. You can’t have one without the other.”
A year from now, after invaluable longtime Yankees like Jorge Posada are gone and the Yankees still have that overpaid and over-the-hill payroll they seem to always end up with, whichever Steinbrenner is running the team will then realize – too late – how valuable Torre was. They will see how he always managed to get a high-ego team focused and productive. They’ll understand how he was able to coax wins out of teams that were not as good as their record, either by forcing high pitch counts from opponents or loading up on runs because he knew the Yankees could only win by scores like 9-7. Can you see Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi or Larry Bowa simultaneously juggle the Yankee roster, front office, media pressure and rabid fan base and deliver 12 straight playoff appearances?
It’s been said people don’t appreciate the best things in life until they’re taken away. The Steinbrenner family is about to discover that the hard way. The Bronx will soon be burning again.
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