Joe Torre Done With Yankees

[bosox]

Should be on ESPNEWS, its on yahoo, no article yet.

He was offered a one year deal, and he turned it down, ending his Yankees managerial career.

Hey, good move by him. To be offered a one year contract is like saying "Hey, we want Donnie Baseball to manage, but we need you to just train him for one year, then you can leave" Theres no respect in a deal like that.

[TBGKon]

I assume this could mean farewell to Posada and Mariano as well...

[DDR]

Good for him. A one-year deal is a slap in the face, and I'm glad he didn't stand for it.

[bosox]

I assume this could mean farewell to Posada and Mariano as well...

Between the way the whole Bernie Williams thing went down, and the way Torre has been treated this past season, and now, unless there is an insane amount of money on the table, I don't see them wanting to stay.

[Waffles]

Good on Joe Torre. He didn't deserve the treatment he got over the years, especially over the last week, from the Yankee hierarchy, and he got to have the last laugh in this instance. The Yankee management 100% deserves what they got here. Even as a Yankee fan, I take some delight in this embarrassing repudiation, although I will miss Torre and whichever free agents leave because of his departure.

[Swiss]

Yankees' management really sucks.

Casey Stengel got kicked out after the 1961 World Series. He and Torre gave lots of pennants and World Series to the Yankees. And only from the baseball fans they are very respected and beloved.

Despite being a Red Sox fan I can assure that Torre is one of two Yankees (the other is Lou Gehrig) that I admire because of their human character.

Joe Torre is a classy, humble, wise guy. That's why I'm not happy with the firing of Torre as Yankee manager.

[Swiss]

Should be on ESPNEWS, its on yahoo, no article yet.

Now it's official. Source.

Joe Torre rejects offer to return as Yankees manager

By RONALD BLUM, AP Baseball Writer

October 18, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Torre rejected a $5 million, one-year contract to return as manager of the New York Yankees on Thursday.

Torre, who had held the job since 1995, made an unannounced trip from New York to the team's spring training complex in Tampa, Fla., accompanied by general manager Brian Cashman and chief operating officer Lonn Trost. Yankees president Randy Levine said Torre turned down the offer during the meeting, which lasted about one hour.

"It is now time for the New York Yankees to move forward," Levine said.

Torre made $7.5 million this year, the final season of a $19.2 million, three-year contract. His new deal would have included substantial bonuses for each round of the playoffs the team reached.

"We felt we needed to go to a performance-based mode," Levine said. "We thought it was very fair. It clearly was at the top of the market, but we respect Joe's decision."

Bench coach Don Mattingly is the leading contender to replace Torre. Yankees broadcaster Joe Girardi, the NL Manager of the Year with Florida in 2006, is another top contender.

Cashman said there will be a full search for a replacement.

Just 10 days ago, the Yankees were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year.

[jkrdevil]

Good on Joe Torre. He didn't deserve the treatment he got over the years, especially over the last week, from the Yankee hierarchy, and he got to have the last laugh in this instance. The Yankee management 100% deserves what they got here. Even as a Yankee fan, I take some delight in this embarrassing repudiation, although I will miss Torre and whichever free agents leave because of his departure.

As another Yankee fan I agree. Unfortunately even post in the what is now the post-Steinbrenner age it seems the non-baseball people are making baseball decisions again which in the course of Yankees history has usually spelled disaster. The fact that they that they wanted to get rid of Torre and only made the token offer of a 1 year deal is a disgrace. I don't think there are many managers out there that would have gotten those Yankee teams to the playoffs the last 3 seasons. Say want you want about the amount of money spent and while they spent a lot of money they didn't spend it wisely and a lot of it was tied up in useless players like Giambi and Carl Pavano who are getting paid a lot of money to not play. The team needs to go back to letting the baseball people run the show like they did in the 90's when George was suspended which allowed them to build those championship teams. The last 2 years it was heading back in the direction with the young players but it seems like George's sons are just as meddlesome and as ignorant baseball wise as he was/is. As a result of this decision I can see Pettitte (who was a Torre guy and management previously wasn't fan of) leaving again as well as Posada and Rivera. Without those 3 this team is sunk for next year no matter who they bring in.

Like I said before they need to let the baseball people run the show and step back from getting involved and signing the big free agents. In today's baseball world you can not build a championship team through free agency. With the money there is across the board in baseball free agents today are free agents for a reason. The reason being is the team they are on doesn't want them any more. The star player who wants to win and such does not become a free agent more except in a few rare cases (old expos under MLB or they are on teams like Pirates and such) other than that teams resign those players to long term contracts before they get to Free Agency. As such you have to build from within and then spend to lock up those players. Big name free agents just aren't reliable.

These last 7 years has shown just how great and special those Yankee teams in the late 90's were. They were the only dynasty in post free agency baseball. That team were perhaps one of the greatest baseball teams ever to play the game. Unfortunately the non-baseball people in management don't realize this and as a result let one of the better managers in the game go because that feat could not be repeated with what in reality is less of a team.

[jkrdevil]

Yankees' management really sucks.

Casey Stengel got kicked out after the 1961 World Series. He and Torre gave lots of pennants and World Series to the Yankees. And only from the baseball fans they are very respected and beloved.

Stengel and Torre were very different situations. Stengel was fired after the Yankees lost the 60 World Series in which they statistically dominated. The reason they lost in the players mind was Stengel and his decision to not start Ford 3 games. Stengel was 70 years old and had lost the team and change was needed. The players hated overall hated Stengel. It was the right move and the next year the Yankees had one of their best seasons ever. Also consider the era unlike now there was no free agency so winning it all every year was not unexpected like it is now. Like I said before since Free Agency was introduced there has only been 1 dynasty and the was the late 90's Yankees.

As for Torre I don't think you can put this loss or many if any of the recent losses at him. They are more of a result of bad team building deciding to build around the lineup and overpaying for old, injured pitching. Torre has not lost locker room ad the players love him as evidence by 3 of their most consistent players over the years saying they might leave if Torre is no longer the manager.

[zer0dotcom]

Woe to the teams that don't try to add him to their organization

[See Red]

Way to go, Joe! He didn't deserve to be treated the way the Yankees have treated him. I think he's a bad in-game manager but there's something to be said about the way the Yankees came back this year and the way the players love to play for him. I suspect this offer was just to get Joe back for length of this short contract to lure Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera back.

[TFoA]

And ESPN literally stopped everything they were doing to show an hour-long special OTL about this. Anybody else for any other team and this is just a footnote during SC.

But yeah, I respect Joe Torre...but I do think that he was getting the shaft from the Yankees management for the longest. 12 straight years of playoffs, 10 AL East Crowns, 6 AL Pennants, and 4 WS Titles should get you some respect from your FO. But then again, the owner is a man who expects a WS win every year, no matter the circumstances. So it's lame that Torre gets the shaft, but good on him for leaving on his circumstances, not the Yanks. I seriously hope that they go down the tank for the next decade or so, just because of the way they treated the man.

[kewp80]

Well, if LaRussa ends up leaving the Cards, I would personally love to have Torre back as the Cards manager. Sure he didn't do too well in the 90's, but now he's wiser and knows a lot more.

I think it was a great move on his part, and I hope he finds success where ever he goes, unless he goes to another NL Central team

[Swiss]

Stengel was 70 years old and had lost the team and change was needed. The players hated overall hated Stengel. It was the right move and the next year the Yankees had one of their best seasons ever.

Thank you, jkrdevil, for offering me this point of view. Funny thing is that I didn't remember this detail, but you're right. Moveover in the film "61*" I saw a scene which one character said to another "You can play here because Ol' Casey isn't here anymore" (words more or less).

Another thing: a very old Stengel busted in the awful '60s Mets. Joe Torre is a relatively young guy and he could manage at least one decade more with professionalism.

And... you can bet on it: like Stengel, Torre will manage again in the National League finishing his career.

[Breakwood]

If he really want to screw over the Yanks he can come to Toronto to replace our sorry excuse of a manager

[FiddySicks]

Well, hopefully the brass in San Fran will pull their heads outta their asses and make a run for him, especially since they are without a manager and have been since the end of the 06 season.

[jkrdevil]

I wouldn't be surprised if Torre ended up with the Mets somehow. Obviously not as manager because Randolph is there but I could see them bringing him in as a bench coach or consultant. Randolph was a long time coach under Torre in NY plus I don't think Torre wants to leave NY.

[NJTank]

Wow that would be ironic if somehow he ended up back with the Mets, when he managed the Mets it was the dark days, 90 losses a year, 9,000 fans at Shea Stadium, and Dave Kingman being Dave Kingman.

[Ez Street]

Royals would take LaRussa, but not Torre.

LaRussa, surely won't look at NY as a possibility. Hell he had trouble with the media in The Lou, imagine how it would be in NY.

[NJTank]

Heres something that I found annoying on the local news they followed Torre by helicopter from the airport to his house when he got back to NY.