Yankee Fans - Does Joe Torre deserve to be treated like this from George Steinbrenner?

Question

Torre has been nothing but class during his entire time with the Yankees. His record is unparalleded yet George has never been totally satisfied. Even after the 1998 season George was not happy that the Yankees lost 2 games during the entire playoffs. He said something to the effect that a team like this should win every game. What do you do with a guy like that?

Joanna, I love your passion! Some very good points.

Answer 1

I think Joe Torre doesn't deserve to be called out in public the way he was. He is arguably the most successful manager of the last thirteen years. He appeared to be visibly displeased with his treatment: usually in the dugout, Torre has a very stoic visage but today during the game when Cano didn't stop a ground ball going into the outfield, he displayed uncharacteristic frustration with the play.

I understand Steinbrenner's frustration with the Yankees's not winning since year 2000 and I understand that given the huge payroll that the team has, there is a strong argument that they should win but history has shown that merely assembling very talented athletes with huge salaries is not a guarantee of success. It is essentially a guarantee that the team will get into the post season but at that point there is a different dynamic that takes over - something that money can't buy. Does this dynamic fall under the responsibility of Torre? Of course it does. I am not arguing that Torre shouldn't leave the team: I think that he should at this point. I think the game is changing and as the Yankees have aged the formula for success that worked in the past needs some tweaking. Torre hasn't demonstrated an ability to adapt. It can't be only his fault as Cashman has a lot to do with the product that is put on the field. But only the Yankee organization would get upset over not winning it all every year. The Chicago Cubs haven't won anything in 99 years yet the are still beloved. Not to say that that extreme precludes dissatifaction with the Yankees's year, but the reality is that it is difficult in professional sports to win a championship as often as the Yankees have and when you consider there is a 162 game season, I think it is amazing that the team has had an opportunity each year to do just that.

I just feel that there is a way to treat a man who has been successful for so long for an organization and how he was treated today was highly inappropriate.

I personallly feel that even if the Yankees were to win the World Series this year, that Torre has had enough of Steinbrenner's nonsense and will resign. There comes a point in life when you say - enough already.

Answer 2

Half and Half.

You cant blame a manager when a team is bad and failing - if a team is bad their bad.

Joe Torre has been nothing but a saint and a complete class act with the Yankees. Georgie should have said it in more of a respectable way - not just blurting out - 'If he doesnt win tonight hes fired.'

I mean come on - since his time with '96 he has brought you..

Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Reveria, Andy Pettite..etc...

1996 : Championship 1997 : ALCS 1998 : Championship 1999 : Championship 2000 : Championship 2001 : WS.

But than again..the Yankees have a 200,000,000 budget and havent won a championship in over 6 years (which is a lot for Georgie and some Yankee fans.)

Answer 3

No one will probably see this since it will be at the bottom, but honestly...if this is how Steinbrenner wants to run the team I don't think I can root for the Yankees anymore until he is gone.

This is a disgrace. Any true baseball fan...and Yankee fan...can see that he has done a great job. We make the playoffs everyyear...have won 4 World Series rings and 6 pennants under him. We have made the playoffs every year he has been our coach. What an outrage that Steinbrenner could do this...and also use it as a threat.

So...who is my new team going to be? Maybe wherever Torre coaches next..haha

Answer 4

I think George said it to distract players. It was probably calculated as it took the story from Arod chocking yanks underachieving and turned it into Torre vs. George. And Frankly if he meant it it might be time for Joe to go if the yanks lose in the first round anyway. HOWEVER this is not the way to handle it if that is the case. They yanks have underachieved for a few years in a row now. Torre would be the first to admit it. But it should be worked out so in the offseason they come to a "mutual" agreement that Joe isn't coming back he deserves to be treated with the upmost respect for all he has done plus the kind of guy he is. Probably George hasn't decided yet and was trying to take pressure off his players

Answer 5

I don't think he deserves to be treated like that at all. Joe is a great coach, and especially this year after turning that club around. But everybody knows that George Steinbrenner is a bit irrational, and a year without a World Series win is a year wasted. However, I do think him threatening to fire Joe if they didnt win that game, made the team play harder. Hopefully that momentum has shifted and the Yanks can keep playing well.

Answer 6

I like Torre, I hope he stays for another 20 years, but whether he deserves to be or not is irrelevant. Forget sports for a minute, Joe is a native New Yorker, he understands how tough New York is for everything, like the song says "If you can make there you'll make it anywhere". NY likes winners no matter what field it's in we'll settle for nothing less, and for as much as we love a winner we hate losers 10 times more. I'm not saying that's a good, bad or an indifferent attitude, but those are the facts here. As for sports, any player that has played in NY, whether it's baseball or any sport, will all tell how much different it is here than anyplace else. That the pressure playing in NY is far greater than anyplace else. The media is tough, Steinbrenner is tougher, and the fans are the toughest. And being a native New Yorker Joe understands that mentality, and it's because he is a native New Yorker is why I want him to stay because he understands that pressure and does a great job of shielding his players from that pressure.

Answer 7

Joe Torre is a grown man and George pays him way better then any manaager should be paid ....... George doesnt care on money he just cares on wins and if Torre doesnt get them then George will not put up with it much long I'm suprised he's let Torre go on a 7 year drought of a WS win. With the money he's pored into the Yankees.

Answer 8

i know he has made some bad pitching moves but he cant go out there and make the team hit the ball!! Anyways they came back from 14 games shouldnt that count for something?? Get rid of torre and i hope you fail even worse! Torre is a class act and thats all there is to it! Every coach will make mistakes because he is only human and maybe he believes in his pitchers a little more then he should but you cannot blame all the losing on torre its a team sport!!

Answer 9

Steinbrenner is just bad for baseball in my opinion. Everyone wants their club to win it all. But this guy is under the impression that it's only supposed to happen for the Yanks...every single year. Such an attitude is just bad for the competitive spirit of the game. He hired a competent skipper in Torre. Let him manage; get off his back. For Steinbrenner to publicly give Torre ultimatums...well if I was Torre I would be looking to go somewhere else anyway.

Answer 10

All Steinbrenner knows how to do is complain. He complained when the team was in last place. He didn't complain when they came back and made it into the playoffs. That was a damn good feat in itself. I think it is time he retires and someone that isn't so cranky takes over. Torre has brought the Yankees to the post season every year that he has managed. That should say something about what kind of manager he is.