By Vincent Mercogliano
There was a time when many Yankee fans thought this day would never come. For those college-aged students it’s difficult to remember the days when there was someone other than Mr. Torre residing on the Yankees bench. But now, after 12 years of first-class baseball, the Yankees are searching for a new manager. The decision was announced last Thursday resulting in an instantaneous uproar from Yankee fans. The Yankees offered Joe Torre a one-year deal to be their manager; an offer which the embattled skipper refused.
After 12 consecutive playoff appearances and four World Series Championships, the Torre era has come to an end. Owner George Steinbrenner made a bold move by threatening Torre’s job during the playoffs and perhaps that statement laid the groundwork for the Yankees to lose one of the most successful managers in the team’s history. Torre’s contract expired at the end of the season and the organization responded by offering him a pay cut from $7.5 million per season to $5 million. The money potentially could have been made back because the contract included incentives worth up to $3 million based on playoff performance. The contract also included a second year option if the Yankees reached the World Series.
In a meeting between Torre and the Yankee’s brass, which consisted of Steinbrenner and his sons Hank and Hal, General Manager Brian Cashman and Team President Randy Levine, Torre was offered the one-year contract which he immediately declined. It has been reported that the meeting lasted approximately 20 minutes and that there was no negotiation after the initial offer. Torre was simply thanked for his services and shown the door.
Torre’s reason for declining the offer was not because he had no desire to manage the team next season; in fact he indicated that the opposite was the case. He wanted to counter the offer extended to him by the club, but the team had no intention of negotiating.
“And at that point in time I realized that it was either the offer or nothing,” said Torre. “So at that point is when I said goodbye.”
The following day Torre held a press conference in Rye, NY which he described as “uncomfortable.” It seemed surreal to watch this historic Yankee figure in a suit after 12 years of seeing him in pinstripes. His mood seemed fairly upbeat as he cracked jokes with the New York media for perhaps the final time. But it was also evident that he was hurt by the way things had just ended.
The one thing that stuck out during the press conference was his honesty; a quality we rarely find in sports figures today, especially those in a similar position to Torre. You could see pain in his face and feel his emotion through his words. He has been criticized for lacking that emotion when dealing with the team, but one could not help but feel his passion on this day. No matter what any reports say, this was not the way Torre wanted it to end.
“If somebody wanted me to manage here, I’d be managing,” he said.
Torre made the message clear that he still possesses the desire to lead, and more importantly still sincerely cares about his players. In fact, he said the biggest reason he didn’t want to take a one-year deal was because it was unfair to his players. He did not want to put them in a position where any mistake they made could result in the loss of his job.
But it wasn’t only about the players. It was also personal. Clearly Torre did not feel wanted, calling the contract offer “insulting.” He was insulted because of the length of the contract, but also due to the inclusion of incentive clauses.
“I’ve been there 12 years and I didn’t think motivation was needed,” he said. “I felt pretty well renewed every year going after something and we knew exactly what was expected here. So, I just didn’t think it was the right thing for me. I didn’t think it was the right thing for my players.”
It might seem based on the team’s refusal to negotiate that the people at the top of the Yankee organization were not determined to bring Torre back, and this would be a fair assumption. Clearly Steinbrenner was not happy with the team’s performance and he put the blame on Torre’s shoulders; for better or worse. Let’s not forget The Boss is no stranger to dismissing well-liked managers (see Billy Martin). Steinbrenner’s eldest son Hank has refuted such claims though.
“I sincerely wanted Joe to accept that offer. We all wanted him to accept it, probably me more than anybody else,” said Steinbrenner. “You don’t make an offer bluffing. What if he says yes?”
The Steinbrenner’s can make the case that the offer was fair because even with the pay cut, Torre still would have been the highest paid manager in baseball. But it is also clear that the organization had no plans to give Torre any say in the specifics of the contract. In typical Steinbrenner fashion, it was his way or the high way.
“Every year, it was disappointment, disappointment, disappointment,” Torre said in an interview taped for broadcast Tuesday night. “I just didn’t think that was the right thing. And I just let them know how I felt. But when I was speaking, it was, there was nothing coming back.”
Yankee fans must hope that the manner in which the Torre situation was handled is not a reflection of what’s to come. The organization is clearly in a transitional state with the inclusion of Steinbrenner’s sons Hank and Hal in the decision making process. One should hope that with the loss of a class-act such as Torre the Yankees would not lose their reputation as the class-act of Major League Baseball as well.
The feeling you get from the Yankees right now is uncertainty. It seems that they have too many people at the top of the organization who want to be hands-on. They might be best served to allow baseball minds such as Cashman to handle the baseball related decisions. And those decisions will be crucial over the next couple weeks. The first matter of business will be finding Torre’s replacement. The three candidates being interviewed this week are Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Pena. Mattingly seems to be the favorite of Steinbrenner, but both Girardi and Pena have the advantage of previous managerial experience, which could be a major factor when dealing with a veteran team such as the Yankees. An announcement is expected as early as Friday. No matter who the team decides on, they better be prepared to meet sky-high expectations.
To Torre’s credit, no one has survived Steinbrenner’s reign as long as he did. But it doesn’t seem right that this is the way it had to come to an end. In his press conference when asked if he would be willing to return to Yankee Stadium for any type of ceremony, such as a first pitch, Torre responded, “I’m not prepared to answer that.” Not many would have predicted his tenure would end on such a sour note. But as this whirlwind of change occurs off the field, the team must find a way to remain focused on the field. One of Torre’s biggest strengths was his ability to handle Steinbrenner and the fierce New York media while keeping his team focused on the task at hand. Those are the shoes the next manager will have to fill. The only advice left to offer is good luck.
Joe Torre’s brutal honesty in his latest press conference was a breath of fresh air after the insulting manner in which management handled his release. (Newsday.com)