I have always been a believer that very few managers have an effect on wins and losses for their team, but certain guys just fit a team better than others. With that in mind, will any team miss a manager more than the Yankees will miss Joe Torre? Evidence already that it could be a long hot summer without his steady hand:
- "New" owner Hank Steinbrenner, who is already giving Daniel Snyder a run for the money as the goofiest bastard to ever run a sports franchise, says how much he despises Alex Rodriguez, then re-signs him for a record amount. Also claims, "Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans." Also throws Torre under the bus after he decided to dump Torre during the off-season. It reminds me of Sonny taking over for Vito in "The Godfather"- been waiting his whole life to take over for daddy, but continues to make people miss the Big Guy.
- New manager Joe Girardi slams a Tampa Bay Rays player for playing hard in a spring training game and breaking a Yanks' catcher's wrist in a collision at home. "I want you to play hard. I want you to hustle, but to me it's not the time to do it," Girardi said. Really Joe? When is the time for a rookie trying to make a team supposed to show hustle? After he's been sent back to the minors? A little thing that turned into a big thing- something Torre was able to control over 12 years.
Joe Torre was a miserable failure before his glory years in New York, and he may not accomplish anything in LA. But the one thing you could always give him was that he knew how to handle the media, players, and owner in a town where almost everyone has failed in the last 30 years. And there's already signs that this may be a powder keg waiting to explode in the Bronx that would make Billy Martin smile.
2 comments:
Torre was the perfect fit for a team that required little instruction. I am not sure who wouldn't have won with the talent they were able to amass in the late 1990's, but he was the right guy (his handling of the media was also key). Girardi is a good choice, as they start to get somewhat younger. I wonder how the veterans who were Torrephiles will adapt to a more hands-on manager, especially someone like Rivera. Anyone named Steinbrenner is certified crazy, so Hank is just doing what is expected. The biggest problem for the Yankees is the fact that they play in a very deep AL and have little room for error with the young talent they help on to.
Is the reign of terror coming to an end?
Hopefully we don't see either the yankees or the non-nation red soxs anywhere in the top again any time soon.
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