Whether you love the Yankees or hate the Yankees, you have to respect their manager -- make that former manager. Joe Torre went to the postseason all 12 years he was in the Bronx, that includes 10 division titles and four World Series rings. In many ways, Torre was a victim of his own success. He set the bar incredibly high with five World Series appearances during his first six years on the job. It came to be expected. The Steinbrenner family has been growing increasingly impatient to win another championship. Call it the "seven-year itch." The Yankees, of course, haven't won a ring since 2000. With the "drought" now at seven years, the Steinbrenners decided that it was time to make a change.
Sure, they made it appear as though they asked him back. But they intentionally made an offer that they knew he would turn down. If they truly wanted him back, then they would have been willing to negotiate with him last week rather than offer him a "take it or leave it" deal. Torre admits that $5 million is a lot of money. But when you're asked to take a significant pay cut ($2.5 million in this case), you can't help but get the sense that your boss (actually, The Boss in this case) is not happy with the job that you are doing. Since it was only a one-year offer, the questions about job security would never have gone away next season. That is not fair to Torre and that is not fair to Torre's players -- to have to answer those questions on a regular basis.
Speaking of the players... they are clearly disappointed with the decision. And I'm not just talking about his players. Even David Ortiz from the rival Red Sox went on the record saying that he thought pushing out Torre was a mistake. This could really come back to haunt the organization. Some key free agents may decide to go elsewhere now because Torre is leaving. Guys like Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte -- even Alex Rodriguez had grown very fond of Torre. These guys may not be back in pinstripes next season because Torre won't be there to manage them. It won't necessarily be the only reason, but certainly could be a reason.
It's not that Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly or whomever they get to replace Torre won't be capable of doing a good job. It's that Torre had a relationship with his players that can't be built overnight. He's much like Phil Jackson in that he knows how to manage egos. The Yankees are basically an all-star team, much like the Lakers were when Kobe and Shaq played together. Torre doesn't just know baseball, he knows his personnel.
The Steinbrenners and their money will likely field another very competitive team when the 2008 season begins. By this time next year though, I can't help but wonder if they'll be regretting the decision they made a week after their 2007 season ended.
