Posted on 10/10/2006 1:40:39 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
NEW YORK -- Joe Torre will remain as manager of the New York Yankees, finally getting the word from owner George Steinbrenner after the team's surprise elimination from the playoffs last weekend.
Torre spoke with Steinbrenner on the telephone Tuesday, shortly before he walked into the interview room at Yankee Stadium and made the announcement.
"He gave me his support," Torre said. "I'm just pleased I'm able to stay on and do this."
Torre didn't go into detail about his conversations with Steinbrenner.
But Steinbrenner, in a statement issued through spokesman Howard Rubenstein, said he told Torre: "'You're back for the year. I expect a great deal from you and the entire team. I have high expectations, and I want to see enthusiasm, a fighting spirit and a team that works together. Responsibility is yours, Joe, and all of the Yankees.'
"Yes, I am deeply disappointed about our loss this year," Steinbrenner added. "We have to do better, and I deeply want a championship. It's about time."
Torre said he also spoke to Steinbrenner on Monday "for probably 15, 20 minutes, and we discussed a lot of things: the team, what we do from here and things like that."
After the Yankees were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers -- the second straight time they were gone in the first round -- there was much speculation about what Steinbrenner would do with his 66-year-old manager.
First he was out; then he was in.
Torre has led the Yankees to 11 consecutive playoff berths and nine AL East titles in a row. Lou Piniella, who served two terms as Yankees manager in the 1980s, was viewed as the most likely replacement.
Torre didn't make any public statements Sunday or Monday as camera crews camped outside his home in suburban Westchester.
"I thought I had the cure for cancer or something," Torre said.
While the Yankees won four World Series titles in Torre's first five seasons, they haven't won any since 2000, angering the demanding Steinbrenner. They haven't even reached the World Series since 2003.
"He requires a lot. He expects a lot. We know that," Torre said. "You can't pick and choose the parts you like about working for George Steinbrenner. You have to understand the whole package. He requires us to be the best team out there and to be able to perform like it."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said team executives gave Steinbrenner their opinions on Torre.
"I believe he is the right man for this job at this point in time," Cashman said.
Torre, hired after the 1995 season, has one year remaining on his contract. He said he wasn't sure whether he wanted to manage beyond 2007.
Late in the season and during the playoffs, he made several controversial decisions. He moved right fielder Gary Sheffield to first base when he returned from wrist surgery, and put Hideki Matsui back in left in place of Melky Cabrera when Matsui came back from a broken wrist.
The most debated decision was when he dropped Alex Rodriguez, baseball's highest-paid player at $252 million, to the No. 8 spot in the batting order for Saturday's season-ending 8-3 loss.
Rodriguez was repeatedly booed at Yankee Stadium this season, his third with New York.
"I want to believe that, yes, as far as I'm concerned, Alex Rodriguez is one of the important pieces to this puzzle here," Torre said.
With 1,973 regular-season wins, Torre is 10th on the career list and third among active managers behind Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals (2,297) and Bobby Cox (2,171) of the Atlanta Braves.
Torre has the longest uninterrupted term for a Yankees manager since Casey Stengel held the job for 12 years from 1949-60. Under Torre, the Yankees have gone 1,079-699. He trails only Joe McCarthy (1,460) and Stengel (1,149) for victories among Yankees managers.
Torre is a fine manager over a long season... but he seldom gambles and often waits things to happen... rather than making them happen. In a short series... that will kill you more often than not.
Yes, it's a shame to see elderly players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera trying to hobble around the field.
Sounds like he would fit well with Billy Beane in Oakland. Beanes' philosophy is great for the owner's, and for a 162 game schedule, but in a short series, you still need a combination of luck, skill and teamwork to win.
Robinson Cano's gonna' be a helluva ballplayer.
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