Fire Torre? Someone, anyone, help me understand this. You put a team of juiced-up, overpaid all-stars on the field, they don’t perform, so you call for the head of the manager who helped capture 4 World Series rings? Show me a move Torre made that can be questioned. I liked the way he tried to shake up the batting order and the line-up to find something that works. I think the media, and Steinbrenner, is way off the mark on this one.
I would take a look at the aging stable of starters. Numbers one and two, Johnson and Mussina, are 43 and 37 years old. They earned a combined 34.5 million in 2006. Pavano and Wright, each 30 years old, have not aged well. Injuries and failures have made them old before their time. The earned a combined 15.5 million in 2006. A 50 million dollar staff that can’t get out of the first round of the post-season.
I would also look at the great regular season players who can’t seem to find their asses with two hands and a flashlight once the post-season begins. Obviously, this conversation begins with A-Rod. 3-for-29 with ZERO RBI in the 2005 and 2006 playoffs. Worth 25.6 million? How about the 36.7 million-dollar outfield? 9-for-45 with 5 RBI. Don’t forget the 20 million-dollar DH, he was 1-for-8.
What’s my point? Instead of focusing on Torre, maybe it’s time to call Brian Cashman into question. He’s overseen almost a billion dollars in payroll since the last time the Yankees brought home a ring. Isn’t it possible (OK, probable) that he’s doing nothing more than going out and getting the highest paid players without taking into account how they’ll produce on the New York stage? Isn’t it obvious that he has created a disastrous chemistry problem in the clubhouse? The volatile combination of egos and personalities is a controversy waiting to happen.
Even a Yankee-hating, diehard Red Sox fan like myself can admit Joe Torre is the one likeable piece of the pinstripe puzzle. Go ahead, Boss, fire Torre. There will be a line of teams beating down his door to hire him, and he will be successful. Meanwhile, the Nation will sit back and enjoy the drama and chaos that is sure to ensue in New York under new management.
