Last year, I remember watching Mike’d Up with Mike Francesca, NYC's late Sunday night sports news show, and hearing that Joe Torre was set to be fired after the Yankees' embarrassment to the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 American League Division Series.
He was going to be replaced by Lou Pinella and at the time, I thought that while Pinella was the wrong choice for the Yankees, but that it might be time for Torre to go. While the Yankees had their struggles throughout the 2006 season, I thought that Torre hadn’t done a good job with the team’s pitching staff and had performed very poorly in the playoffs. Maybe after 11 seasons, I thought, it was time to go for the manager who brought the Yankees 4 World Championships in 5 years.
But to my surprise, the Yankees kept Torre around, re-signing him to a 1-year deal.
This time around after the Yankees first round exit to the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALDS, I don’t think that Torre should be fired. You all know that the Yankees were 21-29 at the end of May. They were in trouble. Torre’s job was in jeopardy. There were whispers at the time that he might be fired right there and then. But he gave a speech when the Yankees were in Toronto at the end of May and after that the Yankees went on to win .650 of their remaining games giving the team an amazing 94 wins on the season.
During Torre’s 12 year regime, the team has made the playoffs all 12 years, never won less than 92 games in a season, and finished in first place 10 of the 12 years. They’ve won 4 World Series and lost in two others in 2001 and 2003.
Joe Torre should not be fired. Change for change sake should not be made. The team needs to strengthen its pitching staff, give Hughes and Kennedy a chance to have spot in the starting rotation, get rid of Damon, Mussina and Farnsworth, keep Joba in the bullpen and re-sign A-Rod, Posada, Rivera and exercise the option on Abreu.
It’s not Joe Torre’s fault that the Yankees failed in the first round of the postseason. It’s the fault of the weak starting pitching and the lack of hitting by the team in the clutch.
For the past 12 seasons, the Yankees season have been judged with how they perform in October. What everyone seems to forget is the lean years between 1982 and 1994 when the Yankees wasn’t in the playoffs once. We've become shortsighted and cocky and ridiculous in thinking that the playoffs are a guarantee every year. The playoffs aren't a guarantee every year. And all Yankees fans need to realize that.
This time around after the Yankees first round exit to the Cleveland Indians in the 2007 ALDS, I don’t think that Torre should be fired. You all know that the Yankees were 21-29 at the end of May. They were in trouble. Torre’s job was in jeopardy. There were whispers at the time that he might be fired right there and then. But he gave a speech when the Yankees were in Toronto at the end of May and after that the Yankees went on to win .650 of their remaining games giving the team an amazing 94 wins on the season.
During Torre’s 12 year regime, the team has made the playoffs all 12 years, never won less than 92 games in a season, and finished in first place 10 of the 12 years. They’ve won 4 World Series and lost in two others in 2001 and 2003.
Joe Torre should not be fired. Change for change sake should not be made. The team needs to strengthen its pitching staff, give Hughes and Kennedy a chance to have spot in the starting rotation, get rid of Damon, Mussina and Farnsworth, keep Joba in the bullpen and re-sign A-Rod, Posada, Rivera and exercise the option on Abreu.
It’s not Joe Torre’s fault that the Yankees failed in the first round of the postseason. It’s the fault of the weak starting pitching and the lack of hitting by the team in the clutch.
For the past 12 seasons, the Yankees season have been judged with how they perform in October. What everyone seems to forget is the lean years between 1982 and 1994 when the Yankees wasn’t in the playoffs once. We've become shortsighted and cocky and ridiculous in thinking that the playoffs are a guarantee every year. The playoffs aren't a guarantee every year. And all Yankees fans need to realize that.
1 comment:
Great point about the 'lean years' and that Yankees fans have become so accustomed to playoff appearances that they don't appreciate Torre leading the team to 6 WS appearances in the last 12 years! Absolutely amazing. The 'BOSS' can complain about his high salary but there is no one more deserving, just look at his track record. It is tough enough to maintain your position in NYC but to excel for 12 years is incredible. However, the 'BOSS' seems like a short-tempered prick who won't value Torre the way he should. Torre's major mistake was starting Wang on 3-days rest as opposed to a fresh Mussina (who had a great September). I do think that you shouldn't consider it a rescue mission when you start 21-29 because Torre was a part of that terrible start. But to bring them back from that point to win 89 games is really incredible.
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