The Joe Torre Era is Over
Now that the Skankees and Gay-Rod have been booted from the playoffs, it’s pretty obvious from Steinbreiner’s message is that Joe Torre is gone. I am not sure if there was a better person to manage that team and only the future will see if that is the case.
The Skanks have always had an image problem. For one they have spent a lot of money on pitching and have received either very little in return or they are becoming aged. Roger Clemens, for all he has given to the game seems destined to hang up his cleats for the last time. Mike Mussina is getting old and not “Championship” worthy.
And while Alex Rodriguez will ultimately get blamed for this years failure, the offensive numbers on this team are more than his problem. A-Rod kept this team in the playoff hunt to begin with.
What is more interesting is that this year again shows how the teams that are making the playoffs tend to be the teams that you would not expect to be there. The Diamondbacks and Rockies were probably not the choices of many soothsayers at the beginning of the year. While the Indians were probably chosen by some analysts, they are also an example of a team that built from the ground up and did not rely on high priced free agent talent to get them where they are.
The Red Sox are the only team that has been able to mix the right blend of high priced free agents and youngsters and win.
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Sometimes I look at the Yankees and they remind me of the White Sox. The White Sox in 2005 had a formula for success and in the offseason of 2005 they got greedy. There is a certain mix that is necessary, good pitching, speed, defense and attitude. Baseball is not about creating the best fantasy team, it is about creating the best baseball team.
I look at some of the players like A.J. Pierzynski, El Duque, Joe Crede and Juan Uribe and see players that made a difference in the playoffs when it mattered and they might not have been the best players at their positions but they are winners.
Teams need to look for that formula if they want to win in the future. It is not about how many rbis you get, or how high your batting avg. is, but are you a winner. The Yankees won with that attitude in the 90s with players like Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, and Tino Martinez. They were always getting big hits.
Torre will be back, maybe taking a break but he will be back somewhere.