End of An Era?

As I'm writing this the Yankees are down 6-1 in the bottom of the 4th. It ain't over yet, but the chances of winning the game keep getting lower. Obviously if you haven't heard, Joe Torre will likely be let go as the Yankees manager if they lose the ALDS and that could be tonight.

Joe Torre has been a great manager for the New York Yankees since 1996. Certainly he can attribute his entire managerial success to New York after stops with the Mets, Cardinals, and Braves. It's been more than the four World Series wins and having been spoiled with watching the Yankees 12 straight years in a row in the playoffs. First and foremost, he was the man who lead these Yankee teams on the ball field to successful seasons when just a few years before 1996 the Yankees were the laughing stock in baseball (and yes I know Buck Schowalter, Bob Watson and others had a lot to do with the rebuilding prior to that). He did this without much controversy, always staying cool and calm on the bench and acting much like a father figure amongst the players.

As a Yankee fan this team has gone from more of a smallball approach to a team filled with superstars, power hitters, and well paid players. In saying that, he certainly managed egos, if there were any--and I would think there were many. The egos most likely came in after 2001 when the Yankees started signing larger and larger contracts with the likes of former MVP Jason Giambi, Cy Young winners Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, and all talk Gary Sheffield. And with players like this came a more powerful offense and an attempt at a powerful rotation. But Joe kept them in line and managed his players well.

What I loved about Joe Torre is that in the New York spotlight, he never cracked and was down to earth and honest when he spoke about the team and its players. I never saw Joe explode at the media or point a finger at a player or coach when something went wrong. He always understood the situation, Steinbrenner, and what was expected, which was always a World Series championship.

I would expect Torre to be done after this season whether the Yankees happen to win the World Series or lose tonight. It's time for a fresh start in my mind not just for the Yankees but also for Torre as well. I would guess Torre would welcome the change anyhow because the past four postseasons have not gone his way and he knows with his job description that that is failure. But more than that, it's been the same story since 2002 and the story needs to change.

What will be most difficult is seeing Joe go despite his early success and subsequent failures in the postseason. I love Joe Torre, don't get me wrong, but his players love him more, many of whom (Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Cano, Cabrera, Matsui, to name a few) have played their entire major league careers with him. The amount of respect for Torre from fans and players alike is insurmountable and when he's gone, it will take a long healing process and major adjustment to get used to a new manager.

Whatever happens, Torre's Era will be looked at as a successful one even if he didn't win the World Series the last seven years of his tenure. He brought in a new baseball dynasty--and a new Yankee Dynasty to New York from 1996-2001--after the city had not seen the team win a World Series since 1978. He had a winning record every season including 10 seasons winning the AL East, four with 100+ wins (including that amazing 1998 season), and making the playoffs every year he managed. Not many managers have done that. Torre is in a special class, an elite class of managers, and he'll go down as one of the greatest of Yankee managers in their history.