FonzieRulz13
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(9/7/03 12:29 pm)
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Torre gone soon??
Boss Blusters but Joe Won't Quit
Torre won't take bait after George criticizes him, coaches, GM
With George Steinbrenner once again boiling and the Yankees once again sinking, Joe Torre's future remains in serious doubt. But the Yankees' manager won't hasten his own departure.
If this proves to be Torre's last year in pinstripes, it will be because George Steinbrenner fires him, not because he resigns. "I've signed on to do a job," Torre said yesterday before the Yankees' 11-0 loss to the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. "I don't envision walking away from that."
Torre, signed through next season, woke up to hear of yet another public Steinbrenner tirade. In an interview with the New York Post, The Boss urged Torre to be tougher on his players, warned that coaches will be fired unless the Yankees win the World Series and - shifting his aim to general manager Brian Cashman - said he wanted to sign Red Sox designated hitter and new Yankee-killer David Ortiz last winter.
Despite Steinbrenner's insistence over the years that he considers Torre "a good friend," the two men have always disliked each other, and that ill will has surfaced in several public jabs from one to the other this season. Yesterday marked the latest chapter.
A wary Torre, attempting to not cause any more controversy, said: "[Steinbrenner] is very passionate about us winning. He sometimes overreacts, but we can't let that be a part of what we do."
The Boss, angry with the Yankees' myriad underachievers and of the belief that Torre isn't hard enough on those players, told the Post: "We can't be hugging players when they are doing dumb things. Maybe the hugging time is over. We need to get tough."
Cashman defended Torre. "Though it might not be played out publicly, Joe's as tough as they come," Cashman said. "He knows when and when not to do it. That's why he gets the money he's paid, and I think George recognizes those qualities, too."
"I'm going to do the job the way I do it," Torre said. "Hopefully, I get the job done."
Steinbrenner has been upset with Torre's coaches since last offseason, with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, bench coach Don Zimmer, hitting coach Rick Down and first-base coach Lee Mazzilli his primary targets - which makes sense, given that Torre is most friendly with that quartet and Steinbrenner hired third-base coach Willie Randolph and bullpen coach Rich Monteleone.
Some of the coaches won't return, Steinbrenner indicated, unless the Yankees win their fifth World Series in Torre's eight years as manager. "If he [Torre] turns it around and wins everything, what can I say?" The Boss said.
Most unexpectedly, Steinbrenner declared that he wanted to sign the rotund Ortiz, who has battered the Yankees for a .346 batting average (18-for-52), six homers and 14 RBIs this season. The Red Sox signed Ortiz, formerly of the Twins, to a $1.25-million contract in January.
"But [Cashman] told me we already had two first basemen [Jason Giambi and Nick Johnson]," Steinbrenner said. "I said, 'Find a way. He's going to be tough."'
Cashman, whose contract also runs through next year, confirmed the story. "I don't regret it, because I have a great deal of faith in Jason Giambi and Nick Johnson," the GM said. "I wasn't looking to corner the market on first basemen."
"First of all, that's tampering," Torre said, getting laughs from reporters when asked about Ortiz. "You shouldn't be talking about other teams' players. Second of all, you never know how someone would do in your uniform."
Torre seems tired of wearing the Yankees uniform, but not so tired that he would give up the approximately $5.3 million he's due next year and the lucrative endorsements and speaking engagements he gets because he's the Yankees' manager.
If Steinbrenner decided to go ahead and fire Torre, the list of candidates to replace him likely would include Randolph, former Yankees shortstop Bucky Dent, who just finished managing the Yankees' Triple-A Columbus affiliate and had a 36-53 record managing the Yankees in parts of 1989 and 1990, and former Mets manager Bobby Valentine.
"I'm very confident we've got the personnel in place and the system in place so that we can be successful," Cashman said. "If not, then we all know what usually comes after that. Decisions are made to determine who remains a part of the Yankee culture and who doesn't."
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