"I have known Torre since he was a player with the Mets. I thought he got a bad deal, way back in the day, when Frank Cashen got rid of him and I have said before that when Torre finally does leave the room at Yankee Stadium, it will be like 100 guys left the room. A long time ago, when an old friend named Robert Wussler was Ted Turner's No. 1 guy in Atlanta, I told him that they were nuts to hire Eddie Haas to manage the Braves if an old Brave like Torre was available. I like him a lot and respect him. He will probably get the Yankees out of this the way he has in the past.
Still: They can't be Torre's Yankees only when they win."
Tip of the iceberg. What about:
- Preaching loyalty and respect by playing Jeter at ss instead of ARod; at the same time, benching Bernie in favor of Kenny Lofton.
- Tony Womack, Tony Womack, Tony Womack.
- Tony Womack in left field.
- Tony Womack batting second.
- Tomy Womack leading off.
- Tanyon Sturtze's impending career-ending injury.
- Ten years of ignoring fundamentals at all levels of the Yankee organization. No pitcher since Pettitte has been able to hold a runner on first base; Robinson Cano came from the Alfonso Soriano School of Forgetting Where Second Base is on a Steal Attempt; Bernie and Posada have never learned how to run the bases; Nobody in the majors or the minors can bunt. Don't complain about a team with its head in the clouds in 2005 if it hasn't bothered you for ten years.
- The team meetings. Let's talk about those team meetings. I wouldn't say the Yankees have stopped trying, but they're clearly unmotivated by Torre's shtick. I don't think it is necessarily sabotage, but they look like deer caught in the headlights. In an attempt to lower the pressure on his players, Torre keeps repeating how the games are not all that important. I think they finally are starting to believe him.
I'm just getting started. I can start a whole other iceberg:
- After constantly preaching small ball agressiveness, Torre has a lot of nerve hanging Sojo and Bernie up to dry when they're "over-aggressive" on the basepaths.
- Trying to turn a power team into a speed team.
- Constanly putting individual player goals ahead of team goals. Too many examples to mention. Like finally, finally pinch-hitting for Giambi, about 300 games after Giambi stopped hitting against lefties.
If Lupica expanded his information sources beyong the cronies in the press box, he'd know that Torre criticism has been quite widespread, especially in regards to last year's ALCS. Get out of the echo chamber, Lupica.
I also like how Lupica praises Randolph for leading the Mets to a Whoopee three games over .500. A whole game better than the pathetic Yankees.
Is this what they meant by the Battle for New York? That both teams battle for fourth place in their own division?
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