By Jake Asman (Contributor)
Today the 16-member Expansion Era Committee unanimously voted in former managers Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, and Tony La Russa to the Baseball Hall of Fame. I for one could not be happier for Joe Torre.
Torre, who ranks 5th all time in wins among managers, always managed the game in a classy matter. As a lifelong Yankees fan, I grew up watching Joe Torre manage the team I love. When times got tough with the Yankees, you always knew that Torre was the right guy to handle the job.
His cool, calm, and collective presence was the perfect match to counter owner George Steinbrenner’s fiery and intensive mindset. In Torre’s 12 seasons at the helm of the Yankees he made the playoffs in every single one of them. Torre was a true winner, as he won 4 championships with the Yankees and appeared in 6 World Series.
Joe Torre was there in 1996, winning the AL manager of the year when the Yankees won their first championship in 18 years. He was there in 2007 to lead the Yankees back to the playoffs after being 14.5 games out of the division earlier in that season.
Outsiders can say that his teams always had one of the highest pay rolls in the league, but the bottom line was that when he was in the dugout, the Yankees delivered the results out on the field. In comparison, despite doing a fine job as Torre’s replacement, Joe Girardi has managed the Yankees to two non-playoff seasons in his 6 years as the skipper. Granted, Girardi has faced many challenges as manager (The A-Rod saga, constant injuries, etc.), but the fact that Torre never missed the playoffs while managing in the Bronx speaks for itself.
Torre’s greatest strength was to get the most out of the players he managed. Derek Jeter said Joe was a “father figure” to him and Mariano Rivera said Joe was one of the “most influential people” he has ever met. He handled the pressure of the NY media better than any coach or manager in NY who came before or after him. Torre was the master of keeping his clubhouse under control and that wasn’t easy to do while managing the most successful franchise in sports history.
Joe Torre was truly beloved by Yankee fans. One day he will have a statue of his own out in Monument Park, as this gesture has been long overdue on the part of the Yankees. It’s not a coincidence that no Yankee player or coach has worn Torre’s number 6 since he left New York after the 2007 season.
While there are many players and managers that have questionably been let into the Hall, no one should be questioning whether Joe Torre is deserving of this honor. He has truly earned it. I can’t wait to hear his acceptance speech come summertime.
Third Floor Crew 