“Way To Go, Joe!”

“I Don’t Have To Crawl, I Can Just Walk Away”
--Rodney Crowell

Do those of us residing in New England (excluding anywhere west of Hartford) really care about any personnel changes the Yankees make? Absolutely. The Yankees let their Hall of Fame Manager Joe Torre twist in the wind for ten days before low-balling him with an offer he could refuse, and he justifiably told Team President Randy Levine to "take a hike, son." (as Mr. Bouton would say) If the Yankees wanted to change managers, who cares? It's their ball, bat and dime. Before Torre came aboard in 1996, the one constant was the revolving managerial door that Steinbrenner had instituted. The Yankees struck gold with Torre: he was the right man at the right place in time. Maybe, like Casey, his time in Pinstripes came to an end. OK, the organization and their fans move on. As Manny would remind us, "it's not the end of the world." It’s better than even money that Joe Girardi will be filling his shoes next year, and he’d be an outstanding replacement for their team.

However, the way that the whole re-negotiation process was handled ("amateur hour") speaks volumes about how unfit the Tag-Team Twins are to inherit Daddy’s Dynasty. It’s a classic case of “what’ve you done for me lately.” When an organization sincerely wants to sever ties with a valued employee (for whatever reason they deem appropriate), the most respectful and transparent way of resolving the matter is by informing the employee that his services will no longer be retained following the conclusion of his contract, thank him for services rendered, and begin the process of hiring a replacement. That manner of business practice is simultaneously respectful of the employee’s past contributions and shrewdly opportunistic in the search for a replacement.

What the Yankees did was to make him wait ten days while they decided whether or not to rehire him and then made a one-year incentive-laden offer (30% pay cut) that he had no option but to reject. Then, the team attempted to shift the onus on Torre for walking away from the proposal. That’s simply bad business. By making such an offer, perhaps the team thought that it would save face with the public, but it appears that that tactic blew up in their faces. Perhaps they spun it as Torre wanting more and paint him as the bad guy, but this was never about the money. If they wanted to pay Torre $10M/year, it would be chump change. It was about dignity and respect. If they wanted the guy to stay, they certainly knew the sort of offer Torre would consider reasonable. Why bother going through a dog n' pony show? It makes them look ridiculous.

Torre’s run in New York was simply amazing. He remains one of the most respected men in the game, and in New England is regarded with great admiration. An employee with such public standing and proven performance is not about to allow himself to be publicly humiliated or seen as having to grovel. It’s bad business to make a pathetic public relations attempt to keep someone aboard without offering the requisite security that a manner with Torre’s exemplary record has earned. Somewhere, Machiavelli is looking at this bumbling by the Yankees’ front office and is doubled over in laughter.

In any event, here’s best wishes to one of baseball’s legends from a fan of your greatest rival. Hopefully, there’s at least one more managerial stop in your future, but…please let it be in the National League. Good luck, Joe.