04/23/24
May 07, 2006
1000 wins for Joe Torre: What I think is really amazing though is that he's survied 1645 games working for Steinbrenner! Congrats to him for that more then the 1000 wins!
posted by commander cody to baseball at 10:26 PM - 44 comments
I'll wish him another thousand wins when he quits the Yankees and has to manage a team without a blank checkbook waiting to sign every damned superstar that comes on the market. No wait, that was uncharitable. Congrats, Joe.
posted by fenriq at 12:16 AM on May 08, 2006
I've almost forgotten about Joe Torre over the past 4-5 years. That is what happens when your team is so hyped in March and early April and then goes out and wins 95 games and loses in the first round of the playoffs or blows a 3-0 lead in the LCS or faces a fresh phenom in the World Series (as was the case in 2005, 2004 and 2003 respectively). But still, its a tip of the hat to Joe for his steady hand, his calm demoner and his ability to manage this 'blank checkbook' team that George Steinbrunner has put together. Remember, just because you have all this money doesn't mean you can win. (see New York Knicks, you can learn something here from your baseball brethren). You have to be able to massage ego's just right, and make guys realize that they aren't the star of the team, just another integral part of the group. Of course, having Derek Jeter (the Tom Brady of baseball) always helps. No, wait...Tom Brady is the "Derek Jeter" of Football...Jeter did come first afterall.
posted by chemwizBsquared at 12:37 AM on May 08, 2006
Remember, just because you have all this money doesn't mean you can win. (see New York Knicks, you can learn something here from your baseball brethren). I think I'd add the NY Rangers to this list too.
posted by commander cody at 01:21 AM on May 08, 2006
Well said, chemwiz. There's a great deal of baseball talent in the majors, and just because you sign your name to a big contract doesn't mean you can handle playing in the fishbowl that is the Big Apple. Torre was absolutely the right person to put in charge of this team. Anyone else would have folded under the pressure and constant media over-attention and expectations. While I'm a Yankee fan and don't necessarily think Torre is the best strategist, the way he handles all these high-profile players and keeps the focus on the team, for the most part, is why he's enjoyed this success.
posted by dyams at 07:19 AM on May 08, 2006
yes it is a remarkable feat,a test of endurance and stamina,for george to keep a manager that long..congrats to joe,for the same in dealing with the stars,the egos,the media and george,of course..joe should easily make the hall of fame...he earned it.
posted by ktown at 08:14 AM on May 08, 2006
I think Torre deserves an enormous amount of credit for the Yankees success. Baseball is not a game that is decided by talent alone, and Torre has been obviously very in tune with getting his team to produce. And remember - really only Rivera, Jeter and when it's all said and done ARod, will have had the majority of their Hall of Fame years with the Yankees.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:25 AM on May 08, 2006
He's been very lucky to be staffed with a talented team for most of his successes. But he's seriously had maybe the worst boss in sports. So for that, kudos.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:15 AM on May 08, 2006
Wow. Is there one person in this thread who can offer congratulations on a major accomplishment in a non-backhanded way? Congratulations without reservation to Joe, and may the rest of you clean out your fridges -- them grapes are sour, bay bee!
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:17 AM on May 08, 2006
To acknowledge he's been well staffed/funded as part of his success isn't a backhanded stab at him at all.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:24 AM on May 08, 2006
What? Suggesting the Yankees have an advantage with a bottomless payroll is sour grapes? I'm pretty sure that's just the reality. Besides, we all hate the Yankees. Torre is the balls, though.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:41 AM on May 08, 2006
Jersy girl is right, afterall he was 894-1003 before he went to the Yankees. That shows that the most mediocre manager can win with the yanks.
posted by scottyooooo at 09:47 AM on May 08, 2006
hmmmm, i wonder what his record would have been with the kansas city royals over the last 1645 games????
posted by tommybiden at 10:11 AM on May 08, 2006
Amen
posted by scottyooooo at 10:13 AM on May 08, 2006
Guys, don't imply he's mediocre though. NY is a tough market and he's been answering to Steinbrenner. It hasn't always been easy.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:20 AM on May 08, 2006
I honestly am not trying to bash the guy, but before he landed the yankee job, he coached 11 years with a losing record. He finally hit the lottery...good for him.
posted by scottyooooo at 10:33 AM on May 08, 2006
Screw his win-loss record, keeping that job for 10+ years is an accomplishment in itself.
posted by HATER 187 at 10:37 AM on May 08, 2006
< he was 894-1003 before he went to the yankees. that shows that the most mediocre manager can win with the yanks.>> It can also mean that even the most brilliant manager will lose unless he has some decent players...
posted by gloglu at 10:56 AM on May 08, 2006
Here here, uglatto. Congrats to Torre for getting this far, but I curse him for the rest of his time with the Yanks.
posted by rosey8810 at 11:37 AM on May 08, 2006
very similar managerial career to casey stengel's, i think, though polar opposites in personality...
posted by ajaffe at 11:44 AM on May 08, 2006
lil_brown_bat, it is my strongly held belief that asshats like Steinbrenner are ruining the game with thier ridiculous payrolls. The Yankee payroll is so outrageously out of control that the gap between the Yankees and the rest of the league (with the exception of their division rival Red Sox) is more than many entire payrolls. That's messed up. Is it a miracle that Torre lasted this long? Sure. But let's see him run up the same record without the largest payroll in the history of the sport. Let's see him accomplish the same feat without the monster contracts and All-Star roster. I'd wager he'd have a few more years to go before he hit 1000.
posted by fenriq at 12:10 PM on May 08, 2006
any major league manager will tell you that a good manager will win u 2 maybe 4 games a year....it really doesn't matter who's writing out the lineup. so.......good for u joe...but....whup d'do!
posted by tommybiden at 12:38 PM on May 08, 2006
#1)Torre is awesome-keeping that team of all-stars together AND staying for that long under the boss is remarkable, #2) Why is it that Yankees fans seem to revel in the fact that most of the fans of other teams hate them, but then seem to get their feelings hurt if we vocalize it? He who dishes it out should be prepared to take it.
posted by THX-1138 at 02:16 PM on May 08, 2006
Torre has 1000 wins!!!!!! Not hard with Jeter there for his entire time working for the Yankees.
posted by djchippy99 at 04:16 PM on May 08, 2006
Remember what a brilliant manager Casey Stengel was with the Yankees. When he took over the Mets he was a loser. Think the personnel had anything to do with it? I think you can win with good personnel and a bad manager but with a good manager and lousy players you can't win.
posted by joromu at 05:27 PM on May 08, 2006
fenriq: lil_brown_bat, it is my strongly held belief that asshats like Steinbrenner are ruining the game with thier ridiculous payrolls. The Yankee payroll is so outrageously out of control that the gap between the Yankees and the rest of the league (with the exception of their division rival Red Sox) is more than many entire payrolls. That's messed up. That's true. But it's the subject of another thread. THX: #2) Why is it that Yankees fans seem to revel in the fact that most of the fans of other teams hate them, Because "seem to" has to do with one's own perception, and perception is not reality. That is, what you believe to be true is not so.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:06 PM on May 08, 2006
The best of managers can only put the team on the field. He can neither hit the ball, catch the ball, or throw the ball. At best he is there to make sure the best person for that position is on the field on that given day. He then is charged with making the needed changes as the game goes on to maximize the teams strengths depending on the situation. For Joe to win so many games as the Yankee skipper is an accomplishment in itself. George is a tough boss who thinks he can manage, thinks he should manage. Between Joe and Brian deflecting the Boss's tirades from the team, they deserve every ounce of credit that is given to them. Great job Joe, you used the talent presented to do a remarkable job managing the team. I for one am ready for another thousand wins
posted by Spidermike at 07:36 PM on May 08, 2006
That's true. But it's the subject of another thread. With such a milestone reached I think it's only natural to look at 'how' he got there. And remember - really only Rivera, Jeter and when it's all said and done ARod, will have had the majority of their Hall of Fame years with the Yankees. I think if you told most managers they would have three future hall of famers on their club they'd jump for joy. Not to mention that several other yankees will probably be borderline HOF candidates. That said, congrats to torre. He was the perfect guy for the job, and the yankees are going to miss him when he retires sometime soon. The longevity alone, not to mention the success, under the pressures of ny and steinbrenner, are pretty amazing.
posted by justgary at 10:20 PM on May 08, 2006
With such a milestone reached I think it's only natural to look at 'how' he got there. I'm still not convinced that that discussion = an analysis of what's wrong with baseball economics today. That said, congrats to torre. He was the perfect guy for the job, and the yankees are going to miss him when he retires sometime soon. He can't retire. Nuh-uh. Not allowed.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:41 AM on May 09, 2006
Every time I hear his name, I think about the baseball groupie in Ball Four that was described as "Joe Torre with tits". Poor girl.
posted by Mayor Curley at 09:07 AM on May 09, 2006
i love the guy as much as any yankee fan. he's been invaluable in handling the press, the boss and a team full of all-stars. i'll miss him dearly when he retires. but i will certainly welcome some new managerial blood. someone who can, oh i don't know, manage a bullpen properly. and when i say manage a bullpen properly that means don't bring in tanyon sturtze. ever. just forget he's even out there, joe.
posted by goddam at 09:15 AM on May 09, 2006
tanyon sturtze-the human white flag. All this talk about Torre's win-loss record being inflated by personel begs another question, do the yanks put up the same record or win all those world series with someone else managing them? I say no.
posted by HATER 187 at 09:26 AM on May 09, 2006
That'd be difficult to speculate, I'd guess, Hater.
posted by jerseygirl at 09:47 AM on May 09, 2006
Oh, you hadda say Tanyon Sturtze. New York's gift to Boston, that boy is. Oh well, at least Carl Pavano's now stinkin' up the minor leagues, hopefully never to return.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:50 AM on May 09, 2006
Worcester's Own Tanyon Sturtze is a punk. Gift or no gift, pinstripes or no pinstripes, I hate that guy.
posted by jerseygirl at 10:09 AM on May 09, 2006
I plead ignorance, because this season I haven't been able to follow the Yankees closely... Pavano's that bad?
posted by jerseygirl at 10:16 AM on May 09, 2006
pavano hasn't been doing too bad in the minors. basically he's just there to get his arm strength back. he's gonna return, as long as he can avoid bruising his ass again. they need a 5th starter, so why not carl? he never really got much of an opportunity to prove himself one way or another last year.
posted by goddam at 10:45 AM on May 09, 2006
goddam is goddamning with faint praise, methinks. Bruised his backside? Please. Lindsey Kildow bruised her backside, and was back in action within a couple of days. Pavano doesn't know what a bruise is, but maybe I'll get lucky and someone will show him the next time he shows his face in New York.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 12:24 PM on May 09, 2006
Ok, a few things. I thought that said "Lisa Kudrow" and wondered why we were bringing Phoebe Bouffet into this and second, wow, LBB hates Pavano.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:26 PM on May 09, 2006
hate for sturtze i can understand. but pavano? really? seriously, what has he done to upset you so much? or maybe it's what he hasn't done since it's been almost a year since his last start? eh, to each their own. i cringe when jaret wright's on the mound (partly because he always seems to get hit with a projectile of some sort) but i still hope he pitches well. same thing with pavano. i hope he comes back and i hope he does well. and i would think a lot of fans would feel that way. even though they are the yankees, it's not easy to eat a contract that big. and unless he makes a good showing, they won't be able to trade him.
posted by goddam at 01:01 PM on May 09, 2006
wow, LBB hates Pavano. Please. A bruised behind is nothing to wail to mommy about, as Ms. Kildow so beautifully demonstrated -- and if wishing someone a bruised behind is an expression of "hate", I wonder what term you reserve for the emotion that people feel towards someone who's done more than blow a few ballgames and generally stink up the joint.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:04 PM on May 09, 2006
Maybe other MLB teams should start watching out for the players that the Tigers offer sizeable contracts to. There have been at least a few cases (Juan Gonzalez, Pavano, and Rich Aurilia) who have been heavily purused by the Tigers and refused sizeable contracts (nice one Gonzalez), instead signing with another team only to be a bust.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:03 PM on May 09, 2006
That would have been awesome if he won game 1,000 in the BoSox series- really rub it in with a huge celebration! lol
posted by redsoxrgay at 07:37 PM on May 09, 2006
Here here, uglatto. i think you misspelled "gloglu." I plead ignorance, because this season I haven't been able to follow the Yankees closely oh, so you are carl pavano...
posted by bar_mangled_banter at 10:29 PM on May 10, 2006
Good for him, Torre has proven himself to be a capable manager in navagating the impossible demands of heading the Yankees. He's an admirable guy, a tough competitor, and deserves the honor. Now, with that said, may he never win another game for the Yankees again. :)