→ leddy:A-rod backed Torre! 10/10 22:01
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Steinbrenner Takes Another Day to Decide on Torre
from nytimes.com
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: October 10, 2006
If George Steinbrenner had acted on his impulse after the Yankees’ swift
playoff exit Saturday, Joe Torre would already be a former Yankees manager.
But Steinbrenner took a second day to contemplate Torre’s fate, which could
only be an encouraging sign for Torre.
It does not mean Torre will return for his 12th season as Yankees manager.
But the feeling around the organization yesterday was that Steinbrenner alone
would make the decision, and he said he was not sure what he would do.
“I have not made up my mind yet,” Steinbrenner told reporters after lunch
at the restaurant of the Loews Regency Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
Steinbrenner, the Yankees’ principal owner, returned to Tampa, Fla., later
in the day.
General Manager Brian Cashman said he wanted to retain Torre, who is entering
the final year of his contract but has not led the Yankees to a championship
since 2000. Others in the organization, still reeling from the American
League division series loss to the Detroit Tigers, have doubts about whether
Torre should stay.
Steinbrenner has long been enamored with Lou Piniella, a former player,
general manager and manager for the Yankees. But yesterday, Steinbrenner was
still seeking answers from his executives about what went wrong in the
playoffs.
That has been a pastime for Steinbrenner the last six seasons after a
postseason loss. But Torre’s position has never been more vulnerable, and
rarely have such obvious possible successors — including Piniella and Joe
Girardi — been available.
Torre has not appeared at Yankee Stadium since the loss, and Cashman has not
returned phone calls. But various players and coaches have supported Torre,
including Alex Rodriguez, the embattled third baseman.
Rodriguez and his wife, Cynthia, had lunch yesterday at the same time as
Steinbrenner, on the same block, one building away. Rodriguez signed
autographs for fans but declined to answer questions.
Later, Rodriguez’s agent, Scott Boras, said Rodriguez backed Torre.
“Alex is very supportive of Joe Torre and enjoys playing for him,” Boras
said in a telephone interview. “I think he views what happened this
postseason as one where some great starting pitchers beat a very good
offense. From his perspective, that had nothing to do with Joe Torre.”
Torre dropped Rodriguez to eighth in the batting order for the fourth and
final game of the series against Detroit. Rodriguez, who finished the series
1 for 14, had not batted that far down in a lineup in more than 10 years.
Torre’s greatest strength may be communicating with his players, yet he did
not consult Rodriguez or the team about the move. Gary Sheffield, who was
benched for Game 3, told USA Today that the lineup startled the team.
“I think that affected the morale and psyche of the entire team, not just
A-Rod,” Sheffield said. “I’m not making any excuses, but everyone was
wondering what was going on. It made it a real weird day. You would like to
be treated with a little respect, I don’t care who you play for. We were
worrying about all of that stuff, and we still had a game to play.”
Steinbrenner has surely considered what impact changing managers would have
on Rodriguez, who seems more likely to stay with the Yankees than not.
Although other teams would probably be interested in trading for Rodriguez,
he has shown no willingness to waive his no-trade clause, and the Yankees
said they had not explored any deals.
Rodriguez played seven seasons under Piniella in Seattle and said he had
great respect for him. Yet replacing Torre with a manager well known to
Rodriguez could disrupt the chemistry in the clubhouse, where Rodriguez
already has an uneasy relationship with the team’s captain, Derek Jeter.
Despite their different personalities, Rodriguez and Jeter have coexisted for
three seasons and helped lead the Yankees to three division titles. Torre has
won nine in a row, cultivating a professional and winning atmosphere.
“To deal with a lot of superstars is hard,” said the reserve infielder
Miguel Cairo, who packed his belongings at Yankee Stadium yesterday. “For
him, it’s easy. It’s a plus when you have a manager like that, who knows
how to do it.”
Starter Jaret Wright said he would be sad to see Torre leave, and reliever
Ron Villone called Torre a class act and a great manager. When Steinbrenner
considers changes to the team, Villone said, he should not start with Torre.
“You can look at the bullpen, you can look at the lineup, you can look at
the bench,” Villone said. “I’d rather look there first than look at who’s
sitting on the bench.”
Piniella is a candidate for several manager openings. Because his name has
been publicly connected to the Yankees, Steinbrenner may be hoping that
Piniella waits for him to make up his mind about Torre before accepting
another job.
Piniella is in Oakland working as a broadcaster for the American League
Championship Series. He told reporters there that he had not heard from
Steinbrenner.
“We’ve always been friendly,” Piniella said. “No, we haven’t talked at
all about that. In fact, I haven’t seen Mr. Steinbrenner in 10 months. Talk
to my agent about these things.”
He added: “Look, I don’t want to get into that subject. It’s not right. I
respect the situation too much for me to comment on anything else.”
Commissioner Bud Selig forbids teams from announcing major moves while
postseason series are going on, preferring to keep fans focused on the games.
But Steinbrenner has long enjoyed upstaging the Mets, as he did during the
1988 playoffs, when he fired Piniella as manager and hired Dallas Green. That
was the last time the Mets played in the postseason while the Yankees did
not. The last time, that is, until now.
INSIDE PITCH
Randy Johnson plans to see Dr. Robert Watkins, who performed his back surgery
in 1996, to determine if he needs back surgery again, said Johnson’s agent,
Barry Meister. Surgery would likely require three months of rehabilitation. “
He just wants to make sure he’s ready in spring training and has the best
chance at not having his season interrupted next year,” Meister said.
Michael S. Schmidt contributed reporting.
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