[新聞] It's all in hands of Boss now

[leddy (耿秋)]

It's all in hands of Boss now
And unless GM was able to sway George, seems as if Joe's gone

BY JIM BAUMBACH AND KEN DAVIDOFF
Newsday Staff Writers

October 10, 2006


There are no more meetings to be held, no more objections to be heard. The
decision on Joe Torre's future rests officially and entirely with George
Steinbrenner. And the strong belief within the Yankees' organization is that
The Boss will fire Torre very shortly.

"I haven't made up my mind yet," Steinbrenner said yesterday as he left his
uptown hotel to catch an afternoon flight back to Tampa.

By then he already had spent hours discussing Torre's status with team
officials. General manager Brian Cashman spoke strongly in favor of keeping
Torre, a person familiar with the situation said.

Cashman, who did not return calls yesterday, said after the Yankees were
eliminated Saturday that he saw no reason why Torre wouldn't be back to
manage the Yankees for a 12th season.

But Steinbrenner felt otherwise, rather strongly, and has given himself time
to ensure it wasn't an impulsive reaction. His expected decision to fire
Torre could come within a matter of days.

Torre has kept a low profile since losing to the Tigers on Saturday, but that
might change very soon. He was said to be thinking about having his
season-ending news conference today.

Whether Torre still will have a job as of this morning was a question no
Yankees official could answer yesterday, not with the decision solely up to
Steinbrenner without any set timetable.

Cashman has always respected Torre's calmness and uncanny ability to diffuse
tension, two qualities that have helped make him one of the most successful
Yankees managers ever.

Cashman reported to work yesterday at Yankee Stadium and pleaded his strong
defense of Torre in a phone call with Steinbrenner, according to a person
familiar with the situation.

Steinbrenner has always put great value on having a manager who gets fired
up, especially when addressing his players. So it's possible that the
listless way the Yankees played Games 3 and 4 of the Division Series sealed
Torre's fate.

Torre is scheduled to make $7 million next season in the last year of his
three-year, $19.2-million extension. Lou Piniella is the hands-down top
candidate to replace him, but the Yankees are expected to interview others,
including at least one minority candidate to meet Bud Selig's mandate.

Piniella, who is broadcasting the ALCS for Fox, told The Associated Press
yesterday in Oakland, Calif., that he hasn't spoken with Steinbrenner about
the job and hasn't seen him in 10 months.

But beyond that, Piniella refused to comment about the possibility of working
for Steinbrenner's Yankees again (he managed the Yankees in 1986 and 1987
before being fired, then replaced Billy Martin in 1988 before being fired
again).

"I don't want to get into that subject," Piniella said of managing the
Yankees again. "It's not right. I respect the situation too much for me to
comment on anything else."

His agent, Alan Nero, has spoken with the Nationals, Giants, Cubs and Rangers
about their managerial openings, but Piniella revealed he is not a candidate
for the Washington job.

"They're a team that's going to be building for the future," he said. "That's
a situation really that's not for a guy like me. I think they're going to go
with a young manager, and rightfully so."

If Piniella eventually rejoins the Yankees, as is the likely scenario, he
will be brought there primarily to motivate a group of all-stars who did not
seem to respond to Torre in the postseason.

Gary Sheffield, in an interview with Fox Sports Radio, reiterated his
contention that dropping Alex Rodriguez to eighth in the Game 4 lineup gave
the appearance that the team was in disarray.

"If I was on the other team and I saw A-Rod batting eighth," Sheffield said,
"you know it would have perked me up and made me think that the other club
was in a bunch of chaos."

Sheffield said the Yankees should keep Torre, but he had nothing but praise
for Piniella. "I've known him as a person for a long time and know his
style," Sheffield said, "and as far as New York is concerned, I think Lou
Piniella would be a perfect fit."

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