Joe Torre goes out a Dodger, but will always be remembered as a Yankee

Normally they don’t make managerial sunsets to fade into. Don’t cue up the soft music, allow for sentiment.

Few managers volunteer to call it a career, but exit bitter and humbled.

Joe Torre leaves his 29-year managerial career Sunday of his own choosing. He's walking away because it’s what he wants.

So the Dodgers have scheduled a little ceremony to pay tribute Sunday after the final game of the season.

The only slightly odd element being that he exits as a Dodger. Will manage his final game at Chavez Ravine and not Yankee Stadium.

Torre spent three seasons at the helm of the Dodgers. He led them to two National League Championship Series. Was respected and admired, but in three seasons, probably not beloved.

Few will ever think, Joe Torre, Dodger.

He began his playing career as a Brave. Had his best years as a Cardinal. Managed with five different organizations.

``But when you define my career and what has been the most satisfying in my professional career, it’s the Yankees,’’ Torre said. ``Only because of being able to get to the World Series.

``When we won in ’96 my wife said, `OK, you did it. Let’s go.’ And I said, `Well, let’s see if we can do it again.’ Never dreaming I’d be to five more World Series and win three more. It was a heckuva dream.’’

Torre, 70, remains uncertain what he will do next. He said there have been overtures to return to broadcasting. He plans to meet with general manager Ned Colletti in a couple of weeks to see whether  there’s a position with the club that would be mutually beneficial.

And after all the hubbub two weeks ago over his comments about speaking to the Mets, he now talks more forcefully like he doesn’t foresee managing again.

``To go somewhere else and manage would really be a long shot,’’ he said.

If to many he seemed a New Yorker filling in for a few years with the Dodgers, he nonetheless had them on the cusp of two World Series. He was a calming influence on what had been a troubled clubhouse.

``It’s like that old E.F. Hutton commercial, when he talks everybody listens,’’ said veteran catcher Brad Ausmus. ``It doesn’t matter who they are, whether they’re players, other managers, other coaches, general managers. When Joe starts talking about baseball, people listen.

``He has as much of a calming presence as any manager I’ve ever been around.’’

With the Yankees and his first two seasons with the Dodgers, Torre managed a club into the postseason for 14 consecutive years. He has managed the most postseason victories (84) in baseball history and is fifth on baseball’s all-time regular-season list.
 
So it almost seems unnatural that the final club he managed will have a losing record.

``It’s not disappointing,’’ Torre said. ``You get the opportunity to do this … only 30 managers in baseball. And I’ve had some success late in my life as a manager and I’m certainly grateful for it.

``Sure, I wanted to go to the World Series. It would have been much nicer saying goodbye a lot later in the month. But it doesn’t detract from anything.’’

-- Steve Dilbeck

Comments

[Dj Bobby]

im glad he's not gonna be a Dodger's manager anymore then.....he is so overated....i mean how many things did he do that didn't make sense then? How many times did he make you scratch your head then

[phillydodger]

Okay, Joe, we know you were, are and always will be a Yankee. Thanks and bye, bye now. Never understand the charm or purpose of Joe's tradition of letting veterans manage the last one or two games of the year. I think it really cheapens the game. What's next, having the wives coach the bases?

[waldobinney]

Uh, No. Joe Torre will be remembered as a 'Brave'....

[alanw19]

Ausmus' comments amplify what I've always believed about Torre's managerial skills. His greatest ability is to manage egos, hold together clubhouses, and if given the tools to work with he can work a game. He's a fine manager. But with marginal or less talent, he's as pedestrian as any other manager. Pains me to credit anything about the Yankees, but he managed some egos in that run.

I thought he was the best choice for LA when hired and glad he came to be our manager. As stated before, I'm not sure of the title or responsibility but do believe he could be a help to the Dodgers in some non-managerial role in the future.

[KoufaxFan]

Torre is going out as what he is: a liar & a loser. Every team, with the exception of the Yankees, he has managed he's been a loser. And a trained chimp could have managed those Yankee teams & won. The problem is McCrap is bringing in someone that is a bigger loser than Torre, Donnie Dumb Ball. Mattingly played 14 years for the Yanks & won nothing; as a matter of fact the year bfore Mattingly's rookie year the Yanks won the pennant and the year after Donnie retired the Yanks won the World Series. This is one unholy trinity for LA in 2011: McCrap, No Head Ned, and Donnie Dumb Ball.

[68elcamino427]

Years from now, absent his managerial success with the New York Yankees, would Joe Torre's stint as manager of the Dodgers be remembered more along with likes of Jim Tracy or Davey Johnson ...
.

Certainly not Walter Alston or Tommy Lasorda!

[Since '58]

Again, it looks like alanw19 seems to have the correct perspective on Joe. I'm not surprised to see that he is in the minority, like me. Joe will tell you, as any manager will, that the players make the manager. In fact, I'm sure he's made that statement before. I'm as disappointed as anybody else at the job he did this year; and, so is he. He admitted as much last month. Joe is not a liar. Joe was exremely vocal over the choice he had for an opening day starter. I don't call it lying when he was upset that that he wasn't given the No. 1 starter the team required to have the semblance of a pitching staff. He didn't pull any punches. He wasn't happy about the choices he had for a fifth starter, and he said so. Where he screwed up is when he let McCourt's disassociation from the team get to him. He even admitted as much without naming McCourt. It would have been pretty silly to call out your boss in public. He put up with Steinbrenner for a dozen years. The only difference being Steinbrenner wanted to win. Joe isn't overrated, nor is he a liar.
After trying to embrace, instead of rejecting the term "Ned's Shill," which I was tagged with by one of you, I've decided to return to my old handle.
I've loved and followed the Dodgers since '58, and I'll keep it that way.

[alanw19]

Agree with waldobinney - remember him as a Brave (8 years), or a Cardinal (5 years) and despite the managerial success, remember him as a player. Can't imagine anyone in the game not wanting to be remembered more for their playing than anything, though for some (a long list in fact) their other things are much more note-worthy.

Understand where 68elcamino427 is coming from but would suggest the comparison of any of those groupings of names is apples, oranges and peaches at best. Why even mention Alston and Lasorda, they of lengthier tenures and thus did so much more, and are Hall of Famers. Torre at this age would never match those in tenure but is likely a Hall of Famer. And the other two didn't win squat (Tracy did win regular season games) and will only by paying customers at Cooperstown. In fact, Johnson makes the point of a manager being as good as the talent he has - he managed a plethora of Mets talent to 108 wins and the 1986 World Series crown but has just 2 other postseason series wins (wild card rounds) in 13-plus seasons.

Jim Tracy, NL West 2004 (no postseason series wins; teams won 86, 92, 85, 93, 71 games)
Davey Johnson, no playoffs, no titles of any kind (teams 77-85, 86-76 respectively)

Joe Torre, manager, NL West 2008, 2009 (played for pennant each)

Walter Alston, retired number, in Hall of Fame, World Series 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, NL pennant 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, NL West 1974
Tommy Lasorda, retired number, in Hall of Fame, Pitcher, Mgr, GM, advisor, World Series winner 1981, 1988, NL pennant 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988, NL West 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1995.

Torre's time may be done here in LA, won't argue that either way. But I'll give him this. He was known as a tough player, and he must have been a tough manager because he put up with NY crap plus Steinbrenner for a dozen seasons and then subjected himself to 3 years with McCourt - and for all the stuff we've found out about McCourt and how he does business and how bad it stinks, I'm willing to guess there's much more Torre knows and endured that we don't yet know and may never know. I'm glad he tried to help us, and think he did.

[Chris Burnett]

The comments criticizing Torre are too vicious. He was a fine manager, and is a class act. He's devoted his life to baseball and even overcome cancer, He deserves a good retirement and a place in Cooperstown.