The Day After

Last night it started to sink in. Joe Torre...gone? He's all I've known for the past 12 years of my life. Granted, back in 1996 and such I didn't follow baseball anywhere near as close as I do now, but I still couldn't ignore his presence. It was Torre this and Torre that, Yankees win here and Yankees win there. And now...now that's gone forever. Weird.

Unfortunately, not everyone can be so rational and reflective about it. Both Yankees fans and the media are having an emotional field day. Let's discuss my issues with...

...Yankees fans:

• Just because Torre is gone doesn't mean it's going to be 1980 again. The same people who claim that the manager doesn't affect losses are the same who are saying the team is going to implode now that Joe's gone. Quit the doublethink; you can't have it both ways.
• Oh, and heaven forbid the franchise succeed WITHOUT Joe at the head. In that case, we were doomed once he retired anyway.
• Some more reactionary members of the fanbase want the Yanks to go 0-162 next year, proving to [someone? I don't know who] that losing Torre was the worst idea ever. Oh hey, I love when people who consider themselves fans wish pain onto their team. That's fair. Why don't they go cut themselves while they're at it.
• Similarly, there's the whole idea that if you wanted Joe to leave than you hate the Yankees. I'm happy a historical franchise is now synonymous with one person.
• And lastly, people don't realize this: there's no business sense in offering Torre a contract based on what he has done. No one gets offered a job because "Hey! Your performance as of late has been declining, but at least you produced big a few years ago!" That's not how the world works, and it most certainly isn't how baseball works. By that logic, Bernie should have been back in 2007 on a contract that paid him for his once amazing speed and once amazing bat.

...and the Media:

• Quit referring to the offered contract as a "pay cut." A pay cut implies that something out of his current contract was maliciously hacked away. Torre was given a totally new, comparatively smaller contract that reflected his recent performance.
• Steve Phillips needs to stop talking. The Yankees organization isn't ALL ABOUT winning it all. Joe Torre wasn't put on the line because he stopped winning the World Series annually. There were a number of issues that many non-Yanks fans will never understand.
• This is pretty much just another excuse to paint the Yankee Organization as a bunch of selfish, spoiled bastards. Thanks a lot.
• Also, media portrayal of Torre as the victim is unfair, since no one knows (at least, not as of yesterday) what went on between the parties involved. In fact, implying that Cashman et al. put this contract out there as a PR move is unfair to them.

Then of course, we have today at 4pm. Joe Torre held a press conference in order to quell some speculation and answer questions. It consisted of an hour+ of Joe brilliantly managing the rabid media. Here's a summary of some findings:

• Joe knew about the deal before the meeting yesterday; he may have made up his mind then.
• There was a 20-min meeting with all stakeholders. Cash et al. were unwilling to budge; Joe was unwilling to accept.
• Torre felt that the incentives 1) belittled his work in NY and showed a lack of commitment, and 2) would have put too much strain on the team.
• Money wasn't the issue--it was the commitment. He would be willing to manage elsewhere for less for a longer contract.
• He was not thrilled about the long break between the end of the DS and when he was first spoken to about his future.
  
• He refuses to name potential successors.
• He does not regret 2004. If he could change anything, he would have been louder about the Bug Attack.
• He's unsure whether he still has "allies" in the Bronx. In fact, he doesn't feel ready to talk about even returning.
  

All in all, I feel a little different about both Torre and the organization. One, Torre's ego is a bit frustrating. The fact that he expected to receive the same pay after the past few years is silly. He even admitted himself: when he started, his salary increased with success. Well, doesn't it follow that it should decrease with a lack of? And he wanted a multi-year deal? Dude, you're getting old. This club is trying to get younger...sorry. Two, shifty stuff is going on in the front office. Joe's right--waiting some 10 days after the DS to propose a little deal like this seems like there was hesitation in bringing him back. His description of the meeting, where neither side was willing to budge, paints an image of an angry and tense room; more went on there then anyone is going to tell. Plus, perhaps, perhaps, there was never an intention of bringing him back for the long term. Instead, the plan was to get him to join for one more year while they searched for a replacement to open the New Yankee Stadium. With that said, I understand his commitment argument in the fullest.

People are going through the stages of grief at the moment, and the words from the man himself didn't help. Now let's hope we can resign Mo, Jorge, and Alex, or things won't get better until the new-face Yankees win their first game in April. In any case, it's good to know the world is all flustered over Saint Joe Torre and the evil Yankees Organization that banished him forever. It's prime time for the Bush Administration to pull something, haha.

(Whoa, for real? Since when did we go to war with Iran? :-P)

In other news, we got our 16.31 exams back today. For someone who's never seen anything lower on a 90 on controls tests...yeaaaaaaah. But there were two points of comfort. One, the average was a 65. And two, the standard deviation was a 19! Hahahha, only at MIT. Thus, I'm within 1 SD, which, although I'm still not thrilled about it, makes things feel a little better.

Time to prepare for a hideous weekend of grad school applicating (whoa, that word's returned.) Actually, screw that...Katamari time!