2007 Post-Season For A Rod
DATE OPP RESULT AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB BA
10/8 Cle L 4-6 5 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 .267
10/7 Cle W 8-4 4 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .200
10/5 @Cle L 1-2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 .000
10/4 @Cle L 3-12 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .000
A-Rod hits a "Soft.085
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
We Wish You Only The Best JT
With Grady Little out of the way in L.A., Joe Torre is the Dodgers' first choice to take over the club. According to sources Torre has agreed in principle to a three-year deal worth $14.5 million and could be introduced tomorrow, the same day the Yankees are holding a press conference to welcome Joe Girardi, Torre's successor, at Yankee Stadium.
*******How about another "traditional" Dodgers-Yankees World Series- Yankees in 5- A-Rod strikes out 10 times, hit a soft 0.85 for the Dodgers, and Joe Torre makes excuses for this punk
*******How about another "traditional" Dodgers-Yankees World Series- Yankees in 5- A-Rod strikes out 10 times, hit a soft 0.85 for the Dodgers, and Joe Torre makes excuses for this punk
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Great News-The New Joe
After a late dalliance Monday with the Dodgers that led to nothing, Girardi will succeed Joe Torre with an announcement scheduled for today.
It was not clear which side initiated contact between the Dodgers and Girardi yesterday, but at 5:30 last night the Yankees knew Girardi was talking to the NL club. However, by nightfall the Yankees were sure Girardi would accept the job today since he requested which coaches from Torre's staff he wanted to remain.
The three-year, $7.5 million deal is the same offer Girardi was getting from the Dodgers, according to an industry source familiar with the negotiations.
Knowing that Torre is the Dodgers' leading candidate to take over for Grady Little, something that could happen quickly since the Dodgers are working on a buyout with Little, the Yankees and Girardi moved swiftly to keep hitting coach Kevin Long, who is expected to sign a rare three-year deal for close to $1 million. The Yankees are also keen on retaining field coordinator Rob Thomson as Girardi's third base or bench coach. Tony Pena, who interviewed for the job Girardi was offered yesterday, also will remain.
Third base coach Larry Bowa is a candidate to stay or he could travel to L.A. with Torre, who may ask Don Mattingly to join him. Several people in the Yankees' universe believe Torre will be named Dodgers manager, possibly as soon as today.
-**********This is a great move-my prediction-----Joe Giradi will go down as one of the great managers of all time- and will make the Hall of Fame as a manager-Messenge4r of Truth 10/30/07
It was not clear which side initiated contact between the Dodgers and Girardi yesterday, but at 5:30 last night the Yankees knew Girardi was talking to the NL club. However, by nightfall the Yankees were sure Girardi would accept the job today since he requested which coaches from Torre's staff he wanted to remain.
The three-year, $7.5 million deal is the same offer Girardi was getting from the Dodgers, according to an industry source familiar with the negotiations.
Knowing that Torre is the Dodgers' leading candidate to take over for Grady Little, something that could happen quickly since the Dodgers are working on a buyout with Little, the Yankees and Girardi moved swiftly to keep hitting coach Kevin Long, who is expected to sign a rare three-year deal for close to $1 million. The Yankees are also keen on retaining field coordinator Rob Thomson as Girardi's third base or bench coach. Tony Pena, who interviewed for the job Girardi was offered yesterday, also will remain.
Third base coach Larry Bowa is a candidate to stay or he could travel to L.A. with Torre, who may ask Don Mattingly to join him. Several people in the Yankees' universe believe Torre will be named Dodgers manager, possibly as soon as today.
-**********This is a great move-my prediction-----Joe Giradi will go down as one of the great managers of all time- and will make the Hall of Fame as a manager-Messenge4r of Truth 10/30/07
Friday, October 26, 2007
news
When asked about the Yankees’ manager search before Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday, Commissioner Bud Selig wrinkled his face and winced. Selig would not even talk about the matter, and it was clear he did not want it to upstage baseball’s signature event
When Joe Girardi was the Yankees’ bench coach in 2005, he provided data on opponents that Joe Torre relied on heavily.
The Yankees complied with Selig’s wishes Thursday, announcing that they had reached no conclusions about who would replace Joe Torre. General Manager Brian Cashman and his staff met with ownership Thursday to say that he needed time to decide.
“There has been widespread speculation about who the next manager of The New York Yankees will be,” said a statement from Howard Rubenstein, the spokesman for the principal owner, George Steinbrenner. “The evaluation process is continuing, and there will be no immediate decision or announcement.”
Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Peña interviewed for the job this week, and there were no plans to meet with other candidates. Steinbrenner and his sons, Hank and Hal, were impressed with all the candidates and are unlikely to overrule Cashman’s recommendation.
“As far as making the decision, it will be before the end” of the Series, Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press. “No question. As far as when we announce it, we’re going to obviously honor the wishes of the commissioner.”
Mattingly has long been perceived as the favorite of Steinbrenner, and he made a forceful impression on the sons this week. But while Mattingly has wanted to be manager since joining the staff in November 2003, he was made no promises. There is some thought that Cashman would be more comfortable with Girardi.
When Girardi worked under Torre as the bench coach in 2005, he took notes during games, logging information on opponents for Torre to use later. Torre relied heavily on such data, which has lately been compiled by the special assignment coach Rob Thomson. It was notable that Thomson was one of the first people Torre thanked at his farewell news conference, underscoring the importance of organization and preparation to any manager.
Girardi’s high marks in those areas probably appeal to Cashman. The Yankees are not forced to hunt for bargains based on statistics — the essence of the so-called “Moneyball” philosophy — but Cashman values statistics so much that he has a full-time analyst, Michael Fishman, on his staff.
It is a facet of his job that Cashman, who did not return a telephone message, does not like to publicize. He does not allow Fishman or Chad Bohling, the director of mental conditioning, to speak with reporters. But Bohling has been involved in the interview process; Girardi said so in his conference call with reporters on Monday.
Girardi was named the National League’s manager of the year in 2006 for winning 78 games with a Marlins team that had been gutted by trades. His experience in working with young pitchers, as a former catcher and manager, is a strong point for Girardi as the Yankees make a transition to a young pitching staff.
After Girardi was fired, though, his young Marlins pitchers broke down. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Aníbal Sánchez combined to go 33-21 in 84 games for Girardi. All three had arm problems this season, combining for only 15 appearances. It would be unfair to blame that on Girardi, but it cannot be seen as a positive.
Still, Girardi, who has an engineering degree from Northwestern, is unquestionably bright. He has been passionate about managing since his playing days, and he was a leader on three Yankees title teams in the 1990s.
“Everyone always said how important Paul O’Neill was to those teams, because of the energy he brought to the ballpark every single day, and Joe’s the same way,” reliever Mike Stanton said in 2005. “If guys were having tough times, he was a guy you could look at, because he just had that natural energy.”
Girardi and Mattingly served on Torre’s staff in 2005, Girardi as the bench coach and Mattingly as the hitting coach. It was clear then that whenever Torre left, those two would be candidates to replace him.
“You’ve got two guys sitting in the dugout right now that are certainly qualified,” Torre said that summer. “Both guys were tireless when it came to working and putting in time. It’s wonderful. It’s a great situation to have.”
It is Cashman’s job now to decide among the strong choices, and Mattingly’s relationship with the players will work in his favor.
“I’d be surprised if Don Mattingly doesn’t get the job,” said the Colorado broadcaster George Frazier, who roomed with a young Mattingly when they played together for the Yankees. “He’d be a good fit for them. I think the players respect him, and he sat for four years next to Joe. That’s a pretty good guy to learn from.”
Jim Leyritz, who played with Mattingly and Girardi, said it might be difficult for Girardi to command respect from players he knew as friends. He said Mattingly, who retired in 1995, was far enough removed from playing.
“Donnie really made it a point this year to distance himself from the guys, to get himself ready for managing at this level,” said Leyritz, now a commentator for mlb.com. “I think he listened to Willie Randolph a lot. Willie has told me that being a manager is totally different than being a coach, and I think Donnie worked at it.”
Leyritz added that keeping Mattingly would be important to pleasing veterans like Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, who are potential free agents. And with the Yankees focused on expanding their brand, he said, a manager of Mattingly’s stature would fit.
“There’s the name factor,” Leyritz said. “If you’re replacing Joe Torre, you have to be a legend.”
There is also the issue of how the Yankees could say no to Mattingly, who is not expected to stay on the staff if he loses the job. The organization alienated Torre last week and could face another backlash by rejecting the popular Mattingly.
When Joe Girardi was the Yankees’ bench coach in 2005, he provided data on opponents that Joe Torre relied on heavily.
The Yankees complied with Selig’s wishes Thursday, announcing that they had reached no conclusions about who would replace Joe Torre. General Manager Brian Cashman and his staff met with ownership Thursday to say that he needed time to decide.
“There has been widespread speculation about who the next manager of The New York Yankees will be,” said a statement from Howard Rubenstein, the spokesman for the principal owner, George Steinbrenner. “The evaluation process is continuing, and there will be no immediate decision or announcement.”
Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Peña interviewed for the job this week, and there were no plans to meet with other candidates. Steinbrenner and his sons, Hank and Hal, were impressed with all the candidates and are unlikely to overrule Cashman’s recommendation.
“As far as making the decision, it will be before the end” of the Series, Hank Steinbrenner told The Associated Press. “No question. As far as when we announce it, we’re going to obviously honor the wishes of the commissioner.”
Mattingly has long been perceived as the favorite of Steinbrenner, and he made a forceful impression on the sons this week. But while Mattingly has wanted to be manager since joining the staff in November 2003, he was made no promises. There is some thought that Cashman would be more comfortable with Girardi.
When Girardi worked under Torre as the bench coach in 2005, he took notes during games, logging information on opponents for Torre to use later. Torre relied heavily on such data, which has lately been compiled by the special assignment coach Rob Thomson. It was notable that Thomson was one of the first people Torre thanked at his farewell news conference, underscoring the importance of organization and preparation to any manager.
Girardi’s high marks in those areas probably appeal to Cashman. The Yankees are not forced to hunt for bargains based on statistics — the essence of the so-called “Moneyball” philosophy — but Cashman values statistics so much that he has a full-time analyst, Michael Fishman, on his staff.
It is a facet of his job that Cashman, who did not return a telephone message, does not like to publicize. He does not allow Fishman or Chad Bohling, the director of mental conditioning, to speak with reporters. But Bohling has been involved in the interview process; Girardi said so in his conference call with reporters on Monday.
Girardi was named the National League’s manager of the year in 2006 for winning 78 games with a Marlins team that had been gutted by trades. His experience in working with young pitchers, as a former catcher and manager, is a strong point for Girardi as the Yankees make a transition to a young pitching staff.
After Girardi was fired, though, his young Marlins pitchers broke down. Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Aníbal Sánchez combined to go 33-21 in 84 games for Girardi. All three had arm problems this season, combining for only 15 appearances. It would be unfair to blame that on Girardi, but it cannot be seen as a positive.
Still, Girardi, who has an engineering degree from Northwestern, is unquestionably bright. He has been passionate about managing since his playing days, and he was a leader on three Yankees title teams in the 1990s.
“Everyone always said how important Paul O’Neill was to those teams, because of the energy he brought to the ballpark every single day, and Joe’s the same way,” reliever Mike Stanton said in 2005. “If guys were having tough times, he was a guy you could look at, because he just had that natural energy.”
Girardi and Mattingly served on Torre’s staff in 2005, Girardi as the bench coach and Mattingly as the hitting coach. It was clear then that whenever Torre left, those two would be candidates to replace him.
“You’ve got two guys sitting in the dugout right now that are certainly qualified,” Torre said that summer. “Both guys were tireless when it came to working and putting in time. It’s wonderful. It’s a great situation to have.”
It is Cashman’s job now to decide among the strong choices, and Mattingly’s relationship with the players will work in his favor.
“I’d be surprised if Don Mattingly doesn’t get the job,” said the Colorado broadcaster George Frazier, who roomed with a young Mattingly when they played together for the Yankees. “He’d be a good fit for them. I think the players respect him, and he sat for four years next to Joe. That’s a pretty good guy to learn from.”
Jim Leyritz, who played with Mattingly and Girardi, said it might be difficult for Girardi to command respect from players he knew as friends. He said Mattingly, who retired in 1995, was far enough removed from playing.
“Donnie really made it a point this year to distance himself from the guys, to get himself ready for managing at this level,” said Leyritz, now a commentator for mlb.com. “I think he listened to Willie Randolph a lot. Willie has told me that being a manager is totally different than being a coach, and I think Donnie worked at it.”
Leyritz added that keeping Mattingly would be important to pleasing veterans like Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, who are potential free agents. And with the Yankees focused on expanding their brand, he said, a manager of Mattingly’s stature would fit.
“There’s the name factor,” Leyritz said. “If you’re replacing Joe Torre, you have to be a legend.”
There is also the issue of how the Yankees could say no to Mattingly, who is not expected to stay on the staff if he loses the job. The organization alienated Torre last week and could face another backlash by rejecting the popular Mattingly.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thank You Mr Joe Torre
He was a gentleman to the end, Joe Torre was, on the day it ended for him with the Yankees, at least for now. He flew down on a private plane to Tampa, and he already knew the Yankees were going to cut his salary, about to officially find out that they were only prepared to bring him back on a one-year contract, with some nice incentives attached. It meant a lightweight like Isiah Thomas had more job security.
So maybe Torre had already decided, before he ever got near Legends Field, that he was going to be the first manager to ever fire George Steinbrenner.
Manager fires Yankees. The Yankee version of man bites dog.
And it is some man. This is the great gentleman of modern Yankee history, whether you are in the majority of Yankee fans and wanted him to stay, or from the minority who thought it was time for a change, that not even Torre gets to manage the Yankees forever, that if he got all the credit he had to get at least some of the blame.
There has still never been anybody quite like this managing the Yankees or anybody else.
You knew it would end badly someday between Torre and the Yankees, even after all the winning they did together. It ended badly yesterday, with the Yankees making Torre an offer they had to know he would refuse and Torre walking away from the best baseball job he will ever have.
To the end, though, all the way into that room with George Steinbrenner and his two sons and Randy Levine, the team president, and Brian Cashman, the general manager who saved Torre's job a year ago, when he had a year left, not the two weeks he had when he walked into the room yesterday, Torre carried himself with a kind of grace with which you must be born.
Hal Steinbrenner, the youngest Steinbrenner son, did most of the talking for the family. There was a lot of explaining on both sides, all those from Yankee management talking about the money they were offering in the new contract - $5 million for next season, million-dollar bonuses for each round of the playoffs the Yankees won, an $8 million contract for '09 becoming automatic if the Yankees made it back to the World Series for the first time in five years - and Torre ultimately explaining why he had to turn them down.
Torre never acted insulted, never raised his voice. The mood was never confrontational in that room yesterday, on either side. But then it never could be with Joe Torre in there.
The old man let the others do most of the talking and shook Joe Torre's hand when it was over. Who knows what George Steinbrenner meant during the Yankees-Indians series when he said Torre was gone if the Yankees went out in the first round again? Who knows what he is really like these days? What we know is that if the family, and Yankee management, really wanted Torre to come back, they would have made him a better offer than they did.
But Torre was not confrontational yesterday at Legends Field because it has never been his nature, this Brooklyn kid who grew up with a hatred of loud voices and any kind of violence, who has dedicated his fine Safe at Home Foundation to fighting domestic abuse in such an important way. Of course, he never yelled enough to suit Steinbrenner, even in the old days, when the old man was still inclined to yell back.
Joe Torre never was one for making a scene, in all the years when he turned Yankee hating into as much of a chore as it has ever been. He didn't make a scene yesterday as he listened to all the reasons why he should accept what he considered a lowball offer, even as the Yankees said they were still prepared to make him the highest-paid manager in baseball.
Torre decided he deserved better, even if it meant walking away from the job that will put him in the Hall of Fame. He didn't act insulted as he heard them out in that room, but had to be.
If this all holds - if the deal that went down yesterday meets the Hollywood standard of not just being set, but "set set" - he walks away from the Yankees, at least for now, the way Yogi Berra did when Steinbrenner fired him 16 games into the 1985 season after promising him he would give him the whole year, swearing that Yogi would have the job all year. Yogi Berra walked away from the Yankees that day, walked away from the Stadium, stayed away a very long time. We'll see how it goes with Joe Torre if this is really the end.
Torre told them all, in his quiet voice, his quiet way, yesterday how well he had done for the Yankees, how much he had done over the past 12 years. And they told him he had done pretty well BY the Yankees, everybody knowing that if the Yankees had ended up winning the World Series this year, they might have been talking about $10 million a year for Torre yesterday, not $5 million with incentives.
An agreement about a disagreement, that was what happened in that room yesterday, what they all felt when it was over.
It was just the most famous disagreement we are ever likely to see in baseball, the most famous manager telling the people who run the most famous team to take their job and shove it. A manager finally fired the Yankees yesterday. Got up and walked out of the room. It was always going to be this way with Joe Torre, like 100 men leaving the room.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So maybe Torre had already decided, before he ever got near Legends Field, that he was going to be the first manager to ever fire George Steinbrenner.
Manager fires Yankees. The Yankee version of man bites dog.
And it is some man. This is the great gentleman of modern Yankee history, whether you are in the majority of Yankee fans and wanted him to stay, or from the minority who thought it was time for a change, that not even Torre gets to manage the Yankees forever, that if he got all the credit he had to get at least some of the blame.
There has still never been anybody quite like this managing the Yankees or anybody else.
You knew it would end badly someday between Torre and the Yankees, even after all the winning they did together. It ended badly yesterday, with the Yankees making Torre an offer they had to know he would refuse and Torre walking away from the best baseball job he will ever have.
To the end, though, all the way into that room with George Steinbrenner and his two sons and Randy Levine, the team president, and Brian Cashman, the general manager who saved Torre's job a year ago, when he had a year left, not the two weeks he had when he walked into the room yesterday, Torre carried himself with a kind of grace with which you must be born.
Hal Steinbrenner, the youngest Steinbrenner son, did most of the talking for the family. There was a lot of explaining on both sides, all those from Yankee management talking about the money they were offering in the new contract - $5 million for next season, million-dollar bonuses for each round of the playoffs the Yankees won, an $8 million contract for '09 becoming automatic if the Yankees made it back to the World Series for the first time in five years - and Torre ultimately explaining why he had to turn them down.
Torre never acted insulted, never raised his voice. The mood was never confrontational in that room yesterday, on either side. But then it never could be with Joe Torre in there.
The old man let the others do most of the talking and shook Joe Torre's hand when it was over. Who knows what George Steinbrenner meant during the Yankees-Indians series when he said Torre was gone if the Yankees went out in the first round again? Who knows what he is really like these days? What we know is that if the family, and Yankee management, really wanted Torre to come back, they would have made him a better offer than they did.
But Torre was not confrontational yesterday at Legends Field because it has never been his nature, this Brooklyn kid who grew up with a hatred of loud voices and any kind of violence, who has dedicated his fine Safe at Home Foundation to fighting domestic abuse in such an important way. Of course, he never yelled enough to suit Steinbrenner, even in the old days, when the old man was still inclined to yell back.
Joe Torre never was one for making a scene, in all the years when he turned Yankee hating into as much of a chore as it has ever been. He didn't make a scene yesterday as he listened to all the reasons why he should accept what he considered a lowball offer, even as the Yankees said they were still prepared to make him the highest-paid manager in baseball.
Torre decided he deserved better, even if it meant walking away from the job that will put him in the Hall of Fame. He didn't act insulted as he heard them out in that room, but had to be.
If this all holds - if the deal that went down yesterday meets the Hollywood standard of not just being set, but "set set" - he walks away from the Yankees, at least for now, the way Yogi Berra did when Steinbrenner fired him 16 games into the 1985 season after promising him he would give him the whole year, swearing that Yogi would have the job all year. Yogi Berra walked away from the Yankees that day, walked away from the Stadium, stayed away a very long time. We'll see how it goes with Joe Torre if this is really the end.
Torre told them all, in his quiet voice, his quiet way, yesterday how well he had done for the Yankees, how much he had done over the past 12 years. And they told him he had done pretty well BY the Yankees, everybody knowing that if the Yankees had ended up winning the World Series this year, they might have been talking about $10 million a year for Torre yesterday, not $5 million with incentives.
An agreement about a disagreement, that was what happened in that room yesterday, what they all felt when it was over.
It was just the most famous disagreement we are ever likely to see in baseball, the most famous manager telling the people who run the most famous team to take their job and shove it. A manager finally fired the Yankees yesterday. Got up and walked out of the room. It was always going to be this way with Joe Torre, like 100 men leaving the room.
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What Did You Really Say!
The uproar over Joe Torre's departure as Yankees manager has cast the club's president, Randy Levine, in a new and challenging role - that of a major-league New York-style lightning rod.
The pins being stuck in Randy Levine dolls by his detractors come courtesy not only of Torre fans, but critics who were put off by the way this postseason Yankee opera played itself out.
Some see this politically connected Republican lawyer-turned-exec as having engineered a way to insult Torre out of the job by making an offer the 12-year manager would only refuse - including a pay cut, performance incentives, and no wiggle room. Levine denies it went down that way.
Others say Torre took umbrage at Levine's clubhouse news conference declaring "an atmosphere of lawlessness" during on-the-field and bullpen fights between the Yanks and Red Sox in 2003. Levine's allies insist that Torre never made him aware that he objected.
Early warning signs
Still others recall a flap in 2001 over contract clauses that might have formed the first frost between Torre and Levine during contentious negotiations. Levine even was faulted for feeding critical questions when Torre was interviewed on the team's YES Network in 2005. There was also Levine's noting the lack of a Yankees World Series win since 2000 during his announcement of the Torre denouement last week - and Levine's raising the issue of Torre's motivation.
No, it is not about sports, but the politics of business and the art of spin and public relations. It is about money and who takes the hit for what - in other words, Levine's world. Working the system, promoting the bosses' agenda and dealing in high-stakes contracts are part of his official role - and have been since his days as a power player, top deputy and labor official inside Rudy Giuliani's City Hall.
To be fair, did Levine pretend otherwise?
"As president of the team, I'm here to represent ownership," Levine explained yesterday. "Once a decision is made - sometimes when I've agreed with it, sometimes when I've disagreed with it - my job is to implement that decision and defend it as if it was my own."
And do not expect to hear Levine confess any cynicism in the offer to the 12-year manager. "The decision to make this offer to Joe Torre was unanimously agreed on by everyone in the room," he said, including himself and other top Yankee executives. Officials said this includes general manager Brian Cashman, and that each part of the Torre offer had its precedents and rationale.
"I would not be here defending the offer that was made if there hadn't been agreement on it," Levine said.
"Everyone expected him [Torre] to come back," Levine said. "More importantly, this was the limit of what everyone believed was fair."
Torre's icy response
For his part, Torre was asked about Levine at his news conference last week. "I don't deal with Randy," he said with chilly brevity. "I deal with Brian Cashman."
***********Randy Levine-The Not So Smart Giuliani Puppet
Levine's agendas and style have always had their fans and foes, as does his role. At City Hall, how many of the off-the-record grumbles about Levine were really meant for his boss Giuliani? Nowadays, how many shots at Levine might otherwise be directed to the Steinbrenners, or others in the hierarchy?
During ceremonies and news conferences in the 1990's in City Hall's Blue Room, he would thunderously lead the laughter on a Giuliani joke - sometimes before the punchline was out. He'd charm some and put off others with a kind of backslapping frat-rush gregariousness. A decade ago, there was a Levine-organized news conference in which a union leader's endorsement of the mayor for re-election backfired into a grilling session from reporters on the official's grandiose perks.
The pins being stuck in Randy Levine dolls by his detractors come courtesy not only of Torre fans, but critics who were put off by the way this postseason Yankee opera played itself out.
Some see this politically connected Republican lawyer-turned-exec as having engineered a way to insult Torre out of the job by making an offer the 12-year manager would only refuse - including a pay cut, performance incentives, and no wiggle room. Levine denies it went down that way.
Others say Torre took umbrage at Levine's clubhouse news conference declaring "an atmosphere of lawlessness" during on-the-field and bullpen fights between the Yanks and Red Sox in 2003. Levine's allies insist that Torre never made him aware that he objected.
Early warning signs
Still others recall a flap in 2001 over contract clauses that might have formed the first frost between Torre and Levine during contentious negotiations. Levine even was faulted for feeding critical questions when Torre was interviewed on the team's YES Network in 2005. There was also Levine's noting the lack of a Yankees World Series win since 2000 during his announcement of the Torre denouement last week - and Levine's raising the issue of Torre's motivation.
No, it is not about sports, but the politics of business and the art of spin and public relations. It is about money and who takes the hit for what - in other words, Levine's world. Working the system, promoting the bosses' agenda and dealing in high-stakes contracts are part of his official role - and have been since his days as a power player, top deputy and labor official inside Rudy Giuliani's City Hall.
To be fair, did Levine pretend otherwise?
"As president of the team, I'm here to represent ownership," Levine explained yesterday. "Once a decision is made - sometimes when I've agreed with it, sometimes when I've disagreed with it - my job is to implement that decision and defend it as if it was my own."
And do not expect to hear Levine confess any cynicism in the offer to the 12-year manager. "The decision to make this offer to Joe Torre was unanimously agreed on by everyone in the room," he said, including himself and other top Yankee executives. Officials said this includes general manager Brian Cashman, and that each part of the Torre offer had its precedents and rationale.
"I would not be here defending the offer that was made if there hadn't been agreement on it," Levine said.
"Everyone expected him [Torre] to come back," Levine said. "More importantly, this was the limit of what everyone believed was fair."
Torre's icy response
For his part, Torre was asked about Levine at his news conference last week. "I don't deal with Randy," he said with chilly brevity. "I deal with Brian Cashman."
***********Randy Levine-The Not So Smart Giuliani Puppet
Levine's agendas and style have always had their fans and foes, as does his role. At City Hall, how many of the off-the-record grumbles about Levine were really meant for his boss Giuliani? Nowadays, how many shots at Levine might otherwise be directed to the Steinbrenners, or others in the hierarchy?
During ceremonies and news conferences in the 1990's in City Hall's Blue Room, he would thunderously lead the laughter on a Giuliani joke - sometimes before the punchline was out. He'd charm some and put off others with a kind of backslapping frat-rush gregariousness. A decade ago, there was a Levine-organized news conference in which a union leader's endorsement of the mayor for re-election backfired into a grilling session from reporters on the official's grandiose perks.
Yankee Stuff
Baseball has ended in New York for this autumn, but the game continues. Yesterday morning, it was parking spaces: One of the invisible arms of city government agreed that 3,600 parking spots would be built in the Bronx for the new Yankee Stadium at a cost of about $80,000 per spot. Of these, 600 will be turned over to the Yankees for the team’s exclusive — and free — use. The general public will pay up to $25. The mind reels.
Rudy Got his Piece of the action
Go to City Room » During Rudolph W. Giuliani’s last days in office, he said the team could deduct $5 million a year in “planning expenses” for the new ballpark from the rent it pays to the city for the old stadium. This arrangement was continued by Mr. Giuliani’s successor, Michael R. Bloomberg.
It is now Year 7 of the planning era, which runs through 2008.
And what is a planning expense? This summer, when asked by the city to document those costs, the team delivered a box of receipts, according to Warner Johnston, a spokesman for the city Parks Department, landlord of the current Yankee Stadium.
The impression given by this paperwork — mistakenly, the Yankees say — is that no one associated with the team ate a meal, parked a car, or drew a breath that could not be counted as part of the cost of planning the new ballpark, thus foisting it onto the taxpayers.
Included in the documents the team provided was a bill for 1,896 souvenirs for a raffle on Fan Appreciation Day in 2005 — $1 trinkets bought from a concession at the stadium. The team ran an online sweepstakes and hired a law firm to spell out the rules; the bill for the legal fees was in the planning expense box. So was the tab for thousands of dollars in baseball caps handed out to people in the luxury suites; a bill for 12 crystal baseballs that came to $1,825, including a “rush charge”; and thousands of dollars in meals billed by the Stadium Club restaurant for the clubhouse, umpires and “new business.”
Other expenses included gasoline bought by the grounds crew at the Singh Auto Mart on the Grand Concourse, the cost of shipping batting helmets to Tampa, Fla., and a cake inscribed “NY Yankees Welcomes Starwood.”
And then there was the serious money: hundreds of thousands the team paid to lobbyists and law firms as part of its planning costs.
These receipts, and others, were obtained under the Freedom of Information Law by Good Jobs New York, a labor-funded group that is critical of city subsidies for the new stadium. The Yankees, for their part, say the documents have been misunderstood: the team was not actually charging the city for all these costs, just a fraction of them.
“It has now been suggested that all items that were submitted were the subject of a rent credit request by the Yankees,” Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for the team. “This is entirely, absolutely and definitively incorrect.”
The team will submit additional documentation “to avoid existing and future confusion,” Ms. McGillion said.
HUH????????????
Mr. Johnston of the Parks Department said, “The Yankees will be working to identify which receipts are intended to be used for the planning credit.”
OK....RIGHT....OK...shuffle,shuffle,shuffle
Rudy Got his Piece of the action
Go to City Room » During Rudolph W. Giuliani’s last days in office, he said the team could deduct $5 million a year in “planning expenses” for the new ballpark from the rent it pays to the city for the old stadium. This arrangement was continued by Mr. Giuliani’s successor, Michael R. Bloomberg.
It is now Year 7 of the planning era, which runs through 2008.
And what is a planning expense? This summer, when asked by the city to document those costs, the team delivered a box of receipts, according to Warner Johnston, a spokesman for the city Parks Department, landlord of the current Yankee Stadium.
The impression given by this paperwork — mistakenly, the Yankees say — is that no one associated with the team ate a meal, parked a car, or drew a breath that could not be counted as part of the cost of planning the new ballpark, thus foisting it onto the taxpayers.
Included in the documents the team provided was a bill for 1,896 souvenirs for a raffle on Fan Appreciation Day in 2005 — $1 trinkets bought from a concession at the stadium. The team ran an online sweepstakes and hired a law firm to spell out the rules; the bill for the legal fees was in the planning expense box. So was the tab for thousands of dollars in baseball caps handed out to people in the luxury suites; a bill for 12 crystal baseballs that came to $1,825, including a “rush charge”; and thousands of dollars in meals billed by the Stadium Club restaurant for the clubhouse, umpires and “new business.”
Other expenses included gasoline bought by the grounds crew at the Singh Auto Mart on the Grand Concourse, the cost of shipping batting helmets to Tampa, Fla., and a cake inscribed “NY Yankees Welcomes Starwood.”
And then there was the serious money: hundreds of thousands the team paid to lobbyists and law firms as part of its planning costs.
These receipts, and others, were obtained under the Freedom of Information Law by Good Jobs New York, a labor-funded group that is critical of city subsidies for the new stadium. The Yankees, for their part, say the documents have been misunderstood: the team was not actually charging the city for all these costs, just a fraction of them.
“It has now been suggested that all items that were submitted were the subject of a rent credit request by the Yankees,” Alice McGillion, a spokeswoman for the team. “This is entirely, absolutely and definitively incorrect.”
The team will submit additional documentation “to avoid existing and future confusion,” Ms. McGillion said.
HUH????????????
Mr. Johnston of the Parks Department said, “The Yankees will be working to identify which receipts are intended to be used for the planning credit.”
OK....RIGHT....OK...shuffle,shuffle,shuffle
Joe Giradi
Have been down in South Florida for the past three years. Was one of the six or so who where in the stands last year when Joe keep a very young and talented Florida Marlins in contention. A lot of what Joe did as manager of the Marlins was to me the best of the "Joe Torre" school of managing. In addition, I like his "National League style" of aggressive baseball (that is the old NL of the 70's-and-80's). Let's hope this is Brian Cashman's choice
PS: Is George still with us mentally-or is my suspicion correct-that he is out to lunch (ie: dementia)
PS: Is George still with us mentally-or is my suspicion correct-that he is out to lunch (ie: dementia)
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