All Things Bubba

Because how can you not love a baseball player named "Bubba"?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Take this job and shove it


Holy guacamole. I didn't see this coming. The Yankees offered Torre an extension, with a pay cut and a lot of incentives. (Kind of like you'd do with an aging player.) And he turned them down.

All in all, I think this is a happy ending. The Yankees need new blood, but they also needed to show respect for Torre and what he's done for them. This outcome offers both. Torre leaves on his own volition, head held high. And no one can say the Yankees kicked him to the curb.

Whatever Torre's other flaws, he's always been a class act.

UPDATE: Wow. The general consensus seems to be that the Yankees intended to present Torre with an offer so insulting he would have to refuse it. Basically, that they were too lily-livered to fire Torre. So they spent three days working out a contract that would seem like a good deal to the fans but would be a clear message to Torre: "You're not wanted."

This article seems to be pretty representative of the media reaction.

It sure seems like Steinbrenner is not much involved any more. And it sounds like Cashman's star is waning (probably due to this year's failures). I fear the usual Yankees power struggles will be more toxic than ever next year, with Torre gone, Steinbrenner increasingly disengaged, and Cashman's position weakened. Not to mention Steinbrenner's long-time heir apparent, Steve Swindal, now ousted (because he and Steinbrenner's daughter divorced). Steinbrenner's sons are the new heirs, but you have to figure...if they were really interested in the Yankees, they'd have been Steinbrenner's second-in-commands all along, not Swindal.

And never mind what effect Torre's departure will have in the clubhouse...

posted by BubbaFan, 4:47 PM

1 Comments:


Andy Phillips for manager!
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, October 19, 2007 12:35 PM  

Add a comment