Where will Joe go?

With last night’s dismissal at the hands of the Cleveland Indians, the firing of Joe Torre after twelve years as manager of the New York Yankees is all but guaranteed. However heartbroken Torre may be at leaving the only job he’s had for over the past decade, he should pause and take note of the silver lining present in his firing. By being relieved of his managerial duties in the Bronx, Torre is given a chance to prove that he is a good manager.

What’s that you say? How dare I say that Torre isn’t a good manager! Why, he’s one of the best there ever was! Reached the postseason all twelve years with the Yankees! Won four World Series in his first five!

And hasn’t won another one in the seven years since.

The fact remains that prior to joining the helm of the Yankees’, Torre was at best a mediocre manager. With a .405 winning percentage in five years as manager of the New York Mets in the late 70s/ early 80s, Torre got darned near ran out of town by the same city that would welcome him as a prodigal son a decade and a half later. Torre then managed the Atlanta Braves for three years, capturing a division title in 1982 only to be ingloriously swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in a three game league championship series. He then took a sabbatical from managing for six years, serving a spell as a broadcaster for the California Angels, before resurfacing to take the reins of the same Cardinals in mid-1990. After six rather unspectacular seasons and a .498 winning percentage in St. Louis, Torre was hired by George Steinbrenner to fill the spot vacated by the fired Buck Showalter, who had just come off a dramatic three-game collapse to the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 Division Series, otherwise known as the Greatest Playoff Series of All Time.

So we all know what happened next. The World Series titles. The 116-win 1998 season. The American Express commercials. Being played by Paul Sorvino in “Curveballs Along the Way: The Joe Torre Story.” The twelve straight postseason appearances. And now this, this inglorious conclusion, getting knocked out of the playoffs for the third straight season, this time at the hands of the Cleveland Indians.

So why do I think he’s not that great a manager, or not nearly as great as everyone thinks he is? Um, have you paid attention to the Yankees teams of the past decade? Borat’s retarded brother Bilo could’ve won managing the Yankee team from the late 1990s. They may be singularly the greatest collection of talent ever compiled by a major league baseball team: Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera all excelled at the position in their league. The Yankees were also helped by role players and players past their prime who stepped up to deliver clutch performances: Scott Brosius, Paul O’Neill, Dwight Gooden, Daryl Strawberry, Cecil Fielder. The Yankees became recognized as the team to go to for veterans looking to add a World Series in to their trophy case, and when that connection was made, that was exaclty when the Yankees were unable to win despite their heavy talented veteran presence. Look at the players that made their trek to the Big Apple to “win it all” but couldn’t: Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Alex Rodriguez. Torre couldn’t win with these guys in the line-up? My doubts about Joe Torre’s supposed “greatness” is justified.

I’m not meaning this to be a criticism of the guy. By all indications, he seems a likable, affable fellow. With the outsized egos he’s had to deal with over the past 12 years, the fact that he’s been able to manage them and deftly lead them to an annual postseason berth is a testament to his abilities. But perhaps the Boss is justified in letting Torre go, even if he did it in perhaps the most classless move he possibly could over this past weekend when he announced Torre’s imminent dismissal if the Yankees failed to win to The Bergen Record in New Jersey. I’m actually surprised that Torre’s managed to survive the Yankees’ 2003 World Series loss to the Florida Marlins, given Steinbrenner’s demand for immediate satisfaction.

But these are the conditions that it appears Torre’s connections with the Yankees has been severed. And with it comes the opportunity for Torre to prove that it was him as the strategist that made those legendary winning teams ten year ago, rather than the aggregate of the talent on the team. If I was Torre, I’d leap at the opportunity to leave the Yankees in my rear-view mirror and seek pastures with a team that has had recent struggles, but intent on righting their ship. Especially with a collection of young talent to mold into winners. The Pittsburgh Pirates- who have recently dismissed manager Jim Tracy- come to mind, with their talented young pitching staff and offense led by Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, and Xavier Nady, with Jason Bay, who had an off season in 2007, also on board. Or perhaps Torre would like to stay in the American League and fill Buddy Bell’s spot as manager of the Kansas City Royals, who may have a trio of the finest young hitters in the league in Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, and mark Teahen, not to mention a developing pitching staff led by Brian Bannister and Luke Hochevar.

Or perhaps he’ll go retire and play golf somewhere. Where will Joe go?

Torre has four World Series rings. He has nothing else left to prove with the New York Yankees. But if he can lead the Pirates or the Royals to the promised land, then his claim as one of the best managers of all time would not be questioned.