F*&! Joe Torre: SLOW TO GET THE MESSAGE, JOE

F*&! Joe Torre

Since Joe Torre breaks our hearts, this blog will break his balls. Every day of the season I will detail the errors, misjudgements, and omissions that make him the most overrated manger in the history of the game (even more than Tommy Lasorda!). But Joe Torre is not just one bum in hero's clothing (i.e. the pinstripes); he is the quintessential counterfeit of excellence, a figure who embodies the triumph of the ersatz that pervades every aspect of our culture. No organization in sport, nay in civilization generally, has manifested a committment to continuing greatness like the New York Yankees, a beacon to all, in every field of endeavor, that the best is always possible. How intolerable is it then that the Yankees should be managed by a mediocrity on stilts, a figure with a reputation for greatness without any of the attributes thereof. Beginning with Torre and ending with Torre, this blog will look to smash idols we create out of inadvertence, ignorance, and complacency.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

SLOW TO GET THE MESSAGE, JOE

After the Sox sweep, Jeter pointed out that they had to play with urgency every game. A 9-1 loss to the Rays never looks like urgency, but there was the hangover effect and they did bounce back. But today, Slow Joe failed to manage with urgency. After taking out Pettite too early in May, thereby overworking an already subpar bullpen, today he left him in long after everyone watching knew he should be lifted. Not only did Pettite throw 119 piches, or 10-15 too many for him, hbe struggled through the 6th inning, loading the bases and just escaping, and was struggling in the seventh when Pena cam up to effectively end the game. He had given up hits to 5 of the last 7 batters, and yet Torere doesn't make a move. When Pettite is struggling, you should be happy to get 6.1 out of him. Put in Vizcaino to get the outs. If he does and you score to tie things in the bottom of the frame, or go ahead, bring in the Joba to Rivera connection. Otherwise continue with Vizcaino and pitch Ramirez or Farnsworth if you must. But give yourself a chance to stay in the game. Remember every game is like the playoffs now (as Jorgew sais) and in the playoffs you always go to the bullpen in situations like that.

1 Comments:

Anonymous said...: I have no idea whether A Rod will be a Yankee next season. I don't particualrly care one way or another, to be honest, because the non-rational part of me believes that in some cosmological scheme of things, the Yankees will never win a championship as long as A rod is on the team. Certainly they are not going to win it this year, although the playoffs remain a possibility, with a first round elimination to the Angels all but guarenteed.

Another part of me says my superstition about A Rod is ridiculous and that as long as the team next year has a smart manager and makes the right signings and unloads the dead weight (Mussian, Giambia, Farsworth etc) in the offseason, things could get interesting again.

But, after all the Arod bashing I've done, I do want to say now that it is thrilling to see him perform as he did in Weds. win over Seattle. The two homer runs were majestic and epic to watch--seeing them makes you finally understand, or remember, what's behind all the hype.

While this is far from post-season heroics, I do still think that, if he is doing clutch heroics in game 7's next season for another team, it will be significantly less of an affront to know that, for at last one season in pinstripes, he did everything he could to push the team over the top. Even Jeter seems in genuine, sincere awe of him right now.

of course, getting back to the irrational, now I've just jinxed him for the remainder of this year...; 1:59 PM