Joe Torre: Plain and Simple

Fans as we move into the new era of Dodger baseball, let us not forget the memories of the past.  Especially do not forget the legend of Joe Torre.  He is a manager who led his teams to the Xanadu, the paradise of baseball on four different occasions.  Let us take a moment to remember the legend of Joe Torre.  Even though he has retired from baseball, his legacy to the game remains.

Plain and Simply, Joe Torre has brought a charisma to the game of baseball.  He was an all star catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, winning the NL MVP in 1971.  He batted .363 and drove in a league high 137 runs.  Joe appeared in nine all star games and drove in 100+ runs five times in his career.  He also became a player-manager for the 1977 New York Mets.

Joe Torre finished his playing career with a .297 batting average with 252 career homeruns and over 1100 RBIS.  Torre also had over 2300 career hits.  (In my opinion, he should’ve made the hall of fame as a player.)

Joe moved on to managing and the broadcast booth for the next 18 years.  He led the Braves and Cardinals as skipper during that time period.  He caught his big break when he was signed as the new Yankees manager in 1996.  Many a sports writer tagged Torre as “Clueless Joe” because he hadn’t made a World Series as a coach or player.  The media questioned George Steinbrenner’s decision to sign Torre, yet Steinbrenner didn’t waiver

Torre led the Yankees to the 1996 World Series title.  He also led the Yankees to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 titles.  Torre was no longer clueless but at his zenith.  Nothing could stop him.

Joe Torre led the Yankees until the end of the 2007 season when he left to join the LA Dodgers as manager. (J)  He led the Dodgers to a NLCS berth in 2009.  They were but a few wins away from the World Series berth.

Now that he has retired, Joe Torre’s career managerial ranks are among the legends of baseball themselves.  Torre has the fifth most wins (2326) and is fifth in games managed (4329). There is no doubt in my mind that Joe Torre will be inducted as a Hall of Fame manager one day.  Torre is truly one of the greatest in baseball history, Plain and Simple.