Poll-When Will Joe Torre Be Fired?

[Mitchell]

This poll is not to make fun, but just to ask the real question. Assuming the Yankees don't come out of their funk, when do forum members think that Joe Torre, the Yankees manager, is likely to lose his job?

 

[Mitchell]

My vote for this poll is at the end of the regular season. Even though the Yankees are only one game out of last place, and playing badly, I think that George (the Steinbuyer) Steinbrenner will wait to see what happens with the Roger Clemens situation, and how much Clemens helps the Yankees season, before making a decision on Torre. It might seem that if the Yankees are 15 games out of first, and eliminated from say, the wild card, in the middle to the third week of September, that Torre might be let go at that point. I think he will give Torre the whole season, to avoid fan backlash, and, maybe, the idea of having to go through the process of hiring, and paying, an outside manager, during the season, when he still owes Torre the balance of $7 mil for the rest of the season.
So, what do our forum's baseball fans think? If the Yankees dont rebound, when will Torre be let go?

Mitch

 

[CurtWild]

i think that if they are not in contention by the AS break he will be gone

 

[milagros317]

My guess would be the day after the Yankees are eliminated from any chance of postseason play.

 

[Mitchell]

That's very possible, Mils. I'll tell you this, the talk on the Yankees board from their fans is nasty. Each time I go there, there are multitudes of "Fire Torre" threads.
Steinbrenner is exercising patience like he never has before. Earlier in time, in the 80s, Torre would have been gone after the first week or two, if the Yankees were bad. Now, as much as people would want to think of a "miracle" for them, they are in last place, and it seems unlikely that they will rebound.
That being said, there is hope for the Yankees, in that the season is young yet. On this day in 1992, the Braves were in last place, and they rebounded to win the NL pennant, and get to the World Series. That being said, while we didnt know back then, if 1991 for the Braves had been a fluke, the Braves were fundamentally a good team, with young pitching, who had gotten to the World Series the year before, and were just off to a bad start. Atlanta, while seven games under 500 on that day, was only seven games out of first, a still managable deficit, and not the thirteen games that the Yankees trail by now.
I honestly dont think the Yankees will rebound. They look lost. I agree with you that I dont think Joe will be gone until they are officially eliminated. Unless they decide to keep him the whole year, and he gets let go at the end of the season. One variable that will be interesting to see, will be if George is forced to do something, if say, they are buried in last place, 20 to 30 games out, in mid season, and the media starts calling for his departure.

Mitch

 

[Knox The Hatter]

The element of surprise is missing. It was that element that kept people's tongues all wagging about George. Didn't matter who was fired, after it was done, George was wall to wall in the newspapers, front, back, above and below the fold. I think, though, it very might well happen some time in the next couple of months, and when it does, some other teams will offer Torre the entire GNP of Russia and the breakaway republics for the next five years if he will manage them; and if he does, he'll accomplish as little as he did in Atlanta, and St. Louis, and throw in Flushing as well. You might as well have to flush the toilet on 2007 as well- there's no 1978 in this club.

He was the right manager for the right team in the late 90s. The Yankee chemistry changed, and he became the not so right guy. Shit happens.

 

[Mitchell]

Very interesting analysis, Knox. Thank you. I think you're right. It may well happen in the next couple of months, and, some other team might welll offer Torre a lot of money to manage them, and he probably will get little accomplished.
I come back to my original feeling. Part of me feels that, if the Yankees keep stinking as bad as they do now, Steinbrenner will have to do something, by, say, the All Star Break, just to save face. Then, as Mils pointed out, Stein may well give Torre enough rope to hang himself, until, say, the Yankees are officially eliminated from the Wild Card, in September, and can him then.
I think a lot will depend on how badly the Yankees play over the summer, and, what effect, if any, Clemens has on the team's play. Also, if the Yankees are so bad, that Torre begins getting booed every day at the Stadium when the Yankees are home, or the newspapers begin bashing the Yankees every day, and calling for his departure, we might see a surprise firing, due to the team bowing to negative media coverage.

Mitch

 

[Mitchell]

Well, the season is exactly one third over, and the Yankees are 24-30. At that pace, they will lose 90 games, finishing 72-90. If that happens, they will be far out of the wild card, and the likelihood would be, that Torre will be gone.
Roger Clemens is supposed to make his season debut for the Yankees on Saturday. It will be interesting to see how much he helps the club.

Mitch