The New York Yankees under Joe Torre were always regarded as the class of baseball. The roster was always stocked with talent, but it was the competitive pride and professionalism that made the pinstripes the envy of the league. They played above the gossip and off-field media drama; a reflection of the clear-headed wisdom and nobility projected by their manager.
But now a year removed from his Yankees post, manager Joe Torre is releasing a new book called "The Yankee Years" that puts a literal and literary end to that era. Co-authored by Sports Illustrated writer Tom Verducci, the book essentially refreshes the spin cycle of airing out dirty Yankee clubhouse laundry that began with the 2006 Sports Illustrated article about, in sum, why everyone hates Alex Rodriguez.
Mr. Rodriguez is once again a target -- Torre reveals that his teammates frequently referred to him as "A-Fraud" -- and he is joined by Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman at the top of the hit list. Cashman is called out for not supporting his manager during the contentious and decisively non-classy contract negotiation that eventually led to Torre's departure from New York.
Of course, after another season of middling failure, there's a sense that the media and fans have gotten tired of kicking A-Rod around. They prefer to Let Madonna handle that. Plus, with the near half-a-billion dollars spent on free agents this offseason, there are new high-salaried targets to beat down with outsized expectations. And since most of the bad vibes from the Torre contract were already public, the biggest and most shocking news coming from this book is simply that Torre is willing to go there while he's still actively managing.
The full fallout remains to be seen -- over time the book could have a lasting effect on the memories and reputation of ARod, Cashman, and Torre himself -- but what's as clear as the skin of Derek Jeter's many girlfriends is that it was probably for the best that Mr. Torre and the Yankees parted ways when they did.
