Thursday, August 19, 2010

What About a Joe Torre Farewell Tour?

Bobby Cox, who's been managing the Atlanta Braves since the book of Leviticus was still in hard cover, is retiring at the end of this season. And it looks like his team will give him one last shot at postseason glory.

Meanwhile, Major League baseball teams have gone out of their way to honor Bobby as he passes through their cities one last time. The Dodger fans accorded him a standing ovation. The Houston Astros presented Cox with a cowboy hat that made him look a lot like Walter Brennan in "Stagecoach." As an appreciative gesture for being a worthy competitor all these years, the New York Mets offered to give him pitcher Oliver Perez, but Bobby wisely declined.

At the same time, Lou Piniella, currently at the helm for the Chicago Cubs, is also headed toward the AARP database this fall and he is getting accolades as well. He'll probably wind up back in some car dealership where, in a fit of rage, he will overturn a Smart Car.

It's "Goodbye Time" for these guys who have put together quite the managing careers.

And then there's Joe Torre...

The three year contract with the Dodgers is up. It appears at this writing that Joe's long playoff streak is over. The one-year renewal he was trying to negotiate last spring was put on hold as Joe probably worried that owner Frank McCourt was going to do away with annual salaries and put everybody on commissions as if they are selling mens' shoes at Nordstrom's.

Needless to say, nobody really knows what Joe is going to do, except that he will say so sometime in September.

Of course, that doesn't stop the baseball pundits who have got it all figured out. He's going to replace Lou in Chicago. He's going to get Cox' job in Atlanta. He's headed back to the Mets to stick it to Brian Cashman in the confines of his hometown. It's all conjecture and the only rumor we can really dismiss is the one where he replaces Kara DioGuardi on the American Idol judging panel.

Okay, let's think about this. One could argue that Joe is up there in age. But, as they tell us every day on "Oprah," 70 is the new 60. At the same time, he is a cancer survivor and I would imagine that ordeal is always on his mind. He might need another year of Matt Kemp like he needs another biopsy by his urologist.

For those goofballs who are of the mindset that Joe will apply for every managerial job short of the frozen food department at Gelson's, there is another factor that may deter Joe from simply moving to another city.

His teenage daughter.

I've heard from folks in the know that his kid had a really hard time relocating to the West Coast from Westchester, NY. But, she got involved in a great school situation here and now loves, loves, loves it in the Pacific Time Zone. Is this a consideration for Joe? I am guessing it's a major one. And, let's face it, some other club won't be looking to hire him for just one year. Another team would be at least a two-year commitment. There goes the junior and senior proms.

Now, Dodger fans are quite polarized when it comes to Joe Torre. Many have felt that he really isn't a Dodger and is simply like that efficiency expert the home office sends to jumpstart employee morale in Yakkapukka, Iowa. Some appreciate the class and demeanor he brought to the team after two years of management under Pa Kettle. Others are already in line to help Joe put his toiletries into a small plastic bag for the carry-on he will hopefully be flying with tomorrow.

Me? I've had issues with the way he handles a bullpen, but who's ever watched Joe Torre and didn't? There were times this season where I was convinced that Joe was even calling Ramon Troncoso to come over and clean out the gutters in his pool. Ultimately, you can argue with any manager anywhere. I still have appreciated what he has done here. And, honestly, do we really want Joe Torre to end his Hall-of-Fame managing career with Jonathan Broxton standing dejected on a mound in Philadelphia?

I thought Joe didn't really know what he was going to do until I heard his recent comments. He said he wouldn't announce his decision until the Dodgers were mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. At this rate, that might happen by Labor Day. And that sets up a very Ingmar Bergman-esque scenario for the last weeks of the season. When a manager gets a good look at some rookies that will never play for him again.

Still, I think somebody needs to step in and talk him into one more year in Chavez Ravine. There should be agreement that April 2011 should be the start of the Joe Torre Farewell Tour. Give him one more year in Dodger Blue and hope it's a good one. Let the guy take his final bows in baseball stadiums all over the nation. Let him get that standing ovation in San Francisco. Let him get that Indian headdress in Atlanta. And allow him to turn down Oliver Perez when the Mets offer him up again.

Joe Torre needs to leave the game with the same class and dignity he brought to it.

Even better, Bigelow Green Tea gets to stay in business one more year. Anybody who listens to Dodger games on the radio will know from what I speak.

Dinner last night: Short ribs at the poolside restaurant in downtown LA's Marriott Hotel.

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