I live in Baltimore & I am a baseball fan. But, after 10 straight losing seasons, I cannot say that I am an Orioles fan. However, I hate the New York Yankees. More correctly, I hate their fans. Jeter, A-Rod, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera & the rest - I like the players. I have attended several games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when the Yankees are in town. I find their fans to be the most vile, contemptable, rude, and inconsiderate fans in the world. I could be wrong having no experience with English Premier League Football, but its a close second. I refuse free tickets to games if the Yankees are in town. The last time I attended a Yankees game, a fan had on a black t-shirt with orange letters that said "Baltimore Blows." It took until the 5th inning, but the jerk finally did enough else to get removed from the park by security. There's no place in our National Pastime for that sort of action. Their fans' acts are weak. I wish they could just leave their money at the county line & go back to New York.
What happened today to Joe Torre is a travesty. How can arguably the most widely known and supported professional sports organization in the world insult the manager who led them to 12 straight post-season appearances & 4 world titles with an offer in excess of $2.5M lower than he made this year? A one year deal ladened with incentives? What the hell does 12 years & 4 world titles earn you? In my mind, it earns you the gig for as long as you want it. In the case of Torre, a man of impeccable character & unapproachable skill as a manager, it earns you the back door. A man of Torre's integrity & character would know when it is his fault they didn't win & step down. Instead, he knows, like the rest of us, that his lack of winning it all is due to the front office, not his skill as a manager.
I say Torre was shown the back door because Steinbrenner clearly does not have the guts to fire the man. He chose to make such a low ball offer that Torre could not accept it. Steinbrenner can then go to the fan base & look like a hero & try to make Torre look like the one who didn't want to be in New York. Its disgraceful & insulting to anyone with integrity.
Torre clearly wanted to be in New York. His press conference showed that pain & the anguish of leaving a team that he loves. Steinbrenner is a pig & should be spurned, spit on & insulted by every person who calls himself a Yankees fan. Any self-respecting New Yorker should see that Steinbrenner stands for all that is wrong with the city & America in general. He stands for greed, ignorance, blaming the other person instead of yourself, failing to work as hard as you can to win.
Torre stands for honesty, integrity, hardwork, self-sacrifice & not placing the blame at other's feet. I hope Torre manages again & I hope its in the American League East where he can beat whoever is tapped to replace him. I hope its with the Orioles. Oh, wait, no I don't. He won't get the support from their front office either. I also hope that when Cooperstown calls, he does not enter that shrine in a Yankees uniform.
