Torre Offers Manny Protection

[G-Fafif]

Dodgers manager Joe Torre says he sent Manny Ramirez home to Los Angeles to get treatment on his strained right calf, avoiding the "circus" when the team heads to New York to face the Mets. Torre says it didn't make sense to keep the outfielder around for the rest of the Dodgers' road trip, especially New York "where it would be a little bit of a circus."

Do you ever get the feeling Torre would be happier managing a baseball team in a closet? If Manny's on the DL, send him home, sure, whatever. But circus? What circus? For 20 minutes there'd be some reporters looking to get some quotes from Manny on whatever and then they'd move on to hotter topics. Reminds me of Torre seeming genuinely put out that the MFYs, as (sadly) one of your better teams, drew attention when he managed them.

Perhaps Joe has forgotten what it's like to helm a team nobody much cares about with players few have heard of and not be considered a genius father figure in the process.

[ashie62]

Circus? Is Torre out of his mind? You play on the left coast Joe and no one cares.

[Guest Edgy DC]

How about "Manny wanted to go home and I made up an excuse for him."

I must say that I don't mind facing the Dodgers with one less hitter.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Torre never seemed to mind the "circus" atmosphere in NY when he was managing those clowns in the Bronx.

[Frayed Knot]

Rockin' Doc wrote: Torre never seemed to mind the "circus" atmosphere in NY when he was managing those clowns in the Bronx.

Actually he kind of did. Whenever the Yanx would play in the reg season subway series, or against the BoSox, or against any team actually fighting for a playoff spot, Torre and the team openly resented the extra media attention that would come their way. They preferred their regular season to be calm and hassle-free, especially seeing as how it was just a bother on the way to October anyway. No one bothered them during June match-ups with the Royals or Mariners unless they were careless enough to lose 2 of 3.
And in the 2000 WS the team from the Bronx basically put up a media embargo and forced all the scribes to go over to the NYM locker room for their quotes.

[Valadius]

Not that Bobby V minded that, of course.

[bmfc1]

Good find. Perhaps it goes to Torre's ego--if Manny was around, reporters might ask him questions, his being from The Bronx, but now, he can have the reporters all to himself.

[Guest Kong76]

"Torre being Torre!"

[Frayed Knot]

Burkhardt told a story earlier about Torre being one of the members of Selig's new committee designed to suggest improvements to the game, focusing as much on time and game pacing as anything.
Anyway, Torre says now that he's part of this process he's now noticing things like batters stepping out and mound conferences that interrupt the flow of the game and I'm thinking; 'Hey Joe, these things somehow eluded your notice while you were managing those 3-1/2 hour games every night for ten years?'