The Rest of the Torre

The Yankees. YUCK!

They are the best villains in baseball. The games "evil empire."

They spend large amounts of money to acquire players who have talent. The best player in baseball sits in their dugout for $200 million but does jack shit in the post season. The star shortstop has banged more Hollywood starlets than the team has won championships, and the core of the team has remained loyal despite the fact their owner's a greedy self serving madman who I guess you can Darth Vader, expects perfection when the slogan is "you can't script October."

And in the midst of all these craziness, sits a man who makes it all work. He takes these players and leads them. It would be manager Joe Torre. A man who has led the Yankees to ten division championships and five trips to the World series, where they won four. And after all this greatness, after making a run to win the Wild Card this year when having one of the most disastrous starts in the beginning, Joe Torre was spit on by this organization.

On Thursday, the Yankees offered Torre a one year $5 million contract, a couple million less than what he made in 2007. It was also layered with an incentive of $1 million for each round the Yankees progressed. After that the contract would be negotiated again. Torre was insulted as well as he should be by this slap in the face of a man who brought so much to this franchise. Arguably one of the best managers in baseball history, and he gets incentives to win championships. The man brought three, what more do you want?

I am not a fan of the Yankees and yes the story gets more press than deserved, but I think it's high time to take a look at this team and evaluate it in the manner it should be. Your manager is not the problem Georgie boy (Steinbrenner). It's the players, well at least some of them. I will list them below in order.

ROGER CLEMENS-11.57 ERA in the playoffs. Are you kidding me? This douche bag gets $22 million a month and 11.57 ERA? Come on George. Why did you even resign this guy when he gave you jack shit last year? The man needs to retire. His ego needs to be put in check Retire for love of God Roger. There's no I in team and you are clearly not interested in that. The clause that he doesn't need to travel makes me sick, and for Steinbrenner and Cashman (Yankees GM) to allow that is repulsive.

ALEX RODRIGUEZ-So he improved his post season BA above .200 this year, but once again, here's a guy that makes an obscene amount of money and does not produce when it matters. There's no question he needs to be this year's MVP for the AL because I can't think of anyone else who made as much of an impact as him during the regular season. However, Rodriguez needs to make that statement during the post season to earn his money, and if Georgie is all about perfection, he needed to take that in account.

MIKE MUSSINA-Another pitcher who is over the hill and is declining every year. Especially during post season play. During the last three playoffs, he has an average ERA of 4.80. Unacceptable, if you want to win. Although he has improved this year, the Moose grows more tired every year and it shows. He used to throw over 200 pitches no problem, but Mussina age like others gets the best of him and maybe the Yankees can offer him the same bullshit contract as Torre.

BOBBY ABREU-Wow the home run champ goes 4-15 for last year's division series and this one as well. Good job Bobby! Actually he went 5-15 this year so maybe he can do 6-15 next year.

BRIAN CASHMAN-Here's the guy that keeps signing people like Clemens, Randy Johnson, Carl Pravano, and other broken down people who will never help you reach the next level. When will Georgie hold him accountable for anything?

I call these guys out not because they lack talent, but it goes to show you that managers can only do so much when the players fail to respond. You can't say Torre doesn't motivate a team. All those titles don't lie.

Joe Torre has always been a class act. The Yankees should have resigned him or fired him out right. The way it went down was not done in the right way. It was not right by Torre. A man who can be called one of the greatest Yankee managers in the history of the Bronx. Where he will go next, we don't know. One thing's for sure though, my opinion of the Yanks changed. I think they are bigger scumbags than before.

Good luck Joe Torre. You are now free from the clutches of the evil empire.

MICHAEL JAE