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Owner says manager likely to be fired if Yankees lose series
By Sheldon Ocker Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Oct 08, 2007
NEW YORK: George Steinbrenner's dire warning to Joe Torre win this series or else inspired Indians manager Eric Wedge to issue a strong statement of support for the New York Yankees' manager Sunday.
''Joe Torre, to me, is one of the greatest managers of all time,'' Wedge said in response to a question about a story that appeared in Sunday's Bergen (N.J.) Record.
In a telephone interview with the principal owner of the Yankees, Steinbrenner said that Torre is among the tenuously employed.
''His job is on the line,'' Steinbrenner said. ''I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball. So I don't think we'd bring him back if we don't win this series.''
The question to Wedge alluded to whether he could work (or would want to try) under the kind of constant pressure Steinbrenner exerts on Torre. This is not the first time ''The Boss'' has threatened to fire him.
Wedge didn't answer the question directly but said, ''I think (Torre) is a fantastic human being, and I've got nothing but respect for him.
''You know, when you talk about the game of baseball right now, I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we've got some tremendous, historic major-league managers that are still in this game. And Joe Torre is right up there at the top of the list.
''So that's as far as I'll go with that, but I think you understand how I feel.''
Torre has managed in New York for 12 years and has guided his team to the postseason 12 times, winning the World Series four times. His current salary is $7 million.
Of course, Torre was asked about the Steinbrenner interview and whether he had talked to the owner recently.
''Last time I spoke with George was Wednesday, when we went over the roster,'' Torre said. ''Again, it's that time of year. You know we want to win. Everybody wants to win.
''I'm not saying you get used to it, but it's something you know you have to deal with. My concern is, obviously, winning a ballgame today and doing the best I can to get this ballclub in the right frame of mind. You know, I think we've done that.''
It was suggested to Torre that Steinbrenner's timing might make it more difficult for the team to rebound.
''I don't want to say that,'' Torre said. ''Is it comfortable at times? No, it's not. But that doesn't mean I can let it affect what I need to do. I can't let it influence what my job is.''
Surprise appearance
Actually, inserting Trot Nixon in the lineup against Roger Clemens was almost a no-brainer for Wedge.
''Trot has the most experience against Roger Clemens, the most in this ballpark and against this team,'' Wedge said. ''He also has good numbers against Clemens.''
What about the rust of not having played for a week?
''We were able to play him some last week and get him some at-bats,'' Wedge said.
Nixon's career statistics against Clemens: .371 (13-for-35) with four doubles, three home runs, seven walks and nine strikeouts.
Kenny Lofton actually has more at-bats against Clemens than Nixon. For his career, Lofton is batting .226 (14-for-62) with 10 walks and 19 strikeouts.
For future reference
Whenever Paul Byrd starts, Kelly Shoppach will be his catcher.
''Nobody is more important in a game than the starting pitcher,'' Wedge said. ''We want to put him in the best position we can to win a ballgame. And Kelly has been his catcher all year. I think that's an important part of it.''
Pirated away?
Pittsburgh media outlets have been reporting that third-base coach Joel Skinner is the favorite to become the next manager of the Pirates.
Neal Huntington, the former Tribe assistant general manager, and more recently advanced scout, was hired last week as the Pirates' general manager.
Skinner was the Indians' interim manager after Charlie Manuel fired himself during the All-Star break.
Getting the news
Wedge has long maintained that he doesn't read the sports pages, at least not stories about baseball. But what if a story during the postseason reveals something about the opposing team he should know?
''I have my watch dogs out there,'' he said. ''They'll let me know.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
NEW YORK: George Steinbrenner's dire warning to Joe Torre win this series or else inspired Indians manager Eric Wedge to issue a strong statement of support for the New York Yankees' manager Sunday.
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