Joe Torre and the Yankees Should Part Ways

Joe Torre has been the most successful manager in Major League Baseball during my lifetime. Torre has led the New York Yankees to the playoffs every year since he became the manager of the ball club before the start of the 1996 season. Torre has taken the Yankees to the World Series on six different occasions, winning four of them. Joe Torre is a big reason why the New York Yankees are arguably the most successful franchise in all of sports today.

And now it's time for Torre to go.

George Steinbrenner was quoted as saying that, if the Yankees could not come back to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series, Joe Torre's contract would not be renewed. The Indians didn't just eliminate the Yankees from the 2007 playoffs. The Tribe danced on New York's lawn.

The 2007 ALDS isn't the only reason why Torre should be out of New York. The entire 2007 season cemented Torre's fate. I don't care how good the other teams in the American League were in 2007. There is no reason that a team with Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Chien-Ming Wang, Roger Clemens, Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera should just slide into the playoffs via the AL Wild Card.

Fans can blame mediocre pitching for the reason the Yankees faltered all they want. Pitching isn't the only reason that the Yankees couldn't get past the Indians in the ALDS. If the Yankees would have played at their peak throughout the 2007 regular season they very easily could have taken the AL East. That would have meant more home games for the Yankees. While the Indians eliminated the Yankees in New York there is no question that the Yankees play better at home than away from The Stadium. There is no good reason that this Yankees team shouldn't have had home field advantage during at least the first playoff series in 2007.

The biggest reason why Torre should be gone from the Yankees, however, is how he handled his team after game two of the ALDS. When Steinbrenner gave his ultimatum it was almost as if Torre snapped. Face the facts, Yankee fans. Joe Torre threw in the towel and it began during game three of the ALDS.

With game three well in hand Torre brought in Joba Chamberlain to hold the lead for the Yankees. Chamberlain shut down the Tribe in his first inning of work. Instead of sitting Chamberlain after one inning Torre sent his reliever out for a second inning of work. Chamberlain gave up a run and struggled, all the while tiring out his arm. By doing this Torre almost guaranteed that Chamberlain would either be less than 100 percent for game four or not available at all.

The biggest sign that Torre was ready to leave the Yankees was his decision to start Wang in game four. Torre had Mike Mussina, noted Indian killer, ready to go and instead went with Wang on three days rest. It was Wang who got shelled by the Indians in game one of the ALDS. Starting Mussina over Wang in game four should have been a no-brainer. Joe Torre certainly isn't stupid nor is he a bad manager. I have very little doubt that Joe Torre was just fed up. He was fed up with Steinbrenner and ultimatums. He was fed up with the New York media.

Torre is ready to move on. Steinbrenner is ready to start anew. Torre leaving the Yankees and New York is the best thing for everybody involved.