Goodbye Joe, Goodbye Yankees

I couldn’t stay away, I just couldn’t. Not with the story out of New York that Joe Torre will be fired by Monday afternoon, to be replaced by former Yankee player and manager Lou Piniella.

I’ve spent the past two years observing just how many tactical mistakes Joe Torre makes in each and every game. I’ve watched Torre mismanage his bench and his bullpen, defer to veterans that don’t deserve the time of day, and sit back in passivity when a firm hand was sometimes needed.

And despite all that, I don’t think Torre should be fired for losing to the Detroit Tigers. For once, I don’t think this four-game series was his fault. He did nothing wrong.

The worst part about replacing Torre with Piniella is not so much who the Yankees are losing but who they are getting in return. If Torre can’t manage a pitching staff, Piniella is worse. If Torre can’t manage a bullpen and a bench, Piniella is worse. And the one thing Torre does do well – handle the media and the never-ending scrutiny that comes with being a New York Yankee – is the one thing Piniella does worse than anyone in baseball. Piniella, an infamous hot-head, loves being the story. He loves being front-and-center. He loves making sure everyone knows exactly what he’s thinking at all times and he loves stirring the pot. These traits are not what the Yankees need. Worse, as Buster Olney says, hiring Piniella would signal that this team is now ARod’s and not Jeter’s, Jorge’s, and Mo’s.

I find it amazing that the Yankees would react to their bad performance by hiring just the type of person that would cause more controversies. As if the daily trials and tribulations of being a Yankee aren’t bad enough, now players would be answering for the antics and tantrums of a world-renowned self-saboteur who values self over team.

This stinks. If Piniella is hired, I will never set foot in Yankee Stadium again for the rest of my life. And those who know me know I’m not kidding around. I took the 2004 and 2005 seasons off in protest of the Vazquez, Lofton, and Pavano signings. I know that such an anonymous act changes nothing. But there are principles to think about, something that Lou Piniella knows nothing about.