Joe Torre has written a book with SI's Tom Verducci in which he reportedly slams Brian Cashman and Alex Rodriguez. This will be huge news in NYC as details of the book leak out and then once the book finally comes out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3859198
Full Version: Torre's Tell-All
Sounds like a trashy Jackie Collins novel to me which will be bought up in droves I presume. Stuff like this should be kept in house. AROD obsessed with Derek Jeter? Whats that alll about? Teammates who call him AFraud sound like haters.
Sounds like a story that will get lots of play in NYC but won't go that far, if what is reported in that article is accurate:
QUOTE
One source familiar with the book told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that it's "inaccurate'' to suggest that Torre used it as a forum to get even with the Yankees or settle old scores.
The source said some of the controversial angles being reported in the New York tabloids have been taken out of context or "overblown.''
"Joe is very honest in the book,'' the source said, "but he doesn't make any personal attacks. In terms of him name-calling, that's not his style.''
The book is not a first-person tell-all, but rather, a third-person narrative by Verducci, who interviewed dozens of players and team personnel while researching for the book, the source said.
The source said some of the controversial angles being reported in the New York tabloids have been taken out of context or "overblown.''
"Joe is very honest in the book,'' the source said, "but he doesn't make any personal attacks. In terms of him name-calling, that's not his style.''
The book is not a first-person tell-all, but rather, a third-person narrative by Verducci, who interviewed dozens of players and team personnel while researching for the book, the source said.
Teammates who call him AFraud sound like mouthbreathing sports-talk radio callers.
QUOTE(mdterp01 @ Jan 25 2009, 11:41 PM) 
Sounds like a trashy Jackie Collins novel to me which will be bought up in droves I presume. Stuff like this should be kept in house. AROD obsessed with Derek Jeter? Whats that alll about? Teammates who call him AFraud sound like haters.
They're around him all the time, so I think they'd know about him better than the rest of us. The man is an egomaniac and narcissist, that's clear from longterm casual observation of his career. I'm still a fan, but just as was the case with Sammy Sosa's Chicago Cubs teammates, they knew far more than anyone outside the clubhouse how much of a self-obsessed crybaby he was. In A-Rod's case, since there's been no hard evidence of 'roids, he'll waltz right into the Hall of Fame. He won't be the one to get the Yankees to the Series again, though. That'll happen on the bats and arms of everyone else, while he posts his usual gaudy stats. Pretty ain't as pretty doesn't.
What's the big deal about what he wrote?
He told it as he should. A Rod is a fraud. His teammates do not like him. He's a prima dona!
The Steinbrenner organization are not sacrosanct, much to the chagrin of themselves and the NY media.
Will this get play outside New York? Of course, it will. There are no other organizations in MLB that compare to them. It will be a good read. And this comes from a fan of the team from Queens!
He told it as he should. A Rod is a fraud. His teammates do not like him. He's a prima dona!
The Steinbrenner organization are not sacrosanct, much to the chagrin of themselves and the NY media.
Will this get play outside New York? Of course, it will. There are no other organizations in MLB that compare to them. It will be a good read. And this comes from a fan of the team from Queens!
If he did in fact sell out some of his players then it is kind of a bi deal. Torre is still a manager. What player is going to want to play for him or be able to trust him if they have to worry about Torre writing about them in his next book? This stuff could damage his reputation with other players.
However, in fairness to him, it doesn't sound like Torre calls ARod AFraud...he is merely saying that other players called him that. And I do wonder if he says anything about his stable of steroid users...Clemens, Giambi and especially St. Andy of Assissi who seems to have skated.
However, in fairness to him, it doesn't sound like Torre calls ARod AFraud...he is merely saying that other players called him that. And I do wonder if he says anything about his stable of steroid users...Clemens, Giambi and especially St. Andy of Assissi who seems to have skated.
Sports Illustrated Interview with Verducci
Verducci's answer to the last question may answer your question George Twins fan!
Verducci's answer to the last question may answer your question George Twins fan!
QUOTE
SI.com: Do you think this will be a distraction for Joe Torre?
Verducci: No, it won't be a distraction. It's not a tell-all book; it's a very insightful book into baseball. It's a much larger book about the Yankees, not only how the game changed around them, but the growth of information analysis, revenue sharing, growth of intellect in front-offices, changes in Red Sox ownership, the Steroid Era, etc.
Verducci: No, it won't be a distraction. It's not a tell-all book; it's a very insightful book into baseball. It's a much larger book about the Yankees, not only how the game changed around them, but the growth of information analysis, revenue sharing, growth of intellect in front-offices, changes in Red Sox ownership, the Steroid Era, etc.
Thought I needed to share this from the Bronx Banter blog:
http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/01/28/...-balls-of-fire/
QUOTE
One of my favorite moments in the Verducci/Torre book is about Roger Clemens as he prepared to face the Mets in Game 2 of the 2000 World Serious. Verducci writes that Clemens’ usual pregame preparation included taking a whirlpool bath at the hottest temperature possible. “He’d come out looking like a lobster,” Yankee trainer Steve Donahue told Verducci. Donahue would then rub hot liniment all over Clemens’ body. “Then Donahue would rub the hottest possible liniment on his testicles,” Verducci writes.
“He’d start snorting like a bull,” the trainer said. “That’s when he was ready to pitch.”
“He’d start snorting like a bull,” the trainer said. “That’s when he was ready to pitch.”
http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/01/28/...-balls-of-fire/
There's a long Bob Costas interview with Torre on MLB Network, much of which wasn't that interesting. Torre did get asked about the Clemens bat-throwing incident with Piazza, and admitted it was "entirely possible" that it was related to steroid use. He says this in sort of a "wow, in hindsight, that might be it although it never occurred to me at the time" kind of way, which I'm not buying.
Totally unrelated: why would a straight man need/encourage a male trainer to rub anything on his testicles? Could he not reach them himself?
Totally unrelated: why would a straight man need/encourage a male trainer to rub anything on his testicles? Could he not reach them himself?
I know there's a blog about this here on OS, but I thought I'd link the LA Times reference to Torre's "hopes gay ballplayers would feel free to go public" comment during his Larry King interview on this thread. What is also interesting is that the Times mentions and posts the link of the OS blog. Plus what the general readers of the Times post about the topic is also pleasantly enlightening. Enjoy.
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