Joe Torre

Joe Torre is the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Prior to becoming a manager, Torre was a Major League catcher, first baseman, and third baseman.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/torrejo01.shtml

On January 25, 2009, news agencies reported that Joe Torre made some surprising revelations in his book The Yankee Years. In the book, Torre, who managed the New York Yankees from 1996 to 2007, revealed that third baseman Alex Rodriguez was obsessed over his rivalry with Derek Jeter and that teammates often referred to Rodriguez as "A-Fraud". Torre also documents the broken down contract negotiations with the Yankees in his final year with the club and how he felt that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman "betrayed him on several fronts". http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3859198

On September 17, 2010, Torre announced that he would step down from as manager of the Dodgers at the end of the 2010 MLB season. Don Mattingly, the team's hitting coach, will become the Dodgers' new manager after the season concludes. In a press statement, Torre said "This was not a decision I took lightly, but I believe it's the right one for myself and my family...It's time the Dodgers had a new voice." The Dodgers are not expected to make the 2010 MLB Playoffs.http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=5584396

The Brooklyn-born Torre made his Major League debut in 1960 with the Milwaukee Braves, and stayed with the team until 1968. As a teammate of slugger Hank Aaron, Torre was one of the strongest hitters on the team. In 1961, he came in second in Rookie of the Year balloting, and was a five-time All-Star with the team. In 1969, Torre moved to the St. Louis Cardinals, and in his first three years, drove in over 100 RBIs each season, winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1971.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/torrejo01.shtml

In 1977, Torre played for the New York Mets, and after manager Joe Frazier was fired, Torre assumed the role, playing eighteen days as a player-manager before deciding he could only manage. Torre retired from playing, and between 1997 and 1995, managed three teams: the Mets, and two other teams he had played on, the Atlanta Braves, and the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1996, after the post-season firing of Yankees manager Buck Showalter, Torre was hired by George Steinbrenner as the new manager.

While his previous record showed that he lost more games than he won, Torre proved himself to be one of the best manager in baseball history with the Bombers. In his first year with the team, he led them to their first World Championship since 1978, and between 1998 and 2000, led them to three consecutive World Series wins. Torre brought the Yankees to the Series again in 2001 and 2003, but the team was defeated both times. In 2007, after a Division Series loss to the Cleveland Indians, Torre was offered a one-year deal with the team, but rejected the offer and became the manager of the Dodgers instead, bringing most of his coaching staff with him.http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/sports/baseball/19yankees.html?_r=1&ref=joe_torre