Sport for Thought: Joe Torre's Managerial Greatness

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, The New York Yankees retired yet another number into their prestigious monument park in center field. What made this different from all of the other retired numbers, #6 belonged to the beloved long-time Yankee coach, Joe Torre. He is now placed in the same category as some of the greatest baseball players to ever put on a baseball uniform, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio (as well as 14 others).

Having won four World Series Championships in six appearances, and making the playoffs an unfathomable 12 consecutive years. These stats alone must place Torre in the conversation as one of the greatest managers of all time. With a .605 winning percentage (76-47 record in the postseason) and managing the 1998 team that went on to win 125 games, more wins in a single season than any other team in baseball history. Not only was he a winner, Torre was able to succeed under the greatest amount of pressure any manager could face under the bright lights of New York City. That makes his success even more spectacular.

After being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in July, Torre made it clear that he had been able to reach his level of success due to the New York Yankees franchise. He was given talented players, and as he says in the video above, a managers job is getting the most out of a players ability and having them perform to their highest capability. Although he was given plenty of talent during his Yankee managerial career (greatest closer of all-time and sure ballot HOF'er Mariano Rivera, and Captain Derek Jeter, who will soon follow in Torre's footsteps getting his #2 retired by the NYY after his retirement this season), Torre did just that, get the most out of his players.

No matter the situation, whether it was the regular or post season, Torre seemed to always make the right decision (bringing in Mariano Rivera to pitch 3 innings in a crucial game, calling on a pinch hitter to hit a key home run) that ultimately propelled the Yankees from the mid 1990's-2007. That is what makes him such a great manager, and why Yankees fans love and respect him so much.


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Alexa Fontanella is a freshman Sport Management Major at Drexel University, from Totowa, NJ. This winter she will be working with Drexel Athletics on marketing strategies and game day operations for the Drexel Dragons basketball team. Alexa is looking forward to participating in her first co-op next fall and is excited for such an amazing opportunity. She is a huge New York Sports fan, specifically the Yankees and the Nets. 

Follow Alexa on Twitter @Lexa_Font4 and connect with her on LinkedIn.