Firing Torre is a mistake

Think of the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard.

No, I’m not talking about the Pirates hiring… Think of the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard.

No, I’m not talking about the Pirates hiring Jim Tracy. Wrong again — I’m not talking about my Major League Baseball playoff predictions.

Give up? How about the Yankees firing Joe Torre? Sound dumb? I think so, too. But as of Sunday morning, according to the New York Daily News, the New York Yankees’ owner George Steinbrenner was seriously considering it — in fact, the decision may already be definite.

The report explained that Torre had three choices — resign before being fired, get fired or wait for the Yankees’ front office to convince Steinbrenner to change his mind.

Reportedly, the front office and Steinbrenner met Sunday morning to discuss the situation, and sources close to the Yankees said it will take some serious persuasion for the owner to keep Torre.

General manager Brian Cashman, the man responsible for the Yankees’ opening-day payroll of $194 million, said the reports were unfounded.

“That’s not something I’m even thinking about,” Cashman told MLB.com.

Firing Torre would possibly be the worst thing the Yankees could do this offseason. Torre managed New York to four World Series championships in 11 years.

Furthermore, the 65-year-old former catcher, who should make the Hall of Fame as both a player and manager, possesses a .607 winning percentage in New York. He’s managed New York to the American League East title 10 times and taken the Bronx Bombers to the playoffs in each of his seasons in Yankee blue.

So what’s the problem? Why would Steinbrenner even carry such a conversation?

The Yankees haven’t won a championship since 2000, and that’s just not good enough for an organization whose payroll averaged $163 million in those six years. But how much of that is Torre’s fault?

Since the 2004 season, New York’s pitching staff held a 4.54 ERA, while the average age peaked at 34 in 2005.

Now these numbers aren’t terrible when the Yankees’ lineup produced some of the gaudiest numbers in Major League Baseball over those three regular seasons. But consider this — the Yankees are 3-10 in the playoffs since game four of the American League Championship Series, the first of four straight losses to the Boston Red Sox in what many consider the biggest playoff collapse in baseball history.

The reason for the 10 losses hasn’t been entirely the pitching — it’s been a combination of mediocre playoff pitching and the absence of timely, effective hitting. The Yankees’ lineup left an average of 8.5 runners on base while scoring just 3.2 runs in those 10 playoff losses.

The argument could be made that Torre hasn’t been getting enough out of his players, but really, folks, this is Major League Baseball, this isn’t little league. The manager makes key pitching changes, orders base-running moves and lists the lineup — in other words, he can’t have that much influence on how Alex Rodriguez hits with runners on in critical situations.

Rodriguez, a player widely considered one of the best players in baseball history, struck out four times in 16 at-bats this year in the Yankees’ American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers. Since the 2004 ALCS, Rodriguez has torn the cover off the ball, hitting .154 (that’s 11 for 60) with two home runs, five RBIs and 15 strikeouts.

Yes, you read that correctly — the two-time American League MVP struck out more in the Yankees’ last three playoff series than he hit safely.

But surely we can’t blame the recent struggles of the Yankees solely on Rodriguez — there are eight other hitters in that New York lineup. Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield combined for a whopping 21 for 105 since Game Four of the ALCS.

Teams can’t win in the playoffs when three players, who make $45.436 million combined, strike out 32 times and only drive in eight runs in their last 13 playoff games. And when you don’t score runs and don’t have a pitching staff capable of shutting out every team in the playoffs, you’re in trouble.

Now Steinbrenner sounds mad — real mad. And when Steinbrenner is mad, heads roll.

“I am deeply disappointed at our being eliminated so early in the playoffs,” the owner told reporters. “This result is absolutely not acceptable to me nor to our great and loyal Yankee fans. Rest assured, we will go back to work immediately and try to right this sad failure.”

ESPN baseball expert Buster Olney doesn’t believe anyone can talk Steinbrenner out of firing Torre.

If only George could see the real reasons his team hasn’t won the World Series in six seasons. Dismissing Torre for the Yankees’ postseason misfortunes would be like firing a professor for a student’s failing grade.

And it would be the biggest mistake in Yankees’ history. Well, maybe second to trading for Alex Rodriguez.

Jeff Greer can’t believe Joe Torre might be fired. E-mail him at jag59@pitt.edu and take your position on this important issue.