TORRE ELECTED TO THE HALL & I HAVE A STORY FOR YOU

So today was an interesting day in Baseball. 3 managers, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa were voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame... Unanimously.  But there is one guy in that group that I've been rooting for for a long, long time and it's because of my grandfather that I did it. More on that in a second.

As Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk writes of Mr. Torre: "Joe Torre was also unanimously elected. His Hall of Fame resume comes from both his playing and his managing exploits. The National League MVP in 1971, Torre was one of the more underrated players from the sixties and seventies. Of course he wouldn’t be entering Cooperstown if it weren’t for his years as a manager, in which he won four World Series titles and six pennants — all with the Yankees — in 29 seasons. Overall he was 2,326-1,997 record managing the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees and Dodgers."

Now, I remember when Joe Torre became the manager of the New York Yankees.  He was crucified by the press, the fans, whomever. He was "Clueless Joe." The bottom line was the Yankees needed a shake up. Buck Showalter's time was up, we didn't make it to the World Series in 1995 and George Steinbrenner hired Joe.  I remember calling my Grandmother to tell her the news.  Why? Well, years before I was talking with her about baseball and players and Joe Torre's name came up.

You see, I'm a baseball card collector and I usually picked up Yankees and Mets cards showing my allegiance to New York.  I pulled a Torre as a Met manager that day I was in my grandmother's kitchen. I brought my cards everywhere and whenever I stayed with my grandmother, my binder went with me.  My grandmother looked at it and said, "Your grandfather was a big Torre fan."

I never forgot that and I made it a point, even though my grandfather was years deceased, to pick up most of Torre's cards, his playing days, even to this day as a manager.

But the day it was announced that Torre was hired, I called my grandmother.  The phone rang, and a now much older woman answered the phone.  I remember I had to repeat my name that day because she had a hard time hearing who it was.  I proceeded to tell her about the news, Joe Torre was the new Yankee manager.  I was excited.  I think I was more excited about the connection with my grandfather being a fan or something.  But I remember she paused and said, "Your grandfather would have liked that."  At the moment of newspapers calling Mr. Torre "Clueless Joe", I pledged to root for Joe Torre... because my late grandfather loved him. Hey sometimes that's all it takes.

Who would have thought Joe would have been so successful and proved the doubters wrong. Well, Joe obviously did, because when the papers printed "Torre has no idea what he's getting into", the reality was, he did.  He was confident he would succeed. That was his goal. Believe, and anything you do can be accomplished.  Torre was a successful ballplayer and a great manager as well and I am thrilled for him, for my late grandfather and even my now late grandmother for his success.  You see, with baseball, it's about connections and moments for me.  With almost every pitch or player, there's something that connects to my life and I carry it with me all the time.  I can remember alot in my life and somehow there's always a baseball connection.  Joe Torre is one of those connections.

I could not be happier for this man. I'm thrilled and I'm not the only one.  Right now my grandfather, a tall man with a gentle demeanor about him is standing and applauding and he's smiling saying under his breath...  "You did it Joe... you did it."

Congrats sir, you've made many, many Yankee fans proud.

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