Congratulations to Joe Torre for moving into the fifth spot all-time for Wins as a Major League Baseball manager.  I have always liked Joe Torre and with his gold glove abilities at catcher, third base, and first base, his tremendous hitting skills and MVP award he should be in the MLB Baseball Hall of Fame (in Cooperstown) as a player.  He will easily get in as one of the greatest managers in the history of the game.  He has had a long career managing and in 1996 he brought the Yankees from out of the toilet to win their first World Series title since the 1970's! 

The HISTORY OF THE TORRE CURSE:  Joe Torre's reward for taking the overpaid rosters (that Brian Cashman gave him) to the playoffs every year was to be black-balled by ownership for not winning the World Series every year (an impossible feat - especially given the circumstances)!  This began in the early 2000's and reached its zenith in 2004 when Torre was almost fired and it was made clear that he had no control in player acquisitions, or even his own coaches (who would start to be pressured/or fired in 2004).  Thus began the Torre Curse and the Yankees have yet to be able to handle the Red Sox, or win a World Series title.  How many games have the Yankees won against the Sox in 2009?  0.  How many World Series have been won since the turn of the century 9 years ago:  the Mets have 0; the Yankees have 0; the Red Sox have 2.  The Steinbrenners were threatening Torre's coaches and pressuring him to play who they said and win or else in 2004 which culminated in the departure of Don Zimmer before the 2004 season and Mel Stottlemeyer in 2004!  Once the tandem of core coaches that had been the heart of the Yankees (along with players Jeter, Williams, Posada, and O'neil) for the championships had been ripped out it was forever over.   "In 2004, Torre suffered his greatest setback, marking the end of Yankee dominance. After building a 3-0 lead [in the 2004] ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, his team would go on to suffer the greatest collapse in baseball history and lose the next four games and the ALCS while the Red Sox would go on to win the World Series" (Wikipedia).   And as a Mets fan I love to point out that the Yankees have not won a damn thing more than the Mets in this century!  Go Mets!  Go Red Sox!  Long Live the Torre Curse!  Torre should have died as one of the Yankees top 3 greatest managers and still a Yankee.  He now wears the Yankees bitter rival's threads (of old) the Dodger blue.  The Dodgers made the playoffs in 2008, Torre's 1st year there.  The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008, the 1st year without Torre.  In 2009 the Yankees have yet to win one game against the Red Sox (the team that made the game's greatest closer Rivera a mortal in 2004).  It just goes to show you you can buy C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixera...but the Red Sox still own you (since 2004)!  Long Live the Torre Curse!!  Thank You Joe Torre and Congratulations on being 5th in all time wins as a manager!

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