It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City
I certainly wouldn’t know first-hand, but being a secular saint must be hard. If you look across the landscape of American popular culture, you probably don’t need more than two hands to count the number of famous people who have completely unsullied images. I’m not sure if that’s because it takes a certain kind of person to become extremely famous, or if being extremely famous means your image, deservedly or not, will take a beating.
Which makes this situation with Joe Torre and his new book hard to figure out. Calling him a saint might be a bit of a stretch, but try to think up some other celebrities or sports figures who served 12-years in the Gotham spotlight and emerged with their aura more or less intact. He did a Hall of Fame-caliber job with the top sports franchise in the world serving the most difficult owner and dealing with the most unforgiving media. And after all that, he got a job managing the SECOND-most renowned baseball franchise, in a city that—and it’s worth mentioning this in late January—is MUCH WARMER! Joe always seemed to come up smelling like a rose.
Now he’s torpedoed much of that by writing a completely unnecessary book (or participating in the writing of a book) that makes him appear vindictive, petty, and thin-skinned. No, I haven’t read “The Yankee Years,” but the people who follow New York sports for a living have spoken, and it ain’t pretty. From Wallace Matthews at Newsday:
"This is the kind of book you expect to get from an angry ex-ballplayer after his career is over. In fact, Jose Canseco already did it, twice. It's the kind of book A-Rod may well write some day, or Jason Giambi, or, for laughs, Carl Pavano.
But from Joe Torre? Now? It boggles the mind."
Yes, it does. It’s a little like reading that the Dalai Lama swears constantly and has horrible table manners. I’m not going to go into every particular of what it is that has people all riled up… the aforementioned sports columnists can run that down for you much better… but here are a few of the low points:
• it’s not easy these days to make Alex Rodriguez a sympathetic figure, but Torre has managed (no pun intended) to do it. Revealing to the world that people used to call him “A-Fraud” behind his back in no way does any damage to A-Rod. It just makes Torre look like a jerk.
• He managed the Yankees for 12-years. That’s a good run in baseball, or just about any profession these days. Not to mention that the entire second half of his tenure was, shall we say, championship-free. Bitterness is not in order here.
• Not that every conversation has to end with something about the lousy economy. But this is a guy claiming he was “betrayed” by a team that paid him more than any other manager, and who immediately took a new job paying him many more millions. On a day when 65-thousand more people got laid off, that doesn’t play well. We should all be so betrayed.
Years ago I was interviewing Sherwood Schwartz, the man behind “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch.” He told me he’d started out as a writer for Red Skelton. “Oh, that’s wonderful,” I said. “My grandma loved Red Skelton so much. When I was a little boy, we always watched together. He must have been great to work for.”
“No,” he sneered. “Horrible man. Terrible human being. I despised him.”
Thanks, Sherwood. One more saintly image shot down, I thought at the time. I’m kind of thinking the same thing today about Joe Torre.
Comments: 14
Jim, he was my neighbor, and I always liked him. He was always ready to sign autographs, and it was terrific going to his house on Halloween. He gave out candy to the kids, and they were in dreamland.
Doesn't everyone write a tell-all book? True or not, it's all crapola in the end.
What surprised me was that my daughter got hit in the head by a fly ball. I think the hitter was Alex Rodriguez. That's all I'm going to say about this incident.
Anyway, I hate to say this, but writing books means big bucks especially when "you got the dirt"...Lee
takeitfromonewhoknows
And thank you Jim...as i too am a huge Red Skelton fan...now i read your blog and i find out he's not a saint. You image killer! I'll never be able to look at Gertrude and Heathcliff again.
On the other hand the man behind the brady bunch? Some creations are unforgiveable!
Maybe we need to realize that Joe Torre..A-rod and all the rest are humans who live in a human world. Why should their behavior be any different. We make these people saints. None of us are.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Jim
We're all human and make mistakes - you made a mistake by not
reading, "The Yankee Years," before blogging about it.
As for Red Skelton's dark demeanor, I recall that his son was quite
ill and he died at a young age, perhaps that's the reason Mr.Skelton
didn't smile once the camera was turned off.
Mr. Watkins:
First off, I love the WB 11 news at 10. No matter how much Lolita annoys me with her sportscasts, and no matter how much of a gagfest both she and Sal can be with their promet garbage, its still the best newscast in New York.
Just because Torre wrote a book and exercised his constitutionally protected first ammendment right does not in any way undo what he did in New York.
He still won four world series. He still dealt with the most impossible situation in sports. He dealt with the most demanding media market with ease. He is still a big part of why the Yankees won four World Series and aappeared in 12 consecutive postseasons.
He moved onto Los Angeles, and the Dogers made it to the NLCS. In the first year of the post Torre era, the Yankeesd didn't make the playoffs.
Anybody who follows the Yankees or baseball in general should know what A-Rod is. He is a Fraud. he is the typical me first athlete. There is a reason he has not won a world series ring. There is a reason the New York Yankees will never win a World Series with A-Fraud on their team.
The Yankees have lost their way. They have become about their network and superstars. They are far from the team that won four world series with roll players, great pitching and solid defense.
Brian Cashman sold Joe Torre out. He betrayed his "friend". Cashman is another one who has ridden the coat tails of other people. It was Gene Michael and Bob Watson that built those teams of the 90's. Cashman wasy given the keys to a well esttablished Kingdom.
So Torre called A-Fraud exactly what he is. So he took a shot at Ca$hman for stabbing him in the back. That's life.
He's entitled to his opinion, and no matter how people try they can not undo what he did.
Whatever...
1st off yep you're right, Torre is human. However there is something called "ego". Not sure whats going on here but it smells like ego...and sure is heck not as sweet as an Eggo lol. But to say he's human etc...Human is you say A-rod is a fraud in convo. And then you feel like Shoot I shouldn't of said that..it's a "i put my foot in the mouth" moment. However writing a book, you sign contracts and you review it over and over..before it gets let out. Now for sure he is getting nice $ for this. But this is too faux pas even for Torre.
not sure who Torre's manager is..but his manager/agent is definitely not his image consultant.
As far as all the A-rod haters..well lets see yep he's an adulterer and is prob very very egotistical, however since it's all about him, he not talking about anyone else..therefore the only person he hurts is himself. But at the end of the day A-rod is a better consistent player than most on his team..oh and did you forget he's PAIDDDDDD.
Anywhose whatever...Torre and Arod have massive $ and we don't so who cares lol..
The end.
I was half asleep watching the news last night and saw Kaity in a red outfit. Very becoming Kaity! Red is the color of fire, anger and beauty. Keep up the colors. Now try some others, like a deep blue.
Lee *brightcolorslookgoodonyoutrysomepastels
saystoday'sfashioncritic
Sports people are highly overpaid. Maybe Joe is running out of money.
People do alot of strange things for the almighty dollar.
I also think he feels that the Yankee's gave him the shaft, especially in the later years, when things started to spiral downwards.
Not a big fan of Red Skelton. Didn't like his face. My sister was a big fan of the Brady Bunch, and didn't get upset when she found out that Mr. Brady was gay. What a shocker *oh yeah.
He was just too perfect.
I was terribly in love with Rock Hudson, and when he came out of the closet, that burst my bubble.
NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT aka Seinfeld.
Lee *hatessportsexceptthegrandkidskeepmeinformed
Iwouldlovetogettheiroverstuffedsalaries
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