Tonight the Dodgers will host the Yankees at Dodger Stadium. It has been 3 years since Torre left the house that Ruth built. For him, it’s like seeing your children after a long absence and for some of the players, it’s like seeing your father.
Joe Torre was more than just a manager for the Yankees. He shaped the team into what it is today. He shaped the team AND the players. He guided them. Mentored them. And for some he was a father figure giving them so much more than just coaching
For some of the players and many of the fans, Torre is still a Yankee. It doesn’t matter to them the uniform he wears. In his heart, in their hearts, he is a Yankee. To some of the players, he holds a place so special that they will feel only good things towards him for the rest of their lives. To some, underneath his Dodger blues he has on Yankee stripes.
Torre said in an interview I heard on ESPN radio that it will be very difficult for him to view some of the Yankees players as competition. For Jorge Posada, he said that Torre was like a father to him and that he would always be grateful for the way he treated him. Torre was much more than just a coach.
This series is sure to be filled with emotional moments. There are so many memories shared by Torre and these Yankees. There are so many relationships that surpass the game that are shared. To the players he shaped, guided, mentored, was a father figure to Torre will be forever a Yankee and always so much more than just a coach.
© photo credit: Keith Allison
