Torre "MIGHT" be willing to return in 2005.... lol YA THINK??

With a DREAM team like that I guess I would "Consider" staying another year for another ring



By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer
February 17, 2004

NEW YORK (AP) -- Joe Torre might be willing to stay on with the New York Yankees beyond 2004.

Torre, who took over after the 1995 playoffs, is starting the final season of a three-year contract and has said he won't discuss an extension. He has been noncommittal about whether he wants to manage in 2005.

``I'm just going to take one year and see if it works, if I'm excited about it,'' he said at Tuesday's news conference to introduce Alex Rodriguez to the Yankees.

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``I'm excited about it now, and I was excited about it before we got A-Rod,'' Torre said. ``I was on the phone a couple of weeks ago with (pitching coach) Mel Stottlemyre. I was in Hawaii. My wife had constantly asked me about it, `Have you had enough vacation? You ready to go back?' And I kept saying no.

``And then, after I got off the phone with Mel, she said, `You're ready to go back. I can just tell by the excitement in your voice.'''

Torre, 63, has led the Yankees to four World Series titles and six American League pennants, accomplishments that likely will gain him election to the Hall of Fame.

``It's still fun for me,'' he said. ``I'll go through the year, and then if I still feel that way, we'll have to make a decision.''

He wasn't happy last year with the interference of owner George Steinbrenner, who sent pitcher Jose Contreras to the minor league complex in Tampa, Fla., rather than to Triple-A Columbus. At times, the pressure is enormous.

``We're not here to win one World Series, we're here to set the bar high and be able to live up to ourselves,'' Torre said.

Heading into spring training, Torre is spending more time thinking about the pitching staff, which includes new acquisitions Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez. While Mike Mussina is solid among the holdovers, Torre noted that Contreras struggled with health problems last year and Jon Lieber is coming back from elbow-ligament surgery that sidelined him all of last year.

``The reason we've been successful all these years -- and I know we haven't had the firepower that we have now -- is the fact that we've been able to pitch,'' he said.

``I think these question marks are things we're really going to focus on. Ithink the A-Rod thing will take care of itself.''

wouldn`t 99% of all teams just love to have those question marks....gee , will Brown, Mussina, Vasquez and the rest of the staff hold up...

I particulary was ammused at him saying ARod deserved to be on the NY stage...as if the guy isn`t already playing on the worlds stage as the best in the game...gimme a break!

arrogance personafied...

on a lighter and more refreshing note, I see Don Mattingly is back as hitting coach...

The Red Sox are still a better team on paper.

Please everyone, realize that.

Does that mean they beat the Yankees, probably not.

As a fan, I share the following sentiments as well..............

FORT MYERS, Fla. - For what it's worth, Red Sox players who reported to City of Palms Park yesterday were greeted by a Rodriguez.

Granted, the sight of minor league hitting instructor Victor Rodriguez was easy to overlook, but Sox pitchers insisted that the Yankees' stunning acquisition of Alex Rodriguez has made the public unjustly overlook the potential impact of the Sox' loaded pitching staff in the 2004 pennant race.

Anyone thinking that A-Rod has shifted the balance of power in the American League back to the Yankees is in for a surprise, according to Scott Williamson [stats, news].

``There's no panic here, by any means,'' the relief pitcher said. ``One guy is not going to win you a World Series, I'll tell you that. We have a championship-caliber ball club here and I don't see anyone who can hold a candle to us. I still think we have the best team in baseball.''

The depth of the Sox' pitching staff has provided them a palpable level of security, realizing that the Yankees, at least on paper, don't quite match up. As pitchers and catchers prepare to officially report to camp on Friday, Boston's starting rotation generally is regarded as the best in baseball, and A-Rod's trade to the Bronx changes nothing.

The November acquisition of Curt Schilling from the Arizona Diamondbacks finally gave ace Pedro Martinez [stats, news] his first real peer in the rotation in seven seasons in Boston. Derek Lowe [stats, news], who has averaged 19 wins in the past two seasons, is among the best No. 3 starters, while steady Tim Wakefield [stats, news] and converted reliever Byung-Hyun Kim [stats, news], both of whom hitters dread facing, round out the rotation.

The Yankees made up for the departures of Roger Clemens [stats, news], Andy Pettitte [stats, news] and David Wells [stats, news] by trading for Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez, giving them a rotation of Mike Mussina [stats, news], Brown, Vazquez, Jose Contreras and Jon Lieber.

Brown rebounded from a pair of injury-shortened seasons to finish 14-9 with a 2.39 ERA for the Dodgers last season, but the 39-year-old's health always is a concern. Contreras, who shunned the Sox in December 2002 after defecting from Cuba, was limited by injuries to 71 innings last year while Lieber missed all season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2002.

``Offense can carry you over the course of the year, but at the end it all comes down to pitching,'' Lowe said. ``History has shown that pitching will ultimately win it.

``I'm not saying we're far superior. Time will tell if Kevin Brown comes back and we all know what he can do (if healthy). Javier Vazquez is a great talent, but there's a difference between playing in Montreal and playing in New York. There's something to be said about that.''

Neither New York nor Boston is slated to have a left-handed starting pitcher, but Lowe said it won't be a problem for the Sox.

``In a perfect world you have a left-hander, but as far as having all right-handers, we have two power pitchers, a sinker guy, a sidearm guy and a knuckleballer,'' he said. ``I don't know how we're going to be slotted, but the variety and different looks will make us tough.''

A-Rod's acquisition has given the Yankees a daunting lineup, but Lowe issued a reminder that it was last season's Sox who shattered the major league records for slugging percentage (.491), total bases (2,822), extra-base hits (649) and doubles (371), while also leading the majors in batting average (.289), runs (961) and hits (1,667).

``What gets overlooked here is our offense,'' Lowe said. ``We had the best in baseball last year and we have almost everyone back. That's what people should be talking about.''

With Keith Foulke [stats, news] coming in to serve as closer, Williamson asked for an opportunity to earn a spot in the starting rotation but was rebuffed by general manager Theo Epstein, who preferred Kim and Bronson Arroyo [stats, news]. Williamson, however, doesn't harbor any resentment.

``We have a championship-caliber ballclub here and I want to win a World Series and wear a ring for the rest of my life,'' Williamson said.

``That means more to me than worrying about a role.''

He also said that falling five outs shy of advancing to the World Series last October should serve as added incentive for the Sox.

``I know I'm not over it and it's something that will live with us for the rest of our lives,'' Williamson said. ``You have to learn from your mistakes and this can be a good thing in a sense that we have that bad taste in our mouths.

``It makes us hungrier to come back and win.'' . . .

CLEMENS, PETITTE, & WELLS were not only all great pitchers, they were MONEYTIME pitchers!!

Also dont forget this team lost a 38-38 player!!

The RED SOX lost only two players off of last years team.....BURKETT and WALKER.

They added SCHILLING, FOULKE, REESE, BURKS, DAUBACH.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I particulary was ammused at him saying ARod deserved to be on the NY stage...as if the guy isn`t already playing on the worlds stage as the best in the game...gimme a break!

arrogance personafied... <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

right on the $$ J-MAN. . .people who hardly know anything about baseball already know who this guy is.

A guy I talked to at the gym the other day had no idea where we got schilling from or what team he used to play for, but knew enough to refer to A-Rod as "pay rod"