Torre: Being a Dodger isn't a 'living hell'
LOS ANGELES – Dodgers manager Joe Torre said on the eve of the National League Championship Series that working for team owner Frank McCourt was not so unbearable that he would leave the club before his contract expired after next season.
“My relationship is fine here,” Torre said. “It's far from the living hell that it seems to say I was going through. You know, managing is tough during the course of the year, and you get worn out by the time the year is over, especially when you get to this time of year. But you get regenerated for the postseason.
“I know nothing about where that came from. And as I say, I still have the same plan that I've always had.”
The topic arose because of comments made earlier on Wednesday by ESPN's Peter Gammons, who told Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN NY that he believed Torre would resign after the season: “I think life with the Dodgers is pretty much a living hell. There will be a lot that comes out in time regarding Dodgers ownership.”
On Tuesday evening, Torre had reaffirmed the belief he'd serve the final year of his contract and then retire. He will turn 70 in the middle of next summer. He managed 12 years under George Steinbrenner, which might closer qualify as living hell.
“I have a year left on my contract,” he said. “I don't anticipate it being more than that.”
McCourt has owned the Dodgers since 2004. His wife, Jamie, is president, however the McCourts announced Wednesday that they have separated.
Under their direction, the club is better known for going through communications directors – a Steinbrenner-ian five – than managers (three). The McCourts, rarely seen together anymore, are believed to be in agreement on Torre's value.
