Psychology has been a part of the athletic landscape since it’s conception, and long before we ever affiliated the two. It has become much more apparent now that the dollar values associated with the players have become inflated along with the egos. Keeping the egos in check is always part of what makes a team successful. No one would argue that the biggest egos in the game only cause distractions for the teams that roster the high maintenance talent. This is where the team’s manager makes his money. Along with the winning of course, keeping the locker room a tame environment is most important job of the manager. The best manager in the league at dealing with the large egos just became part of the Dodgers organization. Joe Torre (seen to the left), former Yankees manger, is known for the way he controls the clubhouse without causing waves and winning along the way. However, I believe that Torre’s talents are wasted in a team that should be cultivating the young, un-blemished, egos of the Dodger organization and become the focus of attention himself. It only seems that the Dodgers are bringing in Torre for the name and the appeal, which the Dodgers need neither of right now. Two blogs that I found this week while searching the blogoshpere assess the hiring of Joe Torre and the impact it will have on the Dodgers organization. The first is titled “Joe Torre + Dodgers = Problem?" and the second is through the Sons of Steve Garvey site and it titled “The Torre Aftermath: Notes from the “LA Times”. The later, interestingly enough is written by and commented on by former Dodger greats Eric Karros, Steve Sax, Orel Hersisher, and Tommy Lasorda. My comments on the thoughts that have been provided by the two blogs can be found at the original blogs and below.
Comment:
Joe Torre’s hiring by the dodgers does seem to be more media hype than anything. He is the quinisential media manager of our time, but you are right in saying that he is only adding to the already hungry Los Angeles media. Some might say as you have that, “This wa
s an already ego-envious sort of climate that sustained itself during Little’s tenure and it was basically the reason for the team’s ultimate tailspin”, however, this is a problem that should be resolved with or without Torre. Most of the ego -laden athletes on the Dodgers are veteran players (look no further than Jeff Kent). With the young talent that the Dodgers have in Kemp, Loney (seen to the right), Martin, Ethier, and others, the high priced and higher aged veterans need to be parted with for the overall benefit of the team. If this takes place, as it should, Torre becomes the only high profile name on the roster, and in effect, the problem that he has worked so hard to thwart throughout his managerial carrer. However, this situation can go two ways. Either the hire backfires as you and I have pointed at there, or Torre takes the media attention away from the team, not allowing the egos to flourish, handles the clubhouse as we know he can, and works his magic once again. In either case it will be interesting to see how the large shadow of Joe Torre looms above the Dodger organization.Comment:
Joe Torre’s hiring, as you have put it, “seems a little extravagant for a team that wasn’t suppose to be shopping in this neighborhood”, and this is what worries me. The Dodger organization has brought in a great coach, do not get me wrong, but I am not sure he is the right fit. He was a perfect fit in New York were the egos seemed to be the only thing larger than the payroll at times, and he won in spite of it. However, the coach that was paid so much to keep things under the radar is going to become the biggest blip in the organization. As was said, he is not expected to replace or become a name added to the list of the most revered Dodger players and managers ever, but he will be compared. Writers at papers like the L.A. Times will have a field day with each Torre win or loss, especially if they come in bunches. The Dodgers do not need a manager to temper player outbursts (most of the time) or egos, but they do need to cultivate the young talent, which will lead to the wins. I believe Torre will point the team in the right direction and do his part, but his hiring may have been for a different reason, and a hiring for anything other than winning is for the wrong reason.
