Joe Torre joined BT and Sal on Thursday from his and his wife Ali Torre’s annual Safe at Home golf outing at Sleepy Hollow Country Club, and took time to assess the sinking Yankees behind current skipper Aaron Boone.
Many fans point back to the days of Torre as a time when there was more accountability within the organization, but Torre says fans have no idea what kind of accountability is going on behind the scenes.
“You don’t know what happens behind closed doors,” Torre said. “You may be sitting there in your seat saying ‘you have to do something about this guy,’ but you don’t know if he has done something. Boonie doesn’t miss anything. He understands what’s necessary to go out on the field and not necessarily win, but get the effort on a regular basis.
“If I had some issues with players, nobody would know about it outside our clubhouse, because I tried to keep everything inside.”
So, when it comes to a player like Gleyber Torres, Torre wouldn’t be surprised if Boone has already addressed his several defensive miscues or mental gaffes during games, even if he publicly shows a relentless support for his veteran second baseman.
“You handle players differently,” Torre said. “They’re not all the same, so you cant really treat them all the same. You have to treat them all fairly.”
As for the team as a whole, fans have been frustrated with Boone’s continued assertions that everything is still “right in front of” the Yankees despite seven weeks of poor play. But Torre agrees with Boone, and says perspective is important during a marathon of a season, even if things seem lost and beyond saving in the here and now after a Subway Series beatdown at the hands of the Mets.
“You have to gain perspective here by saying that it’s 162 games,” Torre said. “Yeah, you hate to lose to the crosstown rivals. There’s a certain embarrassment to that…you’re the Yankees.”