The Major League Baseball season is just around the corner, which has me reflecting on some of my favorite memories of covering the sport full-time between 2000 and 2005. I was the minor league baseball writer for the Hunterdon Democrat Newspaper over that six-year period and loved every minute of it — it was the perfect substitute for the MLB odds of me playing finally hitting zero. The summer nights spent at the ballpark watching baseball still hold a very special place in my heart. I think back to standing on the field before every game gathering information, the friends I made in the press box and the feeling of a cool warm-weather breeze coming in at around 10:30 p.m. as the game was wrapping up. What 18-year-old wouldn’t want to spend their summers that way?
While I met hundreds of baseball people during those six years, many of whom I still remain in contact with today, I want to reflect on my time with one: Joe Torre.
It was Dec. 2004 and the Newark Bears were holding a press conference at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Then-Bears owner Steve Kalafer, who also owned the Somerset Patriots, is good friends with the then-New York Yankees manager. Every now and again, Kalafer would call on Torre to show up to a Bears or Patriots function in an effort to drum up an extra media presence. The move always worked.
Torre had finished his 10th year as the Yankees skipper that summer. His team ended the season first place with a 95-67 record, yet lost to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League Divisional Series. The 65-year-old was by far the most popular manager in the game.
I arrived that day in an effort to talk to Torre about the Yankees’ minor league system. Along with the Patriots, I covered the Trenton Thunder (AA affiliate of the Yankees) at the time and several players, including Robinson Cano and Dioneer Navarro, had come through there on their way to the Bronx. The Yankees were finally about youth again instead of big-name free agents, which meant the farm system had a purpose.
The press conference had wrapped up and Torre was surrounded by all the major New York television stations. Now, I know how to get in the middle of scrums as good as anybody, but I had a better idea — a risk verse reward thought really. I waited for the media cluster to break apart — I went and spoke with former Yankees general manager Gene Michael in the meantime. Having known Steve for many years, I pulled him aside and said I’d like a couple of minutes alone with Joe. With a little convincing, he told me it wouldn’t be a problem.
A short time later, Joe and I were sitting in a private conference room talking about the Yankees and their minor league system. He was more than gracious with all of his answers. Then again, have you ever heard anyone say a bad thing about the baseball legend? He told me a number of things:
1. On the Yankees Minor League System: “Unfortunately, in our organization, because George Steinbrenner is committed to winning right now, you really a lot of times don’t get your own players to play for you. You use them when other teams are trying to relieve themselves of high payrolls and get some young kids. I think the time there we didn’t develop as many good young players as we have in the past. You mentioned a few, (Dioner) Navarro is a big league player. Brad Halsey, the fact that he is left handed and isn’t afraid to throw strikes is very important.”
2. On Yankee Minor Leaguers’ Chances of Playing in NY: “It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be a Yankee sometime. The fact is the Yankees can’t afford the luxury of being patient. I know I managed teams where we’re looking down the road to win in say two years and you gear yourself to that. You let players make their mistakes and stuff. The Yankees organization, we’re not allowed to let our players make mistakes, if it’s a mistake with inexperience. What we try to do is keep as much experience as vital as possible, this way we can still follow George Steinbrenner’s lead by putting a championship club on the field.”
3. On the Independent Leagues: “I think it’s important because when I first started playing baseball, we had the Rookie leagues, which is like a low-A league now; we had D, C, B, but those are no longer available. So I think you need to find a place where players can play. Years ago, when I was a player, the Triple-A was filled with a lot of major leaguers that had been up down, up down, a lot of veterans. Clubs can no longer afford that. They make investments in players and need to move them along as quickly as possible. In order to find a place for a players, who could help you — you’re talking about Ruben Sierra, Darryl Strawberry, Kevin Millar, Curtis Pride — they need a place to play.
I remember having a folder with the Bears logo on it and Joe kept fiddling with it as we sat there. Our conversation lasted about five minutes, but that was all I needed. I left the NJPAC extremely satisfied with my hard work, my luck and the audio on my recorder.
Nearly every day members of the media speak with Joe. Very few, however, get to sit down with the man for a one-on-one, in-person chat about anything that comes to mind. For that, I feel grateful and will always cherish that career memory.
PDF