Mr. T Happy For Yanks, General Joe, & A-Rod

Via the Daily News -

Joe Torre could almost hear the banter in the dugout. Watching on television as the Yankees played in their first World Series since he left, the four-time champion Yankees manager knew exactly what Derek Jeter was saying as the camera zoomed in on him after Hideki Matsui hit a home run in Game 6.

“Every time they’d bring a lefthander in, Derek Jeter would say in the dugout, ‘Don’t bring a lefthander for Matsui, don’t do that’ and invariably Matsui would hit a double or a home run,” Torre said. “When the camera went to Jeter in the dugout after Matsui hit a homer, it was like I could hear him saying ‘I told ya so.’”

After 12 years and four World Series titles with the Yankees, the current Dodgers manager said watching from afar as the Yankees won the World Series was “surreal.” Even after the way he left, insulted by what he felt was a lowball contract offer, Torre could not help but be happy for the Yankees. Friday night, before his Safe at Home Foundation charity event at Chelsea Piers, Torre he said he was particularly happy for his successor Joe Girardi, as well as a player he was not always close with, controversial third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

“He got the monkey off his back,” Torre said of Rodriguez, who never played well in the postseason under Torre. “I am happy for him.”

Torre said that he was glad that Girardi had rallied after a tough first year as Yankees manager. “Coming after my 12 years and after all the success we had, that was not an easy thing for Joe Girardi,” Torre said. “He never backed away from it. He’s a quality individual.”

Funny, no mention from Torre over the fact this was the first World Championship won by the Yankees without having Don Zimmer as bench coach since 1978.