Hypocrisy knows no end and the saga of Joe Torre is living proof. Am I calling Torre a hypocrite? Absolutely not.  I think he's a genuine person who carries himself with integrity.  What I am referring to is the way that literally thousands of people can resort to revisionist history to suit themselves.

Prior to the 1996 baseball season, the hiring of Joe Torre by the Yankees was almost universally questioned and criticized. The tabloids tactlessly referred to him as "Clueless Joe". His managerial record was atrocious during his stints as skipper of the Mets, Braves and Cardinals. He had the reputation of being a good human being who was a bad manager due to a simplistic and passive style of leadership (hence the title of Clueless). Quite frankly the description of Joe the person still remains exactly the same. How is it though, that after 12 seasons with the Yankees many of these same people now contend that he is a great manager?

I'll tell you why. To their many legions of haters, everyday is a great day to criticize the Yankees. On top of that, this is exactly the type of story the media will exploit to no end.

Ask yourself this. Why is it that the majority of people who now defend Joe Torre are not fans or even followers of the Yankees? I may not have conducted a Gallup poll but I do know LOTS of Yankees fans. Most of the ones I know aren't disappointed to see Joe go. Sad perhaps but not angry. Somebody will no doubt tell me that these Yankees fans are not upset to see him leave because Yankees fans are... and always have been... total A-Holes. Yeah, that's a great argument...but bring it if that's all you got. Besides, that would only serve to reinforce my point about the blind hatred of all things Yankee that so many have.

I remember when the team was on its run of 4 World Series titles in 5 seasons. The common perception of Joe Torre was that he was not an elite manager and that a monkey could lead the club. The team had great players and anything they were lacking could be easily attained using their vast finances. All Torre had to do was kick up his feet, get caught picking his nose on camera at least twice a game, collect his check and enjoy the ride. The Yankees were the Evil Empire, they were "ruining" baseball by winning all the time and it had nothing to do with the ability of "Clueless Joe" (their words not mine).

Now that New York hasn't won a title for 7 straight seasons Joe Torre suddenly becomes a great... no make that legendary manager.  Somebody please explain to me how that works. His teams win in the late 90s and according to his critics he had little or nothing to with it. Since 2001 Torre's teams lose and these same pundits claim the players are a bunch of overpaid bums that are wasting the efforts of their divine leader.  The fact that he managed the team to post-season appearances every year of his tenure is now proof of his abilities, but it wasn't before? WHAT?!?!?!

It doesn't matter if the Yankees win or lose because no matter what the situation there are those who will look to discredit someone or something within the organization. When they were on top Torre got zero props. Now that the team keeps falling short these same people use Torre as a means to take pot shots at the players.  Hate the Yankees all you want but at least keep your stories straight. Torre is the same manager he always has been... and that would be an average one.

The fact that so many Yankees players spoke up for Torre should surprise no one. For Jeter, Posada and Rivera he is practically the only manager they have ever known. They briefly played for Buck Showalter in 1995 but that was as late season call-ups. Other players would support him too. Why wouldn't they? He doesn't get on their backs when they play poorly and he lets them do their thing. He's an emotional fatherly figure with a kind heart. How could they dislike him? They certainly wouldn't blame him, nor should they have.

I'm not saying that teams need to fear their managers or love them to be successful. Ultimately it is a working relationship or at least it should be. Things obviously haven't been working in Yankees Land during the last 7 post-seasons. You know... the land where only a championship will do. Yeah, if that were the case then Joe would have been axed no later than after the 2003 World Series loss to the Florida Marlins. Just pointing that out since "championship or bust" is another misconception Yankees haters harp on.

In reality the blame is shared between Joe and his former team. As we know you can't fire all the players and keep the manager. However, there is a fine line that separates an elite manager from an average one such as Torre. People only remember this next point when it's convenient, but so much of achieving success in any sport is mental. The elite coaches are the ones who can provide their teams with an edge where it matters most. That would be in their heads. This ability is lacking in Torre and it always has been.  It just got covered up during the early years of his tenure with New York. The team won 4 World Series in spite of Joe Torre, not because of him. The real leader was Paul O' Neill. For all intents and purposes he was virtually a player manager.  Paul led by example on the field and in the clubhouse. It's no coincidence that the fire has been missing since he retired.  

George Steinbrenner should have conducted his business behind closed doors. Joe Torre was owed that. I'll tell you this though. Joe Torre owes Steinbrenner and the Yankees a lot more than they owe him. They hired him when everyone else scoffed. They used a "blank check" policy to lavish him with players to field an elite level team year after year. They made him the highest paid manager in professional baseball...AND despite knowing better they still made him an offer to come back next season. An offer they knew he might refuse...but an offer that would have still kept him the most highly compensated manager in the sport by far. Just because it was a one-year deal that implied, "this is your last chance to win it all", doesn't change the fact the Torre is the one who decided to leave. Point blank, the Yankees provided him with the opportunity to enjoy the best 12 years of his managerial life.

 I love you Joe Torre but good riddance. The distraction you had become to the team, along with your managerial flaws, is not worth 5 million dollars. Change is good.

I can't believe I'm doing this. As a die-hard Yankees fan I have absolutely no business defending anything within 100 miles of Red Sox Nation.  Unfortunately the responses regarding Manny Ramirez's admiration of his own homerun against Cleveland in the ALCS has brought me the brink of athletic sacrilege.

In case you missed it (or live on Planet Man-Ram which is the imaginary home of Manny as envisioned by Jim Rome), the wildly eccentric Ramirez watched adoringly as his homerun traveled majestically through the night sky over Jacobs Field. Never mind that this only reduced the deficit to 7-3 in the Indians favor. Never mind that this capped back-to back- to back homeruns that included blasts from Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz. Never mind that it was done in the national spotlight of post-season baseball. Never mind that it was one of the most impressive homeruns that anyone could ever hope to see. Never mind that it was the intellectually challenged Manny that broke one of those notorious "unwritten rules". Rule breakers must be punished (sarcasm alert).

There's a reason those rules aren't written. It's because they're dumb and they typically bother wimps with sticks stuck up their butts the most. Take some other scenarios in baseball that are widely frowned upon. For example, it's been said that a player should never bunt to break up a no-hitter. Oh really now? If a pitcher wants to hurl a no-no then he better "know-know" how to field his position.

 How about the belief that it's improper to swing away on a 3-0 count when your team holds a big lead? That sounds counter-productive to me. The pitcher is probably going to throw a cookie and a batter is supposed to just let it slide by? The pitcher put himself in that hole in the first place. Besides, he'll probably follow the first cookie up with an equally enticing Oreo Double Stuff on the ensuing 3-1 pitch... but it's okay if the batter swings at that one. What an asinine concept.  

Another one I just don't get is the disdain people have for players that make attempts at stealing signs. Maybe a team should do a better job disguising their signals and then they wouldn't have anything to worry about. Hmmm...does that mean I'm sticking up for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in a round about sort of way? I think I'm about to make myself sick just considering it. Forgive me New York.

There are several more of these unenforceable standards that many people hold sacred. "Act like you've been there before when scoring a touchdown in football" & "Don't run the full court press with a big lead in basketball" come to mind. Who cares that touchdowns are typically hard to come by or that the full court press helped get the lead in the first place? These acts are totally classless and warrant swift retaliation (sarcasm alert #2).

Which brings us back full circle to Mr. Ramirez. The most commonly held opinion about his elongated homerun trot from the other night is that C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians should promptly drill Manny with a 95 MPH fastball when he comes to the plate in Game 5 of the ALCS...and preferably right on his ear. How's that for totally classless? See what you get for watching your own homerun. A homerun that made everybody who saw it say "Holy $hit". If I could hit a ball like that you'd better believe that I'd watch it too.  But no...Manny should be sensitive and show compassion for the pitcher's witty-bitty hurt feelings. NEWS FLASH: serving up a meatball to Manny IS NOT a good idea.

Let's not forget that this is Manny Ramirez we're talking about. As corny and tired as the "Manny Being Manny" cliche has become... the shoe does fit...and if the shoe does fit then we must acquit. Hey, if the glove thing worked for O.J. then this defense should certainly work for Man-Ram. Not to make excuses for him but face it people... he's a dimwitted nitwit and his actions over time have been as redundant as the term I just called him.

Keep in mind his oddball track record. He often likes to hang out during pitching changes at Fenway Park... behind the Green Monster. He commented in 2003 that he would one day like to play... for the Yankees. While in left field during 2004 he dove to cut off a throw...from centerfielder Johnny Damon which resulted in an inside the park homerun. He once requested a trade... to Boston's AAA team.  On the day the trade deadline passed in 2005 Manny stated, "Boston was the place to be"...even though it was widely reported that he had been trying to force his way out of Bean Town.

If Manny was a stereotype for Halloween he'd be a ditzy blonde... and ditzy blondes all over America should be very insulted by the fact that I just wrote that.

Maybe I'm crazy or maybe I just have a soft spot in my heart for those whose brains are a wee bit slow on the uptake. My own mind must definitely be slipping if I'm sticking up for a guy who plays for the Chowdah-Heads... but that's not the point.  Just leave the guy alone already. He's not too smart and probably has a mid-level IQ at best. All he did was break a rule that doesn't exist in the first place. A rule by that way that is idiotic to begin with.

As simplistically moronic as Ramirez may seem, he is right about something else. If the Red Sox go on and lose to Cleveland, it really isn't the end of the world. Now go and rip him a new one for that too. It obviously means that he likes losing (sarcasm alert #3).

Man-He sure can rake though. Get it...Man-He instead of Manny? Oh well, the jokes can't all be winners but that sure was one hell of a home run the other night. It was a winner even in defeat... and admit it...you'd have watched it for a while too.