JOE Torre has been there, done that, which is why he reached out to Willie Randolph a few days ago to see how his former Yankees coach and current Mets manager was doing amid the turmoil that engulfed him recently.
“He’s a friend and you want to check in,” Torre said before last night’s 9-5 loss to the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. “Sometimes in this city you get so buried you lose perspective on what you’re doing, and that’s something you need to keep reminding yourself of. I knew how he was doing professionally. I just wanted to know kind of effect it was taking on him emotionally.”
Randolph’s job seemed in danger early this week after comments he made about the way he was portrayed on the SNY network and whether race had anything to do with how he was being criticized in the media, not to mention his club’s supar record. A meeting with Mets ownership led to a vote of confidence and a three-game winning streak helped improve the mood, until the Mets imploded in the eighth-inning last night. The Dodgers scored five runs in the eighth to hand the Mets a loss that had the fans at Shea booing again.
During his 12 seasons as the Yankees manager before joining the Dodgers, Torre had his share of firestorms, which is why he understands why Randolph reacted the way he did.
Thirty-one years ago today, Torre was named player-manager of the Mets, beginning a managerial career that hasn’t always been pleasant. It would be years before his skin became thick enough to shake off the second-guessers who stung him with their criticism. It’s something Randolph is learning more about this year.
“I don’t think you ever totally block it out,” Torre said, all these years later. “I think as you get older and more experienced at it, you dismiss it quicker. For people to say they don’t hear it or it doesn’t bother them, that’s part of why you have this job. As you get older and get more experience you’re able to understand that it’s part of the job and you dismiss it.”
The Mets three straight wins were a distant memory last night when Randolph went to replace reliever Aaron Heilman, who allowed four runs on four hits in the eighth. The crowd booed Heilman. Then it booed Randolph. Torre knows the feeling.
“Sometimes people think there aren’t those emotions that run hot and cold,” Torre said. “But when you’re in this game you care a lot.”
Don Zimmer is usually on the other end of Torre’s phone when the Dodgers, who ended a four-game losing streak, are in a slide. With a roster filled with 20-year-olds, Torre is trying to hold together a team hammered by injuries.
He has learned whether it’s trying to get a group of youngsters to stay focused or instilling confidence in a struggling veteran, a manager’s style doesn’t need to change.
“I’m not a screamer or a yeller,” Torre said. “If you’re going to communicate, you want to communicate something that’s going to stick. Communication in this game is what it’s all about.”
Torre didn’t go into what he told Randolph, but it probably had something to do with his view of baseball in general.
“This game has a tendency to slap you down,” Torre said. “You’re never really as good as you think you are and you’re never really as bad as you think you are. It’s just a matter of trying to minimize the bad stuff as best you can.”
Thirty years from now, Randolph might be able to tell some other young manager the same thing.