Flashing some of his father’s famous feistiness, Hank Steinbrenner fired back yesterday after hearing Joe Torre say he was insulted by the team’s offer to manage the Yankees for a 13th season.
“Where was Joe’s career in ’95 when my dad hired him?” said the new Boss. “My dad was crucified for hiring him.
“Let’s not forget what my dad did in giving him that opportunity – and the great team he was handed,” Steinbrenner told The Post by phone from Tampa, Fla.
At a press conference Friday afternoon, Torre termed the team’s offer of one year for $5 million, with an added $3 million in incentives for post- season success, an “insult.”
Steinbrenner said the offer was fair, and that Torre had to accept part of the responsibility for the team’s failures. The Yankees have not won a championship since 2000.
“You can’t take credit for success when you’re going good, and then not take at least some of the blame when things change,” Steinbrenner said. “I’m sorry he feels insulted, but that was not the intent.”
George Steinbrenner hired Torre after a series of disappointing managing gigs. Torre had flopped with the Mets and had an overall losing record – 894 wins, 1,003 losses, and one playoff appearance in 12 managerial seasons.
“Now, was he the perfect guy to manage that team? It seems that way. He did a great job, no question.”
He said he likes and respects Torre, calling him a “top manager” and “class guy.”
“I sincerely wanted Joe to accept that offer,” said Steinbrenner, who with brother Hal has assumed day- to-day decision making for the team. “We all wanted him to accept it, probably me more than anybody else.”
“You don’t make an offer bluffing. What if he says yes?” he added. “I was hoping he’d say yes.”
Steinbrenner also took a swing at critics of how the team handled the Torre situation – with George blasting him during the playoffs, then taking a week to make an offer to renew his contract as speculation built that the brass’s confidence in him was lost.
There’s “another side to the story,” Steinbrenner said.
Hal Steinbrenner, an MBA grad, was picked to present the Yankees’ deal to Torre because of his financial background, Hank said. The offer took time to craft, he said, but the team’s top executives were satisfied it was fair.
“We were discussing everything, not just Joe,” he said of last week’s meetings in Tampa. “We took a little more time than usual [because] we wanted to make sure we got it right.
“You can’t have the fans and media dictate what’s a fair offer. The portrayal of this being a cold business decision is completely incorrect. This was a baseball decision.”
Though Torre said the conversation lasted only 20 minutes and he saw no intent to negotiate on the part of his bosses, Steinbrenner said that after Torre rejected the deal and walked out, General Manager Brian Cashman raced after him in a final bid to change his mind.
“Brian went to talk to Joe, tried to convince him to take it,” he said.
A last-minute change in Tampa prevented Cashman from flying back to New York with Torre, or the GM would have tried to get him to stay once more, he said.
Steinbrenner hinted that other changes might be coming.
“Joe’s not going to be the scapegoat. He’s not the only one that bears responsibility for what happened here,” he said. Still, he said, the ending was “sad.”
“It was a strange day for all of us, ending a 12-year relationship. Tell you the truth, I think we’re all sad. And I think Joe was, too. But sometimes things change.”
Regarding a Torre replacement, he said, “If there’s a front-runner, it’s barely a front-runner.”
As for the players, Cashman has been negotiating with the agents for closer Mariano Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada, Steinbrenner said. He would not disclose terms of any offers.
The Yankees are united on Alex Rodriguez, he said, but they won’t offer him a new contract should the slugging third baseman opt out of his current deal. “Obviously, we’d love to keep him,” said Steinbrenner. “But if he opts out, goodbye.”
As for himself, he said his new title had not been decided, but that he will become a general partner. “It’s automatic. I just haven’t signed all the paperwork yet.”
Nor has it been decided whether he or Hal Steinbrenner, who is 12 years younger, will assume the title of managing general partner that their father has held for more than 30 years.