Fall of an Empire?: The State of the Yankees, Part Two

Following the Yankees' departure from the 2007 MLB Postseason in October, the Bronx Bombers' public relations team said that longtime Yankee manager Joe Torre walked away from the team—even after being offered a one year, $5 million deal, with additional incentives based on how far the team advanced in next year's postseason.

This was what was immediately reported after the deal was turned down. But that is not the entire story.

Torre's job was under pressure for the majority of the regular season. The Media frenzied over comments made by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner regarding the security of Torre's job as a result of the bad start to the Yankees' season.

It was believed that if the Yankees did not win the World Series, Torre would be fired. These suspicions were confirmed during the first round of the playoffs, when Steinbrenner made the announcement that Torre would be fired if such was the case.

There it was, everything on the table. The Yankees lost in the first round to the Cleveland Indians, and the world waited to see what would happen to Joe Torre's future.

Shortly after came the deal. The so-called "offer" was mainly a ploy used by the team's management to avoid firing the man.

But who can blame them? Who in their right mind would openly fire somebody who had been with the team for 12 years, made the playoffs each year, and won four World Series rings?

The deal was just there so they could say that they made an offer, that it was turned down, and that Torre didn't want to be there anymore. That last statement, however, is entirely false.

Torre would have loved to stay. But how would a man with a reputation and career such as his accept a 29% pay cut?

Don't take that the wrong way. The money was not the major factor in turning down the deal. The biggest point that upset Joe was the length of the contract. Joe wanted at least a two year deal so he wouldn't have to go through the same pressure of whether or not he would have a job with the Yankees next year.

Thus at second glance, the Yankees did indeed fire a future Hall-Of-Famer.

But with Joe now gone to the Dodgers, what happens to the rest of the Yankees?

Torre was a major piece of the puzzle who held the team together. He was a favorite of the players because of his expertise and focus on the game.

Joe was also a selling point for new players brought into the team, due to his ability in keeping the media and rumors of New York out of the clubhouse and allowing the players keep their minds on the game.

Torre's departure leaves many questions as to how the personnel of the rest of the team will change. Joe Girardi, the new manager, will have some very large shoes to fill. Some players may not respond to him the same way they did to Torre. Alex Rodriguez has already opted out of his contract with the Yankees. His choosing to walk away was no doubt partly because of Joe Torre's firing. Several players are going to be free agents after this season, including closer Mariano Rivera and star catcher Jorge Posada.

With this kind of firepower leaving the Yankees bullpen and lineup, it seems like there is no way in the world that they can remain as the pinnacle of baseball greatness. If the tide turns—as it looks like it will—Steinbrenner, with his famous temper, will definitely fire Girardi and many others. In that case, the Yankees will have trouble drawing in players, and will no longer be the mark for other teams to shoot for. The Evil Empire will have fallen, and it will be time for a new club to assume the throne—perhaps the Boston Red Sox.

The "Curse of The Bloody Sock" anybody?