Joe Torre Is Trying To Buy The Dodgers
MLB announced today that Joe Torre quit his fake job with the league in order to pursue an opportunity to buy the LA Dodgers.
Torre was named executive VP for baseball operations in February and also doled out punishments for on-field discipline, among other duties. He was also made the fall guy (according to Buster Olney) for “Hat Gate” — when MLB wouldn’t let the Mets wear NYPD/FDNY hats for a game on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Well, now he is part of a group — backed by real estate developer Rick Caruso (no word if he’s related to this guy) — that is attempting to buy the one team that is perhaps more sloppily-run than the Mets.
Torre, who managed the Dodgers from 2008-2010:
"In Rick I found a partner who understands consumers and fully appreciates that the Dodgers are a treasured LA institution. Since moving to Los Angeles, I have seen firsthand Rick’s dedication to business and the people of Los Angeles."
Caruso, the self-proclaimed “lifelong Angeleno”:
"Joe and I believe in the Dodgers and Dodger fans and know that together we will foster a winning culture and deliver a premier, fan-focused baseball experience at Dodger Stadium."
Of course there have been a few other groups that have expressed interest in purchasing the six-time World Championship team. Among them, a group led by former Lakers star and HIV patient Magic Johnson, a group led by former Dodgers players Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey, a group led by Larry King (who is destroying the sanctity of marriage by tying the knot eight times with seven different women), and Mark Cuban is also said to have an interest in the team.
Personally, I would love to see Cubes buy the team. I’m not a Dodger fan, but I’d love to see him put together a winning team for Donnie. Obviously I want the Yanks to win the World Series, but if it’s not them then I’m pulling for Hitman and the Dodgers.
As if you didn’t know, Torre managed the Yankees from 1996-2007 and delivered four World Series championships and six pennants to the Bronx. He never missed the playoffs during his tenure in pinstripes and is highly regarded as a heck of a manager and a great guy.
My feelings for him are kind of split, but that’s another post for another day.