Joe Torre may bleed Dodgers blue these days, but a buildup of pinstriped material still exists in his arteries.
The iconic manager admitted last night that he was thrilled to watch the Yankees win the World Series — something that hadn’t happened without him in the dugout since 1978.
“It was surreal,” Torre said before his Safe at Home Foundation dinner at Chelsea Piers. “It’s not often you are someplace for 12 years like I was and then all of a sudden you’re looking up there 14 years [after the start] and seeing a lot of familiar faces.”
Torre said most of his family and friends were rooting for a Dodgers-Yankees World Series. But it wasn’t until his team was eliminated from the postseason — with an NLCS loss to the Phillies for the second straight year — that Torre said he let his mind wander in that direction.
“I was trying to think in my mind, maybe Derek Jeter hitting and I’m trying to get him out — maybe the first time I would have pulled against this guy,” Torre said.
“But to watch what they’ve done, and especially with Joe Girardi at the helm, it really made me feel good even though I’m supposed to be a National League fan. When you’re as close to these guys as I have been for all these years, I was just real pleased for them.”
Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano were among the Yankees in attendance for Torre’s dinner last night. Jeter said it has finally sunk in that Torre is a Dodger.
“I still think very highly of him,” Jeter said. “But I’m kind of used to not having him around now.”
The 69-year-old Torre has another year remaining on his contract and had previously indicated he would probably retire after the 2010 season. But in recent days, Torre has held discussions with Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti about the possibility of extending his contract through 2011.
“It’s still fun,” Torre said. “L.A. is getting a lot more comfortable and there seems to be progress that we’re making. It’s exciting for me and I still have the energy to do it.”
When he does retire, Torre would love to see his hitting coach, Yankees legend Don Mattingly, get the job.
“[Mattingly] is a superstar and yet when he walks into that ballpark, the work he does and the preparation he does, he doesn’t expect anything for nothing,” Torre said. “This guy works.”
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Hideki Matsui confirmed he has eliminated the possibility of returning to play in his native Japan next season. But the free agent said he has no indication the Yankees want him back.
“My feelings are still with the Yankees,” Matsui said. “But as far as progress is concerned, I don’t think anything has really happened yet and we’ll just wait and see.”