The Boston Red Sox had yet to clinch their second World Series –remember when we liked them?–and already their rivals, the New York Yankees, had stolen their moment with some serious passive aggressive behavior/news.

First came word that Alex Rodriguez, Mr. April-through-September, was opting out of his Yankee contract and become a free agent sparking speculation that he would sign either with the Los Angeles Angels or the Chicago Cubs.

Then, the New York Post reported that the Dodgers were considering hiring former Yankee manager Joe Torre. It’d be nice to have Torre since he seems like an exceedingly decent human being, but the fact is don’t expect any miracles from him as a manager because, as a manager of teams other than the Yankees, he’s just decent. Consider that during the 15 seasons Torre managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis he won a total of one division title.

Torre became a great manager when he was surrounded by great talent. The same thing happened more than 50 years ago when Casey Stengel was named manager of the Yankees after a less than stellar managerial record to that point. Stengel, with Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra and a star-studded cast, went on to win seven World Series titles, employing such managerial strategy as “Mickey, hit a home run,” and “Mickey, hit another home run.” Talent makes managers/coaches, or haven’t you noticed how less like a zen master Phil Jackson is when he doesn’t have Shaquille O’Neal and does have Smush Parker.

Now, I’m not minimizing what Torre accomplished with the Yanks, it takes a special talent to manage talent, but the Dodgers are not what anyone would call talent-laden. They’re a good team, but they have some glaring needs, most especially a power-hitting third baseman. But where are you going to find one of those?

Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Ava Gardner's hippie love child., Boston Red Sox, Casey Stengel, Joe Torre, Los Angeles Angels, los angeles dodgers, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees, Shaquille O'Neal, world series, Yogi Berra