Joe Torre - Biography

Last Editor: bridie2929				Joe Torre Biography -   Name : Joe Torre Profession : Baseball Player/Manager Birth Details : born July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York

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Joe Torre Detailed Biography -

Joseph Paul Torre (born July 18, 1940 in Brooklyn, New York) is the manager of the New York Yankees and a former Major League Baseball player in the National League for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Mets. He has also managed each of the teams for which he played. Breaking into the majors with the Braves in 1960 (his brother Frank's last season with that club), he played primarily as a catcher but also played first base. He was named an All-Star from 1963 to 1967, and won a Gold Glove Award in 1965. On March 17, 1969 he was traded to the Cardinals in exchange for Orlando Cepeda, who had been the league MVP only two seasons earlier. The Cardinals, already having Tim McCarver at catcher and grooming Ted Simmons as his successor, needed Torre's potent bat in the lineup more than his presence behind the plate, and made him their regular first baseman. McCarver's trade to the Philadelphia Phillies after the season led Torre to do the bulk of the team's catching in 1970, but by the following year, Simmons was ready and Torre was moved to third base. The 1971 season saw Torre's play reach its highest level; he led the NL in two triple crown categories - RBIs (137) and batting average (.363) - as well as hits and total bases, and was named the NL's Most Valuable Player. Torre received four more All-Star selections (1970-1973) while with the Cardinals. Following the 1974 season, he was traded to the Mets. On July 21, 1975, he set the NL record for most double plays grounded into in a single game, 4. In May 1977, Torre was chosen to manage the Mets. Because he believed he could not do the job properly while still playing, he decided to retire at age 37. He closed his 18-year career with a .297 batting average, and 252 home runs, 1185 RBIs and 2342 hits. He managed the Mets through the 1981 season, but was unable to post a winning season; he then took over as manager of the Braves, leading them to the NL Western Division title in his first season (1982) before slipping to second in 1983 and third in 1984. After leaving the Braves in 1984, Torre worked in broadcasting in the late 1980s before being asked to manage the Cardinals in mid-1990. While working as a guest analyst for ESPN during the 1989 World Series, Torre was on hand for the infamous Loma Prieta earthquake (October 17, 1989). He posted a respectable 351-354 with St. Louis, but the team was unable to reach the playoffs and Torre was fired in mid-1995. Torre was named manager of the Yankees on November 2, 1995. Though he had never before played or managed in the American League and the New York press greeted him with headlines such as "Clueless Joe", it is there that he has enjoyed the greatest success of his managerial career, leading his team to the playoffs in each of his 10 seasons (1996-2005) with the club. In 1996 Torre, building on the Yankees' wild-card berth in 1995, made his first-ever trip to the Fall Classic, leading the Yankees to their first World Series championship since 1978. After losing to the Cleveland Indians in the AL playoffs in 1997, the team won three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000, and additional American League pennants in 2001 and 2003. On May 12, 2003, he won his 1,500th game. On May 8, 2005, Torre reached 900 career wins as manager of the New York Yankees. His success as Yankee manager is generally credited as much as to his patience with owner George Steinbrenner as it is to his baseball knowledge; he is the longest-tenured Yankee manager during Steinbrenner's ownership of the team. The 1998 season was his most successful. Despite a slow start that including losing the first three games of the season, the Yankees set a then-American League record of 114 regular season wins, including David Wells's perfect game on May 17. During the playoffs, the Yankees easily bested the Texas Rangers, fought off a major challenge from the Cleveland Indians for the AL pennant, and swept the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Torre won Manager of the Year honors, and the 1998 team is now included on most lists of the greatest baseball teams. When ESPN launched its Who's #1? series on June 15, 2004, the 1998 Yankees topped the network's list of Best Teams over the years 1979 to 2003. It has been debated whether Torre's playing career rose to the level of Hall of Fame caliber, though the general consensus is that he was just slightly below the elite level of skill deserving of election. His accomplishments as the Yankees' manager, though, almost certainly will lead to his induction as a manager upon his retirement. In addition to baseball, Torre is an avid thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. He is a part owner of "Sis City" who had been the dominant the 3-year-old filly in 2005 until finishing fourth in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks. However, a few weeks later on June 26, "Wild Desert," in which Torre is also a partner, won the $1 million Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown. Torre battled prostate cancer in 1999. He reportedly said he suffered no symptoms of prostate cancer. On December 14, 2005, Torre carried the Olympic Torch in Florence, Italy, running it 400 yards, ending at the world famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. The 2006 Winter Olympics begin February 10, in Turin, Italy.