Its truly amazing when an organization that I have rooted for well over 50 years, makes such a classless move, when in fact, they've made so many before. Yesterday, the Yankees organization took the manager that was one of the primary reasons the Yankees pack in 50,000 plus at EVERY ballgame - break attendance records regularly, managed to make the playoffs 13 of the last 13 years, won 4 World Series titles out of 6 World Series appearances - this after 15 years of no playoff appearances in fact - and gave the Yankees a measure of dignity (though it wasn't easy with their idiot owner) after they had been called the Bronx Friggin' Zoo for years - and made him an offer that was performance based - with a nearly 30% pay cut for managing underperforming superstars and green rookies to the playoffs when they had been ruled out by everyone. Torre is a gentleman and a good soul who, while being of course a second-guessing fan, wasn't good at handling pitchers, but was superb at handling people and made ball players believe in themselves and perform up to their potential. But even more, the guy was a icon for NY. He's a native of the city and, perhaps with only an equal in Derek Jeter, was not just a manager but a face of the city. Which, being a New Yorker, believe me, needs a face like Joe Torre.
I know I'll go on to root for the Yankees. I know Joe Torre didn't die, for chrissakes. But how a team that I've invested 50 plus years of my life in to some extent - in a sport I totally love (me and Alyssa Milano) could do this craven thing astounds me. I not only wish Joe Torre well and the Yankees well, but wish that the classless Steinbrenner family - Dad and boys, and their toady president Randy Levine would just simply go away and own some other team. When ANY person is a dignified, classy person, they deserve to be treated with the dignity and class that they always showed. The Yankee management sure as hell didn't do that.
Maybe a boycott of Yankee Stadium in its last year..........
Someone with another opinion (http://www.business-software.com/crm/crmbuzz/2007/10/22/what-every-sales-person-could-learn-from-the-yankees/#more-130) seems to think just the opposite. However, I'm with you on this one, Paul, and I'll even drag it back on topic: if the Yankees were truly concerned with their customers and their customers' experiences, Torre would be planning to don the pinstripes again come February. The problem is the management has expectations that are unrealistic and based on a faulty metric. You can't win every year. That actually would wreck the business ecosystem for the Yankees. The Braves' declining attendance even as they continued to win their division year after year is evidence of this. The Yankees' big problem may be that the experience their owner wants for himself and the experience their fans want are radically different.
Posted by: Chris Bucholtz | October 23, 2007 at 05:36 PM