Torre To Step Down As Dodgers Manager; Mattingly Takes Over After Season
Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) – Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre has reportedly decided to step down from his post after the season, the team reported in a statement Friday.
A press conference is scheduled for 5p PT, and former Yankee great/Dodgers bench coach Don Mattingly will be named his replacement.
“It has been an incredible honor to wear the Dodger uniform and I will always carry with me some very special memories from the past three seasons,” Torre said in the Dodgers’ statement. “This was not a decision I took lightly but I believe it’s the right one for myself and my family and I’m truly thrilled that Donnie will be the one leading the Dodgers. It’s time that the Dodgers had a new voice and I have the utmost confidence in him. I know he’s ready for the challenge.”
Torre was ready to take over the Dodgers after falling out of favor in New York for the Yankees poor postseason showings in his latter years as skipper.
He enjoyed a remarkable run in New York, however, leading the Yankees to World Series titles in four of his first five years there.
Torre was unable to replicate his success in Hollywood, as the Dodgers won a pair of NL West titles but were knocked off by the Phillies twice in the NLCS.
This season, the team is in disarray due to mediocre play and the McCourt’s ownership/divorce drama being played out in court and in public.
Torre, 70, has reportedly been offered a position with the club, but is unlikely to accept to keep his options open and perhaps manage again.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti had praise for both Torre and Mattingly in the team statement.
Ned Colletti said this of Mattingly and Torre:
“Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with Don closely and have gotten to know him both personally and professionally and I’m convinced that he’s the right person to lead the Dodgers. His work ethic is unparalleled, his baseball knowledge is vast and his leadership skills have been established during more than three decades in professional baseball.
“Donnie has also learned alongside the best in the business. Joe Torre has been a great friend, a strong leader and an incredible presence for this organization and I cannot thank him enough for his service to the Dodgers. I respect his decision to step aside and I look forward to the day where I can watch him take his rightful place in Cooperstown among baseball’s legends.”
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