Below The Beltway

Joe Torre just earned a hell of a lot more respect from me.

He told Steinbrenner to take his job and shove it:

The Yankees offered Manager Joe Torre a one-year deal with a base salary of $5 million and the chance to make another $3 million in performance bonuses. But after 12 years and 12 postseason appearances (including four World Series titles), Torre turned it down.

“We respect his decision. We appreciate everything he’s done. But it is now time for the New York Yankees to move forward, and we will be doing it very quickly,” team President Randy Levine said.

General Manager Brian Cashman said that Torre’s successor has not been named, nor have potential candidates been formally identified. “I can promise you that the process is going to take some time,” Cashman said. “I ask for everyone’s patience as we review the individuals and make recommendations to ownership.”

Under the deal he was offered, Torre would have received a $1 million bonus for reaching the playoffs, another $1 million for reaching the American League Championship Series and $1 million if the team made the World Series. If he did lead the Yankees to the World Series in 2008, there would have been an $8 million option for the 2009 season.o

Good for you Joe.

Update: As Peter Abraham notes, the deal the Yankees offered was an insult to Torre, especially considering how the season actually went and the way things have gone over the past week

If you look at the percentages, the Yankees offered Joe Torre a 33-percent pay cut today.

Forget the incentives. Those are based on factors largely out of his control. I’d like to think I’m fairly good at what I do. If The Journal News offered me a 33-percent pay cut, I’d walk.

I imagine most of you would do the same. Don’t look at the money, look at the percentages. Sure, $5 million is a lot of dough. But to a hedge-fund manager, it’s chump change. Money is always relative.

Keep in mind, the Yankees did not fail this season. They had the third-most wins in their sport and made the playoffs. They were dead men walking in June and nearly won the division.

(…)

They would have been better off just firing him. That you could respect. This? This was low rent.

Welcome to the Hank and Hal Era.

And, so far, the Hank & Hal Era is looking like Classic George circa 1979.