Joe Torre

In case you were wondering, yes, Joe Torre and New York Yankees All-Star Alex Rodriguez finally got around to saying hi to each other. Rodriguez walked to the back of the batting cage before the game to greet his former manager, who playfully backed up, holding up his hands when seeing him. Rodriguez paused awkwardly for a second, but laughed and playfully threw a couple of fake body punches at Torre when he realized he was joking....

California Angels broadcaster Joe Torre was named manager of the St. Louis Cardinals today, returning to a role he had with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets and to a city where he was an All-Star. Torre, a former Cardinal who has been with the Angels for the past five years as a broadcaster, said he was excited about being back on the field after being out of the game for more than five years.

With the Atlanta Braves coming off their second worst season in 42 years, the last man to lead the team to a pennant is spending the spring playing golf in California and wondering if he'll ever manage a baseball team again. Joe Torre, in his three years as manager of the Braves, compiled a record of 257-229, finishing first in the National League West in 1982 and second in '83 and '84.

Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp might be the best player in baseball, former manager Joe Torre said Tuesday. Torre, who attended the Dodgers home opener as a representative of the commissioner's office, added this qualifier: "Because of his age. " Of Angels first baseman Albert Pujols , Torre said, "We know what Albert is all about, but Albert's a little older. So I think, age being considered, you would have to put [Kemp] in that category. It's tough to say there's one guy that belongs in that category, but he's certainly one of them because he's a game changer.

Dodgers Manager Joe Torre has spent nearly half a century in the major leagues, but had never seen what he saw Wednesday night: an umpire signaling that a ball was caught, only to change his mind. The play in question occurred with two outs and the bases loaded in the fourth inning when Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aaron Harang was initially ruled by first base umpire Tim McClelland to have lined out to right fielder Andre Ethier . But Reds Manager Dusty Baker protested the call, resulting in a consultation among the four umpires, who determined that Ethier had trapped the ball.

Joe Torre was back at Dodger Stadium to see the guys in blue. The umpires, that is. "That's really the team that I root for now," Torre said Sunday morning outside the Dodgers' clubhouse. The former Dodgers manager who now serves as Major League Baseball's vice president of baseball operations said he wanted umpires to feel as much a part of the game as players and vowed to do everything he could to support them. "We've pretty much isolated umpires from being a part of this game because they're always out there and easy to criticize, and I just didn't think that was right," Torre said.

I consider Joe Torre a good friend. I'd have fired the guy Tuesday. New York newspaper quotes and radio snippets made it sound as if Torre was there a day earlier soliciting the job as Mets' manager. Isn't he still the Dodgers manager? The Dodgers aren't good enough for him? What does that say to Dodgers fans? "If Frank McCourt was more engaged as owner these days… " I told Torre, but he interrupted.

Who'd have ever thought it, a New York Yankees team we could like? But upon leaving Yankee Stadium, where the Yankees won the World Series for the first time in 18 years, all was well. Passers-by waved from automobiles and shouted their happiness. We decided to take the subway downtown. Amazing thing, we were on the No. 4 train leaving the 161st Street station. And the train was filled with kind and gentle folks, each and every one mellow and smiling. All of which prompts a question.

October of 1996 now feels like June of 1994, when the Rangers took the town and would not let it go. It has not been 44 years since the Yankees last won a World Series. It just feels that long in New York sometimes just because of all the history here, not to mention all the Steinbrenner. Two years ago, a hockey coach named Mike Keenan walked into one of the big New York jobs and delivered a Stanley Cup in his first shot. Now Joe Torre tries to do the same thing, in the biggest New York job.