The New York Times Ortiz Says Losing Torre Would Hurt Yankees By JACK CURRY Published: October 12, 2007 BOSTON, Oct. 11 — As Joe Torre’s future as the manager of the Yankees remained unresolved, the latest player to express support for him did so from enemy territory. David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox praised Torre, called him a crucial figure on the Yankees, and said they would suffer if they did not bring him back. “This is the way I see it,” Ortiz said. “Every organization is like the human body. You have a head that, if you mess around with it, everything just goes down at the same time. I think Joe Torre is the head of that organization right there.” Ortiz recalled how the Yankees started the season with a 21-29 record and said that Torre had provided “the magic of keeping those guys together” and guiding them into the postseason. The Yankees trailed the first-place Red Sox by 14 ½ games May 29, cut the deficit to one and a half games in late September and finished second in the American League East. “There’s no doubt about it, he’s one of the best managers in baseball,” Ortiz said. “It’s because the way they played the first two months, and going through injuries, and going through everybody apart, and end up being in the playoffs, you got to give him a lot of credit. You need to have a good head to keep the body together that way. And I think he did.” Ortiz is irked that the Yankees are not expected to make a decision on Torre until they hold organizational meetings in Tampa, Fla. He said that the Yankees “need to give the man respect” in how they dealt with Torre’s future. Ortiz said that Torre, who has helped lead the Yankees into the playoffs for 12 consecutive years, might have done his best job this season because he prevented the Yankees from “falling apart.” With or without Torre, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will continue. But if Torre is gone, Ortiz said, that will favor Boston. “I tell you what, if he doesn’t come back to the Yankees, they’re going to feel that next year somewhere,” Ortiz said. “I’m telling you that right now. The guy, he knows what he’s doing. To tell you the truth, he plays to win.” --

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