Joe Torre's Baseball Hall of Fame Speech - July 27, 2014

thank you so much Johnny Bench told me I have two minutes Mark these words Greg Maddox has no pulse the man has no pulse look how excited he is I can't tell you how proud I am when we we when we got the call well when I got the call on December 9th uh and again Jane I'm sorry I hung up on you uh and then Jane Clark called back and told me I was elected unanimously to the Hall of Fame and I said who else and she wouldn't tell me so we got dressed quickly my wife Ally and I we went downstairs I walked into the room with the expansion era committee and I see Bobby Cox I said good and then I hear the door door open behind me and it's Tony larusa and it was just perfect you know our careers just mirrored each others and it would have been I think an injustice if if we didn't enjoy this together Tommy Greg and Frank I don't know what I can tell you pretty special amazing you admire even though you manage and and you face players and you face pictures that even though you don't want them to do well you admire you you admire the way they do it and to me that's doing things the right way Eric Roger and Joe garagiola congratulations on your honors I want to I want to thank everyone connected with the Hall of Fame Jane Jeff Brad Whitney it was been a marvelous weekend nerve-wracking you know managing was nothing like this and a lot of these guys back there kept me out of the Hall of Fame as a player I can tell you that try hitting against those guys you know I I'm here might as well cut to the chase I'm here because of the New York [Music] Yankees however in order as Timmy said to be ready you you had to make stops along the way you had to fail along the way played with the Braves what an education playing with Hank Aaron for eight years still gives me goosebumps and getting over going over to the Cardinals and becoming teammates with Gibson Brock Carlton Tim maccor and playing for a manager who probably made the biggest impact on what I did as a manager red Shane de but there was a man who probably educated me more in the nuances of baseball every aspect of the game and his name was George Kell George was a father figure to me when I was a player and then when I went back as a manager some years later I treasured Every Spring training game because he would sit next to me and the last thing he would say look out there and count to nine and you'd count to nine positions just to make sure everybody was playing where you expected them to play going over to the Mets got a chance to play with Hall of Famer Tom sver what a [Applause] man I was with the Mets a couple of years before I became manager and then once I became manager on May 31st 1977 my first bit of Duty was to trade Tom sver two weeks later which wasn't aot a whole lot of fun and the last time he pitched me I don't know if you're remember Tommy he he pitched in Houston and when I went out to take him out of the game he patted me on the rear end um I did have one accomplishment when I was with the Mets as a player I and again you can't go through life alone and certainly in baseball you you need all the help you can get well on on July 21st I hit into four double plays in one game and I just want to make sure I share the credit because I could not have done it unless Felix meon had hit four singles right in front of me in 1977 I became manager I want to thank the New York Mets for at the age of 36 for trusting me with their ball Club M Donald Grand chairman of the board uh it was a great opportunity for me you talk about learning as I said we had to make some trades couple of weeks after I took the job and there was a lot of learning young players uh but great great experience great experience the one thing you learn as a player you know you can you can see all the the authorities who tell you who's supposed to win and who isn't supposed to win but if you become a manager you're doing yourself an injustice unless you make yourself believe that the team on the field is the best one you going to see that's the way that's the only way you're going to be able to communicate with players from the Mets went to the Braves enjoyed my first postseason in 1982 working for Ted Turner and a man named Bill Bartholome who Still Remains a dear friend I remember asking Ted because my wife Ally and I were just getting to know each other and and starting uh a courtship I guess you can say in the old days and I asked Ted about give me an advance on my salary so I could buy a house told me to rent so after three years of it was obviously no surprise that I was gone from there too had a great experience working for Gene Ary with the California Angels at the time worked there six years as a broadcaster that's where I got to meet Tony and got to admire things that other managers did Sparky Anderson and Tony and uh again you learn every every step of the way then a guy named D Maxville got me back in the game he was the general manager of the St Louis Cardinals Whitey was stepping down and he wanted to get a manager and I had the opportunity I was with the Cardinals almost five years and I got fired for the third time and the interesting part after I got fired from this from the Braves I was very depressed because I had been fired by the by the Mets and then fired by the Braves my wife Ally said to me how do how do you want to be remembered what you know what what are your thoughts on this and I said someone who never realized their goal I was feeling sorry for myself obviously all of a sudden she slapped me in the reality by saying what are you dead and then the opportunity came after the Cardinals and I want to tell you kids I got fired three times that's in the category of failure the only way you're going to get learn the only the only way you're going to learn the only way you're going to get better is to experience setbacks and just get yourself up dust yourself off and move on and learn from it learn from it got a call from Jean stick Michael stepping down as general manager of the New York Yankees and he was interviewing me to become general manager offered me the job Ally was pregnant with our daughter Andrea and I said is there vacation time and they said no not working for George so I said thank you but maybe next time then I get a call from a dear friend Arthur Richmond about a month or so later to say do you want to go on the short list for managers that's going to replace Buck schalter I said you bet and then the call came from George steinner says you're my man well I know George's history and I know my brother Frank says you're crazy but I knew if I was ever going to find out if I could do this stuff this was going to be my best opportunity our general manager hired the same year Bob Watson who's here with us today work with Bob for a couple of years then Brian Cashman who's here also today as I say it's it's a team effort all the way through and the interesting part in managing the Yankees that really never came to mind but when I was a teenager and my brother Frank was in the World Series in 57 and 58 against the Yankees the Braves winning in 57 Yankees in 58 little did I know that the next two the next time these two teams would meet in the World Series I'd be managing the Yankees and I have to just relive some of the the Thrills if you don't mind bearing with me here 1996 Bobby's Braves had us two games to none David Co may have been the best decision I made my managerial life as picking David con who has ice water in his veins as game three starter he went out there and stopped the bleeding we won the game then of course there was game four that three-run Homer then a huge walk by Wade bogs and John Wetland closed the door game five Andy petted who got roughed up in his first game who I didn't know until later on when I decided to have him hit for himself in the top of the night Andy's wife Laura was sitting next to my wife saying what's he doing we win the game one- nothing and Paul O'Neal who I almost didn't start that game was playing on one leg just about makes a running catch in the Gap in right center field Wetland closed that one too and then game six of course game six was interesting because my brother Frank which has been well publicized he was waiting for a heart transplant and I get a call at 5:00 in the morning that they found a heart form so on the off day between games five and six he got his heart transplant it was quite an emotional roller coaster ride for us well game six it was Jimmy key against Greg Maddox Gerard's triple against his former teammate Wetland sealing the deal for MVP in the World Series there was my world series Ally said let's go let's go get that FL flower farm in Hawaii I said let's see if we can do it again 1998 Tino's Grand Slam set the tone game one Scott broches hit key home runs won the MVP 1999 and the reason I'm I'm I'm going down and mentioning names is you know players have ability but what gets you over the top is the character of those players 1999 Paul O'Neal playing right field for me on the day that his dad passed away in game four game uh the 2000 World Series against the Mets Paul O'Neal walk in the ninth inning the B the at bat seemed like it took 20 minutes we were down by a run tied the game in the ninth in the 12th inning Vis Ceno a huge base hit Mo gave us two innings by the way game four Jeter leads off first pitch hits a home run Cony comes out of the bullpen to get Mike Patza who had hit a two-run homer earlier in the game Mo went two what's new and then in game five Bernie and Jeter both hit homers and while I've got Bernie on my tongue here I've got to tell you a story Bernie Williams was a special player he didn't know he was a leader he didn't know that people looked to him one day in spring training he's got this impacted wisdom tooth that needed to come out so he comes into my office and tells me you have a dentist appointment okay why don't you just lay on the couch and then when they come to take you to the dentist appointment you know then then you go but why don't you lay down stays there for a while I go out in the field I come back again he's still there now he's going to get his ride to the dentist office and he's he's leaving and I try to lighten the mood cuz he was in a little pain I said Bernie you got to be careful I said people see you laying on my couch and hanging around they're going to think you're my favorite and he says they already know that um Louis Soho with the big base hit that that wins the World Series for us and and then it was 9911 911 it was unbelievable I think obviously we were we were knocked on our heels and it was such an emotional time for us for everybody but when that happened baseball was the last thing we were thinking about it was our loved ones and we you know did our part the Mets did their part but we just felt there was so much motivation for us when we opened our when we opened the uh playing again after after 911 I remember telling our players that the NY on our hat represents more than the Yankees it was just an emotional ride and Oakland we lose the first two games lose the first two games to Oakland at home in a best of five and I don't know if anybody remembers this game but Mike massina pitched game three and was pitching a one- nothing shutout ball down the right field line Giambi on first Jeremy Giambi trying the score with two out Spencer throw overthrows both cut off men and who's there but Derek Jeter to flip the ball to Georgie bada for the tag of the the tag at the plate and yes we do practice that play there are people today who don't believe that in that World Series we got beat Twice first two games game three we come back and and and win game three in the World Series games four and five it was like you were watching Groundhog Day ninth inning we're down by two Tino hits a two-run homer tie it up Jeter hits a home run the first day of November to win that World Series game next night it's broches two run Homer down two in the ninth tie it up Sorano gets a base hit noblock scores then the last World Series which it looked doubtful we were going to get there 2003 we're losing by I think it was four runs to the the Boston Red Sox and Pedro and I remember Mel stmy comes in before the game he says we got MSA but I told him he he'd start an inning I said okay well Clemens was getting beat up a little bit and I told him to get him up to to warm up and I bring him in with the bases loaded and nobody out gets a pop up and a double play and pitches three three innings for us a real Gem and we go on and win with Aaron Boon's home run and oh yeah Mariano Rivera pitched three Innings I tell you I've I've always been a Sinatra fan but after 12 years with mariana rivera Metallica sounds pretty good to [Applause] me it's it's been a wonderful ride we we've had great players but great people you know Hadi Matsui comes on board and he he's hit 50 home runs a year every year in um in Japan first thing Zimmer ask me ask him if he can hit and run so through an interpreter I did that and he says anytime you want that's the unselfishness that we've had and by the way keep a couple of seats warm for the couple of these guys coming in here in a next few years Yogi Bearer Yogi Bearer told me when we won our first uh pennant and I was going to be in my first World Series he said Hey kid he says when you get introduced and go to that first Baseline it's going to be unlike any other feeling you've ever had he was right it was pretty amazing and again as Tony was talking about coaches you can't do this alone you need people who are really dedicated and I had a great bunch in fact three of them here today Willie Randol Jose card andell and Lee missil thank you for being here guys the two the two that couldn't make it Mel stle who's watching I know in Washington state I didn't know Mel very well but I admired what he did especially in his years with the Mets and did a magnificent job and then Don [Applause] Zimmer Don Zimmer you know a side from costing me a lot of money by introducing me to horse racing eight years sitting next to me he made me the manager that I turned into he he had more guts than I did and sort of got me off the conservative uh platform and I know he's watching us from a racetrack in the sky somewhere and I know his spirit is in my heart and again I'm here because of the fans the fans unbelievable and I've been around you know all through the country the fans have been great to me but the fans in New York I want to tell you you have turned New York City into a a small town for me thank you very much love you [Applause] too I want to thank baseball for the platform so that Ally and I could start our safe at home Foundation to help youngsters who have been affected by abuse it's funny when you when you've been around the game and people recognize your name they return your phone call so it's nice and again to commissioner Bud celik for allowing me to stay connected with this great game thanks bud my family my wife Ally and I guess I could say I love you but I think something that would tell her more than that was that my mom would have loved you she uh she was the rock she is the rock she's the backbone even though she still wants to have that flower farm she's been patient with me thank you babe my children Michael my daughter Christina couldn't be with us today Lauren and Andrea love you all and again I have to remember my mom whether it was coming home from school or coming home after a season of baseball she was there with open arms with all the love I needed and then my brother Rocco who was watching our double header in Cleveland in '96 when he passed away and my father-in-law Big Ed who welcomed me into this big clan that I'll be telling you about in a second Big Ed you're all watching from the best seat in the house I know that my brother Frank who was my role model it was tough love for a long time it really was but he was the happiest person in the world when I got that World Series ring he W he wasn't able to make it here today but I know he's watching from Palm Beach Gardens my mother-in-law Lucille thank you for being here she's sitting over in the Shaded area with my two sisters Ry and sister margarite great support great support even though my sisters just thought that we should bunt more and my my grandchildren Reed Kendra Dylan TSA thank you guys for being here and then of course the contingent from Cincinnati let's hear you they're all over the joint my wife has 15 siblings and they all said yes and they brought their family families I can't tell you how much love I fear I feel for these people and I feel from these people but probably the toughest thing they had to do was put down that Cincinnati red jersey and root for me but they were great love you thanks for making the trip here guys closing thoughts if you give me a moment today is a celebration of chasing your dreams and putting the team above yourself as my players did Tony Gwyn I was at Tony's Memorial and I watched them up on the screen and he he just said something that didn't Sur surprised me coming from him he said all I ever tried to do was play the game the right way no better message for our youngsters than that there is a power to both patience and persistence baseball is a game of life it's not perfect but it feels like it is that's the magic of it we are responsible for giving it the respect it deserves our sport is part part of the American soul and it's ours to borrow just for a while to take care of it for a time and then pass it on to the next Generation when I say us I mean as managers as players if all of us who love baseball are doing our jobs then those who get the game from us will be as proud to be a part of it as we were and we are this game is a gift and I am humbled very humbled to accept its greatest honor thank you very much