Joe Torre & Lou Piniella Officially call it Quits

In what morphed into their official retirement press conference, Joe Torre and Lou Piniella both paid their gratitude to George Steinbrenner Tuesday for playing a major role in their managing careers, which seem likely to earn them plaques in Cooperstown – and neither appeared too anxious to get on with the next phase of their baseball lives.

Torre and Piniella, along with Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox, were invited to the winter meetings by commissioner Bud Selig in a celebration of the four distinguished managers, though Cox did not attend, having left the meetings Monday due to his wife’s illness. Cox and Gaston had previously announced their retirements as managers of the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, but Piniella, who left the Cubs on Aug. 22 to tend to his ailing mother in Tampa, and Torre, who turned the Dodgers’ reins over to Don Mattingly at the end of the season, had never officially said this was it before Tuesday.

“I just looked at it as somebody younger should be doing this stuff,” Torre said. “All four of us had to make this decision on our own and we were fortunate because in this game someone else makes it for you.”

Torre said he wasn’t sure about his next job, other than he wanted to stay in the game. He has been offered a position as an assistant to Dodger GM Ned Colletti and talked about a return to broadcasting. According to a source, Selig has made overtures to Torre about a job in the commissioner’s office.

“I’m in no hurry,” said Torre, who is said to have reservations about going back to the Dodgers because of their unsettled ownership situation.

“I’m done – it was long enough,” Piniella said when asked if he could be lured back to managing. “I’m gonna have to go somewhere on Feb. 14 (opening of spring training), but I don’t know where. I played until I was 41 and, after I quit, not one day did I want to go back and swing a bat. Right now I’m enjoying doing nothing.”

It’s believed, however, Piniella has a standing invitation from Hank Steinbrenner to come back into the Yankee family as an adviser.

TRACY COLLAPSES
Rockies manager Jim Tracy was said to be resting comfortably at his home in Bradenton, Fla., Tuesday after collapsing at 1 a.m. at the winter meetings and being rushed to a hospital. Tracy, who takes medication for high blood pressure, was said to have a mild heart arrhythmia. … The Phillies hoped to sign Jeff Francoeur as a platoon right fielder with rookie Domonic Brown, but are concerned the ex-Met may opt to go to Kansas City, where he would play more. … A’s GM Billy Beane, who’s had his problems luring free agents to Oakland, is now zeroing in on Hideki Matsui. Beane was spurned by Lance Berkman, withdrew his six-year, $64 million-plus offer to third baseman Adrian Beltre and failed to reach agreement with Japanese League pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma. Berkman opted for a one-year, $8 million deal with the Cardinals after Beane offered two years, $16 million. … Rockies signed Ty Wigginton, who had 22 homers and 76 RBI last season, to a two-year, $7.5 million contract to replace Melvin Mora at third. … White Sox have apparently hit a snag in efforts to bring back popular first baseman Paul Konerko, despite his relationship with team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Tuesday, GM Ken Williams promised to have a first baseman before he left the meetings but indicated strongly it may not be Konerko, who finished fifth in the AL MVP voting and is also being pursued by the Orioles, Rangers and Diamondbacks. … Longtime Minnesota Twins local scout Herb Stein, who signed Rod Carew, Joe Foy and Gene Larkin, among others, died at 93 in Riverdale Monday night. Viewing is today at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, 2-4 p.m, and 7-9 p.m.

TOSSING BULL
Both the Rays’ Joe Maddon and Orioles’ Buck Showalter believe their teams can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox but not unless they can put together serviceable bullpens. “We need to attack our bullpen and get some guys with track records,” said Showalter. Added Maddon, whose bullpen was depleted by the free agency defections of closer Rafael Soriano and set-up men Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler: “We’ve got to put our bullpen back together again. If we do that, we’re back in the 90-win area because we’ve got the starting pitching and the defense.”

It would thus appear that there will be a premium on relief pitchers as evidenced by the two-year, $10 million deal the Diamondbacks gave J.J. Putz Tuesday.

Bill Madden