Torre, Cox, La Russa manage way into Hall

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, JULY 26-27 - FILE - In this Dec. 9, 2013 file photo, retired managers, from left, Tony La Russa, Joe Torre and Bobby Cox gather for a photo after it was announced that they were unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, at a news conference during MLB winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Induction ceremonies are Sunday, July 27, 2014, in Cooperstown, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)AP

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Joe Torre still needs a pinch or two, just to make sure.

"It's still sort of unbelievable," he said. "Cooperstown was always something way out there. OK, I know where it is. Doesn't mean I'm going there to visit, much less be inducted. I never had a goal of getting to the Hall of Fame."

That's exactly where he's headed today.


Torre, La Russa, and Cox were unanimously elected in December by the Hall's Expansion Era committee.

It was a tense time for Torre.

"I sort of was torn emotionally with the fact that Bobby and Tony were on the ballot," he said. "I remember having dinner with Tony the night before the announcement. Whoever gets in, if the other one doesn't get in, it's sort of going to feel unfair. Our three careers just really mirrored each other."

"When the three of us got in, I think it just made it that much sweeter. It was probably the first time we stopped lying to each other," he said.


"I always felt like Joe was the best at teaching a team the right way to win and lose," said La Russa, who compiled 2,728 wins in 33 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis, behind only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). "A loss, they never made excuses. Just got beat."

"But they won. They won a lot, and they never showed up the other side," La Russa said. "They never embarrassed you because they beat you, and I can't say the same for other teams and other managers."

While Torre excelled as a player -- in 1971 he won National League MVP honors with a signature season that included 230 hits and a .363 average, 97 runs, and 137 RBIs for the Cardinals -- he became something special in the New York Yankees' dugout. Despite mediocre stints managing the New York Mets, Atlanta and the Cardinals (five winning seasons in 15 years), Torre was hired by the Yankees prior to the 1996 season.

"That was a good sign for me, trust me," said Torre, the only man to amass more than 2,000 hits (2,342) as a player and win more than 2,000 games (2,326) as a manager, according to STATS.

The fiery Cox -- he was ejected a major league record 161 times -- guided the Braves to an unprecedented 14 straight division titles and 15 playoff appearances. Many of those wins came with Maddux and Glavine on the mound for him.


To be sure, induction day will be one to remember.

