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Dodgers manager Joe Torre is on Fox Business Network today talking with David Asman about, of all things, the Yankees he used to manage. Some highlights from FBN:
On Roger Clemens: “When I watched him testify and talk about it and knowing Rocket as I do, when he’s sitting there talking, he’s believing everything he says… that’s why he pitched to such a late age. He’s just so self-absorbed in what he does.”On whether he knew about steroid use going on when he managed the Yankees:
“I think we all had curiosity as to why certain people were hitting home runs, but I think I have to take the blame along with everybody else in baseball for not being proactive in this. My feeling is in my clubhouse I always felt that players were entitled to their privacy and I never really looked in anybody’s locker or looked to catch anybody, but I did walk around in the weight room and in the trainer’s room and I never saw any signs of anything going on that wasn’t normal.”
After the jump: Steinbrenner, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.
On his relationship with George Steinbrenner: “He’s going to reach in his pocket and spend the money and give you the opportunity to manage good ballplayers to see if you can manage it.”On the difference between managing Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez:
“I felt bad for Alex because Alex is such a talented player, and still is obviously, he just tired to be perfect all the time and I don’t think any of us can be perfect. He put a lot of pressure on himself. Manny is on the other side of the coin. Manny likes to have fun. The one thing about Manny that I don’t think many people know is that he’s a shy guy.”On if he has any regrets not being with the Yankees this year:
“No. I have friends there, obviously. Joe Girardi for one—he played for me then he coached for me. He’s a special young man. He’s a good manager now, but he’s going to get better.”
Torre's new book, out this spring, focuses on his years with the Yankees.