NEW YORK -- Joe Torre will remain as manager of the New York Yankees, finally getting the word from owner George Steinbrenner after the team's surprise elimination from the playoffs last weekend.
Torre spoke with Steinbrenner on the telephone Tuesday, shortly before he walked into the interview room at Yankee Stadium and made the announcement.
"He gave me his support," Torre said. "I'm just pleased I'm able to stay on and do this."
The two also spoke on Monday.
"I talked to George yesterday for probably 15, 20 minutes, and we discussed a lot of things: the team, what we do from here and things like that," Torre said.
The Daily News had reported Sunday that Steinbrenner was ready to fire Torre after the Yankees were eliminated by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the AL playoffs. The paper said the likely replacement would be Lou Piniella, who served two terms as Yankees manager in the 1980s. Torre didn't make any public statements Sunday or Monday as camera crews camped outside his home in suburban Westchester.
"I thought I had the cure for cancer or something," Torre said.
While the Yankees won four World Series titles in Torre's first five seasons, they haven't won any since 2000, angering the demanding Steinbrenner.
"He requires a lot. He expects a lot. We know that," Torre said. "You can't pick and choose the parts you like about working for George Steinbrenner. You have to understand the whole package."
With 1,973 regular-season wins, Torre is 10th on the career list and third among active managers behind Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals (2,297) and Bobby Cox (2,171) of the Atlanta Braves.
Torre has the longest uninterrupted term for a Yankees manager since Casey Stengel held the job for 12 years from 1949-60. Under Torre, the Yankees have gone 1,079-699. He trails only Joe McCarthy (1,460) and Stengel (1,149) for victories among Yankees managers.
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Who will be next Yanks manager?
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