And as you read the excerpts, and fortunate to read the book, doubts about the Torre legacy in New York with the Yankees continues. The uncertainty about trust in the clubhouse also continues, though Torre is attributed to making statements in a third person narrative. Even the famous author, Edgar Alan Poe, wrote cryptic and mysterious words in third person.

If Torre should be criticized, rightly so, his comments as he says in a “historic book” should have waited when the days of baseball as a player and manager were over. Even if a $5 million dollar book deal was put on the table, Torre still has contract obligations with the Dodgers.

Not Yankee contract obligations, but every Yankee fan reading and listening is wondering. How much trust does Torre have with his players? Is his legacy of 12 postseason years in the Bronx, four world championships, six American League pennants and 10 division titles tarnished?

That is a matter of opinion and discussion as to the damages Torre leaves, even after collecting the expected record number of receipts from book sales.  What goes on in that clubhouse stays there and at least, that was always the theory. Then Torre recounts to Verducci some of the things that should never leave the sanctuary of the clubhouse.

In the years that Torre managed in the Bronx there was always that trust.  With the media it was a pleasant chat before a game in the dugout, and always receptive to the last member of the media that left his office, even that last season of 2007 that is well documented in the book.

We never saw Torre avoid the issues, the on and off rumors about job security as the new regime of Steinbrenner ownership took control. It was that last season in the Bronx, the contract and motivation issue that tempted the future Hall of Fame manager to write. It’s called “getting it off” your chest,” or to vent, like so many of the great literary scribes of the past.

Except this is Joe Torre. A major part of New York Yankees baseball history had plenty of talking to do last week. Plenty of damage control that still needs to be done because retiring number 6 at the new Yankee Stadium, or having a day in the Bronx in his honor, most likely that day will have to wait or never happen.

From this vantage point there was never any animosity seen in that Yankees clubhouse. It seemed in the good and bad days that respect for the manager was always there. But when that clubhouse door was closed, we never knew what type of motivation factor Torre had, especially that last season of 2007, when his Yankees had a great September and headed to another postseason.

Read the lines and determine for yourself. How Torre cared for his players, wondered what the next move would be with the news superstar, Alex Rodriguez, and now this week the bombshell about A-Rod and steroids that Torre never mentions. Though you read and speculate how contentious an A-Rod became in the Torre clubhouse.

Read the book before passing judgment. It’s the best we can do for Joe Torre because he proudly wore those pinstripes for 12 years and restored pride to the Yankees organization.