Despite not having won a playoff series since 2004 or a World Series since 2000, the New York Yankees and their former manager Joe Torre have become a source of obsession for the mainstream media.
Torre has become a frequent interview subject in the wake of his new book entitled The Yankee Years. The book, released Tuesday, has been controversial in New York due to its less than flattering portrayal of certain players, in particular Alex Rodriguez.
The resulting firestorm has given the book a massive amount of publicity. Torre has made appearances on a variety of talk shows, from Larry King Live to Live with Regis & Kelly. Backstage at Regis & Kelly, Torre even had an impromptu interview with fellow guest, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric. Torre has also spoken to National Public Radio, New York-area personalities Mike Francesa and Chris Russo on their respective radio shows, and SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm.
Late Wednesday night, Torre will also appear on the Late Show with David Letterman. And Thursday, MLB Network will air a taped interview between Torre and Bob Costas for the first edition of Costas’ new show on the network.
With Torre garnering so much attention — and not just from the sports media but from CNN, NPR and to an extent CBS News as well — the question becomes whether people outside of New York really care about a book written by the former manager of a team that finished in third-place last season.
