Read the opposing arguments from Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.
Baseball fans today are living during a special era, one in which they are privy to witnessing three of the greatest managers that have ever lived: Bobby Cox, Tony LaRussa, and Joe Torre. All three of these managers are living legends. Together they are a triumvirate of baseball greatness, collectively accumulating 7,211 wins, 16 pennants and seven World Series titles.
Today’s debate attempts to answer a difficult question, which one of these living legends is the greatest manager? Each man provides a unique coaching style and each has accomplished more than most managers dream, which makes the question extremely hard for most people. But then again, I (Babe Ruthless) am not like most people. Looking at the statistics it is undeniable that one of these managers’ star shines brighter than the rest – Mr. Torre.
Admittedly Joe Torre trails Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa in wins, but wins do not necessarily translate into World Series trophies. In terms of championships, Torre is no doubt superior to Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa. Torre has managed his way to four World Series championships, one in 1996 and a three-peat from 1998 through 2000. A three-peat for crying out loud! Who does that!? Winning back-to-back World Series is a feat very few ever accomplish, but managing a team to back-to-back-to-back championships is ridiculously impressive. During his managerial career Joe Torre has accumulated twice the World Series hardware that LaRussa has and four times more than Bobby Cox. Which is all the more impressive considering two of Torre’s four titles were won against Atlanta Braves teams managed by Bobby Cox. Torre’s Yanks bested the Bravos four games to two in 1996, then swept them outright in 1999. Although none of Torre’s World Series teams have contended against LaRussa’s Cardinals, he asserted his managerial dominance against the Red Birds in the 2009 National League Divisional Series. Just about anyway you cut it, Joe Torre is a winner… and his World Series victories leave no doubt about who is the best manager.
It should also be noted that most of Torre’s accomplishments as a manager were achieved in one of the most challenging sports markets in the world – New York City. Each year the Yankees set out to win the World Series, and any year they do not is considered a failure. That is an incredible amount of pressure. Add to that the fact that his every move was scrutinized under the microscope of the New York media, and that he had to please the hardest boss to work for in sports, George Steinbrenner, and we are talking about a job that makes air traffic controllers say, “Now that sounds stressful!” Seriously, Steinbrenner changed managers 20 times in 23 seasons. For Joe Torre to have stayed in the Bronx as long as he did is an incredible feat.
Cox and LaRussa are excellent managers. Of the three, each has their claim to fame. LaRussa has the most wins of the three with 2,552 wins (third all time). Cox has the highest overall winning percentage .556 spread across 28 seasons. (He also deserves a tip of the cap for owning the most career ejections.) But, do either of those factors compare with Torre’s claim – winning four World Series championships? No. The World Series is the reason we even have a regular season. Think about how those athletes put up seemingly unbelievable, or even record breaking, individual performances in playoff losses. The quality athletes will usually admit that they would gladly trade their individual accomplishments in order to keep their teams championship hopes alive. Why? Because the championship is what truly matters. Joe Torre has been able to bring his team more championships than Cox and LaRussa combined. That sets him apart as the greatest manager in the game today.
Posted by Babe Ruthless 
