CHICAGO (AP) " Joe Torre is enjoying life with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That doesn't mean he plans to manage much longer.
Torre spent some time discussing his future Saturday before his team's 7-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The 68-year-old manager is in the second season of a three-year contract with the Dodgers, who have the best record in the majors at 34-17.
"I've got another year, but beyond that I'm not sure," Torre said. "Well, next year is always in question. You hope you still continue to feel as energized as you do now."
Torre managed the New York Yankees from 1996-07, guiding them to four World Series titles, six AL pennants and 12 playoff appearances. After a bitter split with the team, he was soon hired to manage the Dodgers. But during that brief period of unemployment, he wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
"I was wondering if the managing had just gotten to the point where the stress was outweighing the enjoyment," Torre said. "The Dodgers were the first reason that I decided to come here ... another big part was that I was curious if this managing stuff could be fun or if I was just too old " and it's been fun."
Torre credited his coaching staff, particularly Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa, along with Dodgers players for helping him thoroughly enjoy his experience in Los Angeles. However, Torre isn't ready to commit to anything beyond next season, when his contract expires.
"Yeah, I'm enjoying it. Not to say that I'm thinking about doing this for 10 years, no. I have family, too," he said. "I have another year left after this. There are still some days you don't want to pack and go on a road trip. The ballpark is the best part for me. I still enjoy the baseball aspect of it. The energy is terrific and I feel good about it. It's all about the players and how they respond to you. The players have been great. This group of guys has been terrific."
Although Torre is now on the other side of the country, he still follows the Yankees and watches many of their games.
"It's not pain. I look at it and I care about people and I stay in touch with people over there," Torre said. "When you're in California, you get to the ballpark and you turn on the game. It's 4 o'clock out there so it's 7 o'clock somewhere where they're playing. So I see a lot of their games. And yeah, I watch them with interest because I've been with a lot of those guys for a good period of time."
Torre is rooting for Yankees manager Joe Girardi to do well.
"I have to pull for them," Torre said. "People think because you leave the Yankees and supposedly you're unhappy with each other that you're supposed to pull against them. But I can't pull against the individuals over there, least of all Girardi who played for me, coached for me " I recommended him when he had his first managing job.
"This kid is going to be one of the top managers. This I know is a dream job for him and I'm glad things are getting better for him. I don't care how young you are, it still takes a little starch off of you."