Joe Torre

Who are your favorite New Yorkers?
Joe Torre: Hmm... Mayor Bloomberg is probably at the top of the list for me. He and, well I became close with both him and Rudy [Giuliani] in New York. I think Mayor Bloomberg has done a great job, and he’s become a good friend both to me and to my foundation, which is important to me. Every time I pick up the phone I can get him, which is unusual for someone who’s as busy as he is.

Do you think there’s a mayoral bias toward the Yankees over the Mets?
Joe Torre: Well, actually, Mayor Bloomberg’s a Red Sox fan. Or, he was—he’s from the Boston area. But he’s not the [Yankees] fan that Rudy is, that’s for sure.

In the past 13 years, what would you say is the biggest thing that’s happened to New York?
Joe Torre: Obviously, 9/11. It was such a devastating time. I was in New York at the time preparing for a ball game, and the whole world stopped. My daughter was five years old, and it was very frightening. That’s something that will never go away in my mind.

Besides 9/11, is there a cultural event or a trend that you think has really affected the city?
Joe Torre: I’ll tell you, Katharine, for me it’s when we won the World Series in ’96. You know, when people think about New York, they talk about how enormously intimidating the city is, but when we won in ’96, I came to find out, even though I was born and raised in Brooklyn, what a small town it is. Even people who weren’t baseball fans got really excited about what was going on. You know, being someone from New York and being a part of this thing was huge for me. It’s a little selfish to think that way, but I think the city got caught up in what was going on. And then we went on a little run and won a few more World Series, but the one in ’96.…

What is your favorite place or thing in New York?
Joe Torre: The people are so wonderful and the restaurants are outrageous. You can’t go wrong with restaurants in New York City.

Any particular favorites?
Joe Torre: There are a couple. There’s a restaurant, Filli Ponte, where I had my wedding reception back in ’87, down in lower Manhattan. My dear friend Joe Ponte owns it, so that was always a special hangout for me. In recent years I’d been living in Westchester, and Elio’s had been a favorite hangout of my wife’s and mine.

So…are you at all partial toward any particular type of food?
Joe Torre: [Laughs] Italian food, obviously. Believe it or not I’m kind of on a restricted diet. Since my cancer in ’99, I’ve tried to behave myself and go low-fat, so I do what I can to stay within those ground rules. The reason I like to frequent the same restaurants is because they know my habits. So, you know, I go from being high maintenance to “Oh, here he comes again.”

What’s your favorite personal moment in New York. Where were you and what was happening?
Joe Torre: Winning the ’96 World Series. Having gone through my whole career—from the time I started playing professional baseball at 19 years old to 1996 when I was 56 years old—and to have that be the first time I was ever involved in a World Series, and winning it in my hometown, was probably the one special moment in my lifetime that sticks out to me.

What’s the future of New York? What are your hopes for the city, and what do you think needs to happen?
Joe Torre: The city to me is a mecca. It’s an exciting place, even though it is very expensive. I remember—what was it, 30 years ago?—when it came close to a lot of businesses moving out of New York. But between Mayor Giuliani and Mayor Bloomberg, a lot has already changed. People used to be scared about coming to New York because they felt unsafe. I think they solved that problem, and that’s exciting. You know, my favorite thing to do in New York is Broadway. To me, there’s nothing better than spending a weekend in the city, enjoying the restaurants and going to see a Broadway show. And at Christmastime, enjoying Rockefeller Center—I still get a little mushy over that stuff.

If you could have a drink with one of the following people, whom would it be: Patti LuPone, Spider-Man, Jay-Z, Derek Jeter, Tina Fey, David Remnick.
Joe Torre: Well, I would say Derek Jeter, but I have a feeling that if I had a drink with him he’d make me pick up the check. I think Patti LuPone, just because of my interest in Broadway and knowing she had what, 30 years between Tony Awards? She did Evita and now recently she did Gypsy. I think that’s pretty cool.

Have you seen Gypsy yet?
Joe Torre: Now that I’ve relocated, I have not. My wife and daughter went to see it, and they said her performance is amazing.

What do you miss most about New York?
Joe Torre: Oh, I think the arts. They have plenty to do out here in L.A., but I miss Broadway. And the neighborhoods—you miss all the ethnic neighborhoods when you come out here—and the delis and the other different little things that still seem to exist in New York. I really like that about the city. You know, aside from friends and family.

What does Time Out mean to you?
Joe Torre: Time out? Well, it’s part of my function as a baseball manager, but that’s not what it means to me. I’d say time out means taking time to really appreciate and think about things that are special to you. You know, you sit back and reminisce from time to time—I sort of indulge in that. Time out gives you a chance to look around and enjoy your surroundings.

Complete the sentence: New York is…
Joe Torre: New York is the center of the universe.

So, Jets or Giants?
Joe Torre: Giants. I have a good friend in Bill Belichick, I was still tickled for the city when the Giants beat the Patriots last year.

Yeah, I think the city imploded.
Joe Torre: And you know what’s interesting? People are so intimidated by the city, but when something like that happens, or unfortunately, when a tragedy happens, people really, really show up. I was a part of a couple of blackouts in New York. What most folks may think would scare you actually renewed your faith in people when you saw how they care so much about one another.

Which was the better blackout?
Joe Torre: Probably the first one. I was stuck in the city with my brother Frank, so I got to spend the night in his apartment. I was a lot younger in 1968, and it was…a little more of a fun time.

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