I am very sick about the Yankees handling of Joe Torre. I will not be watching them next year like I did in 2007. It is time to fire the Steinbrenners.

As a long time yankee fan born and living in the South I have always had to defend the "evil empire" Never have I been at a loss for words in defending it, until today. The way Joe has been treated by mangement is a disgrace! This man has brought balance and class to an this franchise for 12 years! I venture to guess no one else could have done this. 12 consecutive playoff spots, 4 rings and this is how they treat him. It's a sad day in Yankee land and I am very sad. This is the first time that I don't much like the Yankee's. I still love the players but let me ask you this where is Bernie? How they treated him should have been an introduction into how Joe was going to be pushed out. Shame on them! I keep hoping that either I will wake up from this nightmare or by the grace of God they will beg Joe to come back and treat him like the class act he has been for this storied franchise.

I am a New York baseball fan. My team is the N.Y. Mets. It is obvious to me the character and class associated with the N.Y. Yankees rested with Joe Torre. The behavior of Mr. Steinbrenner and his sons over the past two weeks is testament to who the real class act is. All the money in the world won't bring that to the Steinbrenners. Perhaps the question the PTBs should have been asking is: If we don't bring Joe back who out there has his qualifications? Answer: no one. As a baseball fan some people rise above rivalry and team pride -- they become icons. What Joe Torre has done as manager in New York will never be done again. As a Met fan -- I am sorry to see him go. I hope a situation presents itself for him to say good-bye to the many Yankee fans who have celebrated for over a decade because what he has done for their team. That's one Met fan's opinion.

The way this was handled is an ominous sign for the organization. Politically correct commitees don't work. They need a professional baseball man who can make decisive decisions. Unfortunately, this is not the path they are on.

As a die-hard yankee fan I am sad to see this day come. As yankee fans we have to realize who our owner STILL is. Has George ever handled a firing, or letting go, of a manager/player well? NO!! We the fans have been spoiled with an unbelivable manager for the past 12 seasons. The "old" George would have fired Torre after blowing the three-game series in 2004. George is still George and with him still breathing, tough situations such as this, will be handled in an unpopular fashion. With that being said, it's time to say goodbye to Joe Torre. I hope the animosity will diminish and Torre will, still in some way, be a part of the Yankees. I wouldn't ask any other person to throw out the first pitch in the new Yankee stadium than Joe Torre.

Who will be managing the Yankees in 2008? I personally think Joe Girardi would be the best fit for many reasons. I still find it hard to believe that Hank/Hal will be choosing who manages the Yankees next season. Does George go with the favorite of Don Mattingly or does he pluck a wild card and go with an unfamiliar face with a sub-par record like he did 12 years ago with some guy from Brooklyn named Joe Torre.

It pains me to defend George Steinbrenner, the New York Yankees' abrasive owner.

Especially as a Mets fan.

But the avalanche of negative press regarding his treatment of his manager, Joe Torre, has done what I once thought was impossible: Turned the big blowhard whom Larry David famously ridiculed in "Seinfeld" episodes into a sympathetic figure.

And the media hit a new low this past week when - sheez, how shocking - The New York Post printed a cover photograph that made Steinbrenner look like Charles Foster Kane muttering "Rosebud" under his breath.

This is a man who, if we are to believe other press reports, is suffering from some form of diminished mental capacity. The "Boss Fog" headline is a typical tabloid media labeling of mental disorders that trivializes - and even ridicules - their meaning.

But the lack of sympathy isn't the only reason why the press is failing, once again, to present a fair representation of potential mental disorders. Even if Steinbrenner is suffering from dementia, it doesn't mean he's incapable of making decisions that make sense.

If we are to assume that firing Joe Torre is nothing more than the product of a demented decision-making process, then we probably can assume that anyone suffering from some form of mental disorder is potentially incapable of making good decisions.

The interesting thing about this situation is that firing Joe Torre probably does make sense. We're talking about a team with a payroll that exceeds $200 million, by far the biggest in baseball. But the Yankees haven't won a World Series in seven years, and haven't advance past the first round in three years - despite having the most talented team in the major leagues.

I love Joe Torre - in fact, I wish he was still managing the Mets. I've always told people that he was one of the best managers the Mets ever had. He managed from 1977 to 1981, and despite presiding over one of the worst teams in baseball history - particularly in 1979 - he never lost 100 games.

But managers have a shelf-life. Eventually, their style and their strategies get old. It happened to Casey Stengel, who was fired after the 1960 season. In 1961, the Yankees won 109 games and won the World Series.

The "fog" that hangs over the Yankees has been lifted. It's time for Torre to go. The boss is right, for once.