 Because we welcome in the CBO the Chief Baseball Officer for Major League Baseball former Yankee Manager Paula Famer Joe Torrey Good to have you with us. I'm speaking of old-school Vegas. I got a thing so a Zimmer in there. I Was thinking I looked at that I'm thinking you got to be like a Sinatra D Martin Rat Pack guy, right? Yeah, I loved them Are you kidding me? Yeah, very much so and I was fortunate enough to to see Sinatra many times and also Elvis Presley in here in Vegas many times, which was pretty cool All right, so let's talk news of the day or past day and a half You're part of the today's game era committee yesterday voting in Harold Baines and Lee Smith to Hall of Fame But George Steinbrenner did not get the necessary votes. Can you take us behind the thought process in that room? Well, it you know Everybody has an opinion and you know, we have I guess it was what 16 voters and It everybody pretty much has something to say about every one of the candidates and It's just something nice It's my first experience in a committee and I found it fascinating and you know You're in there for a long time And it doesn't even feel like it because you're you're talking about baseball and people who have been around baseball but I think it was more about that the two that got voted in and of course You know Lou Pinella came very close But Harold Baines, you know a lot of people just talked about his you know service and and and the type type of hitter he was and the clutch player he was and In regards to Lee Smith who close to 500 saves, which is pretty impressive in fact when he retired He he was leading everybody in saves And I guess that may have been passed to so it was one of those things and I don't and we don't know who People vote for we only know who we vote for and everything is very confidential and You know, I I felt pretty pretty comfortable in that room So I know a couple of years ago when you got in the Hall of Fame You actually said you felt that George Steinbrenner is a Hall of Famer During those meetings. Can you give us any idea if you had the ability to? Offer your support for George Steinbrenner and save the reasons why you felt he belongs in Cooperstown Well, as I said Jack without getting you know, because I don't want to violate any confidentiality that we had there Was everybody really gives their take on on their feeling on all the candidates and I you know It's as far as I want to really take this one of the guys who did get in was Lee Smith And one of the guys who's on the ballot coming up is one of our favorites Mariana Rivera Talk to me a little bit about that way. Yeah, he's got a chance But you know what I always get on this guy because he's not gonna be a unanimous guy because of the sports writers There's gonna be somebody out there who's not gonna vote. Wait, how can you get my ballot will have my honor? So give me your thoughts on mo how about now You know the best there was they made me he made me a great manager You know I and especially you know my first year at the Yankees in 96 when He enabled me to manage for six innings only because he committed in the 7th and 8th and and It was the only tough time he had and Michael I know you're gonna remember this is is early 97 where it was the first time he turned around and there was nobody behind him You know, he's gonna be the one finishing up and and the fact that You know, he was gonna get the ball. I remember one time at the stadium. He pitched against Oakland And he faced the same guy twice in the same game and I you know, I said to him after the game I said, it's yours pal. I you know may take you a while, but it's yours and I think he had like 40 saves that year. Although we did give up the home run to Alamoire that Mel and I made sure we talked to him about Before he went home and then once he got the spring training I'm wondering just to amplify what went on that room. You said Penella came close I think the report was he was one away He had a lot of weight and I know that because I read what you guys read So when that's going on is it looping out of the player or also looping Ella the manager as well Is it all come together? I you know now I'm guessing because you know, I'm not we we're not the ones that put these candidates in place Yeah, you have another panel who who does that mainly newspaper or media people that put it in place And I I think I would say that he was put on For being a manager, but once he's on you you can look at his statistics as a player Now do you believe that with a guy like Harold Baines getting it? It was a very good player and was off the ballot in five years with the writers because he got under five percent I look at it. You want to go well, how does Mattingly and Hernandez not get in? Do you think that this opens the door for them? Well again, I You know, I thought it was a good mix of people, you know everybody you had Andy McFail and you had Claire Smith and and Tim Kirchen and you know Maddox and LaRusse and myself it was Ozzie Smith You know, I guess it's dependent and again I went into that room because you know we get all the stats and stuff in advance and I went into that room You know with some preconceived notions on what I wanted to do But you know, there's so much stimulating conversation about you know Everybody's take on each individual that you know, you can't help but Making sure you go over it again a part of the conversation for you lately has been pace of play coming up in 2019 Making some changes is a pitch clock coming up in the foreseeable future. It's gonna be it's gonna be talked about There's no question. They're gonna talk about that. You're gonna talk about shifts. We have a rules committee meeting on Wednesday Which we'll talk over a lot of stuff. It's usually a three or four hour meeting and again, you know pace of play is one thing length of game is another thing, you know, I personally feel I'd like to see more action. I'd like to see more contact You know this year we had more strikeouts and hits in the game and and that shouldn't be You know, we have very talented players out there and I really would like to You know, I like I used to say as manager think small and big things will happen But everybody seems to be thinking big so I know that commissioner Rob Manfred has talked about shifts a lot Do you have an idea in your head? And obviously we're not keeping this etched in stone about how shifts would actually be enacted about Whether it be two infielders on one side a second two on the other side What would you like to see happen in that regard? Well, you know, I don't know I mean when you look at I think the charts that tell you where all the balls are headed It's usually in the middle of the field, which is no secret. That's that's been for years That's why you wanted to be strong up the middle good shortstop good second baseman And you know how you would go about it. I really don't know, you know There's been there's been talk about two and two is talk about, you know keeping guys from going into the outfield I know when I played and then the old Cincinnati ballpark Davey concepts you know, and every time I thought I hit a single in the hole between third and short You know, he laughed at me and picked the ball up and threw a three-hopper to first base on the artificial surface but You know, I don't I don't know You know the shifts the thing that bothers me about shifts Jack is the fact that we're not making More adjustments as a hitter to to go against the shifts. Well, Joe, we know you've got a busy agenda We thank you for joining us as always if you do want to see your buddy Elvis again. He is alive