A LITTLE RESPECT PLEASE

Is the pressure finally getting to Joe Torre? Don't be so sure, but Torre voiced his displeasure with the way things have gone down in Fort George this year in a Fox television interview that will be aired today:

"At times I'd like [him to] just give me a little more credit that I know what I'm doing."

"Conversations happen all the time," the manager said. "Over the 7¨ö years I've been here, they continue to happen, but it's never been as public as it has been this year. It started last year when we lost to Anaheim. He was very upset and I was, too. And then he got on Jeter ... he got on my coaches. The change is he went public with a lot of it and it's gotten in the newspaper.

..."I still have to be me," he said. "The most important thing in what I do is to be there for my players. The one thing I haven't been able to do is keep this distraction out of the clubhouse. That's the one priority I've had when I took this club over was to make sure this ballclub can only think about winning baseball games and not have to deal with everything else."

The Yankees have won four World Series titles in Torre's seven seasons as manager. He was asked his opinion of his boss.

"At times I think he's OK," he said. "I like that he gave me the opportunity to do this. You can't pick and choose the part of your boss that you want to keep. You have to take the whole package or walk away."

Don't expect George to get out of Torre's way (or anybody else's for that matter). Once the monster is out, he's hard to tame. But it looks as if the fat man is finally wearing ol' Joe down a bit. Think this will make the backpage of the tabliods tomorrow? Duck and cover.