I know that with North Korea exploding a nuke and four weeks out from an election I shouldn’t be digressing to such a minor topic as baseball but…Joe Torre should stick around as Yankees’ manager. I can hear the clicking of the mouse as many a reader goes off to another place and, bless you, but those of you who want to stick around feel free to read on and comment.

There is a bit of a feeding frenzy which I find to be a bit mindless. Torre has only won four World Series and far more division titles and pennants than any other current manager. Yes, he has his weaknesses–like having as a pal one Rudy Guiliani (but I probably have a friend or two who wouldn’t pass muster…). When he was a player, he was the team’s union rep and a very strong union supporter.

As far as I can tell, it was the owner of the team–whose name will never grace these pages–who spent millions of dollars on players who had already passed their prime and/or were not much even during their primes: Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano (who was about a .500 pitcher when the Yankees overpaid him) and Jaret Wright (ugh). Notice I mention a string of pitchers–I was skeptical this team would even get to the playoffs given the pitching line-up in April.

And, as Murray Chass correctly points out today, “…when the Yankees won three successive World Series and four in five years, pitching was their foundation. Andy Pettitte started games in each of the four World Series the Yankees won. David Cone and Orlando Hernández started in three, and Roger Clemens in the last two. Of the eight pitchers who started games in those World Series, Denny Neagle was probably the weakest.” And Chass observes: “The Yankees are now caught up in the status of Torre. The time they spend on that subject can only be a distraction. Better that General Manager Brian Cashman focus on the pitchers on the free-agent list, and those who could be available in trades, than on his attempts to dissuade Steinbrenner, the principal owner, from firing Torre.”

I think the real solution is to fire the owner. Let’s get an owner who finds and cultivates young players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrerra (and, by the way, Derek Jeter, when he first came up).

And as a loyal New Yorker, the best thing that can be said now is: Let’s Go Mets!

UPDATE: Torre is staying. I knew the owner of the team was a regular reader of this blog…

NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Torre will remain as manager of the New York Yankees, finally getting the word from owner George Steinbrenner after the team’s surprise elimination from the playoffs last weekend.

Torre spoke with Steinbrenner on the telephone Tuesday, shortly before he walked into the interview room at Yankee Stadium and made the announcement.

“He gave me his support,” Torre said. “I’m just pleased I’m able to stay on and do this.”