Dodgers’ skipper Joe Torre decided to write a book. And then ripped his former employer and at least one former player in said book.

In an explosive new book called “The Yankee Years,” Torre gets most personal in his attacks against Alex Rodriguez, who he says was called “A-Fraud” by his teammates after he developed a “Single White Female”-like obsession with team captain Derek Jeter and asked for a personal clubhouse assistant to run errands for him.

Torre, who left the Yankees and became manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2007 season, says Cashman never told the brass that the manager wanted a two-year deal and instead remained silent during Torre’s tense final sitdown with the bosses.

The 477-page tell-all, which The Post purchased from a city bookstore last week, is written by co-author Tom Verducci, a longtime Sports Illustrated reporter.

Torre recounts his 12-year career in New York through interviews. It is being published by Doubleday.
Torre spent years trying to bring out a winning performance from A-Rod, the highest-paid player in baseball, which from all reported accounts included a lot of hand-holding and battling the insecurities and demons Rodriguez struggles with.

And while the Bombers would win four world championships under Torre’s watch by 2000, there were years of tension over management’s choice of players and the growing silence between him and Yankee brass.

Torre’s exit in the fall of 2007 came after a 20-minute meeting over his contract with Steinbrenner and other Yankee officials at the team’s Tampa, Fla., office.

At the time, the skipper was coming off a tough and highly scrutinized season. He was seeking a two-year contract with the possibility of a buyout.

Boy, how bad did the Yankee front office brass piss Torre off if he was compelled enough to write a 477-page tell-all? Joe doesn’t seem to be the type that would air secrets about his former club publicly, but this is a man that believes he wasn’t treated right in the end and obviously this is his retaliation.

And once again A-Rod gets blasted, although this has to be the worst. Having your former manager call out your love affair with Derek Jeter? Ouch.

Among all the moves, be they trades or free agent signings, the biggest non-signing of the MLB Hot Stove off-season has been that Manny Ramirez remains without a team. Actually he hasn’t even had an offer besides the Dodgers’ two-year, $45 million offer back in November. But last night, the Dodgers and beleaguered outfielder Andruw Jones (*) parted ways, freeing up some more money on their payroll to offer Ramirez. Manny fits well on that team and with Joe Torre’s easy demeanor. And he can loaf a bit more in between raking the ball all over Dodger Stadium. We’ll see, but with the Yanks signing Mark Teixeira, and the Angels focusing on their bullpen by signing Brian Fuentes, there are less attractive options for Manny other than remaining in La La Land.

In addition to the Teixeira Fuentes signings, Randy Johnson was inked by the Giants. This works out well for the Big Unit, who wanted to play in California and can easily reach 300 victories since he currently has 295. If only Barry Zito started pitching like Oakland Barry Zito, this staff would be looking damn good right now.

So one of the problems with the stalled Jake Peavy to Chicago trade talks was that the Padres wanted infielder Mark DeRosa and Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry balked at that. Well, Hendry had no problem shipping DeRosa to Cleveland for three minor leaguers, did he? I think there is more to that Peavy story than what we’re being told. I don’t know what, but somebody doesn’t like somebody somewhere, and my guess is there is an agent in that conversation.

So Derek Lowe doesn’t want to pitch for the Mets at three years, $36 million? Are you kidding me? How is that guy worth more than $12 million per season at 35 years old? Dude apparently wants a four or five year, $90 million deal. Good luck with that, Derek. Meanwhile the Mets are turning their attention back to in-house free agents Oliver Perez and Pedro Martinez, as well as less expensive options like Jon Garland or Randy Wolf.

* Omar Minaya, if you are reading this, DO NOT invite Jones to spring training. I know the Dodgers are paying his way in 2009, but the guy can’t hit his way out of a paper bag (the stats don’t lie…..158 batting average with 76 strikeouts in just 209 at-bats). Thank you for your attention to this matter.

The New York Mets covet _________. Those words have been uttered in every Hot Stove rumor out there, because they are more than just rumors. The Mets, who had a second straight free fall from first place in 2008, are apparently looking to fix more than their horrendous bullpen as they move into Citi Field in 2009. In no particular order, here are the players GM Omar Minaya has been talking to or about: Manny Ramirez, Francisco “K-Rod� Rodriguez, Huston Street, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, Orlando Hudson, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia (a reported shoulder injury may stall that one), Raul Ibanez, Kevin Millwood, Jermaine Dye, Rafael Furcal, Juan Cruz, Derek Lowe, Edwin Jackson, Juan Rivera and Javier Vazquez. The only one right now that appears close to reality is Furcal, as reports have filtered in that the Mets are offering a nice incentive-based deal. And Wood, who was not offered a contract by Arizona as expected, is at the bottom of the Mets’ wish list due to his injury history. Meanwhile, the Mets also do not think they can pay what Oliver Perez’ agent is asking, and there is a possibility the animated lefty could be headed to division rival Atlanta.

Jake Peavy’s on-again, off-again relationship with the Hot Stove League has continued, but now there is talk that the Cubs might make a move, along with a third team. That’s because the Cubs do not have the pitching prospect that Padres’ GM Kevin Towers is asking for.

Jason Varitek is not likely to accept salary arbitration by the Red Sox and could be headed somewhere else, possibly Detroit. Meanwhile, every team under the sun has been offering mediocre catchers to the Sox.

Andy Pettitte, who was rumored to be talking to former manager Joe Torre about pitching for the Dodgers, is talking now like he wants to stay in New York and play in the Yankees’ new stadium. Speaking of the Dodgers, they are also talking to free agents Trevor Hoffman and Randy Johnson, both on the far side of 40 years old, but both still effective.

While Aaron Heilman was as much of a disaster as a pitcher can be in New York, why is it that both the Rays and Rockies are looking to trade for him? The guy has good movement on his pitches, but proved last season that he can’t get anyone out, especially with a game on the line.

With rumors flying around (and let’s face it, they are true) that Lebron James will be traded to the Knicks or leave Cleveland as a free agent in a couple of years, there has been talk that James’ buddy CC Sabathia may take the Yanks’ offer a bit more seriously if that all happens. Hmmmm.

For the majority of the season, Joe Torre faced criticism for failing to move the Dodgers to the top of their division. His talents as a World Series-caliber manager were questioned: Was it Torre that got the Yankees into the playoffs, or the players alone? As he always does usual, Torre remained calm and optimistic. Then, Manny Ramirez came around and the Dodgers found themselves sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS. The negative remarks quickly quelled, and Torre was once again hailed as a genius. But after his decisions in Game 4 of the NLCS on Monday, that harsh criticism has resurfaced.

In street clothes and a blue cap bearing the name of the Safe At Home Foundation he created, Torre took the podium for a noon news conference and answered questions about the widely scrutinized decisions he made in Game 4 — from his call to pull Derek Lowe in the sixth inning to his choices about which relievers he used and when.

Torre said he didn’t second-guess any of his decisions.

“You wish the result was different,” he said. “If we all know the results, we certainly say, ‘Yeah, maybe I should have done that and done this.’ But with what I had at hand and knowing what I wanted to do, the only thing I’d like to change is the result.

“I have a two-run lead in the seventh inning, the game’s in my court and then the winning home run is hit off my closer.

“I don’t know what I could say to myself that would change what I would do, to be honest with you.”

The only change Torre said he envisioned making today would be to re-insert Matt Kemp into the lineup. Kemp, who has hit .208 in his six postseason starts, had his place in center field taken by Juan Pierre in Game 4.

I’ve always been a fan of Joe Torre. When he arrived in Los Angeles, he did the best he could with what Dodgers GM Ned Colletti had given him. Without a big bat in the top of the order, he still remained neck and neck with Arizona. Manny was only the missing link, and he certainly proved it.

Still, even with Ramirez in the lineup, Torre has made some confusing decisions. Monday against the Phillies, he pulled Lowe in the top of the sixth, after only throwing 70 plus pitches and giving up two runs. Granted, he was only on three days rest, but he has just pitched his only one-two-three inning of the game. Then, he pulls Hong Chi Kuo—a pitcher the Phillies have been awful against—after giving up one single to Jimmy Rollins. These two decisions probably cost the Dodgers the series. Torre brought in all the wrong pitchers at all the wrong times. A string of bad decision killed Dodgers chances of tying this series: a twenty-year old Clayton Kershaw, a struggling Chan Ho Park, an inconsistent Joe Beimel, and a tired Cory Wade. With nowhere to go, in the top of the eighth inning Torre brought in their young, overworked closer, Jonathan Broxton. After elder statesman Matt Stairs hit a monster homerun into the right field pavilion, the Dodgers fans fell silent. Joe Torre’s critics, however, erupted.

Torre needs Chad Billinglsey to give him at least six good innings in the game tonight. If this doesn’t happen, the Dodgers are finished. However, with a lead going into the seventh, the Dodgers have two strong relievers in Kuo and James McDonald, who shut down the Phillies in Game 2. Then, it will come down to Big John Broxton, who’s hopefully learned a thing or two from Matt Stairs.

Gregg Doyel of CBS Sportsline.com writes that Joe Torre is having one bad NLCS in the Wake of the Phillies taking a 3-1 series lead after their 7-5 victory in Game 4 Monday night.

Torre is the biggest reason the Dodgers are one game away from being eliminated. You can argue that he has been unlucky in this series, but you can’t argue this: He has been unsuccessful. And isn’t that what it comes down to? Success and failure? Wins … and losses? Torre has had failures. The Dodgers have had losses.

We’ll go in reverse, which means we’ll start with the most recent loss, this 7-5 shot to the solar plexus in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.

Starting pitcher Derek Lowe came out too early. Yes, Lowe was pitching on three days’ rest. But he had thrown just 74 pitches when he was removed, and after being rocked in the first inning he was cruising when Torre pulled him after the fifth.

Didn’t work. Reliever Clayton Kershaw, nominally a starting pitcher — and a 20-year-old rookie to boot — came in and gave up a walk and a single to the first two batters he faced. One of them scored. Kershaw for Lowe? That backfired.

Go back to the second game of this series, at Philadelphia. Torre, the guy who was too quick to pull ace starter Lowe in Game 4, was way too patient with Chad Billingsley in Game 2.

Even my man Scott Miller, who is most judicious with his criticisms of the men who play this decidedly difficult game, devoted his entire column from that game to Torre’s mismanagement of Billingsley, who was allowed to pitch through a streak that saw nine of 10 batters reach base. Philadelphia scored eight runs off Billingsley in 2 1/3 innings, and that was the game. The Phillies didn’t score again. They didn’t need to. They won 8-5.

Now go back to Game 1.

Lowe on the mound. Again. Torre having to decide whether to leave him in or take him out. Again.

Torre guessing wrong.

Again.

It was the sixth inning. Lowe had a 2-0 lead, and he was cruising. And then, suddenly, he wasn’t. Shane Victorino reached on an error, and Lowe came unglued. The next pitch — the very next pitch — was fat, and Chase Utley hammered it for a game-tying home run. Torre let Lowe stay in the game, and one batter later he fell behind 3-1 to Pat Burrell. Lowe grooved one, and Burrell hammered that one for a 3-2 Phillies lead. The Phillies wouldn’t score again, but again, the Phillies didn’t need to. They won 3-2.

It’s interesting how managers always seem to take more criticisms during the postseason than they do during the regular season. Managers have to take calculated risks in baseball and Torre has been around long enough to know when to take them. Still, the situations Doyel highlights are damaging and it’s too bad Torre has to take some heat because he’s done one hell of a job turning around a once dysfunctional Dodgers club.

“Momentum is always as strong as your starting pitcher is the next day.â€�
- Joe Maddon

Leave it to the well-read Rays manger to come up with such a profound statement. Chances are this saying is nailed up in his teams’ clubhouse alongside others from the likes of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Maddon’s right, and he’s used this pitching-first philosophy to propel his team into the ALCS.

If there’s one quality that ties each of the remaining four teams together, it’s that each of them can hit. They each have at least two big bats, lead-off men that can hit for average, and a bottom of the order that can consistently do some damage. When teams are this evenly matched at the plate, it’s often a single blunder on the part of a pitcher that can decide a game. As we’ve seen in the Division Series between the Angels and Red Sox, it comes down to the pitching. Both teams boasted fabulous rotations and excellent hitting, but it was the Red Sox middle relief and closer that really won the games.

Auburn vs. Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt has endured 25 consecutive losing seasons, but the Commodores are looking to go 5-0 for the first time since 1943, and are trying to earn their first bowl appearance since the 1982 Hall of Fame Classic. They find themselves in sole possession of first place in the SEC Eastern Division. Auburn needs a win on Saturday to have a realistic shot of capturing the SEC Western Division title. The Tigers did derail the Commodores’ early season success last year with a 35-7 blowout win at Auburn. Coverage will begin at 6 PM EST Saturday on ESPN.

Florida State vs. Miami
Both teams seem to be on the right track in restoring their reputations as conference contenders despite inconsistent early season performances. This will be the second straight meeting in which neither school is ranked in the polls, and it will be the first time that Miami won’t be hosting the game in the Orange Bowl. Miami’s old home had been a house of horrors for Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, as he was 5-9 against the Canes at the Orange Bowl. Regional coverage begins at 12:30 PM EST Saturday on ABC.

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin
The Terrelle Pryor Show continues this week on the road. He has shown the skills that made him the # 1 recruit in the nation by proving he can run and pass in back-to-back home victories over Troy and Minnesota. Now comes the real test – a game at Wisconsin’s raucous and rowdy Camp Randall Stadium. The talented Badgers are no doubt angry, as they’re coming off a 27-21 loss at Michigan in which they blew a 19-0 halftime lead. Regional coverage begins Saturday at 8 PM EST on ABC. Click here for the official Ohio State vs. Wisconsin smack thread.

Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Do you believe in curses? If you live in Chicago and root for the Cubs, yes you do. Cubby fans get excited every April, and are heartbroken by October. They have endured eight straight playoff losses, including five in a row under Lou Piniella. The Cubs will have to play better baseball in Los Angeles to bring the series back to Chicago. But history doesn’t bode well for Cub fans, as Piniella is 3-10 in playoff games against Joe Torre, and the 2001 New York Yankees are the only team to come back from a 0-2 deficit in a divisional series. Guess who managed that team….Joe Torre. Saturday’s game 3 coverage will begin 10 PM EST and if necessary Sunday’s game 4 at 4 PM EST on TBS.

The Dodgers lost 14 more regular season games, won their division by a significantly less margin, and finished with a team batting average 14 points lower. And yet it’s the Cubs that are one more loss away from playoff elimination, and not the boys in blue.

You hear players and coaches say how the regular season truly doesn’t matter when the playoffs start. But the Dodgers-Cubs series is actual proof. L.A. is making Chicago look like a completely different team. Granted the Cubs have a large hand in that, but Joe Torre’s bunch is beating their opponent in every phase of the game and their dominance was once again on display in a 10-3 rout in Game 2 Thursday night.

The NL West was largely a laughing stock this year. Not only did the division champion Dodgers finish with only 84 wins, but only two clubs (L.A. and Arizona) finished above .500. Meanwhile, the NL Central had four teams finish above .500 (Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston, St. Louis), and yet two of those clubs are about to get swept right out of their respective divisional series.

The Cubs are proving that a league-best record in the regular season means nothing in October. A team’s level of play has to rise in the playoffs and clearly Chicago’s hasn’t. In fact, the Cubs’ production has once again dipped below even respectability. And unless they have a miracle up their sleeves, the Dodgers are moving on to the NLCS.

One of the most talked about and debated sports topics of all time can finally come to an end: Dodgers’ outfielder Manny Ramirez abided by manager Joe Torre’s demands and got a haircut.

That’s right – Manny cut a full one-inch off that mane.

“One inch, half-an-inch,” Ramirez said regarding the cleanup. “It’s still long. If I come back next year, it will be shorter.”

“I was in the principal’s office right now,” Ramirez said upon emerging from Torre’s office some three hours before the Dodgers faced the Philadelphia Phillies. “(Torre) told me he’s fine, for now.”
When asked what that meant, Ramirez said: “Ask him. I’ve got to go stretch.”

Said Torre: “He came in and showed me. As Billy Crystal said in `Analyze That,’ it’s a process. He took a little bit off. It’s within the rules of cleaning it up a little bit. Right now, it’s around his shoulders. It’s not covering his name up. We’ll continue to monitor it.”

Boy, Joe Torre really laid down the law. Maybe by the time the season is over, Manny will have trimmed his hair all the way to the back of his neck!

Like I wrote Wednesday, Manny is going to do things his way and this situation proves it. “Get a haircut,� Joe Torre says. So what does Manny do? Gets an inch taken off and calls it a day. Hey, it’s a haircut, right?

It’s Manny’s world – we’re just renting space in it.

Since he was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers at the July 31st MLB trade deadline, L.A. manager Joe Torre has asked outfielder Manny Ramirez to cut his dreadlocks.

Manny said yes, but he apparently is taking his sweet ass time and now people are starting to wonder if Ramirez is testing the manager’s authority.

“I’m not negotiating anything,” Torre said, not laughing, when the conversation was recounted to him a few minutes later in the Dodgers’ dugout. “He’ll do it. He told me he’ll do it. When he first got here, I asked him, ‘How important is the hair to you?’ And he asked me, ‘Do you want me to cut it?’ So I said, ‘I want you to clean it up a little.”‘

“We’re going to talk again later,” Torre said yesterday. And yet the manager was adamant when asked if maybe Ramirez was using his distinctive hairdo — which last night was adorned with a single green, yellow and red Rastafarian dread right in the middle — to test the new manager’s authority by continuing to stonewall the request.

“No, he isn’t,” Torre said. “He is not. I didn’t tell him he had to do it by a certain date. He acknowledged he’s gonna do something and I believe he will do it.” …
Torre acknowledges he has no idea what that something might be. “What am I going to do, tell him if you don’t do this, Santa Claus isn’t coming? Try to make that one stick.”

Manny does what he wants – plain and simple. If he wants to drag this thing out until September, he will. For the record, I don’t think Ramirez is destructive, he’s just goofy and likes to play head games. He’ll probably wind up cutting his hair, but he’ll figure out a way to do it on his terms – not Joe Torre’s.