Major League Baseball

Torre teary at Boss ceremony

Published Sep. 20, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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Joe Torre had one more teary moment on the Yankee Stadium field. This time, it wasn't in celebration of a championship, but of the man who hired him, battled with him and shared four world titles with — George Steinbrenner, the New York Post reported Monday.

The unveiling of the giant monument in honor of the late New York Yankees owner brought Torre 3,000 miles across the country back to the Bronx and began healing the wounds when Torre was not re-signed as manager after the 2007 season.

Torre got hugs from former players and co-workers, as well as general manager Brian Cashman, who he had not spoken with since his book was released in 2009.

The Yankee Stadium crowd then embraced Torre with the loudest cheers of the night every time his face was shown on the giant scoreboard in center field. He and his wife, Ali, had tears in their eyes as they walked the warning track to center field.

"It's going to mean a lot to be back here and walk on that field even though I didn't work on that field, but it's Yankee Stadium," Torre said a few hours before the ceremony. "It's the pinstripes ... I got an opportunity to manage here, which made my whole career.

"There's never been a group of fans like they have at Yankee Stadium."

The ceremony before the Yankees-Rays game was the first thawing of the iciness that developed between Torre, the current Dodgers manager, and the Yankees in the last three years, and it was the highlight of the night.

Torre and Don Mattingly, who is replacing him as the manager of the Dodgers next year, were invited Friday by Yankees Chief Operating Officer Lonn Trost. They were able to be there because the Dodgers had the day off.

With members of the Steinbrenner family standing behind home plate, a video tribute to Steinbrenner, who died July 13, began the festivities. They then rode motorized carts to Monument Park in center field. The current Yankees walked in front of them, with former Yankees greats walking behind.

Torre was not announced to the crowd, but when he was shown on the scoreboard cheers erupted. Mattingly also received a loud ovation.

When they reached center field, the monument was unveiled as Frank Sinatra's "My Way" blared from the Stadium speakers.

The monument is the seventh monument, and first in honor of a person since Joe DiMaggio's monument was added in 1999. A remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was unveiled in 2002.

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