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Yankees out, so is Torre?

New Yorkers are tough on their teams. Perhaps the toughest New Yorker, when it comes to expecting top results from the city`s professional teams, is Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. For Yankees manager Joe Torre this could very likely mean the end of his tenure on the team. The 66-year-old Torre has one year and $7 million left on his contract.

After convincingly winning game 1 of the best of five series against the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees collapsed and lost three straight to end their season early in October. Only a few years ago, Torre was at the top of the world, winning four World Series in his first 5 years as manager. But since 2000 he has failed to bring a World Series title to New York, and is not likely to get another chance.

Steinbrenner has not announced any changes yet. His statements are vague at the moment, calling the first round exit "absolutely not acceptable`` and "a sad failure." Torre is expected to be only one of major changes on the team that lost in the first round for the third time in five years. Other changes might include trading Alex Rodriguez who has failed once again in October.