Voelkel Says:

With Joe Torre’s job security in New York still up in the air, it might be time for the Yankees and George Steinbrenner to look in another direction to lead the club in 2008 and beyond.

But who to choose?

The opportunity to manage one of the most premier and storied franchises in baseball (not to mention, all of sports) would surely be enough of a carrot to lure just about anyone King George wants to the home dugout.

The Yankees job isn’t for any old manager, however. If the Yankees are to get rid of Torre — a manager whom players almost unanimously (except for Gary Sheffield) seem to rally around and respect — the front office needs to hire someone with enough clout that even the hot-shot millionaire players of today will respect and listen to.

The Yankees should hire none other than Jay-Z — a Yankees fan — to be the new skipper.

With everyone on the Yankees seemingly making eight figures, many of the players would find it difficult to listen to some newbie manager making less than the tenured bat boy and whose experience in the spotlight is limited. With Jay-Z at the helm, he instantly becomes the biggest name on the team. When was the last time A-Rod ever released a 5-time platinum album, let alone come up with a big hit in the postseason?

Even better, Jay-Z could revamp the Yankees old and tired pinstripe uniforms by outfitting the team with a new look courtesy of his Rocawear brand. If he ever needed to give a speech before a big game, he could pump the team up by rapping the pep talk.

What the Yankees definitely don’t need is a manager as old as Yankee Stadium itself. All Zimmer would do is keep the Yankees in the same rut of 90-95 win seasons and early-round playoff exits, while being a constant reminder of when they choked away the series against the Red Sox.

Jay-Z. Get that dirt off ya sholdas!

Hagstrum Says:

Whether Joe Torre is fired or allowed to walk away with his dignity, the odds are that the longtime Yankees manager won't be back in ’08. While George Steinbrenner determines Torre's fate, I took the liberty of finding a replacement for the man who led the Yankees to four World Series Championships during his reign.

He's a former Yankee, so the team won't have difficulty rallying behind him, and he's a got a fire in his belly to take on pitchers less than half his age.

I'm talking about Don Zimmer.

Zimmer, or "ZIM" as you might remember him for wearing an army helmet in the dugout the game after Chuck Knoblauch drilled him with a foul ball, would immediately send a message to his overpaid players to stand up and fight for what they believe in, even if it means being tossed aside by Pedro Martinez during a bench-clearing brawl.

Sure, Torre brought the Yankees to six AL pennants and the playoffs every season since he arrived in 1996, but how can you go wrong with Zimmer who managed the Red Sox during "the Boston Massacre"? The Sox lost that year to answer every Yankees fan's dream. Zimmer can do that.

Plus, at the ripe young age of 76 and with a quarter of his mind left (he nearly died after being hit in the head with a pitch during his playing days), Zimmer will forget he's the Yankees manager. Hence he won't fold under the high-stress pressure to win with a $215 million payroll (if he can feel anything at all).

Who needs Torre when you can have Jabba the Hutt?

Out with the old and in with the … older.

Make the right choice. Vote Zimmer.