from Yankees.com

Before Joe Torre became manager of the New York Yankees, he interviewed for the team's general manager position. With his wife, Ali, pregnant with their first child, Torre knew that the GM job would require long days throughout the entire year, something he didn't feel was a good fit for a new father.

As the manager, Torre certainly has his share of busy days, but there is also an offseason, which gives him plenty of time to spend with Ali and Andrea, his 7-year-old daughter.

"I interviewed for the general manager's job, and I knew I couldn't do that, because that's a 12-month job," Torre said. "As the manager, it's wonderful and it's hard at times. You're away so much, but in the offseason, you're together all the time. It's wonderful to be able to go to Hawaii for a month, to be together every single day. Then we're together in Spring Training, so that's great."

Andrea became a big media star in 1996, when the infant was on TV throughout the Yankees' championship run. Torre calls her "our lucky charm" from that season, which saw him win his first World Series title. Now, as Andrea gets older, coming to watch her father at work has become less of a priority.

"Andrea was less than a year old then, so it was easy to move her around," Torre said. "As she's gotten older, she's become less interested in going to games, because there were things she wanted to do herself."

That's why Ali makes sure to keep Joe on Andrea's mind during the season, something Torre appreciates as he reflects on Mother's Day.

"She talks about me quite a bit with Andrea. She'll turn the TV on and say, 'There's your dad,' just in case she forgets what I look like," Torre said. "My daughter is conditioned to this, but my wife will constantly talk about me, reference me, and it's a very tough job. This year, Ali's trying to house-break a new puppy also, so she's got a full plate."

Torre admits that during the season, it's tough to spend much time with Andrea even when he's home.

"Until school gets out, it's like I'm away anyway," he said. "She leaves for school in the morning before I wake up and she's asleep when I get home, so I barely see her when we're home. Being away just means I don't sleep there. We spend as much time as we can and look forward to the time together, which is meaningful."

Joe and Ali Torre were married in 1987. Ali became pregnant early in 1995, and Torre took the Yankees job later that year, shortly before Andrea was born. Did Joe think that the demands of his new job would put more stress on his wife after their daughter was born?

"I don't think it was harder on her, because we tried for the longest time to have a baby," Torre said. "We cherished her being born, it was such a gift, that everything else has been a slam dunk for her.

"It's unusual to have a 7-year-old when your husband is 62," he added. "My wife handles it with great ease. This is our only child, and she's a treasure."

Ali, one of 16 children, has stressed the importance of family to her husband, who is very close with his siblings as well. Through his bout with prostate cancer, Joe leaned on Ali for the emotional support he needed, helping him through his sickness.

"My wife has so much more stability than I've ever had," Torre said. "Through my surgeries, if it wasn't for her, I'm not sure how I would have handled it. She's certainly the glue that keeps this thing together, making sure we spend time together as a family."