‘Check the Score on the Off-Track Betting…’- Ex-Yankees Manager Joe Torre Had a Mind-Blowing Dug-Out Distraction That Had Nothing to Do With Baseball

A memoir, “Clubhouse Confidential,” was released in 2011, which revealed the secrets and quirks of not only the players of the New York Yankees but also of the team’s then manager, Joe Torre.

During the time Torre was managing the team, he had a habit that was his distraction from the game in the dugout. There were a few people that knew about this habit of Torre, but Luis Castillo was new to it.

Castillo worked as a batboy for the New York Yankees from 1998 to 2005, and since the batboys and bellboys were not required to sign a non-disclosure back then, revealing the secrets of the team was not an issue for Castillo.

Joe Torre’s distraction had nothing to do with women

During a late-season game, Torre called Castillo over in the dugout.

He then asked him to go down to his office and, do something. He said, “I want you to check the score on the Off-Track Betting channel and see who won.”

Apparently, the only thing that could distract the manager were horses. Joe added, “Make sure you find out the exact track and horse.”

With the help of the attendant Joe Lee, Castillo deciphered the results on a page and took them to Torre in the dugout. As soon as he did that, Torre began to study the paper as if his life depended on it. When he got the information that he was looking for, a smile spread across his face. And he showed it to Don Zimmer as well. 

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Later on, when Castillo was going back, he heard the two men talking about the Off Track Betting(OTB) results. But he did not hear them talking about the next, who had to play next in the game.

Other than Torre’s, whose secrets did Castillo reveal?

Castillo, in his memoir, talked about the Hall of Famer, Derek Jeter, and how easygoing he was. He also revealed how he got his nickname from the captain himself. 

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Other than Jeter, he talked about A-Rod and his bizarre habits, a story about the boss and owner of the team, George Steinbrenner, and some others as well. What do you think about Joe Torre’s distraction? Let us know in the comments down below.