At once a Braves honoree and a nemesis, Joe Torre dearly holds Atlanta memories

“When we came here in ’66 and I was here as a player, it was a nice ballpark to hit in, for sure,” referring to Atlanta Stadium, the predecessor to Turner Field and Truist Park. “But when I came back to manage, I was excited about coming here, and we had success my first year and then didn’t do anything the next couple years, and I left. I was just sorry that my tenure here wasn’t longer. But I was appreciative of the opportunity that Ted brought me down here.”

Torre made the move with the franchise from Milwaukee for the 1966 season. He played three seasons with the Braves after they moved to Atlanta, earning All-Star honors in his first two years primarily as a catcher. That followed six years with the Milwaukee Braves, during which he put together three All-Star seasons.

He was a teammate of the legendary Hank Aaron from 1960 to 68.

Being back in Atlanta, “I can’t help (but think of him),” Torre said. “I first became a fan of Hank when my brother (Frank) was playing with him in the 50s, and then all of the sudden, I find myself as a teammate of his. I always felt very close to Henry.”

Torre managed the Braves from 1982-84, most memorably leading the Braves to the National League West title behind NL MVP Dale Murphy in Torre’s first season. It was the team’s first postseason appearance since 1969 and followed seven consecutive seasons in which the Braves had failed to finish better than fourth in the division. He was fired after failing to make it back to the playoffs in the next two years, finishing with a 257-229 record.

He was named to the Braves Hall of Fame in 2022.

Among the organization staff he worked with while managing was a minor league coach named Brian Snitker.

“I know as a young minor league coach, I would go to spring training and throw batting practice for (the major league team), and Joe always treated everybody with such respect and professionalism,” Snitker said Monday. “He’s one of those guys I have so much respect for, and I’m excited to see him.”

Torre called Snitker a lifer, recalling seeing him in the opposing dugout alongside Bobby Cox and coaching third base. He recalled calling to wish him well ahead of the 2021 World Series, ultimately won by the Braves.

“I’m happy for him,” Torre said of Snitker. “He’s had the success. The players love playing for him, and he’s a good guy.”

Torre honored his rival Cox, too, saying the Hall of Famer “was as tough as any of them, because he would play the game with the good pitching he had and defense.”

Now working for MLB as a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred, Torre was familiar not only with Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta — he called it “a great destination” — but also with the evolution of Turner Field, “which I’m happy is still in operation with Georgia State, which I think is cool, as my wife’s an alumni over there.”

Hearing the 84-year-old Torre, a born-and-bred New Yorker, casually bring up Georgia State’s Center Parc Stadium like some MARTA-riding local rated among the more unlikely developments from Monday’s media gathering.

Torre said he began dating Alice Wolterman during his managerial tenure with the Braves. They had met earlier in Cincinnati, where she is from, but she moved to Atlanta to be closer to him and completed her degree at GSU. They married in 1987.

He does remember Atlanta, too, for two of his World Series triumphs. The Yankees were a combined 5-0 in Atlanta in the 1996 and 1999 World Series en route to winning both championships.

“We had a lot of success here,” he said. “It still gives me goose bumps when I think about it.”

Some Atlanta memories, Torre might do well to keep private.