Joe Torre Takes His Turn Speaking To New York Lawmakers

Last week the Capital Region had two former Yankees pop into town. Nick Swisher was here to help the Center for Disability Services and Joe Girardi spoke at the Capital about legalized gambling and made some appearances around town. Today was Joe Torre turn to travel to New York's capital and have his say in front of the New York State Lawmakers about legalized gambling.

According to an article in the Times Union, the former Yankees' manager was in town to speak on behalf of Major League Baseball.

"I'm not trying to lobby one side or another," said Torre, who also managed the Mets, Cardinals, Braves and Dodgers. "I just want you to take care of our game."

Accompanying Torre as he made the rounds at the Capitol was Morgan Sword, MLB's senior vice president for league economics and operations. Sword said MLB will seek an "integrity fee" of .25 percent on any wagers placed on its games to cover expected extra costs generated by legalized betting, including hiring more staff to monitor gambling data and investigate any improprieties.

I expect every major sports league to look for a similar fee. This will be far more about dollars and cents than it will be about ethics.