Though the fickle New York City press and Yankee fans alike thought Steinbrenner's decision to hire Joe Torre as manager was a huge mistake, the decision ended up being one of the Boss's best. Not only was Torre one of the franchise's winningest managers, he served the longest tenure of any under Steinbrenner. Under Torre, the Yankees went to the playoffs each season from 1996 to 2007. After Torre led the team to a World Series victory in 1996 (and won Manager of the Year), Steinbrenner ripped up his contract and drafted a better one. The team would go on to win three straight World Series titles from 1998 to 2000.