"In a commercial that is airing with increasing regularity, Joe Torre - a New Yorker through and through - seems to be adjusting to his new surroundings quite nicely. There is Torre in a yoga class. Next, he is window shopping with a pocket dog under his arm. The final cut is of Torre in a wet suit paddling out to sea on a surfboard.

If California is supposed to be the land of self-discovery, for Torre it has been a land of recovery.

After managing the Yankees in their historic collapse against the Red Sox in 2004 and in first-round losses the next three seasons, questions were raised - from inside and outside the organization - as to just what he was doing with a $200 million payroll.

Now, after taking the Los Angeles Dodgers to an unlikely playoff berth and a stunning sweep of the Chicago Cubs in the National League division series, it appears that Torre has found his managerial mojo.

"I think it meant a lot," said the Dodgers' third-base coach, Larry Bowa, who was with Torre the last two seasons. "He's not going to tell you it meant anything special, but Joe wants to go as far as you can go every year. Yet all you read about in New York, it was that Joe can't take them to the next level."

When the Dodgers closed out the Cubs on Saturday night, Torre made his way to the owner Frank McCourt's box seats and hugged him. He did the same to Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, and finally embraced Tom Lasorda, who directed the Dodgers to the 1988 World Series championship, the last time the team won a playoff series.

He later took a microphone and addressed the fans, telling them he looked forward to seeing them in the next few weeks. He then retreated inside, where he made his way through the spray of beer and Champagne with an almost dazed look on his face.

As the Dodgers worked out before their scheduled Tuesday departure for Philadelphia, Torre acknowledged a feeling of relief.

"I'd gotten to the point where I was there so often, in the first round, that it was nice to be able to do it," Torre said Monday. "All of a sudden, we did have pressure on us Saturday because now we're supposed to win, especially at home, and we were able to play a tight game and play it well."