Jim Tracy Gone (and Jim Tracy Back Again!)

[Frayed Knot]

Nope, Pat Gillick goes to Philly where conventional wisdom had Gerry Hunsicker as the front runner.

There are rumors about Epstein talking to the Dodgers but those are unconfirmed.

[metirish]

It seems not many people want the Dodgers GM job but that could be good for Kim Ng..do I remember correctly that Duke wanted to bring her to the Mets a few years back, wasn't this the same person that one of the Mets "super scouts" insulted the year before?

] GM search might lead to historic hire By Tony Jackson, Staff Writer The list of people who don't want to become the next general manager of the Dodgers continues to grow. Although owner Frank McCourt was scheduled to speak by telephone on Friday night with former Texas GM John Hart, there were indications Hart's interest in the job was tepid, at best. That could leave Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng as the leading candidate for the job. Ng, who would become the first female GM in major-league history, will be interviewed for the position. When asked for her reaction to getting that interview during Friday's media conference call to discuss the signing of outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to a one-year contract, Ng declined to address the matter. "We would rather comment on other stuff as opposed to my situation," she said. Hart, who remained with the Rangers as a consultant after stepping down as GM last month, would join Pat Gillick, Gerry Hunsicker, Kevin Towers and possibly Theo Epstein as veteran GMs and possible candidates for the Dodgers job who weren't nearly as interested in the Dodgers as the Dodgers were rumored to be in them. Rather than wait to hear from the Dodgers, Hunsicker accepted a front-office position with the woeful Tampa Bay Devil Rays. That speaks volumes about the decline of what was once one of baseball's proudest franchises, one that now seems to be in such a bizarre state of disarray that the ongoing search for a GM has become a buyer's market. Cruz returns: The switch-hitting Cruz, who batted .301 after the Dodgers acquired him from Boston on Aug. 9 for minor-league infielder Tony Schrager, agreed to terms on a one-year contract with a club option for 2007. Terms were not disclosed, but the deal is believed to carry a $3.2 million guarantee. Cruz was eligible for free agency, but hadn't filed. The move probably cements the anticipated end of Milton Bradley's turbulent stint in Los Angeles, because it likely means Cruz will be the everyday right fielder with J.D. Drew moving to center, which was Bradley's old spot. The Dodgers are expected to try to trade Bradley. But if they can't, they are expected to non-tender him and allow him, his surgically repaired left knee and his anger-management problem to test the free-agent market. "It's something we still have to decide on," said Roy Smith, the Dodgers' vice president of scouting and player development. "Milton has to get healthy, especially physically. There are some issues there. As far as where his rehab is right now, we're pleased." Cruz, who will turn 32 in April, will receive a 2006 salary of $2.91 million. The club option is at $4.5 million, with a $300,000 buyout.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Milton Bradley, future Washington National. You heard it here first.

[metirish]

WOW the Dodgers are a mess, what was once not long ago a model franchise is now a complete mess....

] Dodgers' Course Remains Unsettled Tim Brown On the eve of baseball's general manager meetings, I was wondering what Frank McCourt would say to an employee who changed the course of the family franchise, had no alternate plan, and then hid behind the PR people. After, "Get out," I mean. And wondering whether two years ago, had he been offered the organization and its holdings and found it to be in the condition it is today, would he have hocked everything and bought in? Perhaps not. In the last week, the pool of veteran, talented and available general managers has been drained to ankle level, and McCourt is still out there, sloshing around, never having had a shot at Pat Gillick or Gerry Hunsicker. Maybe he can talk Theo Epstein into taking over Paul DePodesta's new mortgage in Santa Monica, but as a friend of both young, unemployed general managers observed, "They're the same guy, cut from the same cloth. The only difference is, one went to the division series and the other went to the World Series. Maybe Theo's got more of an edge to him, but he's not as clever as Paul." Great. Start printing the nameplate. Once, it was one of the golden jobs in the game. Now, the Macy's makeup counter has less turnover. It is McCourt's team. He gets to wear the nice suits and hang the thick glass doors between himself and the help, whatever their names are. He gets to fire his top baseball man on the eve of the free-agent season, nine days before the GM meetings, at a time when, to paraphrase Joe Namath, it's closing time and John Schuerholz just ain't walkin' in. In case it wasn't utterly obvious before, baseball has come to a new era. There's money to be had again, and the current organizational plan is only as good as last night's attendance, and next week's bank statement. It is the secure and steadfast leader who trusts his baseball people. In a $5-billion industry, it takes courage. But some try. As one owner said recently, "I'm not going to meddle in baseball affairs. I'm going to put my faith and confidence in the person I hire, but I'll also hold him accountable. Of course, there will be decisions the GM will want my input on. There will be those rare decisions where I'll be a consultant. But 99.9% of what's done on the baseball side will be handled by baseball professionals." Wait, that was Frank McCourt. Less than two years ago. So far, that 0.1% has included a lot of baseball-professional work, and it's that time of year again, when the baseball professionals do that baseball-professional stuff, such as putting next season's club together. That leaves Kim Ng and Roy Smith to continue DePodesta's vision, create their own vision, or predict the new guy's vision, with the next deadline arriving on the weekend, when teams may begin negotiating with other teams' free agents. The general managers and substitute general managers arrive today in Indian Wells, where they'll spend three or four days considering a thin free-agent class and taking numbers outside Scott Boras' suite. The dearth of free agents is expected to feed a lively trade market and, again, the Dodger baseball professionals will have to wing it. The Dodgers allowed Jeff Weaver to drift into free agency, so they require at least one starting pitcher along with an outfielder, assuming they stand firm on their Milton Bradley decision, and at least one corner infielder. They will find top-end free agents resistant to a franchise that carried 91 losses, front-office upheaval and no manager or coaching staff into the off-season. Their best scenario would be a liberated, thrill-seeking Hideki Matsui, who for the Dodgers would play every day, hit most of the time and become, with Eric Gagne, the face of the organization, but that would take a big-time sales job by somebody. More likely, Matsui returns to the New York Yankees, and the Dodgers look over Brian Giles and, in a lurch, Johnny Damon. Nomar Garciaparra would play third base for them, and they'd be wise to make one more call to Gillick to see how he will resolve the Jim Thome-Ryan Howard issue in Philadelphia. The Dodgers believe help is on the way from the minors, but they can't take another fourth-place hit while waiting. And avoiding that is going to cost them in dollars and, maybe, one or two of those prospects. Interestingly, the most popular franchise representatives in the desert today will come from the Boston Red Sox, who also don't have a general manager, but, for the moment, do have Manny Ramirez. The Angels and New York Mets appear to have the goods and the standing to acquire the slugger, who has the right to veto trades. The Dodgers aren't expected to be players there, but have plenty of other work ahead. In that, and for now, Smith and Ng are on their own. If they're lucky.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Kim Ng, of course, has a small role of her own in the history of the Mets. A no-prize to the first person to remember what that role was.

[metirish]

Yeah I mentioned it a few posts above this one...

[Valadius]

Was it Bill Singer who made those comments about her? Goldis' partner in crime?

[Guest Edgy DC]

What crime did they partner in?

[Valadius]

Well they WERE hired at the same time... I remember reading an article at some point about them.

[Guest Edgy DC]

God help me if I get listed as a partner in crime with anybody I've been hired at the same time as.

[metirish]

Now this would be interesting if it ever happened...

]Jim Williams Examiner Coumnist It appears the Nats will have local ownership after all and two well-known names could be headed to D.C. to take over the baseball side of things. Sources close to both Major League Baseball and Wall Street have confirmed the ownership bid of Jeffery Smulyan is in trouble. It�s not because he lacks money or support inside MLB. Rather, Smulyan has been unable to win key friends in D.C. Smulyan�s public push for the team had him in Washington more often then some members of Congress. But he failed to convince key local government members he is the right guy to own the Nationals. That puts the Fred Malek/Jeffery Zients group back in front, though the quiet but impressive Lerner family group has made up a great deal of ground in the last three weeks. Some baseball insiders are saying the Lerners have passed Smulyan and are gaining ground on Malek/Zients. The Lerner family is low-key but powerful, just what MLB owners love. Speculation persists as to who will run the team once the sale is consummated. Well, it looks very likely that former Red Sox architect Theo Epstein will become the next general manager. The odds-on favorite to be team president? Some guy named Cal Ripken. Sources inside baseball with knowledge of the two remaining local ownership groups claim both have been in touch with Epstein and Ripken. However, it�s not a package deal. It just seems to be working out that they will be together in D.C. Having Ripken as team president would be a huge help in the cable deal as a spokesman for Comcast. The fact he is loved in D.C., combined with his ability to market the team, makes him a must hire. The Malek/Zients and the Lerner family groups both know Ripken is the perfect choice for that position. This past Sunday, newspapers in both Boston and New York reported that there is an 85 percent or better chance the team of Epstein and Ripken will be part of the Nationals new front office. But where does that leave incumbent Nats General Manager Jim Bowden, who recently signed a six-month contract extension? He is considered a real contender for the open GM jobs with the Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. My how things have changed. If MLB would have sold the team at the All-Star break it is likely that Malek/Zients would have won the battle for the Nationals. Then we heard Labor Day was going to be the sale date. If so, the winner would have been Jeff Smulyan. Now we are looking for the sale to happen this month. Some say it is a dead heat between Malek/Zients and the Lerner family. Whichever group wins has a lingering issue to tackle. You may recall the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network? Well, there is still no deal with Comcast, no meetings are scheduled and MASN�s only programming is Nationals baseball. So the first items of business for the new owners are to jumpstart the cable deal while expanding the radio network. We still want our Nats TV. Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy award winning TV producer, director and writer.

[Guest sharpie]

Bobby Valentine to sign extension with Chiba Lotte

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2219428

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, that whole Valentine to Tampa Bay scenario didn't quite play out.

The Rays have a new manager.

[metirish]

No need for Bobby to come back, he signed a 4 year $16 million contract with Chiba, he has never been as popular, and he was smart enough to see that a dream job like the Dodgers was a no go with the mess they are with the McCourts..

[MFS62]

The Booby V story confirmed in today's Norwalk Advocate. See the link I posted in the Rico Brogna thread.

Oh, OK, for those of you too lazy to go there:

http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.valentine8nov14,0,5112124.story?coll=nor-news-local-headlines


Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ned Colletti, Giants asstant GM since 1997, is the new Dodger GM.

Turncoat.

[Valadius]

Our own Manny Acta has been given permission to interview for the Dodgers' managerial opening.