Jim Tracy Gone Again - Manager/GM changes

[Benjamin Grimm]

Raging wild fires aside, Southern California can be a pleasant place to live.

[seawolf17]

Valadius wrote: What shocks me more than anything is that Mattingly would leave the Yankees. The only reason I can see for him joining the Dodgers is that his son is currently in their farm system.

Why is that shocking? They basically told him to go eff himself.

[Frayed Knot]

Valadius wrote: What shocks me more than anything is that Mattingly would leave the Yankees. The only reason I can see for him joining the Dodgers is that his son is currently in their farm system.

Or that he truly wants to manage some day and the best way to achieve that is to keep your hand in the game.
Having a star status with one team was enough to get him his first dugout job after following his playing career with a decade or more out on his farm in Indiana. But now that they've taken the job he wanted and given a 3-year contract to someone a baseball generation younger than him it's not like anyone else is going to chase after him unless he's a working baseball guy.

[metirish]

Grady Little resigns and Torre and Dodgers agree on terms and are finalizing the coaching staff which will include Mattingly.


From the LA Times.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Fucking wow.

Wonder what Hank is telling Daddy.

[metirish]

Am i missing something here , when did it become OK to negotiate a contract when the current manager was still in place? Seems like Little got treated very poorly here, insulting even.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's always been OK. It's just never been cool. So people don't openly do it.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Grady Little tells the Dodgers, "You can't fire me, I quit." Good for him.

Torre claimed that a one year incentive laden deal to remain with the Yankees was insulting to him, so he walked. I wonder how he feels about how the Dodgers (and Torre himself) disrespected Grady Little by negotiating a deal for a position that was still occupied at the time.

[Valadius]

It's finally official:

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AtSj_SLcSP2mgXxZZAuN4vQRvLYF?slug=ap-dodgers-torre&prov=ap&type=lgns

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Here's something interesting I saw. Dodger managers W-L pct at the time they were fired/retired:

Little, 2006-2007 (.525)
Tracy, 2001-2005 (.527)
Johnson, 1999-2000 (.503)
Hoffman, 1998 (.534)
Russell, 1996-1998 (.537)
Lasorda, 1976-1996 (.526)
Alston, 1954-1976 (.558)
Chuck Dressen, 1951-1953 (.642)
Burt Shotton, 1947-1950 (.603)
Leo Durocher, 1939-1946, 1948 (.566)

You have to go back 70 years, to Burleigh Grimes' .434 winning % from 1937-1938 to find a Dodger manager under .500. Even small sample size guys Clyde Sukeforth (1947) and Ray Blades (1948) went a combined 3-0.

[smg58]

I'm amazed by Alston and LaSorda. Two managers in 42 years? Wow.

[Guest sharpie]

John Russell (who?) hired as Pirates' new manager.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=300343

[metirish]

Never heard of him either, served as the Pirates third base coach under McClendon ( was fired along with him )and was the Phillies AAA team manager the past two seasons.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I remember him as a backup catcher for the Phillies.

[Valadius]

Torre in Dodgers uniform LIVE right now.

[Fman99]

sharpie wrote: John Russell (who?) hired as Pirates' new manager. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=300343

Talk about a no-win situation. The worst front-office in MLB and not one pitcher you'd want on your team.

Hey at least the ballpark is nice there.

[Valadius]

Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell are pretty good.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, those two guys rocked the Casbah last year. They shocked the monkey and passed the duchy at the same time.

The Pirates are still producing talented players; they just never seem to fail to make the wrong choice when deciding who to deal and who to keep. I'd love a job with the Bucs.

[Fman99]

Valadius wrote: Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell are pretty good.

I forgot about them. Matt Capps also comes to mind.

I guess I'm more inclined to think of them as the type of team that trades for Matt Morris or signs Derek Bell to a fat FA contract.

[Guest Edgy DC]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071105/capt.74a2bceb77d440d594d6d13333c4dda3.dodgers_torre_baseball_camw106.jpgTorre disappointing young Edgy by donning his Yankee six, instead of the nine he wore with the Mets, Braves, Cards, and, I assume, through most of his playing career.

Make a clean break, Joe.

[MFS62]

The press conference was held in center field at Chavez Ravine.
I guess they don't have a monument park out there.
(snicker)

Later