Joe Torre

The day Don Mattingly decided to come over to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization following Joe Torre, Hollywood rejoiced, and immediately embraced him. Mattingly, a Hall of Famer with a stellar Major League career as a player, has already had a couple slip ups as an interim manager.

In the short week that Torre and the Dodgers split squad have been in Taiwan stretching the ties of American Baseball overseas, Mattingly has been at the helm of the Glendale squad.

By Patrick Read

Washington, DC

In the wee hours of Monday morning, 36-year-old former Philadelphia Phillies starter Chan Ho Park agreed to terms with the New York Yankees.

The deal is for one year and $1.2 million guaranteed, plus another $300K in incentives for a possible total of $1.5 million.

Prior to the winter meetings next week in the Indianapolis Convention Center, the Los Angeles Dodgers need to decide what moves the team needs to make that will lead towards their next winning season. 

Ned Colletti continues business as usual and makes it a priority to put the Dodgers back in the playoffs for the 2010 season.

So apparently the Dodgers are in the mix for an ace named Roy Halladay.

Bloggers, writers, panelists, and commentators across the country are all leaning towards a "no deal" mentality especially if it means trading Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw.

Why?

POTENTIAL.

–adjective
1. possible, as opposed to actual: the potential uses of nuclear energy. 
2. capable of being or becoming: a potential danger to safety.

via www.Dictionary.com

Uncertainty is the most unbecoming characteristic of a baseball team, and right now it has emerged as the best way to describe the state of the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into the offseason, both on the field and off.

Owner Frank McCourt is neck-deep in divorce proceedings with his wife and former Dodgers CEO, Jamie, and the decision of a Los Angeles County court could trigger an unwanted sale of the club over the offseason.

Mark McGwire is back in St. Louis. Big Mac will join the Cardinals' coaching staff as the hitting coach.

We've all heard the various complaints, criticisms, and even praise for the Redbirds' new hitting instructor, but how much of it is warranted? Should a player get a coaching job just because of his superstar status as a player?

Without a doubt, some superstars have gone on to excel as a major league manager—John McGraw, Joe Torre, and Frank Chance come readily to mind.

Now a 2-1 win is a 2-1 win, and I am sure Joe Torre and the Dodgers will gladly take this sure loss and head to Philly with a split.

What perplexes me though is the way managers continue to take 162 games worth of coaching and strategy and throw it out the window once the playoffs roll around.

Now can someone explain the thought process behind having Russell Martin squared to bunt in that situation?

Now it all worked out in the end, but to have a legitimate MLB hitter who had only dropped down two sacrifice bunts all year force the issue makes no sense to me.

That's right, I said it. The Los Angeles Dodgers saved their 2009 season by beating the Philadelphia Phillies today 2-1. No, it's not hyperbole. It's reality.

If the Dodgers had dropped game two today, they would have headed into Philadelphia down two games and facing Cliff Lee, who has looked spectacular this postseason, looking very much like the Cy Young winner that he was last season. Dodgers have not done well against left-handed starters on the road this season, so today was a must win.

Joe Torre is a Hall of Fame manager.

Take that to the bank. Play the Lottery with it. Bet the mortgage. Use your wife and kids as collateral, if you like. It’s as sure a thing as the Earth being a spheroid (a trifle flat at the poles), our Sun being ridiculously hot, divorce rates being on the rise, and our President’s approval ratings being on the decrease.

As the Los Angeles Dodgers finished their three-game sweep of the Cardinals, it occurred to me that this is one club whose success has seemed to be taken for granted.

Last year, as the Dodgers did the same to my Cubbies, most everything that was talked about and written seemed to focus on how poorly the Cubs played and very little, if any, respect was accorded the Dodgers for winning the series.