I think Girardi was a good choice. I'm very sorry that Mattingly will not be with the organization, but I can see why he wouldn't stay.
I'm being optimistic about Posada, Rivera, and Pettite. I don't think they will get better deals elsewhere, and that's pretty much always the bottom line.
The Yankees still have a lot of talent, and I think the 3 young pitchers are the goods. Along with Wang and (hopefully)Pettite, that's a good start.

Rumours abound that the Dodgers are interested in Torre.
Good riddance to Rodriguez.
Congratulations to all the Sox fans here, blah, blah, blah...

Congrats to the Sox. I fell asleep last night and missed the end of the game but it looked like they were well on there way.

So now thats 2 World Series sweeps in the past 4 years. Pretty impressive. Nice to be a New Englander these days.

And what a horrible week for the Yanks. Between Torre and A-Rod, and now Mattingly getting dissed, its like a nightmare.

The Dodgers stink!
This could be the best move the Dodgers ever make... if this story indeed becomes true...




Report: Dodgers to fire manager Little, hire Torre

October 30, 2007
By PA SportsTicker

The Los Angeles Dodgers are planning on firing manager Grady Little and replacing him with former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, according to multiple reports.

Citing sources, the Journal-News of Westchester, New York said the announcement of Torre's hiring could come as early as Tuesday.

The New York Times, quoting two major league officials who requested anonymity, also reported Torre's imminent hiring but did not give a timetable.

Torre has been on the market since turning down a one-year offer to remain as manager of the Yankees on October 18. He had been with the Yankees for 12 seasons, winning four World Series championships and leading the team to the playoffs every season he was in charge in the Bronx.

Torre, 67, owns a .539 (2067-1770) winning percentage over 26 seasons in the majors that have also included stops with the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Along with the possible hire of Torre, it is being reported that his bench coach, Don Mattingly, may be joining him in the same role that he manned for one season with the Yankees after spending three seasons as their hitting coach.

Mattingly was one of the three finalists for the vacancy created by the departure of Torre last week before the Yankees offered the job to former Marlins manager Joe Girardi on Monday. It had been reported earlier in the day that Mattingly would not accept a position on the new Yankees coaching staff.

Interestingly, a move to Los Angeles would reunite Mattingly with the organization that drafted his son, Preston, in the first round of the 2006 major league draft.

Little, who has led the Dodgers to winning seasons in each of his two seasons at the helm, led Los Angeles to a disappointing 82-80 finish last season, eight games behind the eventual National League West Division champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

Despite never enduring a losing season in four seasons with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox and compiling a .552 winning percentage (358-290), Little will have lasted just two seasons with each team.

Updated on Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 1:34 am, EDT

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=t ... &type=lgns


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Even David Letterman's wondering about former Yankees manager Joe Torre's future

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
October 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Now that the New York Yankees have offered Joe Girardi their managerial job, it's clear they've put the Joe Torre era behind them.

What's next for Torre? Even David Letterman wants to know, wondering Monday night whether Torre might be headed to Los Angeles.

"Maybe Dodgers, maybe Angels?" Letterman asked.

"Well, the Dodgers have a contract, I mean, a manager," Torre replied during his appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman." "The Angels have a very good manager."

Torre was referring to Dodgers' skipper Grady Little and Angels' field boss Mike Scioscia.

Torre went on to say: "That's a bad question to ask. I know what's been rumored. The local paper today is talking about going to LA. There has been a time or two that something that has been in the newspaper hasn't been true."

There have been reports that Torre could be hired to replace Little, who has one year remaining on his contract with a club option for a second year.

The Dodgers, from team owner Frank McCourt on down, declined comment late Monday.

The 67-year-old Torre managed the Yankees to 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons before turning down a one-year, $5 million offer for next season, with an additional $3 million in incentives, earlier this month.

Torre, who completed a three-year, $19.2 million contract this year, ranks eighth on baseball's all-time list with 2,067 victories and has won a record 76 postseason games.

Little, the Dodgers' skipper the past two seasons, managed the Boston Red Sox in 2002-03 before being fired despite two playoff appearances.

The Dodgers had baseball's best record in July but faded down the stretch to finish with an 82-80 record, good for fourth place in the NL West.

Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the Colorado Rockies while falling out of contention.

Updated on Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 1:12 am, EDT

from ESPN--

Dodgers may replace Little with Torre as manager

ESPN.com news services

Updated: October 30, 2007, 2:29 AM ET

Reports: Torre Could Be Replacing Little as Dodgers Manager

For a kid who grew up in Brooklyn, maybe it's a perfect fit.

Multiple media reports late Monday night said that former New York Yankees manager Joe Torre could replace Grady Little as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney that the Dodgers are expected to fire Little.

Sources close to the situation told Olney on Monday afternoon that the Dodgers had maintained contact with Joe Girardi in the hope that his negotiations with the Yankees would fall apart and they could try to hire him.

Girardi was reportedly Plan A for the Dodgers, while Torre was Plan B. With Girardi's discussions with the Yankees moving ahead into Monday night, the Dodgers may have also changed course.

The Journal News of Westchester County (N.Y.) reported on Monday night that the Dodgers have decided to fire Little and hire Torre. Other New York and Los Angeles papers reported that such a scenario is likely.

If Torre is hired, his bench coach in New York, Don Mattingly, would likely move with him to Los Angeles as a coach -- joining the organization that drafted his son, Preston, in 2006.

Torre appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" on Monday night and was asked about his job prospects.

"Maybe Dodgers, maybe Angels?" Letterman asked.

"Well, the Dodgers have a contract, I mean, a manager," Torre replied. "The Angels have a very good manager [Mike Scioscia]."

Torre went on to say: "That's a bad question to ask. I know what's been rumored. The local paper today is talking about going to LA. There has been a time or two that something that has been in the newspaper hasn't been true."

Little has one year remaining on his contract with a club option for a second year.

The Dodgers, from team owner Frank McCourt on down, declined comment late Monday.

The 67-year-old Torre managed the Yankees to 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons before turning down a one-year, $5 million offer for next season, with an additional $3 million in incentives, earlier this month.

Torre, who completed a three-year, $19.2 million contract this year, ranks eighth on baseball's all-time list with 2,067 victories and has won a record 76 postseason games.

Little, the Dodgers' skipper the past two seasons, managed the Boston Red Sox in 2002-03 before being fired despite two playoff appearances.

The Dodgers had baseball's best record in July but faded down the stretch to finish with an 82-80 record, good for fourth place in the NL West.

Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the Colorado Rockies while falling out of contention.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine.

It occurred to me that those who are saying the Red Sox are now the Yankees are wrong. The Red Sox are the Patriots. They are the best team in the sport; they have the best and smartest front office; they have a great mix of veterans and young players; and they seem to be in a position to continue to roll in talented young players for years to come. I just hope they continue this roll long enough for my young kids to understand what a great time this is to be from New England.

And the Dodgers are making a great move here. Torre is a fantastic manager, and Grady Little is a joke.

PS What's the chance the Sox can sign Rivera to replace Gagne in the bullpen? Come to think of it, Posada would make a nice replacement for Mirabelli

The FOX TV announcers gave two statistics during Game 4 that struck me as rather amazing:

1) For the first three World Series games, Boston scored 25 runs but hit only ONE homer (Dustin Pedroia's shot in the first at-bat of the series)

2) In Games 1 through 3, TEN DIFFERENT Red Sox players had an RBI !!!


This balance throughout their line-up was a major factor for their success during the entire season (and a lack thereof probably why they dropped three games to Cleveland during the ALCS, when it seemed only Ortiz and Manny were getting hits). Of course, great pitching kinda helped also.

I think you are right about that. It's amazing that Dice-K had the winning RBI in game three and Bobby Keilty hit the winner in game 4.

By the way, I apologize if my previous post sounded obnxious in its praise of the Red Sox. Anyone who spent the 80's and 90's with the Sox understands that this is all new territory. I can't get over the fact that the people running the Sox actually seem to know what they are doing.

I was quite irked that A-Rod's agent Scott Boras has the gall to make his announcement about the contract opt-out during the middle of Game 4! Did he really have to try and steal the spotlight from the Red Sox and Rockies? And shame on Fox's team for jumping right into his lap and interrupting game coverage for part of the 7th inning. Apparently I wasn't the only one out of sorts:

From the Associated Press
By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK Oct 29, 2007 (AP)

Major League Baseball had this message for Alex Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras: Shame on you. Boras announced during Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night that A-Rod was opting out of the final three seasons of his contract with the New York Yankees. The timing left baseball officials livid.

"We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game," DuPuy said. "Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series."

Red Sox fans sure took notice fast. After their team won the title for the second time in four seasons, they stood behind the visitors' dugout at Coors Field and chanted: "Don't sign A-Rod!"

"Kind of strange timing," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said after Boston completed its sweep of Colorado.

New York, which failed to make the World Series in all of Rodriguez's seasons, maintained Monday that it will not attempt to re-sign A-Rod now that he has opted out.

"No chance," Hank Steinbrenner, a son of owner George Steinbrenner, said Monday at Legends Field. "Not if it's made official."

Hank Steinbrenner did not make much of Boras' timing.

"It doesn't matter to me," he said. "But I'm sure there's a lot of people that aren't very happy about it. Other baseball people, the commissioner's office, the Red Sox."

Not to get too picky on this, but didn't Dice-K end up driving in the 4th & 5th runs that game? I thought that the 6th came after his hit, which made his RBIs the eventual game-tying RBIs.

You may be right Walter. I originally heard the bit about Dice-K's game winning RBI from Tom Caron, and assumed it was true. I'm so fried from all these long nights of baseball (and having a one year old), that I don't have the energy to figure it out. (don't I sound like an old man?)

By they way, am I remembering correctly that you are on the South Shore? I'm originally from Marshfield (Maaaahshfield).

Go Sox!

Looks likely that Torre and Mattingly may be headed to L.A.


Little resigns as Los Angeles Dodgers manager, paving the way for Torre to take job

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer
October 30, 2007

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Grady Little resigned as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, paving the way for Joe Torre to take the job.

Little said it was a move he considered for some time, and he told general manager Ned Colletti of his decision Tuesday. First, Little called it "a mutual resignation." Later, he said it was his choice to leave with a year remaining on his contract.

"I've got my own personal reasons," Little said on a conference call.

When asked if reports that the Dodgers were speaking with Torre influenced his decision, Little replied firmly: "No."

Torre and his former bench coach with the New York Yankees, Don Mattingly, have discussed the possibility of joining the Dodgers together, according to a person with knowledge of those talks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the manager's job was still open in Los Angeles.

"We haven't hired anybody," Colletti said. "We're talking to some people, that's all I'm going to tell you. We'll talk about where we go from here at a later date."

The 67-year-old Torre managed the Yankees to four World Series championships and 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons before turning down a one-year, $5 million offer for next season with an additional $3 million in incentives on Oct. 18.

Torre, who completed a three-year, $19.2 million contract this year, ranks eighth on baseball's career list with 2,067 victories and has won a record 76 postseason games.

Colletti said he had an idea the 57-year-old Little was leaning toward resigning, so he recently discussed the job with potential replacements. The GM said he didn't want to get caught empty-handed.

One of those candidates, Colletti acknowledged, was Joe Girardi, hired by the Yankees as Torre's successor earlier Tuesday.

"I wanted Grady Little back. I encouraged him a handful of times to think it through," Colletti said.

Team owner Frank McCourt said on the season's final day that Little would return next year, but recently several news outlets reported the Dodgers were speaking with Torre about their managerial job.

Torre's agent, Maury Gostfrand, declined comment. Speaking on CBS's "Late Show With David Letterman," on Monday night, Torre said: "There's nothing to any of it so far."

The Dodgers entered this season as the clear-cut favorite to win the NL West and had the league's best record in mid-July. But they dropped 11 of their last 14 games to fade out of contention, finishing at 82-80.

Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the Colorado Rockies.

Little said that wasn't why he stepped down.

"It's nothing in particular," he said. "It's just a decision we've come to. This is all personal. There's a lot of belief I've been dealt an injustice here. That couldn't be further from the truth. My plans? To play with my grandkids."

The Dodgers have won only one postseason game since winning the 1988 World Series.

Little managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002-03 before being fired despite winning more than 90 games each season.

The Red Sox led the Yankees 5-2 late in Game 7 of the 2003 AL championship series before Little opted to leave in pitcher Pedro Martinez instead of going to the bullpen. The Yankees rallied to tie the game before winning in the 11th on a homer by Aaron Boone.

That led to Little's firing.

Speaking before what turned out to be Little's final game, McCourt said he was encouraged about the Dodgers' direction under Colletti and Little.

"We should be playing next week," McCourt said. "It's sort of an odd place I'm at right now. I feel the fans' disappointment. I share it. On the other hand, I feel something very positive here. The future is very, very bright."

The Dodgers went 88-74 and made the playoffs as the NL wild card in Little's first season as their manager before being swept by the New York Mets in the first round.

Mattingly's son, Preston, is a minor leaguer in the Dodgers' organization.

Updated on Tuesday, Oct 30, 2007 8:05 pm, EDT

.................................................................


from ESPN--

Dodgers' Little says 'personal' reasons prompt resignation

ESPN.com news services
Updated: October 30, 2007, 8:22 PM ET


All the talk was about Joe Torre managing the Los Angeles Dodgers. Only problem was Grady Little was still the manager.

That's not a problem anymore. Little announced on Tuesday night that he was resigning as manager.

During a conference call, Little responded to reports of ill will between himself and Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti.

"Ned and I have been in constant communication since the end of the season and decided mutually that this was the best move for the Dodgers organization to take," Little said.

Colletti said, "I wanted Grady Little back. I encouraged him a handful of times to think it through,"

The general manager said that he knew resignation was on Little's mind at the end of the season.

When asked if rumors of Torre taking over had an influence on his decision, Little replied, "None whatsoever."

"I have my personal reasons," he said.

He added: "It's nothing in particular. It's just a decision we've come to. This is all personal. There's a lot of belief I've been dealt an injustice here. That couldn't be further from the truth. My plans? To play with my grandkids."

Little had one year remaining on his contract with a club option for a second year.

Little, the Dodgers' skipper the past two seasons, managed the Boston Red Sox in 2002-03 before being fired despite leading the team to the American League Championship Series in 2003.

The Dodgers had baseball's best record in July but faded down the stretch to finish with an 82-80 record, good for fourth place in the NL West.

Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the Colorado Rockies while falling out of contention.

Little's resignation comes amid multiple media reports that Torre will be named the Dodgers' next manager. The Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday that the Dodgers and the former Yanks manager had agreed to terms of a contract but were resolving issues related to the coaching staff and player personnel moves.

It has been widley reported that Torre would bring his former bench coach, Don Mattingly, with him to Los Angeles. In a conference call on Tuesday, the former Yankees great did not deny or confirm a prospective move to L.A. his son Preston was drafted by the Dodgers in 2006.

Colletti would not confirm whether Torre was the leading candidate to take over.

"We've talked to other people a little bit to gauge their level of interest because talking to Grady at the end of the season I wasn't sure he was coming back," he said.

When pressed to name the candidates, Colletti said, "We'll talk about where we go from here at a later date."

As for reports that the Dodgers were negotiating with Torre, Colletti said, "That's not accurate."

Torre's agent, Maury Gostfrand, declined comment.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Update...

from AP--

Little resigns as Dodgers manager
Associated Press, Updated 15 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Grady Little is out, whatever the reason. That sure seems to pave the way for Joe Torre to become the Los Angeles Dodgers' next manager.

Little resigned on Tuesday with a year remaining on his contract in a move he said he considered for some time. First, he called it "a mutual resignation." Later, he said it was his choice to leave.
"I've got my own personal reasons. There's a lot of belief I've been dealt an injustice here. That couldn't be further from the truth," Little said on a conference call. "My plans? To play with my grandkids."

When asked if reports that the Dodgers were speaking with Torre influenced his decision, Little replied firmly: "No."

Torre and his former bench coach with the New York Yankees, Don Mattingly, have discussed the possibility of joining the Dodgers together, according to a person with knowledge of those talks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the manager's job was still open in Los Angeles.

"We haven't hired anybody," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said. "We're talking to some people, that's all I'm going to tell you. We'll talk about where we go from here at a later date."

The New York Post reported on its Web site Tuesday night that Torre had agreed in principle to a $14.5 million, three-year contract with the Dodgers, but a baseball official with knowledge of the search said no deal was imminent. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the job was still open.

Torre's agent, Maury Gostfrand, declined comment.

Colletti said he had a sense the 57-year-old Little was leaning toward stepping down, so he recently discussed the job with potential replacements. One of those candidates, Colletti acknowledged, was Joe Girardi, hired by the Yankees as Torre's successor earlier Tuesday.

Colletti refused to put a timetable on picking Little's successor. The GM stressed that Little would have kept his job for next season had he decided to come back.

"This is a difficult day for many of us," Colletti said. "Grady is a man I'm very fond of. Our friendship and relationship I expect to last as long as we're here on earth."

The 67-year-old Torre managed the Yankees to four World Series championships and 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons before turning down a one-year, $5 million offer for next season with an additional $3 million in incentives on Oct. 18.

Torre, who completed a three-year, $19.2 million contract this year, ranks eighth on baseball's career list with 2,067 victories and has won a record 76 postseason games.

The Dodgers entered this season as the clear-cut favorite to win the NL West and had the league's best record in mid-July. But they dropped 11 of their last 14 games to fade out of contention, finishing at 82-80.

Clubhouse unrest surfaced between veterans and young players during the season's final two weeks, when the Dodgers lost seven straight games to the Colorado Rockies.

Little said he told Colletti at season's end that he wasn't certain he wanted to come back.

"I told him I needed to go home, drive across the country, do some serious thinking," Little said Tuesday.

Even so, Colletti said he wanted Little back.

"I encouraged him a handful of times to think it through," Colletti said.

Little managed the Boston Red Sox from 2002-03 before he was fired despite winning more than 90 games each season.

The Red Sox led the Yankees 5-2 late in Game 7 of the 2003 AL championship series before Little opted to leave in pitcher Pedro Martinez instead of going to the bullpen. The Yankees rallied to tie the game before winning in the 11th on a homer by Aaron Boone.

That led to Little's dismissal.

Speaking before what turned out to be Little's final game for Los Angeles, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said Little would return next season and he was encouraged about the Dodgers' direction under the GM and manager.

"We should be playing next week," McCourt said, referring to the playoffs. "It's sort of an odd place I'm at right now. I feel the fans' disappointment. I share it. On the other hand, I feel something very positive here. The future is very, very bright."

When asked if health was a factor in his decision, Little replied: "I have a combination of a lot of reasons. I'll leave it at that. All of them are personal."

Might he manage again?

"That's not even on my radar," Little replied.

The Dodgers went 88-74 and made the playoffs as the NL wild card in Little's first season as their manager before being swept by the New York Mets in the first round. The Dodgers have won only one postseason game since winning the 1988 World Series.

Isn't it amazing that Torre is let go by the Yankees after guiding his teams to 12 straight playoff appearances and then probably will get picked up by the Dodgers pretty soon?!!

Plus this blocks one more place A-Rod may go.

This years post season has been a total wreck with all the shenanigans going on.
Did you know that the papers here in NY had no mention of the World Series win by the Red Sox the morning after. Instead both the front and back of the papers were about the Yankees, Torre and A-Rod. Just embarrassing for any real baseball fan.

I could be wrong on the Dice-K thing too. You're right...it's all sleep deprivation. What the hell was MLB doing with all of the games so late anyway?

Oh...I'm actually north of Boston...just a little outside of the Rt. 128 belt.

Its official. Torre goes to the Dodgers and probably brings Mattingly with him.

The Yankees introduced Joe Girardi today.

A-Rod's agent insults Mariano Rivera.

obviously the yanks were an unhappy bunch, no way a band-aid like extending Joe's contract and A-Rods woulda fixed anything.

I'm very happy with Girardi as coach and A-Rod gone, I'd like Posada & Mo to stay, but if being comfortable is more important to them at this stage of their career than winning then I won't miss them, Yanks need a fire lit under their a$$, bring back fightin' Graeme Lloyd & Chad Curtis!

Every Yankee year is a rollercoaster but next year will be a doozy considering it will be Torre-less and A-Rod-less as well as goodbye Mattingly (who was a considered a Yankee icon, guess not).

Anyone think it was funny when Hank said the Yankees need to be patient next year? mmmmm

There's a lot of talk in the media here that Joe Torre will bring Mattingly with him as heir apparent, and several of Torre's NY bench coaches. Not to mention possibly A-Rod.
Not only do the Dodgers covet A-Rod, but look to the Angels and Giants as having strong interest too. The Angels also need a strong bat, and the Giants need someone to replace the departed Barry Bonds... A-Rod would be perfect for them... and the Dodgers know this. The big question is...who can best afford his mammoth asking price?

The story is that Rodriguez wanted at least $350 million from the Yankees to even talk about not opting out. For even the few teams that may consider him, that's a lotta' cabbage.

Which all means A-Rod was full of crap when he once said he wanted to stay a Yankee. I wonder who will be the winner/loser in this contest?

No doubt A-Rod would look good in Dodger blue plus all those Hollywood fans, he could take his shirt off every day out there.

A-Rod would fit in well in So. CA with either the Dodgers or Angels and their many Latino fans. However, since I frequent going to the ballpark here I do not look forward to the inevitable rise in ticket prices should A-Rod sign here. He will likely commmand a huge salary. The S.F. Giants may actually have much more money to pay him with Bonds gone.

Oh well... it's almost time for the Patriots vs. Colts game!
Today, this is far more interesting!