PROGRAMMING NOTE: Make sure to click on the show widget on the side of the page to hear today's webcast of "Purple, Gold and Blue."  Technology permitting, we'll be talking with ESPN The Magazine's Molly Knight  -- an occasional Blue Notes contributor -- about all the managerial machinations. At noon.  If you missed the live broadcast, you can still listen/download the podcast.  Same widget.  BK

My belief that in baseball, as in most professional sports (with the possible exception of the NFL ... but that's a debate for another day/site), coaches/managers tend to get too much blame when things go poorly and too much credit when they go well isn't exactly a state secret.  Nor is my stance that Grady Little wasn't the primary reason that down the stretch the Dodgers collapsed like a Ponzi scheme gone wrong.  For the record, that public enemy No. 1 was the collapse of the pitching staff. 

But there's no question that the manager matters, and my position has always been that to fire Little to make a lateral, Jim Tracy-esque move wouldn't have done much good, and might have had the opposite effect.  Yes, Grady-haters, it could actually be worse (ha ha).  But if a better option was available, someone who would constitute a clear upgrade, I had no problem with the Dodgers making a move.

I think Joe Torre would qualify. 

As most Blue Bleeders probably already know, there may not be a new sheriff in town yet (or at least not one with a signed contract... yet), but there will be, since Grady Little tendered his resignation yesterday.  According to both him and Colletti, this was an amicable decision sparked by the former's personal reasons which had nothing to do with speculation that he was out.  According to the those who ain't being named, this has been brewing for a while as the pair's relationship soured over the fallout of last season's ugly end.  But no matter what the case may be, the Dodgers are free to... er, "start" pursuing any candidates they find sutiable to replace LIttle, the overwhelming majority of whom appear to be named Joe Torre.

Grady Little has resigned as manager of the Dodgers, and apparently all that's holding up a deal between the Dodgers and Joe Torre is figuring out how much his coaching staff will get paid.  Little said the decision had nothing to do with the rumors of Torre's hiring or the flirtations with Joe Girardi- not sure if I totally buy that one- and Ned Colletti said that if Little had wanted to return... not sure if I totally buy that one, either.  Apparently, the relationship between (now former) manager and GM has soured since the end of the season, reports the very reliable Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, which definitely played into it.

Speculation, of course, is that all of this is designed to help grease the wheels for the signing of A-Rod.  I think that's a little cart-ahead-of-horse, but it probably can't hurt.  But on that issue, there are just too many variables to say A leads directly to B. 

We'll have more info as it comes in.  Between this and Lakers opening night tonight at Staples, please forgive me and AK if we look a little bleary eyed in the morning.

BK

UPDATE:  Looks like Grady could get canned either way.  He's reportedly not all that happy with how this is playing out.  Can't say I blame him, either.  Not that it should change what the Dodgers do.  So whether it's Torre or someone else, the Blue seem destined have a new skipper next year.  FYI, Girardi has agreed to a three year deal with the Yanks.)

Joe Girardi has been offered the Yankees gig, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Dodgers will be Joe-less in '08.  Published reports say that the Blue are major players in the Joe Torre business.  Some to the point that they're declaring that the deal is essentially done.  Grady Little will be fired, Torre will be hired, and former Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly will join him.  Don't forget, Donnie Baseball's kid is in the organization. 

The Dodgers aren't talking, but there seems to be an awful lot of action behind the scenes.

Watching SportsCenter, they had Tony Jackson of the Daily News on, who warned against putting this one in the books.  "All I'm being told at this point is that the reports are premature.  In fact, one source told me I would look like an idiot if I wrote that this was about to happen," Jackson said.  "It's anybody's guess right now what's true, what's not true."  Jackson did say that he thinks talks are going on, and they're at the ownership level.  He doesn't think anything will happen within 24 hours, but Jackson seemed to indicate he thought there was "too much smoke" for there not to be some fire on this one. 

Call that point.  For a counterpoint, or at least something of one, the show turned to Peter Abraham of the Journal News (back in New York).  "I was told by somebody who's very close to the situation that I should write it and would be correct if I did.  I got this information at about ten o'clock this evening (presumably EST) and was able to confirm it independently."  As the links above show, other papers in New York have picked it up as well.  "It's going to happen very soon," Abraham told the SC anchors.  Within 24-36 hours.  And they'd better get him, because if the Blue miss on Torre, after flirting with him and Girardi, it'll be awfully tough for Little to come back in the spring.  Stay tuned...

Once again, Google and my DVR get together to help me deliver available news.  I'll now go back to polishing my Pulitzer. 

BK

This just in.  The Yankees have officially offered Joe Girardi a spot on the payroll as their manager.  No word yet on an official response, but should things go as expected, unless his last name is "Torre" (or "Mama," since everybody loves a "mama" joke), the odds of a Dodger manager next season with "Joe" as a first name could be a long shot.  Of course, it was probably a long shot to begin with, so those hankering for change can perhaps take comfort with that notion.  (UPDATE: Of course, the minute I type the words "long shot," it's being reported that the Dodgers are holding court to court Torre.  Ain't that the way things go?  To make me look silly?  At any rate, stay alert!)

Then again, if the Dodgers can swing it so A-Rod mans their hot corner, fans might not even care who the skip is.  They could hire BK and everything would be cool.  Well, maybe not BK, but you get the idea. 

-- AK

ESPN is reporting that should Joe Girardi not be hired as the next manager of the New York Yankees (big team back East, wears pinstripes, spends lots of money -- perhaps you know them?), he "could have a developing opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers."  The Blue, not surprisingly, had no official comment on the issue.  Although Grady Little is under contract for next year, as ESPN's Buster Olney pointed out on SportsCenter today (and here, I'm quoting from my DVR), "Ned Colletti has a longstanding relationship with Joe Girardi.  They both were with the Cubs.  Joe was drafted by them; Ned Colletti was the media relations director at that time.  I left messages for Ned today -- have not heard back from him."

Asked if this would mean Little is getting sandbagged, Olney, rather than saying, "Yeah, but what can you do?" replied with a more political, "We don't know, quite frankly."  He went on to say, "Officials familiar with Girardi's options, they believe he's going to have an opportunity to be the Dodgers' manager if the Yankees' job doesn't work out." 

So there you have it.  Not sure who the "officials" are -- I can assure you I'm not one and am willing to cross AK off the list, too -- but that's some interesting news.  I happen to think he'll be hired in New York, making this a moot point, but if he's not, the next couple of weeks could be full of intrigue.  If the Dodgers do go after him, though, they'd better make it work or they could undermine Grady's next season before it begins.  Can't quite "Never mind!" that one away.  Stay tuned.

-- BK

UPDATE (10-24 9:15 pm):  The good news is that Jason Repko's balky hammy held up through a week of instructional league play.  The bad news?  His left ankle, which has also caused him considerable trouble, didn't.  Repko thinks he'll still be good to go for spring training.  From there, if you have more questions, feel free to ask me or Ken Gurnick. 

Earlier I had a link up about how Dave Jauss was headed to Pittsburgh.  Apparently, it's not actually true.  I got a call from Dylan Hernandez, who says he's spoken to Jauss and the Dodgers bench coach says he hasn't spoken to anyone in Steel Town about any position there.  "I have not spoken to the Pittsburgh Pirates about any position. I am the bench coach for Grady Little," Jauss said.  "Absolutely nothing's changed. It's absolutely erroneous coverage."

So there you go.  Sorry about the mix-up. 

Still, there is potential for turnover in the coaching staff.  Perhaps it's something we'll talk about on today's edition of "Purple, Gold and Blue," which you can hear at noon by clicking on the show widget on the right side of the page.  We'll probably start off with Lakers talk (they are, after all, in season), but I promise we'll get to the Blue, too.

-- BK

Should you be the type who tends to hit the bottle when faced with dire news, it's best not to click on these two links.  First, the free agent class of 2008, then 2009*.  Neither is pretty, which means those names that don't induce in-mouth mini-vomits will come at a high price tag... assuming they hit the open market at all. 

For that matter, even those that do bring up the bile will cost a pretty penny. 

Sorry to kill your weekend.  We'll be reviewing these in more depth as the offseason progresses.

BK

*FYI, the site linked with the FA info?  A GREAT way to kill some time while working.  Top shelf stuff. 

When a season crashes and burns like it did for the Dodgers, it's natural (and appropriate) for a critical eye to land on not just the players on the field but the guys responsible for bringing them in and putting them on the field.  And at this point, most fans look at Grady Little with expressions ranging from red-cheeked anger on one end to the same confused, befuddled look my parents had when I told them I wasn't going to law school on the other.  Very few smiles sent his way.  As for Ned Colletti?  He might be a little more popular, but no doubt sales of his fanzine are down as well.  And why not?  At one point, the Dodgers had the National League's best record.  Not sure if you noticed, but they didn't finish that way.  We've evaluated the position players, we've evaluated the pitchers.  We've handed out hardware.

Time to take a look at Colletti and Little.

UPDATE: 10/17- Make sure to log in for Purple, Gold, and Blue at www.nowlive.com today at 12:00 pm.  I'll be honest with you- we'll be spending a lot of time on the Lakers, but will definitely get to the Dodgers as well.  Call in!

BK already doled out report cards for this season, pitchers and position players alike.  Some folks aquitted themselves nicely.  Others will require some time in winter school (since one can't take remedial classes while the season's in full swing).  But among those cutting the proverbial mustard fans slather all over a Dodger Dog, who was the squad's big Kahuna?  King of the hill?  The Blue MVP of 2007?  Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of players cranking out noteworthy seasons, meaning that the competition wasn't nearly as fierce as during 2006's race.  Of course, that did make my selection process considerably easier, although I doubt that provides much comfort for the average Blue Bleeder.  At any rate, I thought it was worth noting the five biggest standouts (in my humble opinion) and doling out a few additional honors.  Take a look and see if you agree.