I'm not in LA and haven't been reading the Times or keeping up with the local media but I have to say that Colletti's refusal to confirm the security of Little's job speaks volumes. In my view, it is this simple: if the Dodgers were 100% committed to keeping Little for next year, someone in a pay grade above Camille Johnston would say so. I don't think that's an unreasonable assumption and I think the press is right to point out the dynamics.

On a related note, although a different manager won't drastically - or maybe even slightly - change the Dodgers' fortunes next year, I do think Girardi's previous experience with an extremely young team offers a ray of hope. I realize he only had one year with the Marlins and didn't have the chance to play old losers like Garciaparra (the Marlins didn't have many old losers in '06), but there seems to be at least a chance that Girardi isn't afraid to play young players - obviously, sorely needed around here.

Amen.

I was thinking more along the lines of '''''''''''''' instead of --------------------, but I see Jon's point. Greg Brock probably is saying ^^^^^^^^^^^^^.

Amen. Er, I mean, ++++++++++++++.

Unless hiring Torre or Girardi helps us land A-Rod, this type of action, real or considered only, is whats wrong with the McCourt regime.

Stability or a lack there of.

I am quite confident that the Dodgers would be a better team with Depodesta doing his years with Logan White by his side. Tracy aside. I think he's a proven nutbag.

Build the darn team and stop needless sideways moves just to do stuff.

Now if we don't squash the story and still keep Little, he's been undermined...he'll be a lame duck.

Stupid. The whole thing. We're probably just getting used anyway.

The story reeks from being sourced by agents doesn't it.

OT-"Office" observation.

Does anyone else think that an ongoing storyline will be Jim dealing with the "New" Pam. And will he find himself becoming more and more clingy?

I have always taken the position you have Jon. However, a few times lately, can't recall the specifics, a poorly-sourced and improbable story has turned out to be true, so I think I'm just going to go down into my cabin with Capt. Huffenpuff....I hope everything turns out OK.

Man, being a Dodger fan is tougher than it should be...

6 my biggest fear with the office is that it will become a "relationship" show more focused on what kind of couple jim & pam will be instead of being about the absurdly common idiosyncrasies of normal people.

5 Exactly. This is weakening Little's authority, and to what purpose? It's pointless.

I'm fine with off-the-record stories so long as the report doesn't become a stenographer. Buster Olney did just that and I think a lot less of him because of it. I mean, c'mon... officials familiar with Girardi's job prospects? Who else would that be other than an agent?

And shame on you, Ken Rosenthal. Shame, shame, shame. I suppose they'll be throwing snow balls in Hades before a reporter calls out another reporter. Oh wait, I'm sorry... "columnist."

8 What you have described might be the difference between an hour show and a half-hour show.

Sidenote: Are there still fans of Barry Bonds left? Among the sane, I mean. http://tinyurl.com/2lpgmj

This need to guess the story before it happens is motivated purely by a desire to be read or heard, and not out of any legitimate insight into the truth of a situation.

First LAT's comment about his brush with paparazzi at the courthouse, now this. Both dead on. Honestly, find a good story, report on it, and I will read you. You don't have to try so hard and you don't have to pander to your readership.

I got LATed, so I'm going to try again. Apologies to those reading it a second time. A prize to any one who catches the minor edit.

"I'm not in favor of instant replay to overrule umpire calls, but it seems like the technology is there for umpires to know if a ball cross the strike zone or not. Fans see it clearly on TV now, assuming those little rectangular matrices are accurate."

Actually, I can't figure out which rectangle is supposed to represent the plate - the inner one or the outer one? It seems odd that the outer one would be the plate - what's the inner one then?

But I could swear that about 60% or more of the times the umpire calls strike the graphic shows the ball well outside the inner rectangle, but the commentators never say a word. (To be fair, they don't show the graphic in totally non-controversial calls, so the 60% is just 60% of supposedly close calls. Still...)

Which one is it? If the inner one, why don't the commentators ever say anything? Just not looking at it?

In addition to the unsourced nonsense, Ken Rosenthal contributes reporting that is both inaccurate and biased, showing either his sources are attitudinal and disconnected (Plaschke!), or that Rosenthal is just throwing stuff at the Dodger wall from his east coast remove, content to work in stereotypes and one-sided perceptions (yet more Plaschke!). For instance:

"Little... was given a roster of fading veterans and coddled youngsters, and the mix became combustible when the team underachieved."

Calling the youngsters "coddled" is the first I've heard of it. I thought they were forced to "break the door down" to get to the majors.

This story could go away easily IF someone said something on the record. The fact that no one in the organization will, other that Camille J's I don't know anything about it, is the equivalent to Sherlock Holmes' dog that didn't bark. Little, anyone, deserves better than this.

14 "Little... was given a roster of fading veterans and coddled youngsters, and the mix became combustible when the team underachieved." Yeah, that raised my ire, too.

15 Are you Ken Rosenthal? :)

So Colletti makes an announcement. Then what? Olney et. al. will talk about the uncomfortable off-season the Dodgers are having what with speculation about Grady's job and all... without once having to point out the source for the speculation (Olney et. al.)

Columnists: all authority without an ounce of research and being right because, well, they've got that reputation so why wouldn't they be right? I mean, nice work if you can get it.

8 - The Jim and Pam story has gotten about two minutes of screen time per episode this year. Even when the went to Schrute Farms, that story was 99 percent about Dwight, for example. J&P's story has never been smaller than it has been this season. So I'm not sure where this fear is coming from. The other characters have been out in full force this season.

On a different point, some of the critiques I've read of the Office this season have been the caliber of critiques I've read on the Dodgers. The hour-long episodes = the Dodger kids. They get blamed for everything under the sun, regardless of cause or even evidence. The episodes are supposedly too bloated, even though, when you see them broken down as half-hours in syndication, you'll see they work just fine. I've seen people say Michael has become too unlikable in the hour episodes, as if he wasn't unlikable before. (The show has always pushed Michael to the edge before redeeming him only sporadically. It's always been part of the show's genius, but suddenly people are having a problem with it.)

The show, at any length, has never insisted on having a laugh at every moment, but even when it was hilarious, people have complained about the length. It really is like the Dodgers and their young players. Find a convenient villain, and then just run with it.

Which ends the latest tonight?

Game 3 of the World Series
Cal at Arizona State
New Mexico State at Hawai'i

Owing to all the extra time taken by Manny chasing down balls in left field, the WS.

Scrubs was disappointing. I've been hoping all along (knowing there was virtually no chance) that Elliot and Keith would get married. Shows never have the guts to marry off a main character to a temp. Not only did they have Elliot break off the wedding in the first 5 minutes, they then took the easy way out by having Keith be mean to her and having her "over it" already like it was no big deal.

If they make Keith sad (like he would be in real life), then we feel sorry for him and Elliot looks like the bad guy. But since Keith's mad and being a jerk, we don't feel as bad for him and Elliot looks more sympathetic.

Lame. We all knew they were never going to get married, so don't bother insulting us by having them get engaged in the first place.

Weren't all the one-hour Office episodes written by Eric Byrnes?

20 - I liked Scrubs. As someone said, it was probably better than any Scrubs episode from the previous season.

Keith has always been a boring character - he never made sense as a beau for Elliott. And clearly, as the episode progressed, she wasn't over him like it was no big deal.

I admit that Keith's name-calling was sort of on-the-nose, but it's not as if you can't guess he's crying on the inside. Also, I would have been happier if they had never gotten engaged.

Yeah, I guess I'm mostly annoyed that they got engaged in the first place when there was no chance the writers would have them live happily ever after together.

I actually like Keith's character, but he was better off in a smaller role being the guy JD hated then being Elliot's boyfriend. He was never appropriate in such a lead role.

16 I wish. I could see a lot of baseball for free :-)

Speaking of breakups: it will be interesting to see how TMYLM keeps Hugo in the mix from here on out. He clearly seems to be a "mainer" character than Nick, but he also has an obvious reason now to have nothing to do with Jamie.

The dialogue and mutual learning between Katie and Dave is great. I think Katie is my favorite character. On an unrelated note, she has a lot of "little girl" in her and really needs to grow up in some ways. But it's also kind of endearing.

I loved it when Palek pushed Carolyn over to "her side" of the bed after she rebuked his advances.

Let me go on record that I think the beginning of the season for The Office has been fantastic. I've enjoyed the hour episodes very much. Do I need to hold a press conference for this?

26 - :)

25 - TMYLM is one of the better comeback stories of the TV season. It has really come into its own.

And I was not complaining about the Jim and Pam storyline, I was just noting that it appears that Pam is different, grown, whatever you want to call it and Jim is going to have to deal with it.

Oscar = costumes, Stanley = urban.

And its Kit Kats Andy, Kit Kats.

Very funny.

TMYLM is one of the better comeback stories of the TV season. It has really come into its own

I agree. It was iffy at first, but wow, has it ever taken off. BTW, the scene with Dave and Jeff was hilarious.

One more Scrubs thought: characters who "sabotage their own relationships" is officially cliche. Please try something else, writers.

28 - I know. But Pam was different last season. That's when she took control of her life. Jim is validating her, but the new Pam emerged last season, without validation. That's what was so great about it.

That being said, I thought it was a great moment when Jim was reminded that Pam is her own person. But he wouldn't want it any differently.

29 - If you saw the end of the episode with J.D., something else appears to be what they're trying. Not that I expect it to last for 22 episodes.

31
JD staying with Kim (despite having no feelings for her) doesn't seem sustainable. I've been waiting all along for either her to break it off, or something to be revealed that makes it obvious that JD should break it off.

15 This story could go away easily IF someone said something on the record

Most of these stories are bored columnists freaking out bored and uncertain fans. I often wonder how much of it really affects the people involved. It could very well be that the Dodger front office have told Little not to worry - that he'll be back, and that they had no hand in the speculation. Why go public? That would only validate the issue.

And Little is not a child. He knows how it goes. I actually wouldn't be shocked if he were off on his farm (or his motorcycle), blissfully unaware of all of this. And even if he has heard some of it, he's probably secure enough to ignore it unless and until someone is quoted on the record.

It's just fans who freak out. And we have no one to blame but ourselves. Just remember that all of these parasites are in the entertainment business, not the truth business. If they can keep a "controversy" going for a couple weeks, they win.

Same goes for paparazzi and those endless entertainment magazine shows. If there weren't huge demand for them, they'd disappear. For many of us, it's pointless and distasteful, but we don't have to watch if we don't want to.

I do feel bad for LAT, though, that his real-world place of businesses was invaded by the fake-world voyeurs.

I still watch Scrubs, and I admire that the writers were willing to make both JD and Elliott such vulnerable, self-obsessed, shallow characters. It takes guts to show your characters' flaws and not always forgive them. That said, I'm sort of sick and tired of both of them. They're pathetic. Grow up.

I think part of the problem with Scrubs is the same as with nearly all shows that run this long. They might have run out of ideas. All of the characters have become almost completely predictable. The Janitor, Kelso, and the occasional patient are really the only wild cards left. Cox hasn't even had a good rant in a while.

And still, I'll keep watching, and be glad that I can. I guess I'm pathetic too.

jon seems uncharacteristically perturbed by this speculation.

I'm just perturbed in general.

36
Apparently, a large comet has passed through Jon's orbit.

[35-38] It's the weather.

My students are asking me why I'm so perturbed and I'm asking them why I seem so... perturbing.

Notice how I'm talking about me so much? I normally don't do that. I'm telling you, it's the weather.

Anyone else hoping Jon does not have reason in the next few months to post a thread titled "??????????????????" ?

It's not the weather. It's too much reality.

Do you guys think that if Evans and Depodesta (and by extent, Tracy) were not treated the way they were treated that this would even be brought up? I think based on the track record it adds to the speculation.

40
The weather is reality.

Injecting reality: NM State v. Hawai'i doesn't start till 6:05pm HST, so I think it's safe to say that will end last.

43
I still think Kevin Youkilis could be fouling off pitches from Matt Herges at that time.

1. Jon, that's a great take on the media circus about Girardi & Torre & LA - well said.

2. Earlier someone said: "I am quite confident that the Dodgers would be a better team with Depodesta doing his years with Logan White by his side."

Here's the deal - Logan White would not have stayed if DePo had stayed. Several key baseball people were set to leave, including Logan White, had McCourt not fired DePo.

45 Do you have a source for this?

Several key baseball people were set to leave, including Logan White, had McCourt not fired DePo.

What is frustrating about the reporting by both Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal on the Girardi/Little situation is that neither of them have tried or have let it be known that they have tried to contact Little or his agent. Rosenthal who initially wrote the more sympathetic story about Grady twisting in the wind, would have had a stronger story had he tried to contact Little or his agent.

I think the Dodgers future would be bright with Girardi as manager. I don't think he would hesitate to sit Pierre, for example.

I also think after next season, Colletti could be gone, and we could see Logan White as our new GM. At least, that is what I'm hoping for.

47 Tony Jackson noted that there were messages left at Grady's 'office' but that none were returned. For whatever thats worth.

Yahoo's stringer at the USC-Oregon game needs to work on his math skills:

1st-10, USC39 M. Sanchez passed to S. Johnson to the left for 10 yard gain
2nd-1, USC49 S. Johnson rushed up the middle for no gain

The second play resulted in a first down.

I go to Vero Beach every spring (11 games last spring) and hang out with scouts, fish hacks and others close to the team. I cannot supply you with dates and names, but I have heard the same things too many times by too many poeple (DePo was very smart, Depo had no people skills and in fact, devalued scouts in general).

Maybe the reason there is nothing coming out of the Dodger office is the imposed blackout till after the World Series.
Maybe Little AND Colletti have already been told they're gone.
Maybe that promotion to Assistant GM last week is the first step, with Kim Ng or Logan White being promoted to GM, with Torre or Girardi or LaSorda or Sonny Tufts hired as new manager.
Maybe.....

49 Here's the link to the Jackson article, FWIW. Apologies if this is ground already touched on.

Halftime in Ypsilanti

Eastern Michigan 3
Western Michigan 2

54
How do you pronounce that place?

51 - This is not to debate you, because I wouldn't dream of disputing what you experienced first-hand. I just find it interesting that DePodesta, who is a completely pleasant person (something I witnessed first-hand and have heard from others), is said to have no people skills, while Tommy Lasorda, who would assault anyone verbally at the drop of a hat (something I also witnessed first-hand), is considered by some the ultimate baseball people person.

I mean, it's ridiculous, isn't it? I get that baseball isn't meant to be like a book club, but aren't these characterizations of DePodesta phony on their face? How do they get such traction? DePo is a nice guy.

Doesn't it seem as if "no people skills" is just code for "didn't tell people what they wanted to hear" or "didn't return Plaschke's phone calls immediately"? These are capital crimes? Certainly, these might have helped DePo stay in the long run, but how does this become "no people skills?" In my mind, it's yet another example of how one little thing, like Matt Kemp moving a trashcan, comes to be bigger than it is meant to be.

Again, I'm not trying to dissuade you of what people told you. I'm just really losing my taste for challenging the hypocrisy that surrounds this game and how people talk about it. It just can't be beaten.

Is the USC-Oregon game not on TV? I can't find it anywhere.

If he had no people's skills, how did he nail the interview with McCourt to get hired in the first place?

57
Fox Sports Net

59 is showing Arizona-Washington. Is it on Prime Ticket? I don't get primr ticket. :(

So, does Booty get the next start?

Oh well, guess it's better I'm not watching it. Wow, USC is terrible this year.

62
Where do you live? Because I live in the Bay Area and I am getting it.

FSN2

Office: My guess is the next step of JAM will be Pam trying to advance her career, and Jim struggling with her being away/a possible move. I think they've handled their relationship exceptionally.

Scrubs: Better than last season, but aren't premieres supposed to knock you out? Also, I really don't like Elliott's character anymore.

61
Probably, but I still think Sanchez is better.

63 San Luis Obispo. And Cal Poly's cable package includes FSN but not FSN2.

61 Doesn't much matter anymore.

68 Cont. So, arguing with myself, leave Sanchez in for the experience for next year.

66 I miss Palmer/Leinart.

I don't believe the game is over in Eugene.

68 Yup. 2 losses = playing out the string. And I was just thinking, the Pac 10 has so many top teams, it looks like none of them will get to play for the championship. Ohio State and Boston College wouldn't stand a chance of going unbeaten if they had to play eight games against Pac 10 teams.

Amazing how easy it is to throw the ball near the end of a game.

56 I don't think it's about being nice, per se. It think it's about glad-handing, pressing the flesh, making people feel good. My sense is that DePo had no patience for that and/or wasn't very good at it. People in a workplace really like to shoot the ol' bovine scatology and I don't think Paul was like that, not at all. I get the sense that people complained about it and that's why he was let go.

Is this backed up by anything other than air? What comment of mine ever is? But I can't see any other way of making sense of the issue.

Oregon is (predictably) choking.

USC gets the ball back with 3:20 left. Perhaps a comeback is in store then.

I had no intention of bringing up Depo other than to say Depo, aka GM X, with Logan White by his side and committed to developing and not trading his young talent, would have served this organization better than the last two years. I characterize the last two years as average with needless acquisitions of replacement level players, injured free agents, mild contention in an average league or division. The only real progress has been the development, or some might say just plain aging of talented youth. I recall Depo was doing just that in 2005. And Logan was drafting nicely. Therefore Depo or Colletti or GM X would have done just fine.
And without the needless turnover of a GM X after two years and now lame duck Little.

Action for the sake of action? Never happy...grass is always greener on the other side? Frank and Ned, save it for E-Trade. This franchise needs stability more than anything.

Arizona-Washington is putting on an entertaining show.

USC using a lot of time for not many yards...

I think putting only 3 guys on the defensive line is a big mistake.

1

Nicely said.

Terrible pass.

Kenny Wheaton II.

I wonder if Uncle Miltie is down on the field.

But in the biggest game in the Pac-10 today, Washington and Arizona are tied at 41-41 in the fourth quarter.

78 Um, yeah. 41-41 with 7:00 to go? I didn't think UA was capable of scoring that many points in a single game. UW's defense must be pretty shoddy.

I'm surprised Oregon's mascot is still a duck instead of a swoosh.

Oregon, yeah!!!! It's amazing how they've actually gotten good, and they can actually beat USC now.

Well, looks like USC is done. :(

87
I thought Phil Knight was the mascot?

56 - Ah, but does anybody actually know Girardi's (or Torre's, for that matter) policy on clubhouse trash cans?

The impressive thing about Oregon this year is how well they run the ball. They actually have more rushing yards than passing.

86
UCLA scored 41 points against Washington and the Bruins were playing the Law Firm at QB for much of the second half.

Holiday Bowl here we come.

People skills?
Its more like cha