Though it was hard to miss the widespread lament when Derrick Hall and the Dodger front office parted ways, it pleases me to be able to say that Frank McCourt and the Dodgers have hired a good guy and talented individual as Hall's replacement, new vice president of communications Gary Miereanu.

In the midst of a diverse journalism career, Miereanu (pronounced "Mih-ree-AH-noo"), freelanced in a major way for the Daily News during my tenure there, before turning fulltime to public relations (where we crossed paths again at Disney). He is both completely personable and articulate, and will be sensitive to the needs both of the Dodgers and the media.

My strongest memory of Miereanu was covering the Long Beach Grand Prix with him a couple times in the early 1990s. He knew everyone - drivers, pit crew, sponsors, race fans. That guy over there by the thing - you know, the one doing the stuff - Miereanu knew him. He's just very at ease with people.

This hire, of course, comes less than a week after I profiled another former colleague of mine now in the Dodger hierarchy, Mark Langill. You can imagine that the combination has given me one of those "What have I done with my career?" moments. But, you know, I am enjoying this website.

Gary (pronounced "GARE-ee") - wish you the best.