And the next manager of the Dodgers will be ...

Who will be the next Dodgers Manager?

So now that Don Mattingly is gone and managing the Miami Marlins, who will be the next contestant in “Do what the front office says while leading the Dodgers”? Let’s take a look at the top candidates:

Bud Black: The well-respected former Padres manager is going to be the new manager of the Washington Nationals, so scratch him from the list.

Dusty Baker: Loved among Dodgers fans, and their top choice, judging by the emails we get. But he’s not going to get the job because he likes to do things his way. Besides, if you thought Mattingly was bad at handling the pitching staff, Baker is the last person you would want.

Davey Lopes: Another favorite among Dodgers fans. But he’s 70 and had two bad seasons as a manager 15 years ago. He’s not getting the job.

Tim Wallach and Ron Roenicke: I think either would make a fine manager, and would lean toward Wallach, but do you think the Dodgers would tell them that they are free to look for jobs elsewhere if they had either one in mind as the next manager?

Dave Martinez: A coach for the Cubs, Martinez followed Joe Maddon to Chicago after the Rays did not make him  manager. Between Martinez and the next guy on the list, I would give the job to Martinez, but both are basically unknowns when it comes to how they would manage a major league team. I would give it to Martinez, hoping he learned a lot from Maddon. And who is that next guy on the list?

Gabe Kapler: Well, I'm not sure how the star of "Welcome Back, Kotter" got into the discussion, but if he brings Horshack....  Oh, I'm sorry, that was Gabe Kaplan.

Gabe Kapler is the guy who will get the job as Dodgers manager. He has been with the Dodgers for a year and apparently works closely with Andrew Friedman. He is only 40, was born in Hollywood and went to Taft High in Woodland Hills. Kapler runs his own fitness and lifestyle blog. Friedman said this about Kapler after hiring him to be the Dodgers’ farm director: "He's incredibly bright, he's a tremendous leader of people, and he's an exceptional communicator. It's so hard for players, who are so mired in it, to sometimes see the bigger picture or even look at it from a different perspective. Gabe is incredibly skilled at seeing things at different perspectives."

Sounds like the next manager to me.

What about Vin?

A lot of readers have emailed me to ask about Vin Scully, and Thursday night he gave a long interview to SportsNet LA, where he said he can't wait to come back next season. 

Of course, most Dodgers fans were unable to watch the interview, because it was only on SportsNet LA.

It's nice that Vin wanted to let us know he was feeling fine and was definitely coming back. But it would have been even nicer if he had told SportsNet LA, "I'll do the interview only if you agree to make it available to everyone. If you are unable to do that, then I will find an outlet that allows every Dodgers fan to see it." I mean, really, what would they do to him if he took that stand? Fire him? No way.

Of course, Scully is too much of a gentleman to do that, but it's going to take something like that to break this impasse. 

Article by: Houston Mitchell, LA TImes