Donnie Was Better With His Cheesy Mustache

Donnie in his Yankee porn-stache days

Donnie is O-U-T

In the wake of Don Mattingly’s ouster as the Dodger’s manager (finally!), I keep thinking about how he will never match the success of his ‘70s porn-star-mustache-playing days with the Yankees. He was arguably one of the greatest players of his generation, but that is not the case in his managerial career. If he can’t take a $300 million dollar team past the first round of the playoffs, he certainly won’t be able to propel a small-market team like the Miami Marlins (one team he is rumored to be a managerial candidate) to any sort of greatness. His laid-back style was popular with the players, but didn’t serve to motivate them to the highest level on the field. His inability to make even standard in-game strategical moves was staggering. My replacement choice would be Dodger fan favorite and seasoned manager, Dusty Baker. We’ll see…

Now that the dust has settled…

It took me a few days to get over that horrible Game 5 loss to the Mets. Like most Dodger losses this season, the starting pitcher did his job well, and the Dodger offense froze on too many occasions. An experienced manager who knows how to manufacture runs and not just wait for the big homer (never came) will help the offense achieve a higher level of play that is crucial to playoff success. Re-signing Zack Greinke to whatever he wants is also a top priority. Adding another top-notch pitcher to slide into the Number 3 slot in the rotation is key. We will be lucky if Hyun-Jin Ryu makes it back from arm surgery, and Brett Anderson won’t repeat his injury-free season. Obviously, the bullpen needs a re-tool. The young studs on the team must be complimented with some vets, but not the Jimmy Rollins over-the-hill kind. The $$ is there, no excuses.