Tracy's Staying

You can forget all of that silly Plaschke hubbub about the Dodgers disrespecting Jim Tracy. The LA Manager was never going anywhere. Today he signed a 2-year contract extension to remain with the Dodgers.

Tracy is a good fit for the DePodesta Moneyball philosophy, not because he necessarily believes in it, but because Tracy has always been a "yes man" of sorts. Kevin Malone hired him because, unlike Davey Johnson, he wouldn't diss Dodger Boy's moves in public. Tracy heralded Dan Evans every opportunity he could. And he has continued to tow the company line with Paul DePodesta.

Some claim the Dodgers should have given Tracy more years or more money. That would have been nice, considering all of the external turmoil he's been through, from four GMs, two owners, dealing with Plaschke-ite idiots, and handling the Gary Sheffield saga. But this is a business. In this day and age when Bob Brenly and Terry Francona can win World Series as managers, it's hard to fault DePodesta for acting like Tracy was replacable. Tracy never wanted to leave in the first place, so it was only a matter of negotiation on the numbers.

Still Tracy is a class-act. He has proven over and over again that he has a great baseball mind. He has made some unusual decisions based on his keen observational skills, and many have paid off. He has proven to be a solid communicator. And while players may not love him as much as a Dusty Baker or a Joe Torre, they have enough respect to play well for him. LAist would have liked to seen Frank McCourt show a little more financial gratitude toward Tracy, but McCourt hasn't been with the Dodgers for the past four years either. All in all, everyone made out fine.