Tracy Will Return in ’04

Although frustrated fans might wish differently, the Dodgers on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to Manager Jim Tracy.

In announcing that the coaching staff will return intact next season, General Manager Dan Evans gave Tracy another stamp of approval before a 10-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants at Pacific Bell Park.

Tracy’s job status, Dodger officials reiterated, is not an issue because he’s under contract for next season. Coaches are on one-year contracts that must be renewed.

The team’s matter-of-fact stance, however, hasn’t stopped speculation about Tracy’s job status, and the Dodgers’ 11th loss in 16 games to the National League West champions only provided more ammunition for the third-year manager’s critics.

“When have I not been on the hot seat?” said Tracy, whose team dropped to 84-75 with its seventh loss in 11 games. “I have a contract for 2004, and that’s where I’m at. Anything beyond that, those are not decisions I make.”

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“I only concern myself with what I can control,” Tracy said, “and I know what we’ve been able to accomplish under some very difficult hurdles to overcome. And we’re still working, and we’re going to keep on working to get to where we want to be.”

The Dodgers are still working on what to do about Barry Bonds.

Bonds helped the Giants (98-60) rout the Dodgers again while moving closer to another milestone. He hit his 45th home run of the season and 658th of his career in the fourth against left-hander Kazuhisa Ishii (9-7), who finished the season with consecutive awful outings. Kirk Rueter (10-5) pitched five innings for the victory.

Bonds’ shot to right triggered celebrations throughout a sellout crowd of 42,336, putting Bonds within two homers of tying his godfather, Willie Mays, for third on the all-time list at 660.

The race is on for Bonds, who by now is accustomed to record-setting pressure.

“I don’t know what pressure is,” Bonds said. “I’m just trying to stay focused.”

The Dodgers are focusing on 2004 with Tracy still at the helm. Evans said Tracy is not under the microscope at Chavez Ravine, following the lead of Chairman Bob Daly, who in July, through a team spokesman, expressed support for Tracy.

“There’s an awful lot of good about what has taken place here,” Tracy said.

“When you look at our pitching staff, when you look at the improvement defensively ... you had limited resources to work with to begin with.

“You’re [41] games over .500 over the course of three seasons, knowing that it’s still not where you want it to be, but getting closer to being awfully special.”

For seven consecutive seasons, Dodger Stadium has been silent in the postseason.

“I don’t look at what I’ve done here for three years as failure. It’s not,” Tracy said. “It’s not what I want, and the ultimate goal any year that you manage in a market like this one is the playoffs.

“There have been some hurdles that you’ve had to jump over, avoid and work around. We’ve done all that. And in the process of doing so, we’ve gotten better.”