They’re Not That Big on Dodgers’ Little Move

On Tuesday, the Dodgers announced the hiring of Forrest Gump, I mean Grady Little, as their new manager, and by Wednesday the accolades came pouring in about how great he is. The word from just about everyone seems to be that he’s a soft-spoken, patient communicator, great at handling situations on and off the field who is well respected by his players.

You know, just like Jim Tracy.

RICHARD TURNAGE

Burbank

*

With the hiring of Grady Little as Dodger manager, I find it perfectly fitting that the team with the most retreads in baseball history has a gas station in the middle of its stadium parking lot.

LARRY YELLS

Hermosa Beach

*

I could not disagree more with Bill Plaschke on the hiring of Grady Little as new Dodger manager.

Little did not “choose instinct over statistic” or “go with his gut” in leaving Pedro Martinez on the mound in that pivotal Game 7 against the Yankees, as Plaschke asserts. Little was not subsequently criticized and fired for making the wrong choice, but rather for not making a choice at all.

At that tense and pressure-filled moment, the Red Sox needed their manager to step up and make a decision. Instead, Little abdicated his responsibility and left it up to his ultra-competitive, exhausted ace pitcher.

That one instant was all I needed to know that I would never want Grady Little to be manager of my team.

DAVID BARNATHAN

Los Angeles

*

We get rid of one knucklehead GM and now we’ve got another?

He signs a shortstop, replacing the best fielding shortstop I’ve ever seen. Now the Dodgers have to move the Gold Glove winner to second, and the second baseman to first. Meaning two unhappy guys at new positions.

And how does this solve their more pressing needs: third base, the entire outfield, pitching? Yeah, spend $39 million bolstering shortstop, the only position that was rock solid. Absolutely brilliant.

SKIP USEN

Santa Monica

*

The Dodgers take a worthy gamble on a shortstop with a cannon arm, great speed, proven hitting ability, and youth, and still all T.J. Simers can do is take cheap potshots.

This is why I read his bitter columns only once in a blue moon. Why start off your day reading the words of a curmudgeon who lives to tear down everything and anything? There is a big difference between objectivity and negativity -- sadly, T.J. is completely blind to it.

JIN CHOI

Los Angeles

*

I didn’t need to read his column to know how T.J. Simers would react to the signing of Rafael Furcal. The fact is, no matter what the Dodgers do, Simers is always critical of their actions.

The question is this: Is Simers critical of the Dodgers regardless of what moves they make, or is he critical of the Dodgers because their moves are consistently questionable?

Hard to say, really.

STEPHEN NETHERLAIN

Lake Forest

*

Rafael Furcal has not played an inning with the Dodgers and I’m already dreading how many times a game Vin Scully is going to tell us what a great cook he is.

AL SANCHEZ

San Gabriel