FanHouse Dodgers

According to Jon Heyman (who, for the record, I actually like), Grady Little is not only a good manager, he's one of the most unappreciated managers in baseball.

That's certainly questionable; one can argue Little's merit -- and the importance of managers in general -- but that's not really the point here. The point is that in Heyman's fawning portrayal of Little, it's clear Grady still seems to think his decision to leave Pedro Martinez in in the seventh inning of the 2003 Yankees-Red Sox Game 7 was justifiable:

Little's accent and speech patterns, which can sound a little like Forrest Gump, can cause folks to underestimate him. It's not a strategy, though, just something that comes naturally. "What you see is what you get," he says.

What you usually get is the right call. The move to let Pedro Martinez keep pitching in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS against the Yankees is the one folks remember, though.

"It'll be something people talk about for a long time," Little says. "To get the point where we're in the seventh game, I was sitting in the dugout. A lot of people are forming opinions and making comments, but they weren't in that dugout."

What I don't understand is what could have happened in that dugout that would have made the decision acceptable. Martinez was clearly worn out, his pitch velocity and location were wavering, and the Red Sox had relief pitchers at the ready. Everyone could see this, whether they were sitting down the third base line or in front of their television. And obviously, Red Sox upper management didn't get the decision, either, because Little got canned almost as soon as the Red Sox lost. Or did they need to be in the dugout too?

Whether he's quietly revived himself in L.A. or not, his time in Boston will forever be punctuated by the Martinez blunder, and deservedly so.

Certainly not Matt White, at least not financially, as he's the Dodgers prospect that discovered billions of dollars worth of valuable rock on his grandmother's old farm. White bought the place for $50,000, and almost immediately turned that investment into an unimaginable fortune through dumb luck.

So it's perhaps with a slight shrug and a hearty "Oh well" that White can accept his demotion to the Dodgers' minor league squad today:

Talk of the rock fortune was strange for a week, "but it settled down and I was able to do my job on the mound and that's what they are looking at," White said. "I don't even want to talk about rocks right now, but it wasn't a distraction to my pitching."

The reliever allowed one earned run and two hits in 7 1-3 innings. He said he will be sent to Triple-A Las Vegas, where he is likely to be a situational left-hander.

"Just go down and get your work in, keep your focus on what you have been doing since you have been up here," White said the team told him. "I will continue to work on my sidearm pitches and go down and get some innings to get ready to be called up."

One of the more impressive things about White during this whole story was his desire to continue to play baseball. It's a bit of a misconception that all professional athletes love what they do; often, instead, they do it simply because they are good at it and can make a prolific living.

Instead, with White, that living is all but secured, and the guy still wants to play baseball. Whether that be in Triple A or in the Majors, it's a special story nonetheless.

I suppose anger is understandable any time a person gets fired from his or her job, but what makes this interesting is you usually don't hear from baseball players immediately after they've lost their jobs.

Not so with Damian Jackson, whom the Dodgers released today and whom was confronted by reporters right after getting the axe:

Jackson signed as a free agent in December and was entering his 17th season in professional baseball -- his 11th in the majors after spending time with eight teams.

"I no longer have anything to do with baseball," an angry Jackson said before clearing out his locker, furiously shoving equipment and clothes into his duffel bag and knocking down two chairs on his way out.

...

"He respects our decision, and that's it," manager Grady Little said.

Ahem, Grady. No, he does not. He does not respect your decision at all. As a matter of fact, his opinion of your decision probably ranges more toward the "disrespect" side than it does the "respect" side.

Of course, this makes Damian Jackson the 14,689,567th person to question Grady Little's decision making abilities. Welcome to the world's largest club, Damian!