Ok, I didn’t see this one coming.  According to Dylan Hernandez, Dennis Mannion is out as president of the Los Angeles Dodgers and replaced by…wait for it…Frank McCourt!

What makes it surprising is that there were no rumblings that Mannion was doing a bad job or that he was unhappy with the Dodgers.  Mannion came to LA in 2007 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer before being promoted to President in March 2009.  He’s credited with the creation of Mannywood, and was involved in the club’s 50th anniversary celebration and the opening of Camelback Ranch.  Mannion also came to LA with significant front office / business operations experience with the Baltimore Ravens, Ascent Sports (the folks who own the Colorado Avalanche and the Denver Nuggets) and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Look, I have no idea whether or not Mannion was good at his job or if he was successful in achieving the goals that Frank assigned him, but I do think it’s a little odd to see an experienced team president leave and then be replaced by the owner himself – especially given the current state of the team, the ongoing divorce, etc.

I did have the chance to meet Mannion twice, and each time the first question out of his mouth was about what the fans were thinking about some aspect of the club – a great sign.  That said, Mannion was also well-known for making at least one unfortunate comment in public.

Mannion also once asked me during a one-on-one conversation, with a lot of sincerity, why the media criticized the Dodgers as much as they did and if there was a way to fix this (I wanted to shake him and say: they’re objective journalists…they’re not here to like you!  Put the best possible team on the field with the best possible manager and you will earn people’s respect.).  The comment just seemed really out of character for someone with Mannion’s experience and frankly left me thinking that he was a little out of touch.

So what does Mannion’s departure mean for Dodger fans?  We really don’t know the answer to that question, but I think it’s safe to say it won’t affect the team that takes the field each day, as baseball operations was always the responsibility of Ned Colletti’s.  However, it will be interesting to see what happens next in what is sure to be an interesting off-season for the Dodgers.

Finally, if you’re itching to get to a Dodgers game, the full Spring Training schedule is now available.  The first home game at Camelback Ranch is Sunday, February 27, 2011 against the Anaheim Angels!

Congratulations, James!

Right now the ‘stros are leading the Indians 1-0 in the top of the second inning. This place is a classic cookie cutter retro-designed place (think Camden Yards). While nice, clean and modern, it lacks a soul. Plus their hot dogs suck. One odd condiment fact: the ketchup and mustard come in packets while the onions and relish are applied with a spoon. WTF? Shouldn’t this be the other way around? Last I checked ketchup and mustard were way more popular that relish and onions, but I am in Texas.

In any case, just a few days until Opening Day!

Thinking back to last season, I remember Ned expressing concern about Clayton Kershaw’s rush to the majors and the huge increase in sheer innings that starting pitchers that make the jump experience.  Ned’s always been cautious with his young arms, and I really can’t fault the guy.  The way the club handled both Bills and Kershaw was fantastic, and both had successful transitions to the majors (granted, 2009 will be Kershaw’s first full year with LA).

In other “news,” the Dodgers signed former Dodgers SS Juan Castro and RP Tanyon Sturtze to minor league deals.

While the premise that sending a hodgepodge of Dodger players to face off against “the Pads” seemed like a story that was created because there wasn’t any other interesting news on the Dodger front, it did get me thinking: What are the Chinese (or the rest of the world) going to get from this display?

If you take a look at who we’re sending, it certainly doesn’t smack of something for the history books: Eric Hull, Mike Koplove, Hong-Chih Kuo, Greg Miller, Justin Orenduff, Chan Ho Park, Matt Riley, Brian Shackelford, Eric Stults, Ramon Troncoso and Tanyon Sturtze. Hell, half of these guys are non-roster spring training invites! I doubt that the people in attendance at this game realize that many of these guys will never see the permanent roster at the end of March – smacks of self-promotion and media spin to me.

What are we really saying to the world with this trip? “Sorry, can’t spare our top talent for this little venture as we’ve got some gelling to do in Vero Beach before the season starts” comes to mind. I remember attending the first interleague game at the Ballpark in Arlington between the Giants and the Rangers. Lots of fanfare, all of the marquis players doing battle, and a tribute to Jackie Robinson. What could be better?

Evidently, not much. Besides a big paycheck that MLB is no doubt receiving for this little bit of East-West diplomacy, I don’t see what other benefit there is. The Chinese will see a random assortment of players on an unfamiliar field in an exhibition game that will likely look nothing like a real game (except for the rules and the uniforms). Ah yes, now I remember – we want to keep recruiting Chinese players for the league!

Bud Selig evedently disagrees. “It’s quite an experience, to say the least,” Selig said. “I’m thrilled with it. So this is great. This is history in the making. Someday I’ll look back on all this and say, ‘It was great to go for the first time.’ ” . I think he really meant so say ‘this will be a great help in recruiting our sixth Chinese national to MLB so we can continue to pilfer from their talent pool and strengthen our position in an era of declining interest and large salaries for American players.’

Outsourcing may be taking on a whole new meaning…