DePodesta 1, Tracy 0

We don't know yet who will manage the Dodgers next season, but it won't be Jim Tracy. He and the club agreed Monday on a mutual dissolution of their five-year marriage. Really, they had to do it for the kids' sake. Neither spouse showed any affection anymore, and the sniping was out of hand. This was Tracy's first losing season as a manager, but he probably sealed his fate when—in the midst of an embarrassing year for the the Dodgers, and with another year still to go on his contract—he demanded a new extended deal from GM Paul DePodesta. I presume the general manager didn't laugh, and he at least has remained respectful as the string played out. Tracy, on the other hand, has been jabbing publicly at his boss. I expect some columnists will spring to Tracy's defense. They hate to break in new guys. But, really, run-of-the-mill managers are expendable and highly replaceable. Like with U.S. president, at any given time there are dozens of qualified people who could do the job just fine. Why not get somebody who's in synch with the organization's strategy instead of at odds? I'll read all the local columns tomorrow, but I don't expect to see anything as deep or as informed as I can get tonight from blogospherians Jon Weisman, Rich Lederer and Rob McMillin. (Note: that's Tracy's index finger...)