Hire Ng & Hershiser, restore Dodger glory -- and credibility

In a few days, the Dodgers should name a new general manager. With the withdrawal of John Hart from consideration (he'll remain with Texas), the favorite for the position should now be Kim Ng. And that should mean that soon after, Orel Hershiser will be named manager. If these two things happen, the Dodgers will be well on their way back to glory -- and more importantly, to respectability.

The most important part of the decision is, of course, baseball: If Ng is selected, owner Frank McCourt must be convinced she'll do the best job of rebuilding the team into a champion. He can't be too far from that opinion. For starters, she's a Dodgers insider; she's been with the team for 4 years now. Prior to that she served with the Yankees during their recent glory years. She's held positions of responsiblity, including replacing both Bill Bavasi and Paul DePodesta after their departures. Obviously she's talented, bright and capable. A woman does not get these opportunities in pro sports unless she can deliver the goods. Hell, she worked for The Boss! I expect she sees things more in keeping with both McCourt and Tommy Lasorda or she would not be a candidate.

Second on the list of important factors is what her hiring would represent. The Dodgers are the team that brought African-Americans back to baseball, team of Jackie Robinson -- and Fernando, and Hideo Nomo, and players from around the world. As a woman, and a Vietnamese-American, she would signal that Frank McCourt not only wants a winner, he wants a winner that reflects in every way the nature of the game. Women have been fans of the game as long, and as fervently, as men; one day, they'll play the game (I bet there are any number of women who could throw an effective knuckleball or Moyer-esque changeup). At the very least, letting a qualified woman serve as GM is a long, long time overdue.

Hiring Hershiser would be, I hope, a no-brainer for McCourt. His success in a short time with the Rangers as their pitching coach shows he is a natural. As a pitcher, he did all the hard work necessary for success. And as vital as anything, the fans love him. Short of bringing in Fernando, Ron Cey or Tommy Lasorda, you could not find a more popular former player for the job. The loss of faith suffered by the players at Tracy's departure would, I think, be almost completely erased by hiring Orel.

Here's hoping, as one whose blood bleeds the same Dodger blue as Tommy, that in a very short time the team will have made huge headlines by hiring Kim Ng and Orel Hershiser. These are, by far, the two best people for these jobs.