All's quiet ... for now

No news on the coaching staff, no one filed for free agency, and, for all practical purposes, no one said a word. Biggest news of the day was that Josh Rawitch, the Dodgers' top-notch PR man, tells me that he is expecting so much media for Monday's presser from both Los Angeles and New York that he had to move the whole thing outdoors. ``Just pray it doesn't rain,'' he said. As I understand it, this is how it will look: the ink-stained wretches will sit in chairs with their backs to the centerfield wall. Torre, Colletti, McCourt and whoever else wants to stand up there and talk will stand in front of us, facing the centerfield wall, so that the five-level grandstand behind home plate will serve as the backdrop for all the still photos and video shots. Sounds pretty cool if you ask me. Torre has been the manager for 24 hours, and already, he has dramatically classed up the place. I just assumed they would have this thing in the dugout club, which takes on this dungeon-like feel, with this depressing dim lighting, whenever you go there in the wintertime for a press conference. ... By the way, I'm about three weeks late with this, but congratulations to Josh on becoming a father for the first time. He is truly a good dude, and one of the best in the business at what he does. Once, a couple of years ago when the Dodgers were playing in Denver, I was sitting with Josh in the Coors Field dining room before a game and watched him consume a dinner consisting almost entirely of chocolate (Cocoa Puffs, chocolate milk, some cookies, etc.) Worst part of it is, the guy NEVER GAINS AN OUNCE. Here's hoping his newborn daughter grows up with a much more sophisticated palate than her old man.