The Journal News is reporting that Joe Torre has signed on to manage the LA Dodgers 10 days after he turned down a one-year offer from the NY Yankees.

Although a formal announcement is not expected until Tuesday morning two sources are reporting that Torre will bring Don Mattingly along as bench coach and will hire Kevin Long as the hitting coach.

The 2007 Dodgers were 82-80 under current manager Grady Little who was bought out of his current contract to make way for Torre.

Notes: Mattingly’s son, Preston Mattingly, was chosen in the first round (31st overall) of the June 2006 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After a topsy-turvy season, the New York Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Indians. Historically, outside of baseball, Yanks losing to Indians is irony at its best.

The Indians will move forward to face the red-hot Boston Red Sox for the ALCS.

The question on everybody’s mind: what is the future of Joe Torre and the Yankees?

The answer: if George Steinbrenner isn’t happy, nobody’s happy.

Steinbrenner has mentioned on many occasions that Torre would be replaced if the Yankees were eliminated in the early stages of the playoffs; that day has come.

The top prospects to replace Torre would be Florida Marlins’ magicmaker Joe Girardi - he took his team from rock bottom to a respectable middleground with rookies and a low payroll - or Larry Bowa, the Yankees current third-base coach.

No matter what happens to Torre, nothing can tarnish his 12-year legacy: 4 World Series titles in his first 5 years of coaching the Yanks, 2-time AL Manager of the Year, etc.

With that said, go Red Sox!