Mattingly, Dodgers Open Freeway Series At Dodger Stadium
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Dodgers head into a new season with a first-time manager and a goal to return to the playoffs at the same time owner Frank McCourt's contentious divorce continues to cast a shadow over what happens on the field.
Former Yankees star Don Mattingly takes over in place of manager Joe Torre for a team that finished fourth in the NL West with an 80-82 record and missed the postseason.
For the second straight winter, the Dodgers failed to add a big bat to bolster an offense that was second-worst in baseball after the All-Star break.
But despite McCourt's well-publicized financial woes, the team committed more than $80 million in signings over the winter, including a three-year, $33 million deal for pitcher Ted Lilly and a three-year, $21 million contract for Juan Uribe.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
