"He could be the leader of the most expensive collection of talent in baseball history. He could be the two-time World Series champion manager. He could be part of a dynasty. Don Mattingly said he never viewed his departure from the Dodgers in that context, however. And when he returns to Dodger Stadium this week as the bench coach of the Toronto Blue Jays, he doesn't expect to feel anything he wouldn't feel in a World Series game played at any other stadium."
"His split from the Dodgers 10 years ago was never explained in a way that made sense, as both he and the team described it at the time as a mutual decision. The widespread suspicion was that Mattingly wanted greater job security and the Dodgers didn't think enough of him to prevent him from finding it elsewhere. Soon after he left, Mattingly became the Miami Marlins' manager. The Dodgers replaced him with Roberts. Mattingly now says the decision was family-based."
Don Mattingly could have become the manager of an extremely expensive, championship-winning Dodgers dynasty but never viewed his departure through that lens. He returns to Dodger Stadium this week as the Toronto Blue Jays' bench coach and expects no different feeling than preparing for any other game. His split from the Dodgers a decade ago lacked a clear public explanation and prompted speculation about job security and organizational valuation. Mattingly says the choice was family-based: his stepsons' schooling kept his wife in Indiana, the commute limited time with family, and his son was under one year old. He said he never looked back.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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