Dodgers dismiss Murray; Mueller serves in interim

Baseball Betting Lines

06/14/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday they have dismissed hitting coach Eddie Murray and named Bill Mueller interim hitting coach.

"Change is never easy but sometimes it is necessary and we feel that this is the best thing right now to help the team win," said Dodgers manager Grady Little. "Our offense hasn't lived up to our expectations and no one person is responsible for the results we've had this season. I have the utmost respect for Eddie Murray as a person and as a professional and I wish him nothing but the best."

Mueller played in just 32 games for the Dodgers in 2006 due to a knee injury and hit .252. He ended his 11-year playing career with a.291 batting average with 85 homers and 493 RBI, which includes stints with San Francisco, the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. Upon his retirement, Mueller was named special assistant to general manager Ned Colletti this offseason.

"Bill Mueller will serve as a very solid bridge as we look for our next hitting coach," Colletti said. "He already has a great reputation within the clubhouse and he has a very deep knowledge of our team and the rest of the league."

Mueller's best season came in 2003 with the Red Sox when he captured the AL batting title and Silver Slugger Award at third base while setting career highs in average (.326), hits (171), homers (19) and RBIs (85).

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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