As the Dodgers are still in search of their first win in May, and at 13-21 on the season in last place in the National League West, manager Don Mattingly knows his days are numbered as manager if he doesn't turn things around. But that doesn't mean he's worried about his job security.
He said he hasn't even had a conversation with general manager Ned Colletti or CEO Stan Kasten about his job.
"I don't need one, I really don't. I'm fine. I don't have the energy to worry about that. I need all my energy to continue working on this club. That's the really the way I look at it. You have to keep working, and figure out a way to get this going in the right direction. You have to be a leader at this time," Mattingly said on Friday. "I can't worry about me. I have to worry about these guys, this club, and this organization, trying to get where we want to go. That's really my job. Worrying about me isn't really productive."
The Dodgers have only had four losing streaks longer than the current eight-game skid since moving to Los Angeles, with the longest a pair of 10-game streaks in 1961 and 1992. Mattingly said he has had several friends reach out to him during the Dodgers' struggles.
"I had a lot of people calling me and supporting me, and sending me texts and things like that," he said. "That tells me people are writing about it."
During the losing, Mattingly has kept his sense of humor. When asked if he has enjoyed reading about his job status the last couple of days, Mattingly quipped, "Yeah, I have enjoyed it. Mostly because I haven't read any of it."
Mattingly was moved to laughter on Friday when talking about Joe Torre, his predecessor and now an executive with MLB. Torre has had a pair of umpiring snafus to worry about this week.
"Poor Joe. He tried to call me the other day to console me, and then two days in a row he had umpire problems," Mattingly said, laughing. "I need to call Joe: 'Sorry buddy, are you alright?'"