Joe Torre Replacing Lou Piniella as Chicago Cubs Manager?

While Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre says he is not ruling anything out, he still insists he doesn't anticipate managing anywhere else, including Chicago.  Torre’s name surfaced as a possible replacement for Lou Piniella in Chicago.

"I don't want to rule anything out, but at this point in time I'm certainly not thinking of going anywhere else," he said Wednesday.

"I don't anticipate managing anymore if I'm not doing it here, but you're certainly crazy if you don't listen to things. I'm not saying that as a come-on to anybody, trust me. I'm just doing that so I don't say, 'I'm definitely not going to do it' and all of a sudden I'm a liar somewhere down the road. I don't want to be that."

Torre is in his third and final year on contract with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are currently at 20/1 odds of winning the 2010 World Seriesat Sportsbetting.com but are 6 games down from the San Diego Padres (12/1 odds of winning the World Series) in their respective division.  The Chicago Cubs, who are 11 ½ games down in their respective division, are 100/1 long shots of winning a title this year, though stranger things have happened (i.e. the Marlins were at 100/1 odds around this time a few years back when they won the World Series)

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is embroiled in a contentious divorce from his estranged wife Jamie, who contends that she also owns the team. The trial is set to begin Aug. 30.

"I enjoy this organization, I really have," Torre said. "Has there been some stuff going on, distractions and all that? But, hell, after coming from New York, that's no big deal, distraction-wise."

Meanwhile, Torre, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, and bench coach Bob Schaefer were all suspended Wednesday as a result of incidents in the team's loss to the San Francisco Giants a night earlier.

Kershaw was handed a five-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Giants center fielder Aaron Rowandin the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game, which the Dodgers lost 7-5, their sixth straight defeat.

Torre received a one-game suspension for Kershaw's actions after plate umpire Adrian Johnson issued a warning to both benches in the fifth inning.

Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com