Tim Wallach

He had just made the final out in a city where his name is booed, his jersey is reviled, and his team had been swept. His power had disappeared, his swing was spotty, and his season was a wreck. Matt Kemp would have been excused for quickly disappearing through the dugout at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sunday night and forgetting all about an earlier promise to third base coach Tim Wallach. “But that was the neat deal about it,” Wallach said. “He was standing there waiting for me.” PHOTOS: Greatest moments in Dodger Stadium history Kemp was waiting to cross the diamond to sign an autograph for a terminally ill Dodgers fan, waiting to summon the passion necessary to pass along the hope that he now found so precious.

He had just made the final out in a city where his name is booed, his jersey is reviled, and his team had been swept. His power had disappeared, his swing was spotty, and his season was a wreck. Matt Kemp would have been excused for quickly disappearing through the dugout at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sunday night and forgetting all about an earlier promise to third base coach Tim Wallach. “But that was the neat deal about it,” Wallach said. “He was standing there waiting for me.” PHOTOS: Greatest moments in Dodger Stadium history Kemp was waiting to cross the diamond to sign an autograph for a terminally ill Dodgers fan, waiting to summon the passion necessary to pass along the hope that he now found so precious.

Tim Wallach, the Dodgers' highly regarded triple-A manager, has signed a contract to be on the major league coaching staff next year. Wallach's role under Manager Don Mattingly has not been determined, according to a baseball source who spoke under the condition of anonymity because the Dodgers haven't made an announcement. With Mattingly taking over the managerial post vacated by Joe Torre, the Dodgers coaching staff is expected to undergo some changes. Bench coach Bob Schaefer said he told Mattingly he would not be back.

PHOENIX - Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford won't be in the lineup Saturday when the Dodgers open their exhibition season against the Chicago White Sox. And they won't be in the lineup Sunday, either. Manager Don Mattingly said he doesn't expect the rehabilitating outfielders to play in Cactus League games until early next month. Kemp is recovering from a major shoulder operation and Crawford from reconstructive elbow surgery. Kemp is working out with no restrictions, whereas Crawford is slowly strengthening his throwing arm. Both players are expected to be in the Dodgers' opening-day lineup.

It's an early morning after a late night, yet Tim Wallach's dark blue Chevy pickup rolls into the restaurant parking lot right on time. Paying attention to detail is important if you want to be a major league manager. And Tim Wallach wants to be a major league manager. "That's my No. 1 goal," he says over coffee. The only questions are where and when. Six teams have changed managers this summer and could be looking for permanent replacements this winter. There will also be openings in Toronto and Atlanta, when Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox retire after the season.

Two years before the Montreal Expos traded Tim Wallach, they tried to find someone else to play third base. They moved Wallach to first base and then back to third before finally trading him to the Dodgers on Christmas Eve for minor league shortstop Tim Barker, who made 27 errors in 97 double-A games. In addition, the Expos threw in $1 million toward Wallach's $3.2-million 1993 salary. Talk about feeling unwanted.

Eric Show was sure this was going to be the day he finally won a game. Before he took the mound for the Padres against the Montreal Expos Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Show said, "I feel great. I feel like I'm going to kick butt out there. I feel like every day is the day, but I feel it more than ever today." So much for premonitions. Show not only didn't prove himself a prophet; he suffered through the worst outing of what so far has been a season of total disaster.

Third baseman Tim Wallach, 38, who had off-season knee surgery, was booed when he decided not to stretch a single down the right-field line into a double. Fans then cheered when Wallach was replaced by pinch-runner Jack Howell, who later scored the Angels' first run on Randy Velarde's sacrifice fly. "That's a tough crowd out there," Wallach said. "I'm not about to blow out my knee on that one. That'll be a double in April." . . .

Tim Wallach singled home pinch-runner Pascual Perez with two out in the ninth inning as the Montreal Expos beat the Dodgers, 4-3, Wednesday night and snapped Los Angeles' five-game winning streak. It was the Expos' first victory over the Dodgers in seven games this season. Pinch-hitter Graig Nettles doubled with two out against reliever Alejandro Pena, 5-6. Perez came in to run for Nettles and scored when Wallach blooped a single into center field.

PHOENIX -- Non-roster catcher Eliezer Alfonzo won't be in the Dodgers' major-league camp this spring, as he remains in his native Venezuela infected with dengue virus. Alfonzo, who is on a minor league contract, was given permission to report late to camp so he could tend to a family matter. While in Venezuela, he contracted the virus. If or when Alfonzo reports to the Dodgers' spring-training complex, he will be in the minor-league camp. Alfonzo's place in the major-league camp will be taken by catcher Matt Wallach, son of third base coach Tim Wallach.

The Dodgers have granted third base coach Tim Wallach permission to interview for the Boston Red Sox's managerial position. Wallach confirmed he has an interview scheduled, but wouldn't say when it would take place. "It's the Red Sox," Wallach said. "It's one of the top organizations in all of baseball. We all know how last year went. It's not a picture of who they are. They were a top organization for a long, long time. It's certainly something I'm not afraid to be a part of. " A five-time National League All-Star, Wallach has been the Dodgers third base coach for the last two seasons.

This is really not a 2011 news item , but one from 2012. Now if the Boston Red Sox had been able to act properly in 2011, there would be no need for this managerial déjà vu, but there you are. A year ago the Red Sox searched for their first post-Theo Epstein manager and decided on Bobby Valentine. Those crazy guys. Perhaps you heard about that implosion. Valentine barely staggered through the season, mutiny and irate players everywhere, and the Red Sox are once again beginning a managerial search.

Hope lives, however minuscule, however dim. It was delivered from the unlikeliest of sources: Elian Herrera lining a hit off the glove of Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro in the bottom of the ninth Monday to leave the Dodgers with a desperately needed 3-2 victory. Despite the dramatic walk-off hit, similar to the previous night, the Dodgers still lost while winning. Long before their own game had been completed, the Cardinals had defeated the Reds 4-2 to reduce their magic number to one. With two games left to play, one victory by the Cards or one loss by the Dodgers ends L.A.'sr playoff hopes.

The Dodgers' two most popular stops for rehab assignments will be back on line for another two years. The Dodgers announced two-year affiliate extensions with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and triple-A Albuquerque on Thursday. Rancho Cucamonga is the closest Class-A site available, just 46 miles from Dodger Stadium. The Quakes are owned by Hall of Famer George Brett and his brothers Bobby and John. Next year will be the Dodgers' third season in Rancho Cucamonga, after a previous affiliation with San Bernardino.

The Dodgers placed waiver claims on Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton earlier this month. The Philadelphia Phillies let Blanton go, but not Lee. The Dodgers' 4-1 defeat to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night showed why. Blanton departed from the field to the collective boos of the 56,000 fans who were drawn to Dodger Stadium by a bobblehead promotion featuring Fernando Valenzuela. Blanton lost his third consecutive start and the Dodgers fell 11/2 games behind the first-place Giants in the National League West, as he was charged with four runs in 52/3 innings.

All right, class, who was the first major leaguer to bat in more than 100 runs this season? Was it: (1) Don Mattingly, (2) George Bell, (3) Jack Clark, (4) Andre Dawson, (5) Dave Parker, Mark McGwire or Jose Canseco? Or was it (6) Tim Wallach? What's that you say? You're not sure who actually was but you're positive it wasn't No. 6? You lose. Tim Wallach was the first to crack the century mark in this year of Our Lord 1987.

Perhaps it shouldn't surprise anyone, but the Dodgers are still amazed by Tim Wallach's unpretentiousness. With a fifth-inning single, Wallach has 2,000 hits. "Don't get me wrong, it will means a lot to me," Wallach said before the game, "but winning means a lot more. This just means you have to stay around a long time to do it." Even if Wallach is downplaying the event, the Dodgers and Wallach's peers certainly realize the significance of the milestone.

So much for all that momentum. So much for meeting the San Francisco Giants at home and laying a late-August claim to the National League West. For the second consecutive night, the Giants were the sharper, better club, dropping the Dodgers, 4-1, Tuesday to push their NL West lead to 1½ games. The victory assured the Giants that regardless of the outcome of Wednesday's series finale, they will leave Los Angeles in first place. The Dodgers had won seven of 10 games on their recent trip and returned home feeling confident and ready for a big showdown with the Giants, who were without famous web designer Melky Cabrera.

SAN FRANCISCO - As he raced around third base, Hanley Ramirez saw the extended, rigid arms of third base coach Tim Wallach. He kept going anyway. "Maybe," Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly joked afterward, "they had a different sign in Miami than the universal hands up. " Ramirez's disregard for the directive had a happy ending Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park, the speedy infielder sliding home safely in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 10-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.