Kind of a weird way to put it given that he’s about to manage his team in the NLCS, but the fact of the matter, as Dylan Hernandez reports, is that the Dodgers have not resolved Don Mattingly’s contract situation yet. And don’t plan to until after the playoffs.

Mattingly — who was this close [I am holding my fingers together very closely] from being fired back in June — has an option for next year. But you have to figure he wants a long term deal now, not a year in lame duck status at a first-time manager’s salary.

All of that aside, I wouldn’t put too much into the Dodgers not extending him yet. This is sort of the Yankees’ m.o., isn’t it? Do all of that business after the season is over rather than give some extension while everyone is all happy with success. Maybe it makes for some awkward moments, but if you set a precedent as an organization that that’s how you do things, you get fewer questions about it down the road.