Little’s act should, and will, continue

As announcements go, it shouldn’t be necessary.

As points go, it should be moot.

But there’s been enough screaming around this, that somebody needs to stick a sock in it, so allow me.

Grady Little will manage the Dodgers next season.

Period. End of story. End of screaming. Please.

“Yes, he’s back,” said Ned Colletti when I questioned the Dodgers’ general manager early Thursday evening.

While we were talking, James Loney was working over San Diego’s Greg Maddux for five pitches that became an RBI double.

Soon after we finished, Russell Martin was grabbing a 2-and-0 pitch and gunning it down to first base to pick off the Padres’ Scott Hairston.

The Dodgers played smart and hard and fun, again, beating the Padres, 6-3, to move within 1 1/2 games of San Diego in the wild-card race with 16 games left.

Of course Grady Little is coming back.

With barely two weeks left in the season, his team is in a race despite fielding a lineup sometimes containing five guys who have never played a full major league season.

His team is in a race with a rotation that is missing its season-opening No. 2 and No. 3 starters.

His team is in a race with an opening-day projected middle lineup -- Jeff Kent, Luis Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra -- which has combined for exactly as many home runs as Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena (39).

His team is in a wild-card race when it is young enough to be in a sack race, infirmed enough to be in a bed race, and nutty enough to make it a very human race.

Grady Little is coming back, and it has nothing to do with the one year left on his contract.

He is coming back because, weird moves and wacky lineups and all, he has earned it.

“He has put these kids in a position to succeed more times than not, he has been patient with everything, that has been the key to it,” Colleti said.

So, no, he’s not getting fired for making in-game moves that have driven some fans crazy.

“Some of the things that have happened on the field, it’s tough to blame it on him,” Colletti said.

And, no, he’s not getting fired for filling out lineup cards which have driven some players crazy.

“One of the reasons we hired him was because we knew, at some point, we would be a team with younger players, a team in transition, and we knew Grady was a good fit for that scenario,” said Colletti.

Even though he hides it in his slow voice and deep laugh, it is a scenario that has sometimes made Little as batty as the fans.

When asked if this year has been his most difficult of his four big league seasons, he nodded.

“So far, yeah,” he said. “It’s been very challenging.”

The juggling of the lineup is nothing compared to the juggling in his office, where he has dealt with a procession of veterans complaining about playing time, rookies worried about getting cut, old guys trying to play through injuries, young guys afraid to aggravate those injuries.

The controversy he starts during games is nothing compared to the controversy he prevents during the three hours beforehand.

“There’s a lot of transition going on,” Little said, smiling. “We have to keep the lines of communication open even if you’re saying something the player doesn’t want to hear.”

It is this communication upon which he should be judged.

His strength lies in its effectiveness and endurance.

The players know he will be honest with them. The players know he won’t embarrass them.

The players know that even after late Rafael Furcal errors or loopy Ray Durham home runs, this communication will not change.

Said Colletti: “Under him, the players mature, the team matures.”

His hunch-playing from the bench will always make him a difficult manager to watch, particularly in the postseason when every move is magnified.

It is no surprise that, while Boston Red Sox officials were unhappy with him for various reasons, he was not fired until after a playoff mistake.

But Little is not about one game or one series. He’s a manager for all season.

He’s better than most for 162 of them. You take that, then cross your fingers during the ones in October.

“A lot of managers don’t want to deal with the day-to-day stuff of a team like this,” Colletti said. “That’s Grady’s strength.”

Thursday’s stars all benefited from Little’s strength.

Loney, with four runs batted in, was angrily in the minors until June 10. But Little helped him lose that anger in his swing.

Juan Pierre, with a run, a hit, a stolen base and a sacrifice, was the scorn of fans the first two months of the season. But Little kept him calm enough to hit .357 in his last 30 games.

Jonathan Broxton, with a second consecutive scoreless one-inning outing, recently allowed three homers in a four-game stretch. But Little wouldn’t let him give in to the youthful doubts.

“Several times, people have written us off,” Little said. “But one thing our team does is keep battling.”

Them, and him, a duo that deserves a chance to continue through next season, and will.

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Bill Plaschke can be reached at [email protected]. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.