The San Bernardino Sun has an article on the Eddie Murray firing that I think hints at a possible reason for the timing of things.
“Dodgers notes: Transition to Mueller begins” first of all has this quote, a classic Gradyism:
“We didn’t fire a Hall of Fame hitter,” Dodgers manager Grady Little said. “We fired a hitting coach.”
Matt Kemp seemed to have an okay time with Murray, saying he “had an open door with him.” But other players found help elsewhere:
Recently, Wilson Betemit and Rafael Furcal credited coach Manny Mota with helping them at the plate. Furcal went from a slump to a hot streak in which he tied a Dodger record with four hits in each of three consecutive games.
So Mota steps up to help, but then there’s this:
[Bill Mueller] was working in the front office and wrestled with the idea of getting back on the field before accepting the job. He said he had never thought about coaching before this opportunity.
“I had to think long and hard about it, no doubt about it,” Mueller said. “Whatever I do, I do 100 percent. It was a decision that wasn’t made quickly.”
I have to wonder if Mueller wasn’t asked if he would take the job a while ago, and only just now said yes, which would explain the odd timing to the announcement. Since both Grady and Ned have said their decision took time as well, I also wonder if they’ve been thinking about firing Murray as far back as the beginning of the season.