Howard Sunkin will work upstairs in the office, not on the mound. The longtime City Hall lobbyist has been named the team's senior vice president for public affairs. He comes from the political strategy and PR firm of Cerrell and Associates, where he was the VP in charge of local government affairs (i.e., chief lobbyist). Sunkin began there in the 1980s after being a student of Joe Cerrell's at USC. Hmm, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt needed a staff lobbyist...maybe he'll be seeking approvals to tinker with the stadium and develop the land up there.