Say it ain't so, Joe

They've got Joe Torre blogging about his new life in L.A., and posing for silly pictures to hold up web spots for State Farm Insurance. Sample:

So I just moved from a town where nearly three-quarters of the residents don't own cars to one where more than three-quarters DO. Welcome to LA. Only about seven percent of LA residents took public transit in '06 (yes, I looked all this stuff up), so I'm thinking the car culture here probably won't change all that much...which means I'll be driving again. It's gonna be a big adjustment for this former Brooklynite.

Here's what I have to look forward to as an LA driver:

-Gas prices haven't stopped climbing even after they went through the roof. Who'd have guessed that a gallon of gas would end up costing as much as a hot dog at your favorite MLB stadium?

-Getting used to driving in general again, and on LA freeways, no less. It's not all as easy as cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway, which I need to start calling the PCH, apparently. I've got to find my way around a place that stretches over 400 square miles, sit in traffic, NOT get run off the freeway, and figure out how to make left-hand turns in the city.

And this:

Here's an interesting tidbit about LA culture. It's not just a TV cliché: People really DO carry pocket dogs around with them wherever they go. I have no idea where you'd put these little yip-yaps when you go to the restroom, or even why they're such a hot accessory; then again, I just moved from a town where people buy color-coordinated pepper spray cans. But I do know it's a real phenomenon; I learned about it first-hand when I found myself walking down Rodeo Drive with this little white Maltese or Pomeranian named Butch under my arm. The funniest (or saddest) part was that I didn't look one bit out of place.

No, the saddest part is that Joe Torre was talked into carrying a Paris Hilton pooch in Beverly Hills with the Dodgers struggling to eke into the playoffs. They lost again tonight, to the lowly Nationals. The Dodgers are three games out of first place, two games under .500 on the season, and 0-5 on a crucial road trip. Via Inside the Dodgers