Since the Fed is going to bail everyone else out, it seems, why can't they bail me out? It wouldn't cost a thing, comparitively, and I would be so appreciative. The Fed could take me over and allow me to thrive once again, bolstering my ability to lend and borrow and own a home and help me - Steve Freeman - to bolster the economy. Come on, Fed, whaddaya say? Bail my ass out. And while waiting for the news conference announcing my bail out, let's talk about the Dodgers. They did exactly what I hoped they'd do. They won 3 out of 4 in Pittsburgh and finished with an impressive 7-3 road trip. They now have a 3 1/2 game lead over the Snakes and everyone else in the division has been mathematically eliminated. Their magic number is down to 7 and Nomar isn't that badly hurt. So, great times ahead? Well...
Bill Plaschke's article in the LA Times today was right on the beam. It's always hit or miss with Plaschke but this one was definitely a hit. He cited the potential pitfalls and woes that could undermine our beloved Blue in their final 9 games as they try to clinch the division. While the Snakes are suddenly back to their winning ways of yore, a 3.5 game lead can disappear very quickly. Plaschke pointed out the fatigue evidenced in Billingsley's arms his last 2 outings and the fact he's never pitched anywhere near this many innings in a season before. That could be bad. Chad Billingsley, Lowe and Manny are the most important players on the team. If any of these three falter at this point, it's over. He pointed out how tired Cory Wade seems to be as well, how Hong Chi Kuo may not be able to pitch again this year and how incredibly unclutch their bench is, should they need them to get a key RBI. He pointed out how costly Matt Kemp's baserunning has been and how he could screw up a season with one or two more bad decisions. Plus, the dude hasn't gone yard in a month! He pointed out that Greg Maddux is simply a bad choice in September if the umpire doesn't have his back on close pitches and that you never know which Manny is gonna show up. Finally, he pointed out how bad Russell Martin is, should he need to throw out a potential baserunner and that the Giants and others will certainly be trying to exploit this weakness. Most of these are fears I've had all year and have pointed out in this very space in the cyber world. Here's hoping these fears of Plaschke's and mine don't come to fruition and the Dodgers can hold on. The Snakes are losing to the Rockies as I type this. The Dodgers need to to win tonight to get the magic number down to 5.
I actually think they're playoff bound, however, so that brings up the most obvious topic. The Dodgers will no doubt have the worst record among all the teams in the post season and will never have home field advantage. As far as I'm concerend, the Brewers are done, so, where do you want to go first? Wrigley, Shea or Citizens Bank Park in Philly? Well, it could be a blessing that the Brew Crew is flailing. The way it works is the team with the best record in the league - in this case it'll be the Cubs - draws the Wild Card winner in the first round of the Playoffs and has home field advantage throughout. (Until the Word Series, in which home field advantage will go to the AL champion because the AL won the stupid All Star Game) However, if the Wild Card winner comes from the same division as the team with the best record, they CANNOT play them in the first round. So, if the Brewers win the Wild Card, since they're in the NL Central with the Cubs, the Cubs would then play the division winner with the worst record - the Dodgers - in the first round. It looks like the Dodgers just caught a break in the first round. I'm fairly positive the Cubs would've wiped the floor with them. Looks like the Wild Card will come from the East and the Dodgers will draw the Mets or the Phillies - whoever wins the division. The Mets have amazing power - 3 guys, Wright, Beltran & Delgado with over 100 RBI and Ryan Church, who I believe would've had 100 had he not been debilitated with a severe concussion half the year. They have Jose Reyes at short who will beat you in an array of ways and they have Johann Santana as their ace. However, beyond Santana, they're actually kind of weak. Pelfrey, Pedro who's no longer Pedro, Oliver Perez and a questionable John Maine. And, they're without their closer, Billy Wagner forever. If Billingsley can regain his sharpness and Lowe and Kuroda can pitch well, Manny and Ethier can stay hot, the Dodgers actually have a shot against the Mets. The Phils? Well, they swept them 4 straight at the Ravine and got swept by them 4 straight in Philly. Howard is simply on fire right now and Utley, Rollins and Burrell are dangerous. Their hottest pitcher is Brett Myers and Cole Hamles and Jamie Moyer are solid. Tough call, but I'll take the Mets in the first round. Now let's see what happens going into the second to last weekend of the 2008 season.
What no one seems to mention is the fact that, yesterday, the Dodgers ended their contracts with their Triple A affiliate in Las Vegas and their Double A affiliate in Jacksonville. That was kinda sudden, wasn't it? They're actually putting their Triple A team BACK IN MILE HIGH ALBUQUERQUE and their Double A affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Albuquerque again??? Remember Greg Brock and Mike Marshall? These guys hit the hell out of the ball in New Mexico and their stats were so distorted by the mile high Albuquerque air that the Dodgers really had no idea what kind of hitters they'd become. Turned out Greg Brock stunk and Mike Marshall never became the power hitter they envisioned. Why on earth would they go back there? Why can't they just put their Triple A team in Santa Monica? Okay, maybe too close. How about Santa Barbara?
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