Depression Smession. It's Playoff Time!

My apologies to those few of you who art faithful to my little blog. I missed a couple of days because I was out buying my new house and work supplies – a used tent and a tin cup. But, at least for now, I still have a TV and a roof over my head. I can probably get home in time for Game 1 tomorrow and my heart is beating rapidly. If the Dodgers are done partying and congratulating themselves, they just may have a chance. A little bitty, teeny weeny, miniscule chance. But, they have to be serious. That means all the jubilance and warm fuzzies about winning the division with a dismal 84 and 78 record will have to have dissipated in time for the first pitch at Wrigley from Ryan Dempster. Hopefully, it’ll be Rafael Furcal in the box to see that first pitch and not Matt Kemp or Russell Martin.

I hear Jeff Kent may even be starting at 2nd. You know, for all the crap Jeff Kent takes about being grumpy and sullen and distant, I couldn’t help noticing his conspicuous absence during the clubhouse shindig last Thursday night. Ya think it was because his kids were in town for the game and he wanted to be with his family? Yeah, that’s part of it. But ten’ll get ya twenty the main reason was he wanted no part of making a fool out of himself when the team accomplished so little and still had so much work to do. He’s a professional and no one can argue that. Now, let’s get down to cases:

There’s little doubt in my mind the Dodgers will lose this series. The Cubs, as I said a few times, were a hundred times better than the Dodger without Manny and are ten times better than them with Manny. They have 4 great starting pitchers to our 2. Edge: Cubs. They have a Marmol and a Wood in the pen. We have a Broxton and a Saito. Gimme Marmol and Wood every time. Their middle relief is far superior. Edge: Cubs. At first base, they have the great Derrek Lee. We have Loney. Edge: Cubs. At second base, they have Mark DeRosa and his 21 HRs, 87 RBIs and we have 40 year-old Jeff Kent and his 12 HR’s and his injuries. Edge: Cubs. At short, Furcal, if he’s healthy, can trump Ryan Theriot, but Theriot had a great year, hitting .307. Edge: Even. At 3rd base, the Cubs have the great Aramis Ramirez, 29 HR, 111 RBI’s. We have Casey Blake. Enough said. Edge: Cubs. In left field, we have Manny. However, the Cubbies’ Alfonso Soriano, 29 HR’s and 75 RBI’s as a leadoff hitter, Wow. Edge: Even with Manny getting a slight nod. In center, they have old reliable Jim Edmonds, tons of post season experience and smarts. We have Matt Kemp. Edge: Cubs. In right, they have Kosuke Fukodome, who’s been a bit of a disappointment, while we have Andre Ethier, who’s been a rather pleasant surprise. Edge: Dodgers. Behind the dish, it’s rookie Geovany Soto vs. our Russell Martin. Gimme Soto. His numbers are better all the way across the board. Edge: Cubs. The bench. The Cubs have Reed Johnson,, very solid lefty killer and outfielder, we have Juan Pierre. Call it even. They have this kid, Hofpauir who can hit the crap out of the ball, but he didn’t make the roster. They took light hitting outfielder, Felix Pie instead. They also have utility infielders Ronny Cedeno and Mike Fontenot. We have Berroa, Nomar and Blake DeWitt. Edge: Dodgers. Defense. The Cubs defense is almost flawless. The Dodgers defense, with Manny in left and an injured and slowed down Furcal and Kent and a sometimes confused Kemp, are not. Edge: Cubs. Manager: The Cubs have the great Lou Piniella, my favorite hothead. The Dodgers have the venerable Joe Torre, my favorite softie. Piniella won with the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. Torre won what seems like a hundred times with the Pins. Piniella is the better manager. Edge: Cubs. History. The Cubs and their fans have waited 63 years to get back to the World Series and 100 years to win a World Series. That exactly 100 years since they last won thing can be huge. The fans want it badly. They feel this is their year and Steve Bartman will not be in attendance. Edge: Cubs.

In short, there’s a chance the Dodgers could win this thing based solely on intangibles. In 1988, the New York Mets were a hundred times better than the Dodgers. But the Dodgers had heart out the yin yang and a guy named Orel Hershiser who did one hell of a Moses imitation. They magically won in 7 games. This Dodger team hasn’t nearly as much heart, but they do have Manny who posseses a lot of mojo. Manny is capable of so much that I couldn’t see any reason for the Cubs to pitch to him very often. He’ll walk a lot, if the Cubs are smart. And you don’t win 97 games being dumb. However, the Dodgers are indeed a much better team than they were when they first played the Cubs in May. It’s a best of 5 series in the first round rather than a best of 7 series and pretty much anything can happen. Lowe can pitch a gem and Manny can hit a 2 run shot. They can win tomorrow. Billingsley can pitch really well and who knows which Hiroki Kuroda you’ll get on Saturday? Yes. THE DODGERS CAN WIN THIS THING. It IS possible. Doubtful, but possible. They have to play smart and they have to get some breaks. I will say this: Not to underestimate the Brewers or the Phillies, but the winner of the Cubs/Dodger series wins the pennant. You read it here first.

The Chisox nip the Twinkies 1-zip in a tie breaker and they head to Tampa and, as a result of Bobby Jenks’ save, I win my fantasy baseball championship in a HUGE upset. So, maybe I have some of that mojo the Dodgers need so desperately. They can have it for the price of a Playoff ticket. I could use the million bucks.

I read today that the Comeback Players of the Year were announced. Cliff Lee in the AL, as I predicted and Brad Lidge in the NL, not as I predicted. I mentioned Lidge should be considered, but I picked Carlos Delgado. Guess they didn’t think Delgado was really coming back from anything other than a crappy 2007. I neglected, however, to give you my Manager of the Year picks. Here they be:

NL Manager of the Year – Houston Astros Manager, Cecil Cooper. (Over Torre and Jerry Manual) He guided the ‘Stros from nowhere to a Wild Card contender without Carlos Lee. Torre may end up getting it, but Cooper really deserves it.)

AL Manager of the Year – Tampa Bay Manager, Joe Maddon. (Over, Joe Maddon, Joe Maddon and Joe Maddon. There’s no other choice in my opinion.)

My Post Season Predictions are as follows:

AL:
The Angels will sweep Boston.
The Rays will beat Chicago in 4.
The Angels will beat the Rays in 4.

NL:
The Cubs will beat the Dodgers in 4
The Brewers will beat Philly in 5
The Cubs will sweep the Brewers.

The Cubs will beat the Angels in 7 in extra innings. Maybe…

Nothing would make me happier than to be wrong about a couple of these. GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!

"C" Is For "Complacency"

I must say that as much as I like Joe Torre as a human being and a baseball man, I certainly find myself questioning his managerial judgment. Joe allowed the Dodgers to embarrass themselves today and for the entire last series of the season. With the playoffs next week, it’s no time for fun and games. We already had fun and games well into the wee hours Thursday night and Friday morning and it resulted in a loss to a bad team on Friday. By letting Nomar Garciaparra “manage” today’s game and by not letting his starters take their at bats against a tough pitcher like Lincecum, Torre did nothing to prepare his team against the mighty Chicago Cubs, who they will open up against on Wednesday. That’s right. The Metropolitans choked for the 2nd year in a row and the Milwaukee Brewers are your National League Wild Card team, going into the post season for the first time since 1982 when they won the AL East and eventually lost in Game 7 of the ’82 series to the Cards. What does this mean? It means the Dodgers must open the 2008 Playoffs against the Chicago Cubs instead of the very beatable Phillies. So, by all means, let’s have some fun.

Complacency. That’s the new watch word for the Blue on this late September afternoon. They’re just happy to be there and they obviously don’t really expect to win anything. I believe it’s a good idea to rest your starters when the Playoffs are looming, but most of them have had plenty of rest already this series and it’s very important to have some momentum going into the post season. The Dodgers have zero momentum. The Cubs pitching is also the toughest pitching staff in the league, and Tim Lincecum, today’s starter and eventual winner for the Giants is the best single pitcher in the league. So, Torre cheated his team out of a chance to face some tough pitching – an ideal tune up before having to go up against the likes of Dempster, Harden, Zambrano and Lily. I mean, why not give Raffy, Manny, Kent, Martin and Ethier (Ethier had 2 its in 2 at bats today) a shot at Lincecum instead of just letting them enjoy themselves some more? There’s no reason why they couldn’t all have at least started and played the first 5 innings. And why do you just want to award the hated San Fran fans a victory? NEVER! No Dodger worth his salt would ever do that. Aside from strong performances from Kuroda and Ethier, Kemp, Blake and Loney and the rest of the team looked like Shiite, and pretty Sunni, the Dodgers will be dropping 3 straight games to the Cubs.

Let’s face it. In spite of what Peter Gammons says, the Dodgers only finished 29-24 since acquiring Manny. That’s 5 games over .500. That shows they still needed pitching and hitting they weren’t getting. They won only 84 games, making them tied with the Florida Marlins as the 7th best team in the NL. There were only 8 teams with a worse record than the Dodgers in the 16 team league. That’s the working definition of “mediocre.” The Dodges get a “C” and make the Playoffs. The Cubs get an “A +.” They finish the season with 97 wins and run away with the title in the league’s toughest division. The Dodgers would’ve finished IN 5TH PLACE,12 GAMES behind the Cubs had they played in the same division! Hate to be a downer, but the Dodgers, even with Manny, don’t belong on the same field as Chicago. Dempster, Zambrano - the chest thumping, hot headed bastard who looks like he should be in a street gang rather than making millions as the Cubs’ ace, along with Rich Harden should set the Dodgers down in order. Ted Lilly may also join in the fun. Their lineup will pick Dodger pitching apart and if they’re lucky enough to get into the Dodger bullpen, there may even be some blowouts. Yeah, by all means, party hard at that pep rally in an hour or 2 because that’s likely the last pep you’re gonna see from any Dodgers for a while. If the Dodgers somehow prevail I will be extremely wrong and extremely happy. But the way they look right now – a little too happy and a little too content – I don’t give them much of a chance against the Cubbies who are 100 years hungry. I just would’ve handled this whole “winning the West” thing much differently.

As the 2008 regular season has ended, here are my picks for individual awards:

NL MVP – Albert Pujols (Sorry, Manny was amazing, but 2 months doth not an MVP make and Ryan Howard was great but he hit .250. Pujols numbers all year long are, once again, awesome.

NL Cy Young – Tim Lincecum (Brandon Webb’s late season collapse was a big reason for his team’s collapse. Sabbathia may steal it because a precedent has already been set by Rick Sutcliffe following a midseason trade. Still, I gotta go with young Tim.

NL Rookie Of The Year – Cubs catcher, Geovanny Soto, going away.

NL Comeback Player of the Year – Carlos Delgado (over Brad Lidge, Miguel Tejada, Brian Giles, and Fernando Tatis)

AL MVP – Francisco Rodriguez (Yep. A reliever. Over Morneau, Quentin – missed too many games – Pedroia, Youkilis, Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera. Come on. Dude set the saves record for a team that won 100 games)

AL Cy Young – Cliff Lee (22-3 with a 2.54 ERA and 170 strikeouts. Enough said. Over Matsuzaka, Halladay, Francisco Rodriguez)

AL Rookie of the Year – Rays 3rd baseman, Evan Longoria (over KC shortstop, Aviles, Chisox 2nd baseman, Alexei Ramirez, Twins right fielder, Denard Span, and a host of other fine rooks.)

AL Comeback Player of the Year – Cliff Lee again. (How do you not give it to him? He spent much of last season in the minors. Gotta go with Lee over Josh Hamilton, who isn’t really coming back from anything anymore, Jason Giambi, and Aubrey Huff)

That’s my take.

It's Your Party, You Can Cry If You Want To... Later.

So, let’s see, my bank was bought, my pilot is in danger of being shelved and, following the first Presidential debate, some stupid fence sitters are now leaning toward McCain. Not only that, but terrorism, war, hunger, disease and injustice still linger throughout the world. But, it’s all fine because the Dodgers are Western Division Champs. Let’s party.

The Dodgers lost to the lowly Dads Thursday night, then celebrated in their clubhouse as if Derek Lowe had just thrown a perfect game in Game 7 of the World Series shortly after curing cancer and achieving peace in the Middle East. Guys, great job. You won a 5 team division, and one of the lousiest in the history of divisional play, I might add. I definitely feel some letting loose, some subdued celebration was in order, but come on. It was way overboard. It was downright inappropriate and I’m surprised Joe Torre let it go as far as it did. It looked as if they were done playing and somehow knew they’d won their last game. They should get over themselves and start taking care of business. They have a lot of work left to do. Besides, they’re the Los Angeles Dodgers. That little achievement of winning the West should be expected every year. You don’t party like it’s 1999 just because you won a weak division. Then, everyone’s lit up and wiped out and they go out and lose to the Midget Giants in 10 innings last night. That’s horrible. I think it’s extremely important that they end the regular season with some momentum. They lost Thursday night, they lost last night and with Lincecum pitching tomorrow afternoon, it’s likely they’ll lose that game as well. Ending the season with 83 lousy wins is no big deal. If they lose tonight and tomorrow, they’ll be entering the playoffs with a 4 game losing streak! And, with the Brewers and Mets tied for the Wild Card with one game left to play, there’s a reasonable chance they’ll have to open up in Wrigley against the mighty Cubbies. That spells 3 and out to me. And tomorrow, there’s gonna be a “rally” at the Ravine? A “rally?” The Dodgers used to win the West practically every year when it was a tough 6 team division and they didn’t have any stinkin’ “rallys.” They went to the playoffs, took care of business against Philly or Pittsburgh or Montreal or New York, and then it was on to the World Series. Frank McCourt and his rallys. Jeez. Here’s an idea. Let’s have a “You’d Better Re-Sign Manny Or Else Rally. “

A big part of the reason they lost last night was that stupid instant replay call on that so-called home run by big, fat Bengie Molina. The ball did NOT hit the top of the wall, it hit the top of the SIDE of the wall, beneath the home run eave that runs at a slant along the top of the wall. How can you blow an instant replay call?

Has anyone noticed that Jonathan Broxton can no longer get through an inning without allowing at least one run to score? Without Hong Chi Kuo, who won’t be available for at least the first round of the playoffs with a sore elbow, this bullpen is in serious trouble. Everyone looks bad except Corey Wade. They need bullpen help, but I wish the venerable Torre would get over his strange man love for Scott Proctor and cut him loose. He’s a huge liability and should never be allowed to step on the mound during the post season. Here’s hoping Furcal is healthy enough for the starting job and Kent can keep up his hot hitting coming from the bench. It’s going to be interesting to see who they decide to keep for their 25 man playoff roster. Here’s how I think it should go:

1) Furcal
2) Martin
3) Ethier
4) Manny
5) Loney
6) Blake
7) Kemp
8) DeWitt
9) Pierre
10) Kent
11) Garciaparra
12) Berroa
13) Sweeney
14) Lowe
15) Billinsgley
16) Kuroda
17) Maddux
18) Kershaw
19) Wade
20) Beimel
21) Broxton
22) Saito
23) Park
24) Johnson
25) Ardoin

It’s kind of a toss up between Delwynn Young and Sweeney, but with Pierre, I think you have enough outfielders. Still, you can replace Sweeey with Young and I wouldn’t cry in my soup. Sweeney’s been terrible this year. So, that means guys like Young (or Sweeney) and Pablo Ozuna and Proctor don’t make the roster. Neither do young McDonald, Hu, Repko, Stults or Troncoso. (Thank god for that. Troncoso should be released or sent back to "A" ball.)

They’ll be playing either the Eastern Division Champs, the Philadelphia Phillies, who clinched this afternoon, or the Cubs, depending on the outcome of tomorrow’s games involving the Mets and the Brewers. If they both win or they both lose, they’ll end the regular season in a flat-footed tie and they’ll face off at Shea for a one game playoff on Monday. Revered baseball analyst, Peter Gammon actually feels the Cubs AND THE DODGERS are the 2 best teams in the NL. Wow. What’s he been smokin’? Thanks, Peter. Must be that hometown Boston/Manny sentiment coloring his better judgment. Still, anything can happen in the post season.

Clearly, the Dodgers and their fans would rather play Philly, but no matter who they play, they’re going to have to win a game today or tomorrow or both to have a reasonable chance. Just my gut talking to me, that’s all. Go Blue.

We Did It!!!

So, here we are. 158 games into the season and we don’t even get to see that hair trigger, wild celebration after the final out of the clinching game. After dismantling the minor league Daddy-os last night, the Dodgers clinched this afternoon while they were driving to the Ravine. The Arizona Diamondbacks, the Blue’s yearlong nemesis, after looking like world beaters after taking apart Colorado and defeating St. Louis on Monday, collapsed in a heap of smoke and dust like an imploded obsolete hotel on the Las Vegas strip. The Los Angeles Dodgers are your 2008 National League Western Division Champions! I wrote right here in this space many times that I didn’t believe it was going to happen, but I was wrong and happily so. It did happen. They’re not a great team, but they’re good enough to win the lowly West and maybe, just maybe, good enough to win a playoff game or two.

So, how will it work? Will the starters party in the clubhouse, plastic sheeting draped over the lockers, beer and champagne flying freely, while the subs and minor league call-ups face Jake Peavy upstairs? Certainly, you’ll see a different lineup tonight. Manny will rest, as will Russell Martin. Perhaps, Casey Blake and Nomar will sit as well. Juan Pierre will play. Maddux will still probably make the start. Most likely, there will be a celebration after the game, but the spontaneity will have been doused since the clinching came at 2:30 this afternoon.

One thing that shocked me was just how bad the Snakes became down the stretch. With third baseman, Mark Reynolds setting the all time strike out record – 200 strikeouts, and so many guys not contributing enough. I felt, with a pitching staff led by likely Cy Young candidate Brandon Webb and Danny Haren, and hitters like Conor Jackson, Reynolds, Byrnes, Hudson, Young and Upton, they’d certainly pull it out over the punchless Dodgers. But a few things happened. Eric Byrnes, the Snakes colorful All Star left fielder was done for the season in late June with an injury. Orlando Hudson soon followed. Chris Young and Upton got off to horrible summers and then, the clinchers: The Dodgers acquire Manny at the July 31st trade deadline and Brandon Webb gets hit in the chest with a line drive and proceeds to stink for his next 5 starts, losing twice to the Dodgers. The Dodgers really showed them who was boss the last two series against them.

Okay, now let’s get back to reality. The Dodgers have not played a team with a winning record since August 17th. Outside of Lowe and a scuffling Billingsley, they have no starters on whom they’ve been able to truly rely all season long. They lack a middle of the batting order, unless Manny can hit 3rd, 4th and 5th, which the rules simply won’t allow. Andre Ethier has been a godsend in September and he's the closest thing they have to a power hitter outside of Manny. But Kemp, Loney, Blake and Martin have had a huge power outage. Martin has been terrible behind the plate and their bullpen, especially without Kuo, has been questionable. Even their closer situation is up in the air. So, how on earth are the Dodgers expected to beat the Cubs, Mets or Phillies in a short series? It’s gonna be tough. Clearly, guys are going to have to step up, which is entirely possible come playoff time. Also, even though he struck out on knuckle balls, Rafael Furcal’s mere presence at the plate last night in the 8th inning was inspiring. If he can come back and hit lead off in time for the playoffs, that would be huge. It’s also important that the Dodgers win at least 2 of their last 4 games. You need a little momentum going into the playoffs.

Needless to say, Dodger fans must root, root, root for the Mets. If the Brewers, who are now tied with the Mets for the Wild Card, end up taking it, the Dodgers will have to fly to Chicago to take on the Cubs in the first round at Wrigley. That would be bad. Even though Zambrano has had difficulties of late, outside of the no hitter her threw a couple of weeks ago, they still have to contend with him, Rich Harden and Ryan Dempster. And Ted Lily and Jason Marquis are no slouches. The Cubbies also have hitting throughout their lineup and the Dodgers simply do not. I just don't see the Dodgers beating Chicago in the first round. The Dodgers only hope is to face Philly or New York, both extremely flawed teams. The Mets are a game and a half back of Philly and could still take the division. The Mets have one starter worth worrying about and that’s Johann Santana. Their hitting rivals the Cubs, may even be better, but Santana can’t pitch every game. Philly has three strong pitchers in Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, who’s 80 years old, and Brett Myers. Myers was on a roll and was virtually unhittable for a while, but he’s once again fallen on hard times. He can be had, as could Hamels and Myers. As far as their lineup, once you get past Rollins, Utley and Howard, you have a chance to shut them down. Burrell and Werth are tough, but they make a lot of outs. The Dodgers have a reasonable chance to make it to the second round as long as they don’t have to face Chicago in the first round.

This will be only the Dodgers’ 5th post season appearance since 1988. They won the West in ’95, but were swept in 3 games by the Central Division champs, Cincinnati. They were the Wild Card team in ’96, but were swept in 3 games by the Atlanta Braves. They won the West in ’04 on a dramatic Steve Finley grand slam against the Giants (I was there) but they lost 3 of 4 to the St. Louis Cardinals – Jose Lima winning the only game – Game 3 at the Ravine. They were the Wild Card team in ’06 and were embarrassed by the Mets in 3 straight. Yes, that's right. Only one post season victory since 1988. It’s time for a little redemption. In the meantime, let’s go, Mets! And congratulations to the 2008 Los Angeles Dodgers!

I Hear Little Footsteps... Furcal To The Rescue?

As the country tumbles wildly into a depression and I begin shopping for overalls and newsboy caps and other Depression appropriate apparel, the Dodgers magic number has been whittled (and whittling on my porch is what I’ll be doing a lot of – a very Depressionesque activity) down to 3. Yes, any combination of Dodger wins and Snake losses that equal 3 and the Dodgers stampede into the post season.

In spite of their huge 10-1 vic over the deadbeat Dads last night, I’m still not impressed. They got a lot of help from the Cards last night and, had Jake Peavy’s wifey not been in labor or something, he would’ve shut the Blue down as he does so often. No extra base hits except one double from Manny and a couple of dongs from DeWitt and Nomar. Ethier’s lack of pop is beginning to worry me and I still think Pierre should be playing over Kemp at this point. Don’t get excited and stop rolling your eyes. I think, overall, Kemp is the better player, but at this point in the season, they need a veteran who’s been there before who can take smarter at bats. Also, Chad Billingsley really worries me. He’s been “Bad” Billingsley each of his last 3 outings and he benefited greatly from the Padres’ poor pitching (Wade Le Blanc looks like a young accountant, not a pitcher) and the Dodgers offensive opportunism. He was not sharp and he gave up a lot of hits. If they do make the Playoffs, their ace's recent ineffectiveness doesn't bode well. Hopefully, they'll clinch early and he'll get a little extra rest.

Still, it appears my doom and gloom prediction of Sunday evening may be wrong. It’s kind of hard to blow a 3 game lead with 5 left to play no matter how mediocre you are. Not that it hasn’t been done, but all the Dodgers have to do is beat the Dads one more time and win 2 out of 3 in San Fran. Sounds easier than it is. If they win tonight and the Snakes lose again, the Dodgers will have at least clinched a tie for the division. They may still need some help from St. Louis. It’s by no means a done deal. But what’s this? Is the cavalry coming in the form of little Raffy Furcal? He says he’s ready and if he’s one tenth as good as he was in April and May before injuring his back, he’ll give the Dodgers a huge boost! We’ll see.

Too Late For The Heimleich?

It’s happening. I know it is. The Dodgers are choking in ways only Dodger fans can recognize. Their performance the last three games was simply horrendous. They got lucky in winning last night, but make no mistake: with what is now dwindled down to a 2 1/2 game lead over Arizona with a week to play, this blogger’s feeling is they are done. Their outfield defense is the worst I’ve ever seen. Last night Andre Ethier allowed a very catchable fly ball to simply land behind him. Today he let a catchable ball simply land in front of him. His bat is no longer magical. Stuck on 20 home runs, he hasn’t hit a double in quite some time. Their hitting has gone south in a big hurry. Manny took a day off today while still playing, which is something only Manny can do. He was very lucky the fly ball double off the bat of Eugenio Velez didn’t result in a run. Didn’t matter anyway. Russell Martin decided to take the inning off and simply allow pinch runner Brad Hennessey to steal 2nd with 2 outs in the 9th inning in a 0-0 tie with the division on the line. Vinny’s only explanation? “Martin was surprised.” Nice.

Martin looks terrible at the plate. Absolutely clueless. Juan Pierre should be starting in center and leading off because Matt Kemp, in spite of his home run yesterday, is horrid and getting worse as the season winds down. Next to The Stink, Casey Blake is the worst hitter I’ve ever seen. I mean, he’s atrocious. His hands are slow. He dives in after every pitch trying to pull everything. He swings and misses a ton and he checks his swing constantly reflecting his indecision. He’s terrible! A decent fielder but an awful hitter. I’m glad he wants to go back to Cleveland. In addition to re-signing Manny, the Dodgers need to shop for a third baseman this winter.

Basically, the Dodgers have discovered that with a week left in the season, they have virtually no middle of their lineup outside of Manny Ramirez. Loney, hitting behind Manny, has no power. Ethier, who should be batting third is batting second. Outside of Blake DeWitt, who’s doing the best he can, they play with no heart, no desire and no anger.

Here’s how it’s going to go down: As I predicted in an earlier blog, the St. Louis Cardinals will have nothing left to play for when the Snakes arrive there for their 3 game series tomorrow. The Snakes scored 13 runs today in Denver and have Brandon Webb going tomorrow. They know what’s at stake and they’re responding accordingly. The Dodgers , meanwhile, are completely clueless. After the D’backs defeat the Cards tomorrow, they’ll be only 2 games out of first place with 6 to play. The Dodgers will get shut down by Dad’s ace, Jake Peavy on Tuesday, and by the time we all go to bed Wednesday night, the Dodgers will likely find themselves in a tie for first. Next weekend, the Giants will destroy the Dodgers playoff hopes in San Francisco.

I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve seen this before. It’s a classic choke job and the Dodgers are primed for it.

I Remember 1982... Do You?

Things sure don't look as rosy as they did at this time yesterdee, as they say in the hills. In spite of his fine performance in Denver last week, one must conclude that the Dodgers can no longer afford to have Maddux pitch this season unless they've already clinched the division. The doctor is no longer in and he's being beaten up by the league's worst. At the time of this writing, the Snakes are beating Aaron Cook early. Now, whether or not this holds, the Dodger MUST win tonight. Period. They cannot expect to back into the Playoffs by hoping Arizona loses every day. I would seriously consider starting Pierre in center over Kemp for the remainder of the season if I was Joe Torre. Kemp seems to have lost his power again and his baserunning blunders and pitch selection - he's about to break Billy Grabarkowitz's all-time Dodger record for strike outs in a season - leave much to be desired. Let's see if Torre is wise enough to make this obvious move.

It's scary. I remember that Sunday in '82. It was the last day of the season, as I recall, and the Dodgers were in a tie for first place with Atlanta who were, ironically enough, managed by Joe Torre. Atlanta won their game that day and the Dodgers were beating the Giants by a couple of runs. Dodgers reliever Terry Forster throws a cock high pitch to Joe Morgan in the 9th inning and he slams it over the right field fence. Braves in. Dodgers out. Giants proudly claim responsibilty for the terrorist attack on LA and its fans. Whoever wears the black and gold of the Giants has a built-in hatred for the Dodgers and wants to beat them more than anything come playoff time. The Giants know they have a chance to knock the Dodgers off their high perch (80-74 isn't exactly an aerie.) and they play the Dodgers five more times before this thing is done. The Dodgers looked like crap last night against Zito, like the fans were keeping them awake. Guess that's what happens when your starter can't keep you in the game in the early innings. If the Snakes do what they're supposed to do and the Blue continue to hit and pitch poorly, the Snakes'll catch 'em by Wednesday. It's time for the Dodgers to make their final statement of the regular season and not let themselves be pushed around by a lesser team, regardless of the rivalry. If there's one major complaint I've had about the Dodgers for some time and I still have, it's that they never seem to get angry. We'll see what the Dodgers are made of tonight and tomorrow.

Congrats to the Chicago Cubs and the Tama Bay Rays. The Cubbies have clincehd their 2nd consecutive Central Division title and the Rays have clinched their first playoff spot in their 11 year history. Most likely, the Rays will prevail in the AL East and the mighty Bosox, last year's World Champs, will have to fly to Anaheim for the first round of the series. Of course, if you're a Halos fan, you'd much rather face the White Sox or Tampa.

Don't Choke On That Magic Number

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?

Uh Oh...

Well, they've been doing what they need to do - beat up on the bad teams and be over .500 and this road trip and that's what they're going to do. However, after 2 impressive wins in beautiful, empty PNC Park against the lowly Pirates, they're getting their asses handed to them tonight, down 15-8 as I write this blog. The Walking Injury got guess what? That's right. Injured again. This time during one of his more impressive games in a rare start at first base against the lefthanded Ian Snell. He was rounding 3rd and Bowa stopped him suddenly. Thirds base coach, Larry Bowa should know that Nomar Garciaparra's fragile body simply cannot handle any sudden stops or unexpected movements. He went down awkwardly on his left knee and, even though he was able to walk off the field, it didn't look good. Not an integral member of the team, but still, with Loney not hitting a whole lot, it was helpful to have him.

The thing that really disturbed me was how poorly Billingsley and the bullpen pitched. Chad looked like crap from the first inning on and the home he gave up to catcher, Ryan Doumit was a blast, as was the grand slam he allowed against Adam LaRoche. LaRoche's grand slam was the 2nd of 2 dongs he hit against Billingsly. He looked tired. He was leaving the ball up all night and the Pirates only have 4 guys on their whole team who can hit. The last thing the Dodgers need is their ace to go into a Brandon Webb-like swan dive. Hopefully, it's just the one awful outing and Billingsley can rebound. Too bad Scott Proctor is back. But the other Scott - Elbert, the highly touted prospect out of Vegas - looked like holy hell. Games like that can really screw with a kid's confidence. This game certainly screwed with MY confidence in him. The problem is Torre will use the Scotts too much and that's not good. The 8 or 9 hits in a row the Buckos got after 2 outs and no one on in the 7th was a complete disgrace. The Dodgers pen is inconsistent, especially without Kuo, who's resting his sore arm (never a good thing to hear when your team is heading for the Playoffs) and it's the time of year where Torre needs to stop using guys who have proven themselves unreliable.

SO, the magic number will likely remain at 8 because the Snakes are doing exactly what I was afraid of - going on a roll. They're beating up on the Midget Giants as we speak and if the Dodgers lose tomorrow morning in Pittsburgh, LOOK OUT! I think the Snakes may have a decent chance of catching them. Bottom line is you simply cannot afford to lose to teams like Pittsburgh when you're in a race to clinch a division. Especially when your ace is on the mound. I have an eerie feeling.

Red Bullsh-t In A Blue Town

Wow. Ran into a couple of females yesterday while having a post pilot script magarita with my new roommate. We were where Venice meets Marina Del Rey - the Baja Cantina - and we ran into a couple of women who are… actually gonna vote for McCain/Palin! Guess that answered my question of “Who & Where are these people??? “ My god, they’re right in front of us. The stupid walking with the intelligent and intelligent enough not be incredibly stupid. When I asked this woman, who was born and raised in Philly & New York, was college educated and had a good, well-paying job why she would even consider voting for anyone who had Sarah Palin on his ticket, she responded, “I don’t want to give all my money away in taxes.” In an earlier blog, that would fall under the incredibly selfish category. I responded: “So, screw common sense, screw the economy, screw health care, screw diplomacy, screw the environment, screw women’s rights, screw the Constitution, screw justice, as long as YOUR money is maximized, that’s all that really matters.” I think she didn’t like that too much. Too bad, bitch. How do you really feel, Steve?

Sound like I’m in a bad mood? "How can you be in a bad mood with the Dodgers magic number down to 10," you ask? (For those of you who don’t know, the magic number is any combination of Dodger wins and D’back losses that add up to mathematical elimination. So, since the Rockies are 91/2 out now, with 13 left to play, the Dodgers magic number to eliminate them is 4) Well, for starters, how do you not score a run in 10 innings in Denver? Doesn’t bode well, even as they prepare to play 4 games in Pittsburgh. Will Kemp, Martin and Loney ever start hitting again? Is Blake hurt? There are 13 games left and, even though they maintain a nice 4 1/2 game lead over the Snakes, there are no guarantees. Even the Midget Giants, at 9 back, can still go nuts. Especially if the Dodgers stop hitting. Loved Maddux’s outing yesterday, and Rockies hurler, Aaron Cook is by far their best and one of the better arms in the league, but still… In Colorado, if you get shut out, there’s a problem. The last thing they need is another offensive swoon.

But, after all is said and done, the Blue should hang on. When Ethier gets into Pittsburgh, back from being with his wife and new baby, it should help bolster that offense. If he's gotten any sleep. The Buckos just sucko and the Dodgers should sweep all 4, but I’ll be happy if they win 3. Too bad Carlos Zambrano was able to shut down the potent ‘Stros offense yesterday in the first no-hitter a Chicago Cub has thrown in almost 40 years. Like I said earlier, if Zambrano and Harden are both healthy and effective, the Dodgers don’t have much chance of advancing beyond the first round of the Playoffs. On top of that, their number 4 starter, Ted Lily had ANOTHER no-hitter through 6 before Houston's Mark Loretta ended his bid with a single a few minutes ago. Man, they got some great pitching out Chicago way. The Cubs should be World Series bound, but once the Playoffs start, anything can happen. Just ask the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals.

I thought it was complete crap that the Cubs/Astros game, which was moved out of Houston due to Hurricane Ike, was played in Milwaukee, essentially making it a home game for the Cubs. With Houston vying for the Wild Card against Milwaukee, Philly and St. Louis, why would anyone in Brew Town NOT root for the Cubs. Not to mention the fact that Milwaukee and Chicago are virtually next door neighbors. Shitty thing to do to the Houston Astros. They shoulda played the game out here at the Ravine. That would've been the only way to make it truly neutral. By the way, kind of an odd thing that Milwaukee just fired manager, Ned Yost in the middle of a pennant race a few minutes ago. Sure, the Brewers are slumping, but firing a manager at this point in a successful season is highly unusual. He's always seemed like kind of a loose cannon. Maybe he said something to ownership and management that pissed them off enough to say "to hell with him."

So, Joe Torre says he envisions The Stink to be his starting center fielder next season. He does? Really????? What does that mean exactly? Ethier or Kemp is going to be traded? Or is he tipping the Dodgers hand that there’s no way they re-sign Manny? The Stink is done for the season and is going to continue to rehab his knee and play winter ball in the Dominican. Oh boy. I can hardly wait. If McCourt fails to bring Manny back, look for a lot of season tickets to be cancelled. Especially if Andruw Jones is starting anywhere on the diamond.

Blue Dreams Coming True?

In pilot deadline hell, so I’ve missed a blog or two, but, in short, the Dodgers are doing everything they have to do. Guess I was wrong about the Rockies making another run. If the Dodgers are able to sweep them today, the Mountain Range will be all but mathematically eliminated. With the Snakes losing AGAIN - boy do they stink - the Blue are now 4 1/2 games up with 14 left to play. Looks like our Dodgers are headed to the post season, but they have to keep the momentum going. They have to continue to make a statement. They need to beat up on the lowly Pittsburghs, San Diegos and San Frans and put this thing away.

Good thing the Stink went back on the DL. Now there’s no way Torre can try to use him again. Kershaw looked good last night, but they still need a 3rd starting arm to shine for any hope of winning in the Playoffs. Kuroda’s gonna have to get in high gear or Penny’s going to have to make a miraculous comeback. I don’t think young Clayton is ready to handle that kind of pressure and responsibility. As good as he may become, he’s no Fernando in 1981.

Congrats to K Rod for breaking Bobby Thigpens season save record. With Cleveland's Cliff Lee having a lock on the Cy Young and no clear AL MVP - Pedroia, Youklis, Hamilton, Morneau are possibilities - why not give the MVP to K Rod? May just happen.

Chalk Up Another One For The Cherubim

Congrats once again to the great Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. You look at their roster and they have a couple of superstars in Guerrero and perhaps, Teixeira, but Guerrero's numbers are down. Yet, they play so hard under Mike Scioscia and they know the game so well, they've proven (along with the Rays) that you don't need a team full of superstar free agents to win a pennant. Their pitching staff is great and they have a strong bullpen with K Rod a few days away from breaking Bobby Thigpen's all time saves record for a season. They really do need to maintain their intensity to finish with the best record in the AL. Home field advantage in the Playoffs is a must for them.

The Dodgers appear to have somewhat of a handle on the NL West, such as it is. A 3 and a half game lead guarantees them first place when the weekend ends. By that time, there will be only about 14 games remaining. The Rockies lost again last night and are now 8 games off the pace with around 17 games to play. The Snakes are done ... maybe. Based on how streaky the Dodgers have been and how awful they've been on the road this year and the fact that they have to go to Colorado tomorrow for a three game set, you just never know. The D'backs can get hot again these last 2 weeks and the Dodgers have to go to red hot San Fran for the final weekend of the season. The Giants would like nothing more than to knock the Dodgers out of the race. Giants manager Bruce Bochy would definitely use Tim Lincecum on 3 day's rest if it meant stopping the Dodgers or enhancing Lincecum's shot at the Cy Young.

I'm not worried about the back of Lowe's knee after Kouzmanoff's line drive nailed him in the 6th last night. I think he'll be fine by his next start. The Dodgers really need to make a statement against the bad teams on this road trip. They need to start to run away with the division and they need to establish themselves as a team that's capable of winning on the road.

If Fucal is ready to play next week, I think he should play. Give him at least a couple of starts to see if there's any chance at all he can get anywhere near his April rhythm before his back went out on him. An effective Furcal can mean the difference between a '3 and out' playoff appearance and a World Series. Even more so, can an effective Penny, but he sure looked far away from that last night. Rookie mistake by Loney diving in front of DeWitt on that grounder by Antonelli. DeWitt had it easily and would've thrown him out. Props go out to young relief pitcher Corey Wade. He's really done a fine job this year. In the end, Penny's struggles didn't matter. Manny is just too damn good and way too good for the Fathers. He's the best position player the Dodgers have ever had.

So, barring stupidity and complacency, the Dodgers should hold on and there should be baseball in the Ravine - at least one game, anyway - in October. Likely, they go nowehere in the Playoffs, just like '04 and '06. They have absolutley no chance to beat the Cubs or the Mets right now. The Mets lineup is just plain scary. Wright, Delgado and Beltran all have over 100 RBIs and if Ryan Church hadn't suffered a concussion which cut his season in half, he'd also have a hundred. Both Wright and Delgado are MVP candidates (forget any notion about giving it to Manny for his 2 months in the NL. The award will go to Pujols) and leadoff hitter, Jose Reyes is no slouch. However, they've lost their closer, Billy Wagner for the year and aside from Johann Santana, they have no great starters. Pedro is by no means the Pedro of old and Mike Pelfrey got knocked around pretty good lately, most recently against the lowly Nats last night. The Cubs pitching, if Zambrano and Harden are healthy, will be quite a challenge. Their lineup is solid from top to bottom with Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Mark De Rosa, Ryan Theriot and Geovanny Soto. Still, this prognostication could change by season's end. Right now Manny, Ethier, Billingsley and Lowe are, for all intents and purposes, the Dodger team. I like what I've seen from young Blake DeWitt. A surge by Kemp, Blake, Martin (now hitting .278 with only 12 HRs and 61 RBI's) and Loney, along with the effective returns of Furcal, Saito, Kent and Penny and, of course, momentum are key to the team being a true contender for a pennant.

Rosie The Riveter Turns Over In Her Grave (If She's Dead)

Well, the Dodgers tried to stink last night but Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez wouldn't let them. Andre Ethier is so hot right now, he may even reach the 80 RBI pinnacle before the season's close. Not a big deal you say? Well, considering the guy had to platoon much of the season with Kemp, Pierre and The Stink, it's obvious he would've had a shot at a 25-30 home rum and 100 RBI season. However, he also wasn't always hitting in front of Manny. That aspect has no doubt added at least 15-20 points to his batting average and has added to his extra base hit total. They have always had a great deal of difficulty against lefty, Sean Estes, whom they face tonight at Dad's House. Derek Lowe must continue in his stingy ways and the Dodgers need to get to Estes early. The Fathers' only enjoyment in life right now is to play spoiler to our beloved Blue so expect the "Beat LA" chants to be especially loud tonight, even though there may be only a few grand in the stands. The Snakes, meanwhile, continue in their stinking ways. Time for them to crawl in a hole and hibernate or whatever it is Vipers do when they're embarrassed and sickly. But they won't go away that quietly. As long as the Dodgers are involved, they'll be there til the end. The Mountain Range also lost last night and fall even further behind the first place Dodgers. You can bet they won't lay down for the Blue later this week. Tough series, I predict.

So, why did Joe Torre start The Stink in center over Matt Kemp last night? Was it because The Stink needed some AB's and Matt Kemp has been slumping horribly? Yes, but it also has to be the reason I cited yesterday. Major League baseball players do not jog to first base on the last out of games in pennant races. Man, Matt Kemp sure has been in this blogger's doghouse for a while. I love his talent but I just abhor his misuse of it. And youth is no excuse. He's in his mid 20's. When I was 17 I was a smarter player than Kemp with nowhere near his ability. If I had his ability I'd be in the fkn' Hall of Fame. If Kemp starts showing respect for the game and starts to play smarter baseball, he'll be worth hanging onto. Matt, when you're hitting .300 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI's a year and you're helping your team win 90+ games a year, then you can get a little cocky, but you can never get complacent. Play the game the way it's supposed to be played - hard - all the time - or don't play at all. And take off that Dodger uniform if you're gonna jog to first base. You don't deserve to wear it.

On a lighter note, this McCain/Palin thing is getting scary. I mean, I'm seriously scared. McCain is ahead in the polls, not in spite of, but BECAUSE of that stupid bitch he took on as his running mate. Here's the deal, people: The world and the US of A are in serious trouble. There is no logical choice for the Presidency other than Barak Obama and there hasn't been for some time. Anyone who would vote McCain/Palin is either a complete moron, a racist, a right wing religious fanatic who's jonesing for Armageddon or a selfish bastard. Has anyone stopped to think what in the name of God would happen if McCain breathes his last while he's in office? You mean you idiots actually WANT this dumbass from Alaska to be your President?? This is an Idiocracy we now live in, having fed for years off the diseased teet of reality TV. Fifty percent or more of this country are complete ignoramouses. Haven't these last 8 years taught us anything? And how about the dumbshit Hillary supporters who are still so mad that she lost, they're going to vote for McCain so Hillary can run again in four years? WHAT??? They should be tried for treason and shot at dawn. On the front page of Today's LA Times, there's a picture of a bunch of imbeciles from Pennsylvania carrying McCain and Palin signs. One sign shows Rosie the Riveter with Palin's stupid bespectacled face. As if you could possibly mention this awful female in the same breath as the courageous women who did their part for this country during World War II. I'm just hoping the debates will put an end to the momentum that Dumbass and his evil whore minion from Hell have gained in recent days. If McCain wins, I'll be blogging from another land.

Spoke Too Soon?

Uh oh... Look familiar? An unfortunate desription we used to describe easy, not so well-endowed girls in high school was "flat as a board and easy to nail." That description better suits the Dodgers performance last night at Dad's House. The Padres and Cha Seung Baek shut them down on four lousy hits and Martin, Manny and Kemp stunk more than the elephant dung at the nearby San Diego Zoo. Say it with me: CHAH-SEE-YOUNG-BAY-ECK. As far as the Dodgers were concerned, you can call him Cha Cy Young Baek. How can they knock him around for 7 earned runs in 4 and 2/3 innings a few days ago and be completely baffled by him last night? How? Because they're on the road. And the Dodgers just plain stink on the road.

When the Blue look this flat, you can pretty much bet they're not going to climb out of it the next game. I told you they were a streaky team. If they can somehow hold on to make the playoffs, there's no way they're ever going to have home field advantage, so you can count on them to lose all their road games. After all, these will be good teams, not the minor leage Padres. So, another big losing streak in the making? Based on their offense the last two games, it sure looks that way. And the Snakes won't be facing the great Tim Lincecum tonight. Once again, the Dodgers have failed to maintain intensity and stability. Dr. Maddux has stunk since rejoining the Dodgers. He should be sued for malpractice. Perhaps I spoke too soon in jumping on the Blue badwagon in predicting they'd take the awful West. The Rockies still lurk and the Dodgers have 9 more in a row on the road. The Snakes are prepared to take any gifts the Dodgers give them.

Look, I know he would've been out anyway, and it isn't the reason they lost - though one can make an argument for it from the standpoint of attitude - but did anyone see Matt Kemp make the last out of the game last night. Down 4-zip, Ethier on 2nd, he hits a slow ground ball to Adrian Gonzalez's brother at second base and ... he jogs. He jogs to first base on the last out with his team in a pennant race. And he's fast and there was a slight chance something - anything - could've happened. I mean, these ARE the Padres. Matt, have you seen Chase Utley play the game? Have you seen Dustin Pedroia play the game? Have you seen the way the entire Angels team plays the game? You're a freakin' goddamn Major League Baseball player. When you hit a ground ball, put your stupid damn head down and run like hell. Period. Torre needs to sit his ass down.

Tonight will tell if we're back on the roller coaster. And it's not a Roller Coaster of Love. Say what?

Sarah Palin Must Die (Can I Say That?)

With the news that Obama is now behind in the polls to McCan’t and that horrible, evil, nasty, Machavellian, kinda sexy, corrupt, Katherine Harris-like, Nazi bitch from Hell, and the lack of any assurances that my pilot will get picked up, along with the fact that I’m much closer to living in the streets than to buying my own home, and the AC in my car no longer functions, a new life in the Yukon is becoming more and more palatable. Until then, at least my team is in first place for the 3rd consecutive day and is guaranteed to still be in 1st at day’s end. The one and a half game lead is tenuous, but let’s face it: The D’backs looks like crap.

The Snakes are free falling and it’s no one’s fault but their own. True, their great 1-2 punch of Webb and Haren has stunk for a month, and one can easily point to that as the reason for their downfall. But if you’re a first place team and the team behind you loses 8 freakin’ games in a row and you can’t take advantage and run away with it, you simply don’t deserve to be in first place. With the addition of Adam Dunn, they’ve increased their power potential, but they have way too many strikeouts in their lineup. All their main power guys – Dunn, Reynolds, Young and Upton strike out more times in a week than I chew and swallow. I see the Rockies passing them, but you’ve heard that inane crap from me all year long.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, looked bad yesterday in their 5-3 win over their rivals, against whom they now hold the all-important head-to-head season advantage having won 9 of the 17 games. However, 11 strikeouts against rookie Max Scherzer is a bad sign before going out on another long road trip. These 10 games should certainly determine the winner of the lowly NL West, but we’ll see. The Blue are a dismal 12 game below .500 on the road, and they’re just plain bad when they have to go to Dad’s House and to the thin and rarified air of mile high Coors Field. Now matter how bad they are, the Padres have a tendency to subdue and taunt the Dodgers down in SD, the annoying "Beat LA" chants and all those Marines somehow making the Dodgers feel guilty about beating their adopted team. We all know about what a nightmare Denver can be and, to be truthful, I still think the Rockies are a little better than the Dodgers pound for pound. They’re missing a Manny, a Billingsley and a Lowe, but the latter two should be neutralized in the thin air anyway. Matt Holliday, Garret Atkins and Brad Hawpe are hot and Ian Stewart is doing quite well in place of the injured Todd Helton, while Sunnyvale native, Troy Tulowitsky is coming on. Jiminez, Cook & Francis have been pitching well. I don’t like it at all. Luckily, the late week series will be the last time the Dodgers have to face Colorado this year unless, of course, there’s a one game playoff to determine the NL West champ. The Snakes, meanwhile, have 2 series remaining against the Mountain Range.

If losing 8 in a row, then winning 8 in a row isn’t the mark of a streaky team, then I don’t know what is. Sorry I’m not a true believer yet, but this team hasn’t given me enough reason to be yet. As always, tonight’s game is a must win. Dr. Maddux must be at his best. Matt Kemp needs to climb out of this horrible slump and Andre needs to continue making a huge impact. Needless to say, a rather important road trip for a team that lost 8 of 10 on their last trip. In the event the Dodgers make the playoffs, one must wonder how the Wunderkind – Kemp, Ethier, Loney, Martin, DeWitt, Billingsley & Broxton will perform under post season pressure. Martin showed some pluck in the All Star game so maybe he’ll come through. Somehow, I think Ethier and Billingsley will also be ready for that spotlight. DeWitt may or may not be a factor depending on Kent's recovery time. (By the way, not to take anything away from DeWItt's contributions since returning to the lineup as a 2nd baseman, but anyone who attributes the Dodgers recent success to Kent's absence is an idiot) If the Dodgers are to be taken seriously by anyone in the National League, they need to keep winning. They're 3 games over .500, they need to get to 7 to 10 games over. There are 19 games left and so much can happen in the interim. All things being equal, do I now believe the Dodgers will win the West? … …
… yes.

An Angel/Dodger World Series? Hope not. The Halos'll kill 'em.

It's A Good Kind Of Wrong

Three words: Manny F'n Ramirez. Three more words: Chad F'n Billingsley.

As I've said many times before, I don't like to be wrong. However when it means good things for the Dodgers, I have no problem with it. For the first time since April 4th (for those of you who don't recall, that was the first week of the 2008 season) the Dodgers are alone in first place in the National League West. Albeit, just by half a game, but it's huge psychologically. Two huge statements in less than 24 hours, shutting down Dan Haren and the Snakes 7-zip and shutting down ace and Cy Young fave, Brandon Webb 7-2 this afternoon. They lost 8 in a row, and now they've won 7 in a row. They can even the books with a win tomorrow against Randy Johnson's replacement, first round pick, Max Scherzer. Once again, it's a must win. It's a momentum thing, it's a statement thing, and, at this point in the season, it's obviously a math thing. I will go out on a limb: If the Dodgers win tomorrow and they can avoid stinking like sh-t like they did a week and a half ago, and barring injuries to Manny or any of their key players - Billingsley, Lowe, Ethier, Martin, Kemp, Blake or Loney - the Dodgers will prevail in the West. That means when they go on the road, they have to beat the lowly Friars and the Buccaneers and the midget Giants. They can't screw around anymore and now that they're 2 games over .500, they can no longer afford to drop below .500. It's onward and upward or nowhere. If the Rockies win today, I'm going to consider them more of a threat than the Snakes.

For those few of you who have been loyal to my blog, you're all aware that, though I love the Blue, I'm anything but a true believer. Maybe that's the key. Lately it seems like the more I doubt, the better they play and the better the chances are of a post season appearance for Manny's new team. So, here's to another long Dodgerless post season. They'll never make it. They suck.

Flip-Floppy Me

Okay, so in spite of my cynicism and deep sense of doubt, the fact of the matter is, it’s that time of year, where, if a team gets hot and the team they’re trailing gets cold, that could be all she wrote. The Dodgers sure as hell made a statement last night. Right now, the Dodgers are hot as hell. They’ve won 6 straight thanks to Andre Ethier, who, while hitting in front of Manny, has suddenly become the greatest hitter of all time, and thanks to solid pitching by Derek Lowe. They find themselves just a half game behind the Snakes and Dan Haren their #2 ace, looks awful. IF Brandon Webb continues to struggle this afternoon, (and I doubt it. I think he’ll beat the Dodgers. Hope I’m wrong) the Dodgers could be well on their way. After all, as I pointed out in the last posting, the Snakes do have a slightly tougher remaining schedule than our Blue.

BUT… I still think the Dodgers will find a way to blow it. They’ve yet to maintain a hot streak for an entire month all year and that’s pretty much what they need to do. September could be the same old routine or it could be magical. I still fear their starting pitching is too inconsistent and too many hitters like Kemp, Loney, Martin & Blake run too hot and cold. Kemp is as cold as ice again and that could hurt. Thank the Lord for Angel Berroa. The Dominican is out of control. Bye bye, Nomar.

Like I’ve said all along, the team needs to gel, like it appears they may be doing, and they need to get angry. They need to say to themselves, “Screw this. We’re the Los Angeles Dodgers, we have a winning tradition, we have Manny Ramirez, one of the greatest hitters of all time, we have solid pitching, we have Joe Torre, we are better than you.” Then, they have to be dumb enough to believe it. It's possible.

So, they’re back from the dead. Now, let’s see if they can make another statement by beating Brandon Webb twice in a row.

Things to watch out for? The Colorado Rockies. Don’t look now, but they’re only 5 back, right around where they were this time last year before going nuts, winning the division and the National League pennant. They could help us and they could also hurt us.

Miracle Cure Or Pull The Plug?

Okay, so we got paid. A little bit anyway. I can eat for the rest of the week. But things with the pilot have been insane and my parental units are celebrating their 50th anniversary this week, so been planning a lot of stuff while still recovering from my stupid nose surgery. So, sorry I missed a few days of blogging. We all know what the most important thing is. Whether our crappy team is gonna make the post season. Will they? Ask Sarah Palin. She seems to know everything… all of a sudden. It’s amazing how quickly we could hate someone after not even knowing they were even alive a few days ago. I’m sorry. I digress. So, will the Dodgers win this thing?

Naah. I don’t think so. Look, I know they’ve won 5 in a row to get back to that magical .500 mark in freakin' September, but three of those games were against a Double A team. Besides Adrian Gonzales, Giles and Kouzmanoff, the Dads had nothing but rooks out there. Hate to be a pessimist, but remember how the Dodgers recently lost 8 straight road games? Well, not only did that kill them in the standings and make fools out of themselves and their fans, but most of their remaining games are on the road. 13 out of 23 to be exact. And for those of you with extremely short memories, they, uh… stink on the road, people. Just awful. Piss poor. Bad. The Snakes have 13 out of their final 22 games on the road. The Dodgers are 28-40 away from the Ravine. The Snakes are 31-37 away from the desert, which isn’t stellar, but it’s a sight better than 12 games below .500. And let’s face it. The NL West, as bad as it is, has been a house of horrors for the Dodgers. They have a tendency to get beaten by the other teams in their division. Well, outside of three games against dismal, trade scarred Pittsburgh, the West is who they play. Three games on the road in Denver. Yikes. Three games in San Diego next week against a minor league team that’s still gonna beat them 2 out of 3, I think. And they’ll end the season with three games up in San Fran. The Midget Giants can’t wait. They’re going to try to bury the Dodgers, who are fairly easily buried these days when a team has the desire to do so. But first, they have to go up against the two Snakes aces at home this weekend. Ok, so they beat up on Haren and Webb last weekend. What are the chances they’re going to do that again? Especially against Webb? I don’t like it.

The Snakes actually have a much tougher schedule than our beloved Blue. Thing is, the D’backs have a tendency to win the games they have to win. You may ask how I can say that, since they’re only a game and a half in front of the Dodgers, but when was the last time they were BEHIND the Dodgers? They win the games they MUST win. Anyway, the Snakes travel to St. Louis on the 22nd. The Cards are a much better team, but the problem is, by that time, the Cards may not be playing for anything anymore. The Brew Crew could have the Wild Card wrapped up by then and the Redbirds could be using rookies or be playing with no passion. But the Snakes also have to go to Denver and they play Colorado at home as well. The Rockies will not go quietly. Still, I think you can count on the Dodgers to choke. They’ve done it consistently all year long and anything different would be a shocker.

Love the way Andre Ethier is playing. Casey Blake has found his power bat again and he really is a nice fielder at 3rd base save that one error he made to blow that game against San Fran. Manny is being Manny again, but Kemp is slumping again. Kuroda looked bad last night. Why didn’t Torre use Kuo instead of Elbert? Elbert is too green to use in crucial situations. And why would you ever consider using Ramon Troncoso? Boy, does he stink! Ya gotta love Angel Berroa, though. Hopefully, Nomar, the human house fly, (that’s what he looks like during his batters box gyrations) can take the rest of the year off.

To sum up, yeah, I though it was all over and, no, it’s by no means over. That’s what makes it all so frustrating to be a Dodger fan. The end is prolonged and the plug stays in and so much electricity is wasted.

The #s Don't Lie. Sorry.

For those Dodger fans who are all excited because the Blue has come back from one of the most dismal losing streaks – a week and a half of some of the most awful performances I’ve ever seen – to beat the team they’re currently trailing and two of the best pitchers in the game to close to within 2 1/2 games of first place, don’t be. This Dodger team has shown you over and over that they can’t beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. If they had, they’d have at least spilt with Philly and swept the Nats and they’d be a few games in first today. The Snakes do have a tendency to win a lot of the games they need to win and I wouldn’t be surprised if they came back and beat the Redbirds today.

Sure, Manny’s being Manny again, while also channeling Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Griffey Jr in his prime, but he’s still all they got. If I'm managing the opposing team, let's just walk or pitch around Manny and wait for a Loney DP. Let’s have a look at the numbers. “The numbers don’t tell everything,” you say? Sure, there are intangibles that the numbers don’t reflect, but there’s no better overall indication of how good a team really is than the numbers that team’s players put up. And the numbers the Dodgers put up are not very impressive. Aside from Manny, who, by seasons end, will have amassed well over 100 RBI between the Bosox and the Dodgers, they don’t have one other guy who will have 100, or possibly even 90 RBIs. That’s terrible, man! There are maybe 4 other teams in baseball who won't have a guy who drove in 100 runs while wearing that team's uniform for the whole season: the Royals, the Nationals, the Giants and Pittsburgh. Only James Loney and Manny are hitting .300 or higher, and Loney’s .300 comes with a grand total of 11 homers with around 74 RBIs. And he’s the team leader! Kemp is close to .300 but has only 16 home runs and fewer than 70 RBIs and has struck out almost a fourth of the time. Ethier leads the team with 18 home runs (Manny has 29, but only 9 with the Dodgers) which isn’t exactly gangbusters for Sept. 1st but it’s not horrible. His .277 average is respectable, but he only has 59 RBIs. In deference to Andre, had he not missed so many games having to platoon in the beginning of the season with Kemp, and then being sat in favor of The Stink and Pierre, his numbers may be much better. Still don’t think he’s an impact player. Martin’s numbers – 12 home runs, fewer than 60 RBIs, hitting around .280 - aren’t bad but not particularly impressive. Between Cleveland and LA, Casey Blake has 17 home runs (5 with the Dodgers) and has around 75 RBI’s, maybe 15-20 with the Blue. Not bad, not great, but he’s only hitting .256, can’t keep his bat back on pitches off the plate and grounds into a ton of DP’s. Unless Dr. Neal El Attrache finds very light ligament damage in Jeff Kent’s knee when he gets in there tomorrow, the first ballot Hall of Famer can probably call it a career. Certainly, this is his last year with the Dodgers and he should retire at year’s end. I respect Kent a lot, but at 40 years old, his power went south – 11 home runs, drove in around 60 while raising his average to .274 after Manny arrived. Not too great. His replacement, Blake DeWitt probably won’t do much better. Actually, he should do worse. Garciaparra is not a factor, hitting .169 since he came off the DL in mid August and hitting around .225 overall with no pop. Angel Berroa? Please. Now that you’ve seen these numbers, compare them to the numbers put up by each of other teams in contention for a playoff spot, including the Snakes. The conclusion you’ll come to is that the other teams put up much better numbers. Each and every one of them. Arizona, Colorado, Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Houston, New York, Philly and Florida all have superior numbers and the numbers don’t lie. What do the superior numbers tell us? They tell us that the other teams have more offensive weapons - more guys who come through in the clutch, more guys with the power to change or win ball games, more guys who take smarter approaches at the plate, more guys on whom you can rely. Put purely and simply, the Dodgers are a very mediocre team. Unless a team like that has Koufax, Drysdale and Sutton anchoring your pitching staff, that offense just isn’t good enough to get you to the post season. Billingsley, Lowe and Kuroda are not Koufax, Drysdale and Sutton.

"Well, then," you ask, "how do you explain the success of the Tampa Bay Rays?" Tampa Bay, like the Dodgers, have few impact players who will hit 30 or more home runs and drive in 100 or more runs this season. Evan Longoria was on his way to achieving these milestones before his injury and will likely still be named Rookie of the Year. Carl Crawford, who's been on the DL for quite some time now, was not having the offensive year he was supposed to have, but he was solid. B.J. Upton was supposed to put up bigger numbers and he, too, has disappointed to a degree, though he has been productive. Carlos Pena, hitting only .246, will be their lone 30 home run, 100 RBI guy. (So, if Longoria comes back, they'll really have 2) But the thing the Rays have that the Dodgers don't are 5 reliable starting pitchers in Shields, Kazmir, Garza, Sonnanstine and ex-Dodger Jackson. Their bullpen, in spite of injuries, has been excellent. The Dodgers bullpen has been inconsistent. The Rays manager, Joe Maddon is innovative and tough and well-liked by his players. He holds his players accountable for their actions or lack thereof and he fights for his team. Joe Torre lets his players get away with murder and doesn't care enough to make changes. The Rays bench - Eric Hinske, Cliff Floyd, Willie Aybar - has proven to be one of the deepest and most clutch in baseball. Outside of Juan Pierre, the Dodgers bench sucks. So, that should answer your question. The Rays are better than the Dodgers by leaps and bounds and that's why they lead Boston by 5 1/2 games and have won 84 games at the time of this writing.

Back to the numbers. Do the Dodgers medicore numbers mean there’s no way they can win? No. It means that unless the Snakes just tank or unless they can collectively improve a great deal – that means each player in the lineup – during the final month of the season, they won’t play in the post season.

Well, the D’backs came back and beat the Cards. The Dodgers, meanwhile ahost San Diego tonight. The Dodgers historically stink against the Dads. Doesn’t look good. Why? Because Maddux is going. Because it’s San Diego. But mostly, because it’s a must win game against a bad team and the numbers are not in the Dodgers' favor.