2nd Half, Shmecond Half

Been awhile... again. My apologies... again. Had to finish a project. Deadlines and all. I know my worldwide capacity crowd of faithful readers have missed my plaintive cries about the Dodgers. Before the complaining begins, let me first say that I am extremely and pleasantly surprised the Dodgers begin the "2nd half" of the season, or, more aptly put, the post-All-Star break period only 2 games out of first, currently tied with the Rockies who I had predicted would eventually take the West. The Blue could do much worse than 10 games over .500, as they're not a very good club. Good club? See the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, and 3/5ths of the AL Central. Yes, all AL teams. That's why the Dodgers still have a chance. The NL kinda sucks this year from a team standpoint. However, I still believe in the power of a healthy Phillies team, so we'll see what happens.

The All-Star game was excellent this year and I was quite pleased the NL eked our a win after 13 years. Now the Phillies, Braves, Met, Reds, Cards, Rockies, Dads, or Giants will have home field advantage. I think it was appalling that no Padres starting pitchers were on the team and I find it equally appalling, that, though Molina got a hit and McCann delivered the game-winning blow, Muguel Olivo who's hitting a ton for Colorado. (And, up until tonight, I also felt like Clayton Kershaw got robbed.) Was afraid the Dodgers were gonna blow it for the NL when Hong Chih Kuo lobbed that ball over Adiran Gonzalez's head and let in the game's only run until McCann hit his double. Then I thought Broxton looked primed to blow it. Lucky play (and a nice play) by Marlon Byrd to save Broxton's bacon.

So long, Mr. Steinbrenner. I don't know, you may have hated him, but I grew to love him. Why? Because he loved and respected Yankee fans and would do whatever it took to put a winner on the field. If the Pins didn't win the World Series, the Big Stein would apologize to the fans. I'm not saying that's what Dodger ownership should do every year, but damn it, if McCourt or any Dodger owner in the past 12 years had one iota of the passion that The Boss had for winning, we'd all be happier Dodger fans. Thank you, Mr. Steinbrenner for your loyalty and commitment to your fan base.

So long, Bob Sheppard, the Voice of God. I love the deep, reliable tones of the Dodgers public address announcer, (don't know his name) but Bob Sheppard - even though all he said were basically names and numbers, he said them better than anyone ever. It was a nice touch having him posthumously announce Jeter's at the All-Star game.

So, now to the second half of the 2010 season. As I type, the Blue just lost an ugly one to the Cards. Kershaw looked as bad as he's ever looked. From the first pithc in the dirt on, you could tell he just didn't have it. They were wailing on his curve and fastball. I must say, I'm getting kind of tired of hearing how he's only 22. He's been in the Bigs now for 3 years. He needs to learn how to come out and throw strikes. As talented as he may be, that baby-faced look of overwhelming fear and frustration every few starts is getting old. The kid needs to give his team a chance to win and not walk the world every first inning. Between him and Ely, (who's done, by the way) and Kuroda's recent starts, this team simply just doesn't have the starting arms, and certainly not the bullpen to win the West. Padilla has pitched nicely since coming back and Billingsley has looked pretty good. But Kershaw MUST be their ace and pitch like it. I think in the end, he just may not be there... yet.

There are simply too many holes in the pitching staff AND the lineup to sustain a 90 + win season. Colletti is supposed to deal for a pitcher, but, they didn't have anything close to what Seattle wanted for Cliff Lee and McCheap will NOT pay for Roy Oswalt. I'm tired of hearing about how strapped he is from the divorce. Steinbrenner would make the moves that were needed to be made to win). Dan Haren, if he goes, will go elsewhere. The Dodgers don't have the prospects to trade within their division unless they're willing to part ways with Kemp, Loney or Billingsley. Who else can they get? Ted Lily - very inconsistent, certainly not a season-changer. Crazy Carlos Zambrano? No, thanks. Brian Bannister from KC? Marcum fro Toronto? I just don't see anyone out there who could really help boost them over the top. Their bullpen is basically down to 4 guys - Broxton and Kuo, and that's only when they're ahead, normally, and Schlichting (pleasant surprise) and Weaver.

And their offense? It's very weak in spots. Furcal and Loney have been hot and it's nice to see. Ethier hit a bomb tonight and he may indeed be back. Casey Blake made some nice defensive plays tonight and he hit one ball pretty hard, but his bat is just too inconsistent and he strikes out way too much in crucial sitches. Martin stinks. DeWitt, bless his heart, is no Brandon Phillips, Utley or Kinsler. (He still needs to lear how to turn DPs.) And so much for Matt Kemp's hot streak following his disciplinary benching. He looks terrible ... again. Not just tonight but the last few games. And Manny? Manny was hitting a little before his latest DL stint, but rest assured, his power is all but gone and he'll be back on the DL before season's end.

Nope. In spite of their stellar record against NL West teams, the Dads aren't going to just go gentle into that good night. And the Rocks and Giants have improved and will continue to improve a great deal while the Blue fades. Pessimistic... again.

Here's my "2nd half" predictions:

NL WEST
Rockies
Giants
Dads
Blue
Snakes

NL CENTRAL
Reds!
Cards
Brew Crew
Cubs
'Stros
Bucs

NL EAST
Phils
Braves (W.C.)
Mets
Fish
Nats

AL WEST
Rangers
Angels
A's
M's

AL CENTRAL
Twins
Chisox
Tigers
Royals
Tribe

AL EAST
Yanks
Rays (WC)
Bosox
Jays
Orioles

NLCS
Phils-Rockies

ALCS
Yanks-Rangers

World Series
Phils-Yankees

Winner - Yankees

As always, I could be wrong.