Where Did Everybody Go?

Tonight is the draft for my fantasy basketball league "Baseball Sucks." While I’m looking forward to the draft (and have thoroughly prepared for it) I can’t help but feel a little wistful for a draft that won’t be taking place this year, the draft in my original grad school league.

The fantasy league I’ll be taking part in tonight started primarily with friends from college back in the fall of 2001. Earlier that year, we had gotten together for someone’s wedding or some other event. I regaled my friends with my war stories of my grad school fantasy basketball league, like the time Heavy Hitter traded Theo Ratliffe to Abogados de Negros for Kevin Garnett on the final day of the league. I was in first place by a point at the time. ADN was trailing me in the block category by only a couple of blocks. The two of them were hoping that ADN would pass me in blocks, take away a point from me and let a third friend, Big Straight Al, win the league. Fortunately I still won the league.

It turned out that a couple of my college buddies had also been playing fantasy sports. We decided that once fall rolled around, we would set up a league. I’ve been playing with them ever since and been enjoying it even though I’ve only won a couple of championships against them, one in basketball and one in football. But this league will never really compare to my original grad school league.

I started playing in that league in 1999, my last year of grad school. I still remember having the first draft in a fast food restaurant and how we decided on the draft order. Originally HH, who first suggested we start the league, tried to make the draft order according to NBA IQ. He placed himself last, with the highest NBA IQ and made me second to last. Rather than be complimented by his respect for my NBA knowledge, I protested that I knew nothing about basketball and insisted that we have a lottery to determine the order. Of course when we had the lottery I ended up with the last pick. But since we did a snake draft (last in first round goes first in second round) that actually worked out pretty well for me and I ended up winning the league.

After grad school my friends and I decided to keep the league going. Since we were a little scattered throughout the country, with one guy in NY and another in Atlanta, we had to have a teleconference for our next draft. It actually worked out pretty well and we continued that for a few years and it was more fun than the on-line draft that I did in my college league. Over the years we added a couple of guys, experimented with having keepers, and I threatened to quit couple of times over collusive attacks against me. It was all good fun.

The league hit its peak and started to unravel during the 2003-04 NBA season, much like the Los Angeles Lakers. That year my friends and I decided to meet up in Las Vegas and have the draft there. I loved the idea and thought it would be our best draft ever. We couldn’t decide who would commissioner that year so we decided to have a three-on-three pickup game with the two teams each captained by one of the candidates. I was sure that my team was going to lose but we managed to pull out the minor upset.

Unfortunately, ADN wasn’t able to make the trip to Vegas. He told us he would be available by phone to take part though. When we called him, his cell phone was off and we weren’t able to get through to him the entire weekend. So the actual draft was postponed. We eventually chose another date but another friend, Big Money, was going to be out of town on the rescheduled day. Once again we agreed to give him a call so he could take part and once again we weren’t able to get through. But this time instead of rescheduling we just drafted a team for Big Money. Needless to say he wasn’t very happy and he ignored his team for the rest of the season.

The following season we had another teleconference draft, but as the season progressed, more teams started being neglected. It got to the point that in an eight-team league, only three teams were really following the league and keeping their rosters current. So last year I decided to try to merge my grad school league with my college league and we had a prize in order to get people more involved. It sort of worked, but we lost two of the eight members of the grad school league.

This year I invited everyone to join the same league. Although there’s still time for people to sign up, it looks like we’re going to lose another three guys from my grad school league. I’m still looking forward to this coming fantasy basketball season and this opportunity to win a championship, since I haven’t won since 2003, but I can’t ignore the feeling that this is an end of era and wonder, where did everybody go?

R.I.P. Cliford

Tonight the third season of The Dog Whisperer premieres on the National Geographic Channel. I’ve been waiting for the new season to begin all summer long. I only wish it had a different time slot as it’s up against Monday Night Football and WWE’s RAW.

The show is focused on dog expert Cesar Milan and his work with his clients. Every episode we are introduced to new dogs that are causing trouble and their owners who turn to Cesar as a last resort to fix their dogs. The funny thing is that usually he ends up fixing the humans and how they relate to their pets instead of fixing the dogs.

I started watching The Dog Whisperer after seeing a hilarious South Park episode that aired last May. In the episode, Cartman’s mom becomes frustrated with her son and decides to turn to television nanny shows like Nanny 911 and Supernanny for help. Of course, they are no match for Cartman, so his mom has to bring in Cesar. What surprised me about the episode is that the show’s writers, Trey Parker and Matt Stone didn’t try to skewer Milan as they do many of their subjects. They didn’t even make fun of his Mexican heritage or accent. Instead they actually seem to have some respect for his methods of establishing dominance in dog/owner relationships, and I guess in child/parent relationships.

Cesar’s methods primarily revolve around the idea that the dog owner must act and be seen as a pack leader by his dog. Dogs, like wolves, have a natural instinct to form packs and follow a single dominant dog. Milan feels that when a dog misbehaves or will not obey its owner, the dog is asserting its dominance. This is often a result of the owner failing to instill discipline in the relationship with his dog or treating the dog like a human child instead of the animal it is.

To establish the role of pack leader, Cesar recommends daily walks with your dog that last between 30-45 minutes. However, the walk must be done correctly. Rather than having the dog in front you, dragging you along, the owner must be in front leading the dog. However, if you’ve ever walked an untrained dog you know that can be easier said than done. To accomplish the correct walk, Cesar emphasizes placing the leash high on the neck. He also tends to use choke chains and will apply a touch to the dog’s neck with a “tsst” sound. The touch is supposed to resemble a dominant dog putting its jaw on another dog to discipline it. By associating it with the sound, eventually only the "tsst" is necessary to correct any unwanted behavior.

Not everyone agrees with these methods. Recently I’ve noticed that NGC is running a disclaimer emphasizing that not all methods are proper for all dogs in addition to the original disclaimer at the beginning of the show in which they recommend not using the methods shown without the assistance of a dog trainer. Of course my question is “Than why am I watching the show if I’m still going to have to resort to hiring someone.” Obviously the answer is that the network is simply trying to protect itself from any possible lawsuits.

Other trainers prefer to use positive reinforcement and rewards rather than these somewhat punitive measures. This debate, as the South Park made clear, is similar to the argument over child rearing and spanking. Growing up, my dad would occasionally spank me and looking back on it, I think it probably did me some good. So I don’t have any problems with Cesar’s disciplinarian approach. Plus the proof is in the pudding. It really is impressive to see how Cesar can turn an out of control dog, in some cases on the verge of being put down by its owners, into an obedient, balanced animal.

Unfortunately, my loyal viewing of the show, it reruns on NGC all the time, hasn’t led to me having obedient dogs. I have two dogs right now, Zelda and Leia. I got Zelda, a German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix, about 2 1/2 years ago, a few months after my first dog Patch was put down. Zelda was rescued from the local animal shelter. She was supposed to be only a year old, but I later found out when she was taken to the vet that she was actually seven. She’s been a great dog but she does have some issues.

First of all, she pulls me when I walk her. She’s improved since I started watching the show, but I still haven’t mastered the walk. She is also scared to death of loud noises like fireworks, which are legal where I live. I have come to dread the Fourth of July because I know she’s going to go crazy. I usually give her a sedative and that helps a bit. Finally, she has a bit of a predator drive in her and will go after cats and birds in the backyard and unfortunately she has killed a couple of them.

I was worried about getting my second dog Leia, a Schnauzer/Maltese mix, because of Zelda’s predator instinct. I first saw Leia on a trip to Mexico to visit some family. My cousin’s dogs had just had puppies. I really became enamored of Leia’s father, Cliford, and when my cousin saw this, she offered to let me take one of the puppies home. I didn’t at the time because Leia was only a few weeks old and her mother was still nursing her. But when my mother visited Mexico a couple of months later, she was able to bring Leia back with her. Fortunately Zelda accepted her and there hasn't been any problems between them. Leia is a bit of a handful and will occasionally growl and nip at me. But using some of the methods I’ve seen on The Dog Whisperer, I have been able to make her a little more obedient.

Unfortunately my family in Mexico doesn’t watch The Dog Whisperer. I found out yesterday that Cliford got loose and was hit by a car and has passed on. When I heard the news, I couldn’t help but wonder whether Cliford would still be alive if my cousin had walked him daily and trained him not to run out when the door was open. I guess I’ll never know. But to try to make sure that doesn’t happen to Leia, I’ll be tuning in tonight to become a better dog owner, even if it means missing out on a little MNF and RAW.

You will be missed Cliford.

Incorrect Political Correctness

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Dodgers would not be firing Steve Lyons for his remarks during a Fox broadcast of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series between Oakland and Detroit. Fox fired Lyons shortly after the game. Last season, Lyons provided color commentary alongside play-by-play announcer Charley Steiner on the 40 or so games that Vin Scully did not call.

I really don’t have much of an opinion about Lyons as an on-air personality. If Vin Scully isn’t calling the game, I don’t really care who the announce team is as I simply don’t pay as much attention to what they say. So it wasn’t Lyons’ name that drew me to this story. What piqued my interest was the circumstances surrounding the decision by Fox to fire Lyons and the Dodgers decision to keep him on board.

Lyons called Game 3 of the ALCS with Thom Brennaman and Lou Piniella. During the game, Piniella made an analogy between having unusual success at the plate and finding a wallet on Friday. I don’t quite understand Piniella’s analogy but that’s not really relevant. He followed up that statement by saying that the Oakland A's Frank Thomas needed to get “en fuego” and was currently “frio.” Brennaman responded by saying the “The bilingual Lou Pinella.” Then Lyons chimed in with what would prove to be very fateful words for him: “Lou is habla-ing some Español there, and I'm still looking for my wallet. I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit close to him now.” Fox felt these comments were inappropriate and insensitive and decided to fire Lyons.

Sure it was a dumb joke but the only party that is in wrong in this case is Fox. Fox apparently felt that Lyons’ comment might upset the Latino community and be interpreted as suggesting that Spanish-speaking people are larcenous. However, in my mind, by firing Lyons and asserting that the comment was inappropriate, it is Fox that is being culturally insensitive.

Before this story developed, I had no idea that Lou Piniella was “Hispanic,” as the media is now reporting. Well after a little research it turns out Piniella isn’t “Hispanic.” He and his parents were born in Tampa, Florida and his family is originally from Spain. Last time I checked, Spain is in Europe, not Latin America. By firing Lyons, Fox is drawing a connection between the Latino community and thievery that wasn’t there when Lyons made his comment. Piniella laughed at Lyons' silly joke during the broadcast and defended him after Lyons was fired.

Fortunately, Dodgers management had decided not to make the same mistake and will allow Lyons to continue to call team games. They are requiring that Lyons take some diversity training which doesn’t seem necessary but at least they are not overreacting like Fox has.

Long Odds

On Friday, the President of the United States signed into law the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006. Five years after 9/11, the US government has finally adopted measures to improve the security of this country’s ports. Usually I would join the 98 Senators that voted for this act and support a measure that seeks to protect this country without violating my civil liberties.

Unfortunately, the prudes in Congress attached a provision to the act that is meant to put an end to internet gambling in the United States. This provision basically prohibits credit card companies from facilitating transactions with internet gambling sites, which are generally based outside of the United States.

I’m not a very big gambler. Whenever I go to Las Vegas I usually make a couple of sports bets and I like to make friendly wagers with my friends once in a while, but that’s about it. If I were to gamble on-line, it probably wouldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 times. And most of those times it would have been to try to jinx a team I dislike, say the San Antonio Spurs or New York Yankees, or whoever the Lakers are facing.

When it comes to sports, I’m a bit superstitious. I like to bet on outcomes that I don’t want to see happen, like the Spurs winning another NBA championship. I figure my bet is like a religious offering to the sports gods. Besides, worst case scenario, if the team I dislike wins or the team I like loses, at least I get a few bucks to help console me. But now, thanks to the SAFE Port Act, unless I go to Vegas or find a bookie in Los Angeles and risk getting my thumbs broken, I can no longer do that.

But that’s not the worse part about this new law. The worse part is the hypocrisy. The internet gambling provision of the act specifically excludes wagering on horseracing. I guess the horseracing industry had better lobbyists and offered better perks. That’s the only explanation I can come up with since I can’t fathom the difference between betting on a football game over the internet and betting on a horserace. I won’t even start on the fact that most states in this country sponsor some type of lottery.

Fortunately, according to an article on MarketWatch, some people are already coming up with ways to get around the new regulations. One simple answer is to open up a bank account or obtain a credit card outside of the United States since those institutions might not fall under the U.S. government’s jurisdiction. Another possible solution is payment through gold or silver or some other commodity.

While I applaud these possible solutions, I don’t plan to resort to these measures. Instead I’ll just have to find another offering that I can make to the sports gods. Or maybe I’ll just sue the U.S. government on the grounds that the new law is infringing on the free exercise of my religion. Although the odds of such a suit winning probably aren’t that good. Too bad I can’t use the internet to put any money on it.

A New Hope?

I love the NBA pre-season. Every team is going to make the playoffs. Every player will average 20 points next season. Every rookie will become an all-star. Plus, unlike pre-season football, you get to see the starters for more than just five minutes of the first quarter. Also, since it’s the pre-season, I can just enjoy the game without really caring which team wins.

So Thursday night I had to tune in to watch the Los Angeles Lakers face the Seattle Supersonics at the Honda Center in Anaheim. It was actually the second pre-season game for the Lakers. They defeated the Utah Jazz, 94 - 79 in Fresno on Tuesday. Unfortunately that game wasn’t aired on television so I had to wait until yesterday to get my fix of pre-season basketball.

The Laker’s starting line-up was made up of Smush Parker, Maurice Evans, Vladimir Radmanovic, Lamar Odom, and Kwame Brown. Kobe Bryant, who had surgery on his knee this summer, had to watch the game in street clothes alongside Chris Mihm and Sasha Vujacic. I was pleased to see Radmanovic get the start. He was the Lakers big off-season acquisition and a lot of whether the Lakers are able to improve on last year’s performance depends on how much he can contribute to the team.

Things didn’t go so well for Radmanovic or the Lakers to begin the game. He committed a foul and missed his first three-point attempt and the Lakers got behind very quickly. But I was still encouraged by the hustle that I saw Radman exhibiting. He was driving to the lane and crashing the boards. That effort helped make up a little bit for his 1-8 shooting performance from the floor. Hopefully, once Kobe suits up, Radman will get better looks and boost that field goal percentage. Although given that his career FGP is only 41.4, there might not be that much improvement.

The Lakers narrowed the lead as the first quarter progressed. Smush made back to back threes and Kwame had a nice post-up play. Despite all the gripes in the last couple of weeks about the NBA's new ball, most loudly from Shaquille O’Neal, the players didn’t seem to have any problems with it.

Aaron Mckie made a rare appearance along with Shammond Williams, the other free agent signing by the Lakers this off-season, in the first quarter. I was almost livid when I saw Mckie. My first thought was “Why on earth isn’t Jordan Farmar playing?” I saw Farmar a couple of times during the summer pro league and was really impressed. I was eager to see him in action against NBA competition. I had seen a rumor in the Los Angeles Times that he might be sent to the NBA’s development league and when I looked at the box score of the Jazz game on Tuesday, I noticed that he didn’t get any minutes. Needless to say I thought the Lakers were making a mistake.

McKie’s play didn’t do anything to convince me otherwise. At this point it’s clear that the Lakers need to waive McKie because he really doesn’t have anything left in the tank and the Lakers could use the extra roster spot. Perhaps the Lakers were thinking of using his salary to facilitate a trade, but unless something develops in the next two weeks, it makes more sense to just cut him and keep someone more useful.

Around the three-minute mark of the first quarter, Andrew Bynum and Brian Cook subbed into the game. Another rumor that I’ve heard is that the Lakers are in discussions to give Cook an extension. I’m not sure how I feel about this possible development. On one hand Cook has improved every season and there’s no doubt he can shoot. He ended up leading the team on Thursday with 16 points. On the other hand his defense and rebounding still need a lot of improvement. Andrew seemed a little more comfortable than he has in the past. He had a nice dunk and a put-back after a rebound. Unfortunately he sprained his ankle in the first half and sat out the rest of the game.

Farmar finally made his Laker debut with seven minutes left in the second quarter. He started off a little slowly, but had a couple of nice plays after warming up a bit. One was a great pass to Ronny Turiaf for a dunk and another was a nice lay up off a pass from Kwame Brown. It was great to see Turiaf getting some playing time as well. You just have to love the energy an enthusiasm that he brings every time he steps on the floor. The Lakers finished the half trailing the Sonics 55-53 but I still felt good about what I was seeing from the young players on the team.

Aaron Mckie and Shammond Williams were on the floor to start the second half of the game. Once again I couldn’t understand why McKie was on the floor. Williams made a couple of nice plays, but I didn’t see anything that would have me believe he will be replacing Smush Parker as the starting point guard. Radman continued to struggle with his shooting touch but he made a nice pass to Odom.

As the game continued I kept hoping for Farmar to get back on the floor. Once he finally made it back on the floor, Farmar continued to impress. He made a great outlet pass to Turiaf and followed it up with a dunk of his own. He added a nice pass to Maurice Evans for a three-pointer. He ended the game with 10 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover in 19 minutes and was playing in crunch time as the Lakers held on to win the game 104-101.

Hopefully Farmar’s performance will start convincing Lakers’ management that he belongs in the NBA, not the NBDL. We should know soon enough. The main reason I love pre-season basketball is because it means that the regular NBA season is just around the corner. In the next two weeks we should whether Farmar makes it and for the sake of the franchise’s future, I really hope he does.

Let's Play GM

Even though it’s only been a few days since the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs by the New York Mets and the National League Championship Series won’t begin until tomorrow, it’s not too early to start thinking about what the Dodgers can do to improve for next year. While it was disappointing to see the team get swept, I still think making the playoffs was a feat in itself and hopefully it’ll be something to build on.

Since I’m basically just a bandwagon fan when it comes to the Dodgers, I had to turn to a couple of friends, Big Money and Johnny Ringo, to pick their brains. We all thought that the biggest priority for the Dodgers should be their starting pitching. Fortunately, there’s a guy out there that’s going to be a free agent that could really help them out: Barry Zito. Zito went 16-10 last season with a 3.83 ERA. His numbers aren’t as good as they were his first few years in the league, but he’s still one of the better pitchers in the league.

Unfortunately, Zito will have many suitors this off-season, especially if he does well during the rest of the playoffs. After losing to the Tigers, the Yankees will be sure to target Zito to improve their pitching. Hopefully, Zito’s ties to California - he went to high school in San Diego and college in Santa Barbara before transferring to USC - will persuade him to stay on the west coast, albeit a little farther south. Plus LA would probably be a better fit for the somewhat eccentric Zito than New York.

If the Dodgers aren’t able to acquire Zito or decide they have more money to spend on another free agent, Alfonso Soriano would be another excellent target. My friends and I agree that pitching should be the Dodger’s priority, but Soriano would be an excellent consolation prize after becoming only the fourth player in league history to hit 40 homeruns and get 40 stolen bases.

However, signing Soriano might be a problem if he insists on playing second base since the team already has Jeff Kent. After grumbling about playing second before the season started, Soriano relented and played in the outfield this season for the Washington Nationals. He didn’t have much of a choice. As a free agent, Soriano will have all the leverage he needs to get to play in the infield. But I would imagine if the price is right, Soriano would be willing to play any position.

If the Dodgers aren’t able to lure either of those two big name free agents, one other possibility is to look into trading for Alex Rodriguez. Some of my buddies might get a kick out of that suggestion since I’ve been calling Alex Rodriguez a loser since that first season with the Texas Rangers. I thought his decision to go to the Rangers was incredibly greedy and he deserved to rot on a losing team for the rest of his career. What really upset me was when he described his decision as what was best for his family, as if half of the $250 million he signed for wouldn’t have been enough.

I actually spoke to my buddy Heavy Hitter, a big Yankees fan, after the second game of the Detroit/New York series was rained out. I told him I was sure the Yankees would win the World Series this year, even with A-Rod on the team. I guess the A-Rod effect was too strong. Of course it wasn’t completely Rodriguez’s fault, although going 1 for 14 in the series didn’t help. So why on earth do I want to see him on the Dodgers?

Because he’s still one of the best offensive players in the game and I think that the Yankees might be desperate enough for the Dodgers to get him for a lot less than he’s actually worth. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the Dodgers should give up all their best young players and mortgage the future for A-Rod. But if the Dodgers could package Brad Penny (or J.D. Drew), Andre Ethier, and one or two other pieces for A-Rod, I think they should pull the trigger, assuming A-Rod is convinced to waive his no-trade clause. The Dodgers might never win the World Series with A-Rod on the team, but they should be able to win their division and that would be some nice improvement.

Finally, there is still the question about what to do with some of the players that were on the squad last season like Nomar Garciaparra, Greg Maddux, and Eric Gagne. It really is a shame that Nomar had to tear his left quadriceps muscle in the series against the Mets, especially since it was on the eve of winning the NL Comeback Player of the Year award. Nomar had a wonderful season and exceeded all of my expectations, but he just seems too fragile to give a big contract. It would be great to see him return next year, but I would only give him a two-year deal at most for no more than he made this year.

The same goes for Maddux. The Dodgers wouldn’t have made the playoffs without Maddux but at this stage in his career, you have to wonder when the tank is going to be empty. I would try to bring him back but I wouldn’t break the bank for him. As for Gagne, I'd just let him walk away. Johnny Ringo thinks we should offer him an incentive-heavy contract, but I doubt he would take it, especially with Scott Boras as his agent. He had a couple of tremendous years with the Dodgers but it's unlikely he’ll ever regain his form.

Hopefully Ned Colletti, the Dodger's real GM, will pull of the right moves this off-season. He’s already made a fan out of me by getting the Dodgers in the playoffs. Let’s see if he can get them back there next year.

The Invisible Sport

Wednesday evening I decided to watch the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes face off against the Buffalo Sabres to kick off the 2006-07 National Hockey League season. The Sabres got a little revenge after losing to the Hurricanes in the eastern conference finals last season by winning the game 3-2 after a shoot-out. It was a pretty good game but I’m sure most televisions across American weren’t tuned in.

Nobody watches hockey on television and American sports fans just don't seem to care about the NHL. The league has a core of loyal fans and attendance seems to be healthy. I’m always surprised by how many jerseys I see in the stands when I watch a game in person. It really seems that more hockey fans wear jerseys than in any other sport and that’s a sign of how dedicated those fans are.

Last year the NHL made a strong return after the cancelled 2004-05 season. Hockey fans were glad to have the sport back and embraced the new rules, which opened up the game and replaced ties with shoot-outs. Revenues and attendance were up. But TV ratings and the general popularity of the sport continued to slide. I’m sure the move from ESPN to the Outdoor Life Network, now called Versus, didn’t help matters.

You would think that a game that combines the violence of football, the speed of basketball, and the grace of baseball would be more popular. I have a few theories why it’s not. The first problem is you don’t have a player right now in the NHL that transcends the sport. The sport needs another Wayne Gretzky, someone who all sports fans can identify as being the best in his sport and possibly best ever. Thankfully for the league, there are two youngsters who showcased last year that type of potential in their rookie campaigns: Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. If one or both continue to develop and win a couple of Stanley Cups, they might be able to draw more people to the sport.

The next issue that is hindering the popularity of hockey is one that is not unique to this sport, but still needs to be addressed. There are too many teams in the league. Do we really need the Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, or Anaheim Ducks? If the league was whittled down, the remaining teams would become more talented and the action on the ice would become more exciting.

A third possible explanation for the limited appeal of the sport is the influx of European players. For the longest time players in the NHL were usually from Canada or possibly the United States. In the nineties you began to see more European players, particularly Russians, and their number continued to grow until the league actually divided all-star teams into a North American team and World team from 1998 to 2002. I don’t have anything against the European players, but their presence does make the sport feel more alien than it did when it was mostly Canadians playing. I really have no idea how this issue can be addressed. Obviously getting more American youth to play the sport would help, but outside of the northeast, I don’t see how that can happen.

So what does the future of hockey hold. I’m not sure but it doesn’t look good. I fear the worst. But even in the worst case scenario, I think with the changed rules in place and the current collective bargain agreement, the league should be able to hold on to its core fans. That means that at the very least I’ll still be able to jump on the LA Kings bandwagon whenever they make the playoffs again. As for when the Kings might do that, that’s a story for another day.

The Rest Is Gravy

For the second time in three years the Los Angeles Dodgers have made it to the playoffs. It wasn’t easy. Only a few days ago they trailed both the San Diego Padres for the National Division title and the Philadelphia Phillies for the wildcard playoff spot. I was getting worried the Dodgers wouldn’t live up to the playoff prediction I made back in July, but my buddy Johnny Ringo reassured me that the Dodgers had a better team than San Diego and Philly.

The playoff berth was particularly satisfying for a couple of reasons. First of all, the Dodgers clinched it by beating the San Francisco Giants on Saturday and ended the season on a high note by completing the sweep on Sunday. The other reason that this post-season opportunity is so gratifying is because the moves that the Dodgers made at the trade deadline really paid off. I'm sure the Dodgers would have fallen short if they hadn’t gone out and acquired Greg Maddux, Wilson Betemit, and Julio Lugo.

I have to give team owner Frank McCourt some credit. I’ve criticized him in the past for not spending enough money for players, being obsessed with the Boston Red Sox, getting rid of the player names on the jerseys, etc. However, his decision to dump Paul DePodesta and hire Ned Colletti as the new general manager in the off-season sure looks like a stroke of genius right now. I can’t see DePodesta making the same moves that Colletti made.

So what now? As a reward for their hard work, the Dodgers get to face off against the Mighty Mets, the best team in the National League. Of course the Mets aren’t as mighty as they were in August with Pedro Martinez out of commission until next year with a torn rotator cuff. But as much as it pains me to say it, I still think they have more than enough to take out the Dodgers.

They have three guys in the top ten of National League RBI leaders in David Wright, Carlos Beltrán and Carlos Delgado. They have one of the best shortstops in the game in Jose Reyes who also happens to lead the NL in stolen bases. For pitching they have Tom Glavine - still going strong, Orlando “El Duque” Hernández - one of the best playoff pitchers ever, and Billy Wagner - one of the best closers in the game.

Against such a loaded team, all I ask is that the Dodgers make it a series and take it to five games. The Mets did go 14-15 in September and the Dodgers were able to split a four game series in Shea Stadium. Even that would just be gravy since just making the playoffs was a nice accomplishment for the team. And with all the young players on the team like Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Matt Kemp, and James Loney, I’m feeling pretty good about the Dodgers' future. And who knows, maybe these kids will be so young and foolhardy that they won’t realize or care that they’re supposed to lose and find a win to win.