The season is over and the playoffs are set.  The Mets choked again this year, and the second biggest trade of the year payed off for the Brewers as they made the playoffs for the first time in my life, since 1982 to be exact. Since Milwaukee won the wild card, that means the Dodgers have the daunting task of facing the #1 seed Chicago Cubs, the National League's best team all year long.  Most everyone is favoring the Cubs, but I feel the Dodgers can take on anybody in the Naitonal League, even though the Cubs were the best team all year, no one team dominated the league.   In fact, the only person of any relevance who I've heard say the Dodgers can beat the Cubs is ESPN's Peter Gammons.  He brought up a good point, with Russell Martin leading off for the Dodgers, they have a guy who can get on base 40% of the time.  With Ethier, Manny, Loney, Kemp, and maybe even Kent behind him, with runners on the Dodgers are a very dangerous team.  Since the arrival of Manny the Dodgers have become a power team.  The Dodgers have hit only 5 less homeruns than the Cubs since the all-star break (77-72).  Also, the Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano has been struggling.  He is only 4-3 since the all-star break with a 5.80 ERA.  And I think what will be Zambrano's main failing is he is a hot head, and he has consistently shown he can't control his emotions.  Should the Dodgers manage to breakthrough against the Cubs, they would have to face either Philly or Milwaukee.  Both teams have more potent offenses than the Cubs, but both teams also have much weaker pitching staffs too.  The Brew crew has their ace CC, but now that co-ace Ben Sheets is out, they have nobody after that.  Dave Bush and Seth McClung, who???  Jeff Suppan, he was good about 4 years ago.  Same goes for Philly, Cole Hamels is a great pitcher who gives you a great start every time out.  After that you have Brett "Retard" Myers who's temperament makes Zambrano look like the Dalai Lama, and the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer, not that intimidating.  Game 1 is Wednesday at Wrigley, Derek Lowe will take the hill against Ryan Dempster.    The Dodgers got swept by the Cubbies at Wrigley, but that was back in May long before Manny Ramirez came to town, and the games were 3-1, 3-1, and 2-1.  The Blue Crew split four with the Cubs at Dodger Stadium back in June.  Also long before the Ramirez trade.  This is a new season, and a new day, this is October baseball, this is where anything is possible.  And in my recent memory, the player who seems to show up the most in October is Manny Ramirez.  Let's go blue!!

   

The Dodgers had an off day yesterday.  Off in the respect that the final home game against the Padres was basically Dodger garbage time and most of the regulars sat.  San Diego still struggled to win against the Dodger's second string last night, a 7-5 loss.  With a little help from the St. Louis Cardinals (when does that ever happen), the Dodgers clinched the NL West title early in the afternoon.
I went the past two nights to the game, and as I previously mentioned, it was basically garbage time for the Dodgers with a lineup featuring Danny Ardoin, Pablo Ozuna, Chin-Lung Hu, and Delwyn Young.  The night before was a great game as the Dodgers and Pads went back and forth until the Dodgers went off for six runs in the 8th inning.  As I discussed the day before, Chad Billingsley threw a great game for his 16th win of the year.  Both games featured great crowds, and last night showed, the Dodgers are ready for the playoffs.  They definitely weren't ready in '06.  This year though, the young guys on the team are a lot more comfortable and now a year more experienced, and most importantly, the Dodgers now have Manny in the lineup. 
 
More than likely, the Dodgers will wind up playing Philadelphia in the playoffs.  They swept them here at Dodger Stadium, but got swept over at Citizen's Bank Ballpark in Philly.  The pitching matches up  very well.  Other than Cole Hamels, the Phillies have Brett Myers, who could be here or there, and then Jamie Moyer, who's about the same age as my dad.  If somehow the Mets don't choke and both Philly and the Mets make the playoffs, the Dodgers would play the Cubs, which would be formidable, but doable for the Dodgers.  The pitching can match up, and as I said before, the Dodgers now have the most dangerous hitter in the playoffs on their team.  For now, the Blue Crew simply needs to handle business against the Giants up north.  They can't be the spoiler now, the Dodgers' ticket is secure.

I would like to thank correajason@yahoo.com for that comment, that gave me a little kick in the pants and got me back to the keyboard.  It's been more than a full season since I posted this blog, a lot's changed since last year, new manager, new star.  I really have no explanation why, I guess I just put it on the backburner as the Dodgers fell off last season.  However, it's now a new year.  Tonight's match up with the Padres does not have the usual fighting atmosphere that most LA-San Diego games have.  Over the past couple of years, it has been the Padres, not the Giants who have been the thorn in the Dodgers side.  But this year, the Padres are pretty hapless.  Although he's coming off a tough start, Chad Billingsley has been the Dodgers ace this year, and I fully expect him to shut down the Padres tonight inside the friendly confines of Dodger Stadium where he is 9-4 and opposing teams are hitting just .227 against him.  That's what the Dodgers seemed to be hitting against the Giants Friday and Sunday.  However, the Giants play pretty equally at home and on the road.  The Padres are considerably worse on the road.  Hopefully the off day and some rest will rejuvenate our boys in blue.   So long as they handle their business tonight, they should have no problems with the Friars tonight.  Let's go Dodgers!