Nothing like shame, defeat and embarrassment coming from your most hated enemy. Last night is one I hope the Dodgers just chalk up as a weird loss and move on.

I hope this happens because the Giants fans were sure pumped up this morning. I didn’t get a lot of comments at work (I was expecting them), but the talk shows this morning were all about how this was Bruce Bochy’s best game and how this win may change the rest of the season. Wishful thinking can be a horrible thing…

Not sure where to start on this one. My predictions still ring true that the Giants would win the first two…but I wasn’t very accurate on how it came about.

Timmy Lincecum got beat up. Andre Ethier is hot and everything seemed fine. Then, there were some beanings and suddenly Clayton Kershaw and Joe Torre are heading home early.  The talk shows thought Joe Torre was stupid to have Clayton Kershaw bean him, rather than some reliever who wouldn’t matter being tossed.  Could be true, but it does say something that Kershaw stood up for the team.

Then the 9th.  Welcome to management Don Mattingly.  A lot of managers start 0-1, so hopefully you can rebound from this one.  If you didn’t see it Mattingly accidentally stepped on the mound twice while out between the lines, and therefore Jonathan Broxton had to leave.

He had to leave for George Sherrill.  That was Mattingly’s second mistake.  I just wrote yesterday that hopefully it wouldn’t come down to Mr. Sherrill.  He just doesn’t have it right now and definitely shouldn’t be the guy with the game on the line, no matter if the batter is right or left handed.

Sherrill gives up the hit and the Giants walk away with a come from behind victory that they can build on. 

This is one game, but the Dodgers better snap out of this.  Regardless of tonight, they aren’t looking good.  The bullpen is weak and they can’t beat the teams they need to.  I hate to say it, but I don’t see this team (the way they are currently playing right now) making the playoffs.  They may beat out the Giants, but the Padres and Rockies should claim the top two spots.  I”m sure Mad Colletti is working on stuff because he knows the train needs some maintenance.

Tonight Billingsley.  Time to show that last night can be quickly forgotten.  Here’s hoping.

Just like last year, there are few things better than doing some “silent bragging” via the use of a whiteboard at work. I started with the “Go Dodgers” before the series, but today added the brooms. The best part is the reactions.

Yesterday, the Giant fans were in arms that I even had the audacity to root for the Dodgers rather than the Giants. Today, ahh today, they just lower their head and walk on.

It’s such a funny thing it cracks me up. I knew it was coming too. There’s been a few times now that the Dodgers have taken the first two games of the series. The Giants fans know they are beaten, they lost the series, and now they just hope they don’t have to take too much crow from us Dodger Fans. I on the other hand take great joy coming to work and talking with anyone I can about how “good” the game was last night and how “bad” the Giants are.

The talk shows were all abuzz again this morning, some feeling that the Giants will never turn it around (fine with me), and those who feel it is just a long season and this will pass.  The thing interesting this morning is that there really is a feeling now that the Giants are free falling.  They have lost 4 series in a row, aren’t getting the production out of their veterans, and don’t trust their General Manager to help them at the trade deadline.  It’s looking bad with no real hope of change.  Again, that’s fine with me.  Get the Dodgers the sweep, and then Giant fans can continue to wallow in self pity.

On another note, I need to talk about Matt Kemp.  I haven’t touched on him a lot this year, but I now believe he is the key to the end of the Dodgers season.  Manny Ramirez went down yesterday which I don’t think will be that bad, but Kemp has been benched the last few games.  He fell apart after Ned Colletti called him out earlier this season, and now Joe Torre had a closed door meeting with him.  The expectation is that he will put it all together at some point, but he certainly doesn’t seem to be doing it after his new 10 million salary this last off season.  On one hand I consider putting him on my fantasy team because now he should figure this out.  On the other hand, if Joe Torre is benching him, there are fundamental work ethic questions involved.  Here’s hoping this can all be resolved as the Dodgers need him and he can bring great offense.  If the Dodgers have truly soured on him, I wonder if he could be trade bait.  We’ll see.

Go Blue and bring on the brooms!

Manny Ramirez - Tim DeFrisco - SI

Spring Training has been going along pretty ho-hum this year.  A few new recruits, still not enough pitching, but definitely without the Manny drama of last year….until two days ago.

I read Ken Gurnick’s article (click here) where Manny said that this will be his last year in L.A.  That really wasn’t a surprise, but it was the timing that surprised me.

It kind of hit me like a really good steak that you had at a restaurant, but now it’s been in the refrigerator a few too many days and you’re wondering if it’s still good.  It could be just as good as when you first tasted it, or it could be so bad that you have to throw it out.  Either way, it leaves you a little queasy even before you take a bite.

That’s how I feel with Manny.  The thing with Manny is that even though he comes across as a goofball, Manny is a very smart man.  He is all about calculating his money along with being a very good baseball player.  If he says something, it is only because he and his agents have already determined what to say and when to say it.  The fact that he made it known that this is his last year in his first statement of the spring is concerning.

I work with people who have given notice that they are retiring at the end of the year.  Yes, they get the job done, but if they hit something difficult, they usually don’t do as good of work, because they know it doesn’t matter and they are gone in a few months.

Why wouldn’t it be different for Manny?  He already has a guaranteed 20 million dollars, and we all know he has a history of dogging it.  If he is injured, or could get injured and then damage his ability to play next year, why wouldn’t he shut it down.  That would truly hurt the Dodgers.

One Giant’s fan did set me straight though.  He stated that if this truly is Manny’s last year in blue, then he has just given notice to other teams.  If he wants to play next year and get a good contract (both of which I believe to be true), then he has to put on a show this year.  This could truly help the Dodgers.

Either way, I’m queasy.  It may turn out fine, but why not say, “I’m just going to take this year one day at a time, and then decide at the end of the year.”  If he makes up his mind before then, fine, but why declare it in your first press conference of the year?

In either case, Ned Colletti already better be thinking about who will replace him in left field.  At the soonest, next year we will need another big bat.

What do you think?  Is he setting himself up to dog it, or put up good numbers for a big, new contract?

Ned Colletti UPI Photo/Jon Soohoo/HO

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY

I struggled with how to title this post. Now that I’ve written it, it reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book “Go Dog Go,” but hopefully I’ll still get my point across.  

Like other Dodger fans, I’ve watched as the Dodgers have let most of this off-season pass.  No offense to Jaime Carroll, but unless he’s going to pitch, he wasn’t what people were expecting. 

What’s caught my attention in the blogs, articles and general opinions (mine included) is that the Dodgers really aren’t doing anything behind the scenes because of the divorce.  It seems that all money is on hold, and therefore, the Dodgers are just looking for cheap bargains.

Many thanks to www.mlbtraderumors.com, because they had a nice little post to help show me different (click here).  Hold tight Dodger fans – it seems that things are still brewing.  Here’s the summary:

• The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list. The Dodgers made an earnest attempt to land Roy Halladay prior to the blockbuster deal that shipped him to Philadelphia.  According to sources, the Blue Jays would have preferred L.A. as a trading partner, but of course, it wasn’t really up to them.  Ultimately, it didn’t matter how much the Dodgers could give Toronto or potentially give Doc in an extension, the Phillies were at the top of his list.

What this confirmed is that good ol’ Ned is still working.  No one knows who’s really calling the shots for the Dodgers at the top, but at least we know Crazy Ned Colletti is still on the phones.  This is the same guy who got Manny Ramirez for nothing, and continues to turn out of date pitchers into work horses again.  He’s not perfect (no need to bring up certain names), and he definitely didn’t get Halladay but at least we can know he’s not sitting at a desk doing nothing due to money restraints.  

We all know the Dodgers need another pitcher and I’m sure he knows it better than anyone, but he’s trying.  When it comes down to it, getting the player is what people remember, so it is a fine line, but I know he’s working the channels.  Last year, no one thought the pitching would even be decent, but it lasted to the playoffs.  This year, he knows he has to get over the hump.

Like every Dodgerfan, I’m rooting for Crazy Colletti to pull something out of his hat, or at least be smarter than all the rest of us. 

Like the Dr. Seuss book…Go Colletti Go and then Go Around Again!

Special Code: PGYG83M3DHGY

Casey Blake - Robert Gauthier - LATimes.com

So I’ve been letting the Dodgers loss simmer a little. Honestly, it still stings. So much promise going into the series with the Phillies, and then to absolutely watch the pitching fall part. The offense didn’t totally go away, but it was like the pitching just lost it. Mind you, the Phillies can hit. But it still seemed like the Dodgers just couldn’t pitch. I shared the collective gasp with all other Dodger fans when Broxton walked Matt Stairs and the rest of the game just fell apart.

What strikes me in looking back though is that “THEY” were right.  By “THEY” I mean most typical baseball analysts.  Even in spring training the thought was that the Dodgers couldn’t win it all because they didn’t have big name pitching.  There wasn’t a solid #1 and #2, and therefore they would do well, but eventually they would fall apart.  Well, “THEY” were right.  That’s exactly what happened.  They proved everyone a liar and had the best ERA in the National League, but then it fell apart.  The Dodgers could hit, but in the playoffs it is about big time pitching.  The big Phillie hitters finally found a way to pick away and then destroy the Dodger pitching. 

I didn’t think I would ever think this, but I actually missed Jeff Weaver in the last series.  He was held off the roster, but I think the Dodgers would have used him 2-3 times.  He fell apart at times during the season, but I saw him more than once clean up the mess from a starting pitcher and hold a team scoreless for 3-4 innings.  Billingsley tried to do it, but wasn’t totally successful.

So, if ”They” were right, then we should probably listen to them.  Giants fans have been giving me a hard time for losing, but it’s now time to look ahead.  Ned Colletti is now signed long term, so goal one is a number 1 pitcher.  Kershaw may be #2, but they need a lead horse. 

With the divorce between the owners, who knows what will happen.  They’ve already put on hold the improvements to Dodger stadium, so I bet money will be held up too.  I’ll write more posts on that, but it really smears the Dodgers name through the mud.  The Giants fans are having a field day with the Dodgers collapsing internally.

Well – THEY were right, and now we can watch the Yankees and Phillies in the Ice Bowl.  As for me, I’ll root for the Yankees.  Yes, I know there is a rivalry with the Dodgers, but I don’t have any real reason to root for the Phillies given how they destroyed the Dodgers. 

Any thoughts – is the number one need starting pitching?