The Hot Stove League is heating up already. I get a sneakin' suspicion that just about every decent pitcher or bat will be linked in one way or another to Southern California, either through the Dodgers or Angels. In this case, it's Aramis Ramirez, who at 28 is now one of the prime FAs on the market. 35-homer power, .300 hitter, good glove. Signing him would theoretically bump Andy LaRoche and/or Wilson Betemit out of a position. You guys all know how I feel about trading prospects for proven commodities, and that's what this would do. If Ramirez fits in the budget, go get him.

This year's World Series will likely show people the value of finding a way — any way — into the playoffs. The Cards were probably the best 83-win team in a long time. (Injuries and a weak back end of the rotation made it hard to win consistently. Once guys got healthy, they were better, and then they were able to only throw their three best starters. How the bullpen resurrected itself, I have no idea.) But they were still pretty weak, especially heading into the postseason. Yet they put it together, got hot and won. It was a long shot, but it happened.

There's no reason a similar thing couldn't have happened to the Dodgers. In a sport like baseball, where one hot starter or a pair of hot bats (Yadier Molina?) can carry a team, if you can get in to the playoffs, strange things can happen. I'm curious as to how often we'll hear teams reference the '06 Cards at the deadline next season. Just trying to make that move that gets them into the final eight.

—BK

My fiance calls him "the homeless guy" because of the scraggly hair and unusually thin build, but he was nails in the playoffs.

And that noise you heard was the entire Detroit metropolitan area screaming, "Jeff F'in Weaver?" at the same time.

—BK

This would be pretty freakin' cool to watch. And how stoked was this family? You sit down to watch a bunch of boring home movies and you end up snagging a collector's item? Not to revisit Lyons-gate, but talk about your "finding a wallet" moment. As for Larsen, his whole life feels like he's spotting billfolds left and right.

Philosophy 101 Question: You attend this game and witness Don Larsen literally make history, but against your team. Can you put aside your Dodger loyalty enough to appreciate the poetry of his performance (not to mention your good fortune of witnessing it live)? Or does the fact that it came at the expense of the Blue leave the experience permanently sullied?

—AK

On the odd chance you've been polishing your resume in hopes of landing the gig as Director of Player Development for the Dodgers, stop. You blew your opportunity. The Blue have hired Cali native De Jon Watson, formerly director of scouting for the Indians. I'd be lying if I said I knew much about him (OK, anything), but given the solid young players Cleveland has produced recently, this might be a good thing.

Click below for the press release, courtesy of the Dodgers.

—BK

Of Steve Lyons and WalletGate, here's a link to a lengthy interview with the now former Fox broadcaster. And just for kicks, an interview done during happier times.

—BK

Good news for anybody who feels that, while 1994 was a great year for film ("Pulp Fiction," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Ed Wood," "Quiz Show," "Speed," "Forrest Gump," "Hoop Dreams," among others), it was a decidedly lousy year for baseball. But in rather under the radar fashion, Bud Selig has orchestrated an agreement between players and owners that, save 11th hour complications, should keep things humming until 2011. And ahead of schedule, no less. If such positivity remains possible in baseball, maybe there's still hope Ned Colletti and Odalis Perez can mend fences for a return stint in L.A.

OK, there are limits to the trickledown effects of peace accords. But either way, nice to see a potential mess avoided for the time being.

—AK

OK, I might not be the best guy to do this. Why? The following have been my predictions for each matchup throughout the postseason:

Division Series
Cards vs. Padres - Padres in four.
Mets vs. Dodgers - Dodgers in five.
Yankees vs. Tigers - Yankees in four (or five. I don't remember... either way, I was wrong.).
Twins vs. A's - Twins in five.

LCS
Cardinals vs. Mets - Mets in six.
Tigers vs. A's - Tigers in seven.

So I got one series right, and even there, I totally miscalculated on how competitive it would be. So with that in mind, here's my breakdown on the World Series. If you're interested, I have some stock picks too.

Anthony Raglani has torn up the Arizona Fall League for the Mesa Solar Sox. (Get your caps here!) But he isn't the only Dodgers farmhand playing and playing well, though for guys like Blake DeWitt (no relation to Joyce, far as I know), it's been a struggle. Taiwanese shortstop Chin-Lung Hu has had a rough go as well. But that hasn't kept him from keeping a AFL journal. Send him an e-mail to keep his spirits high.

In other news, Jason Repko's injury-riddled season is now an injury-riddled offseason. He'll spend the next couple weeks in a walking boot after undergoing a procedure to the plantar fascia on his left foot.

—BK

Why do I say that?  Because he's apparently been on double secret probation for a while. 

In fairness to Lyons, I can relate to some of his difficulties.  As a writer, I know first hand the challenge of walking the line between funny observations and hurt feelings.  With very few exceptions, humor of any kind places somebody at the butt end of a joke.  That's just the structure of your standard zinger.  In the meantime, we've evolved into an ultra-sensitive society with the ability to find offense in even the smallest of "digs" (I mean, we're warning broadcasters not to poke fun at last names anymore?).  Thus, Lyons, who's clearly been hired as "the wacky voice in the booth," has to find that balance between "witty" and "safe" while working in the moment off the top of his head.  Not easy.  I've had to tell many, many, many a reader on this and the Lakers Blog, "Dude, I was just kidding, and you know I was just kidding, so there's no need to take offense."  And that's with the luxury of being able to edit myself before posting.  I can't imagine how many times I would have piss someone off without a filter.

On the flip side, while I believe Lyons' explanation of "wallet-gate," he's been in this boat before, so he's gotta recognize when rough water could be approaching.  For example, references of any kind to heritage?  Even innocuous ones?  In 11 out of 10 cases, best left untouched.  And he of all people would know that after the incident involving Shawn Green (where, for what it's worth, I do think he crossed a line, even though I imagine his intentions weren't malicious by any stretch).  You can only claim obliviousness so many times before it's apparent you're just not looking in the first place.      

Again, I do feel for Lyons, because I don't think he was ever out to hurt anyone, but it's up to him to negotiate that fine line.  Or quit broadcasting and go into stand up comedy, since he's a legitimately funny guy and audiences nursing 2 drink minimum rum and Cokes at nine bucks a pop will find Lyons' words the least offensive aspect of the evening.

AK    

Over the first season of Blue Notes, it became very clear that the Dodgers are blessed with a vast number of passionate die hard fans.  But here's a question.  For those of you who are die hards, when you actually die, would you like to meet the afterlife in one of these?   Bleed Blue, Decompose Blue.  That's the spirit!

Question 2: In the spirit of all those Tommy Lasorda ads where he encourages fans of teams that have been eliminated to continue watching the playoffs (I particularly like the one where he coaxes the Cubs fan out of the tree), are you guys still into it?  I mean, Game 7 tonight in New York?  A potential Cinderella vs. Cinderella World Series in Detroit against St. Louis?   The big bad Mets against the upstart Tigers if things don't go my way? 

Are you still watching, or did you quickly switch into football/Lakers/Clippers/etc. mode once the Blue were swept?

BK

Sorry, I meant Baseball America loves Dodger rookies.  I'm always mixing up my Dodger Blue with my Wall Street insider trading code-speak.

Anyway, just got an email from the Dodgers Media Relations department.  Baseball America ranked Russell Martin (10th), Takashi Saito (15th) and Andre Ethier (17th) in their top 20 among 2006's MLB rookies.  Below are some write ups listing their achievements.  Kudos to the trio.

AK

Steve Lyons, fired by Fox for his on-air comments during the Tigers-A's series, will keep his gig with the Dodgers, undergo sensitivity training, and generally be placed on double-not-so-secret probation. I believe Lyons when he says he didn't mean any offense to anyone, so I'm happy to see he wasn't totally left out in the cold. Maybe I missed something in the exchange, but it seemed to me like he was trying to give Piniella a hard time, not imply that Hispanics will steal your wallet. I think intent is important, especially in situations where what is said isn't necessarily egregious (like using a racial slur, or going on a Mel Gibsonesque tirade).

Not that this has anything to do with Lyons, but Ken Gurnick of MLB.com is answering mail again.

—BK

Just thinking out loud...

One of the great blessings of the Dodger squad this season was the incredible depth they had around the diamond. Every time someone went down, it seemed like there were two or three guys ready to plug the gaps, either because guys were already there (Jeff Kent goes down? Plug in Cesar Izturis. Or Ramon Martinez. Or, eventually, Julio Lugo. Or Willy Aybar. Or....) or Ned Colletti brought them in — Marlon Anderson, for example. Or brought them up — Andre Ethier and Russell Martin. Even among the starting pitchers, the hardest place to patch things up in today's MLB, the Blue found solutions that ranged from effective stopgaps (Aaron Sele) to seriously productive glimpses of the not-so-distant-future (Chad Billingsley, Hong-Chih Kuo).

Interesting story here about a playoff ticket sale mishap, and a young boy who never had a chance to see Game 3. Given what transpired, the lad was better off in the parking lot.

—BK

AK and I received an angry letter from a Dodger fan a couple days back, complaining about the traffic at the Ravine during Game 3. It took two hours for her to park, and by the time she hit her seats, the Blue were already down. I'm there early and leave late, so I never have to fight the traffic, but from past experience I know it sucks. I also know the lines for food are horrible. As are the Dodger Dogs, but that's another debate. So here's today's question/opportunity to sound off:

What annoys you most about your Dodger Stadium experience? If you could have them change anything, what would it be?

Vent away, and maybe we'll pass your suggestions along to the brass. Try to keep it clean.

—BK

At times during the '06 campaign, the Dodgers clubhouse looked like the baseball equivalent of a day care center. There were so many kids running around, you half expected to see the Grady Little reading Dr. Seuss in story circle before mats were put down in the training room for nap time. Good thing there were a bunch of crusty vets around to take care of them (or, as it often played out on the field, be taken care of). It's rare to see a team win when there are five prominent rookies — Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin, Takashi Saito, and Chad Billingsley — playing day-to-day roles, and others — James Loney, Matt Kemp, Hong-Chih Kuo and even the since-departed Joel Guzman, making solid contributions. But the Dodgers managed to make it happen... at least in the regular season.

While a veritable cornucopia of ex-Dodgers (and Angels) continue to make their way through the playoffs, the Blue are going through a little front office restructuring. Former player development director Terry Collins has already left to manage in Japan (as if you needed another reason to cheer for the Orix Buffaloes), and now Roy Smith, brought in under Paul DePodesta, has resigned. No word yet on who, if anyone, will replace Smith. Colletti is waiting to hire a replacement for Collins before making that decision.

—BK

The MVP Award is always a big deal in baseball. But while Bud Selig feels the need to keep fans in captive suspense, Blue Notes isn't waiting around to hand out its own big kahuna hardware: the Blue MVP. The cat in a Dodger uni best adept at putting whatever needed happening into motion. The one guy they could have lived least without this season.

To clarify, I'm only talking regular season, not the playoffs. Why? To begin, that's how the actual MVP voting works, so I'm apeing the gold standard. Plus, the entire playoffs amounted to three games, so it's not a whole lot to go on. And to be blunt, just about nobody showed up (at least nobody I consider a legit MVP candidate), so it's a moot point, anyway. Any way you slice it, I should be judging off those 162 games. Even if the playoffs are baseball's bread and butter, without the regular season, you ain't arriving at the supermarket to purchase those sandwich items.

As you might suspect, daily headlines for the Blue are slowing down (NOTE: Don't stop checking on the blog, since we'll be posting steadily for the time being. There's still a lot to talk about.), but today's brings up one of L.A.'s more pressing offseason issues. We've discussed it on the blog back in June when Nomar was killing the ball, talked about it some more in the second half when he wasn't, and we'll probably discuss it some more this winter. But as long as Bill Plaschke is bringing it up today, there's no time like the present to get the ball rolling, right? Should L.A. bring Nomar back next year?

I reread my post from June, and basically think it still holds up. As I wrote then, in terms of signing him this offseason — or at the very least considering the wisdom of such a move — the Blue would benefit from a late-season Nominjury, and I think in this context they did. Watching the guy move around the field like the dudes in "Cocoon" (before they swam in the magic alien water, of course) was nearly as painful as watching, say, "Cocoon: The Return." Yeah, he came up with some massive hits that will forever be a part of Dodger lore, but had the Dodgers put names on the jerseys this year, his would have read "Cautionary Tale" instead of Garciaparra. Had Nomar gone through 145 games free of injury, the results on the field for L.A. would have been better, but it would have masked the serious risks of signing him to a longer-term deal.

Well, the Dodgers are officially cooked, but one True Blue is still dominating the airwaves. Tommy Lasorda's commercials for MLB have generally been a staple of game broadcasts throughout the playoffs. No word yet if he's cut another one to encourage Dodger fans to continue watching the playoffs. The fantasy info in this link was posted yesterday, but there's a little nugget of pride for the Dodgers' pitching staff buried inside.

Meanwhile, it's already hot stove time for the Dodgers. The question of primary importance? Nomar. And the Dodgers would be smart to bring him back, writes Kevin Modesti. Julio Lugo, on the other hand, seems to have a foot out the door, though his L.A. stats probably won't headline his otherwise decent resume.

Your final playoff stats, hitting and pitching. Very few IPs from the starters on a playoff staff with only 10 relievers makes for ugly baseball. Not that the hitting stats wow you either. Try not to stare too long.

If you haven't seen it, here's a wrap of the series by Jon Weisman of SI.com and Dodger Thoughts.

OK, it's Monday. You've had more than 24 hours to marinate on what was, to say the least, not a sterling effort from the Blue against the Mets. Clearly this wasn't a playoff for the ages (unless you happen to live in Queens). But that doesn't mean there weren't memories that will stick in the gray matter for a while. (Check out the playoff photo gallery.)

Which leads to today's question:

What was the most indelible image of Dodgers in their (really, really short) '06 National League playoff run? What is the strongest one you'll carry with you when looking back on the series? That's assuming you ever want to dredge up the memories, of course.

For me, in the big picture, it was the sixth inning of Game 2. The Dodgers were down 2-0, but still had some life until they decided to give it away. David Wright singles off Tomko. Cliff Floyd singles to center. Then when Jose Valentin laid down a bunt, the Blue managed to cram three defensive miscues into one play. First, Wilson Betemit didn't play the ball, leaving it to Brett Tomko, who threw wide to Julio Lugo covering first, who dropped the ball. The trifecta! That's pretty good (or bad, as it were), and would have been a great candidate for an enduring image had events played out differently.

After Endy Chavez hit into a fielder's choice, Julio Franco grounded into what should have been an inning-ending double play. Now, Julio Franco is one of my favorite players. He's at least 700 years old, has been playing since Eisenhower, and when he resurfaced with the Braves six or so years ago, everyone poked fun. But when he hits a tailor-made double play, it should result in two outs. Instead, Furcal doesn't charge the ball, and Franco beats the relay. One run scored, then another, when Jose Reyes singled up the middle. What should have been a 2-0 Mets lead was now 4-0, in the most demoralizing way possible. Think of the momentum shift had the Blue escaped that jam.

To me, that's when the series was over, and that play is what I'll remember.

You?

—BK

I'll be the first to admit, I take my fantasy Football League more than a hair too seriously. But even I'm saying, this ain't right.

Hilarious. But not right.

—AK

It's the first day with no box score to read or pitching matchup to look forward to (although we're ready to name Derek Lowe the opening-day starter for '07, we're not sure who he'll be facing). But while the players are planning their vacations, Ned Colletti is not. He got the honchos and bigwigs together for a series of meetings Sunday. No word yet as to what refreshments — if any — were served, but amidst all the questions, everyone seemed to agree that picking up a legit power bat and another starting pitcher (and keeping an old one) are offseason priorities.

Considering that in the NL, only the noted offensive juggernaut that is the Pittsburgh Pirates were outhomered by L.A., the former isn't a bad idea. Just avoid that A-Rod guy. As for the latter? When was the last time you heard a team complain they had too much pitching? Really, considering everything they didn't have, it's impressive the Dodgers did as well as they did. Whoever wears Blue next year, they'll be coached by the same bunch that held the reins this year (no Joe Torre treatment for Grady). Want to scour for more needs? Here are your final pitching and hitting stats, along with the glovework numbers.

It was a sweep that reminded some of another rough go 40 years ago.

Three up, three down. Would have been a hot phrase for Dodgers fans, were they on the sweeping end of this best of five series. But instead, last night's 9-5 victory by the Mets marked the brooming of the Dodgers' postseason hopes. Not that they ever got started, really.

Sure, the Dodgers felt pretty good heading into their backyard to keep hope alive, especially with future Cooperstown citizen Greg Maddux taking the mound. It only took Maddux's first inning to begin eating away that optimism. Or the Dodgers simply unraveled, often the case with patchwork products. But in any description, a starting rotation that never got into gear was matched by an offense even less dialed in.

When that's the case, bad breaks grow even more deadly and harder to overcome and there's only so much luck you can count on. Mistakes of all kinds become magnified (and speaking of which, Joe Beimel better have really enjoyed his time out carousing). And it starts feeling eerie how "old friends" come back to haunt. Safe to say they're not unhappy about being spoilers, either. Throw all that together and what do you get? A short trip to the playoffs and a box score like such.

It's a very weird thing to be in a clubhouse with a bunch of professional athletes whose season is now done and their ultimate goal torched. And by "weird," I mean, "really freakin' depressing and semiawkward." Whatever frustration fans must be feeling, I imagine it still pales in comparison to that experienced by players eliminated from the playoffs. Being invited to the prom isn't much fun if you barely spend any time dancing and have to watch someone else be named king. It doesn't mean you regret having donned the tux and corsage. But you might not be itching to frame many photos from the party.

I'm not gonna bother breaking down the game too much, because there are a million summaries out there (most of which will be linked into tomorrow's Extra! section, anyway) and all the words will likely reach the same conclusion: The Mets were simply the superior team. It's really that cut and dry.

And while the game's details obviously left plenty for discussion — particularly the Mets' seemingly endless array of fortune-heavy bloop singles, an occurrence that astonished even a "seen it all" vet like Jeff Kent — what's really staying with me is the vision of that clubhouse after the smoke had cleared. When the media throng first entered, the place was really quiet. I mean, creepy quiet. I wouldn't have been shocked if people could actually hear me think. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's hard asking these guys questions afterward, because it's your job, they know it's your job and they know it's their job to answer. But it was tough listening to responses at times. There's very little fun involved with hearing huge disappointment rephrased over and over.

They better hurry up and get this game underway before FOX and MLB cancel the entire playoffs now that the Yankees are eliminated. Personally, I can't wait for the flurry of "How the World Series would have been different with the Yankees still in it?" segments ESPN will inevitably run as they keep that team from Hades as the lead story throughout October.

6:05 p.m.: Wireless at Dodger Stadium is on the fritz. Not surprising, since it doesn't work well when there aren't five billion people trying to get on. We'll try to get it worked out...

Fingers crossed....

AND WE'RE BACK!!! Heading into the wireless bullpen (BK now at the helm) as we begin the TOP OF THE FOURTH...

Kent was ticked about the first two strike calls, and on the replay it sure looked like he had a point. He shakes it off for a single. Nine more of those in a row and the Blue are in business.

Watching Steve Trachsel pitch is the baseball equivalent of root canal work. Everything takes a long time, and even when it's effective it's ugly and painful. Drew takes a 3-1 pitch that looked down, but close. Maybe Eric Cooper has a flight to catch?

Drew flies to right, and it looked like he got all of it initially. Not so much. Russell Martin legs out the infield single. Listening to Tim McCarver, it makes you wonder. What version of hell would it be if you could only listen to McCarver and Joe Morgan broadcast baseball games? Or maybe if you were the third guy in the booth, trying to get a word in edgewise?

You have to think — WOAH THAT WAS A BALL! — that if the BLue can't push at least a couple across here, thye're very close to buying real estate in Screwedville. These calls put the DOdgers on the their heels, because you have to expand your strike zone as a hitter. You don't know what will be a called strike three....

BETEMIT SINGLE — everyone thought that was hit hard. CONTINUED BELOW!!!!

... considering the guy just got put on the shelf, but Nomar Garciaparra was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year.  Kudos on a well deserved honor.

FYI.  There is no pre-game report, because I don't have anything to report (other than Tim McCarver just walked past me, so he might be calling the game).  The clubhouse was closed to the media (not sure if that's standard, a "we gotta focus because we're down 0-2" thing, or a "we're sick of talking about Joe Beimel" thing, but there you have it) and the very brief press conferences with Grady Little and Brad Penny revealed nothing you haven't heard before.  But I do have the lineups, so I'll throw those your way.  And there will be a live blog during the game.  See everyone in about 90 minutes.

Today's Lineups
Mets
Jose Reyes - SS
Ex-Dodger Paul Lo Duca - C
Carlos Beltran - CF
Carlos Delgado - 1B
David Wright - 3B
Cliff Floyd - LF
Ex-Dodger Shawn Green - RF
Ex-Dodger Jose Valentin - 2B
Steve Traschel - P

Dodgers
Furcal - SS
Lofton - CF
Anderson - LF
Kent - 2B
Drew - RF
Martin - C
Betemit - 3B
Loney - 1B
Maddux - P

AK

No doubt that the Dodgers are up against it going into tonight's "win or go home" NLDS game 3 against the Mets.  While that rarely if ever creates a scenario where one can relax, the pulse rate can reasonably drop a hair knowing Greg Maddux is taking the mound for L.A.  Yes, this is a Herculean task even for a legend, but the dude knows how to stay on top of a task at hand (He may be more focused than Mets starter Steve Traschel.) and certainly can add "been there, done that" to his resume.  And frankly, this is a team that's blessed when it comes to pulling rabbits out of their hindquarters.  Nonetheless, the Dodgers wouldn't be above receiving some extra pixie dust, hocus pocus or whatever it takes to avoid the recent smattering of mistakes and create some mojo in their favor. 

Actually, they might just eschew the magic and just call Mr. Miyagi to do that "rubbing the hands" healing thing of his on Nomar Garciaparra's torn quad.  The bag will be manned by James Loney, and the Dodgers' version of "Mr. Clutch" could be available for a "Gibby-esque" bat, but mostly will be locked to a bench he might require assistance getting to.  Mr. Miyagi could also use his powers to help mend Joe Beimel's cut hand, but frankly, the lefty's teammates would probably prefer the Karate Master use his mitts to administer a beat down.  Beimel has come clean once and for all regarding the saloon-related circumstances of his accident, but leaving his boys in the lurch has also left a sour taste in their mouths.  Beimel's future is more in the air than a 747, with Ned Colletti refusing to speculate beyond this postseason.  But we'll go out on a limb at Blue Notes and say that if you collect bobbleheads, hang onto your "Joe Beimel," because it's about to become a one year model in Blue.  The chances of a 2007 Russell Martin doll, however, are likely pretty strong.

Finally, some news that has little to do with "Dodgers-Mets," but everything to do with baseball.  The legendary Buck O'Neil has passed away.  To say the man had an impact on the game (and society itself) would be something of an understatement.

OK, I screwed up. Having put the mike in the wrong output on our MP3 recorder (the sound equivalent of taking pictures with the lens cap on), I won't have any audio to post today. But Brett Tomko's comments about Joe Beimel to the media this afternoon deserve to be heard — or read, as the case may be — so here's the transcription.

He was the only person I heard willing to speak about it in any kind of detail, which indicates to me just how ticked his teammates are. Can't say I blame them. Frankly, I admire the restraint Tomko showed. As the saying goes, "Nothing good happens at 2:30 in the morning in a bar when you're a professional athlete prepping for a playoff series."

Biemel should have been at the hotel, because if anything bad happens, it's completely on him. At best, in an age of camera phones and 24-hour news, the dude set himself up to be a distraction ("Grady, how do you feel about reports that your guys were out late in New York bars?"). At worst, well, this is pretty close — at least regarding something where nobody died or went to jail.

—BK

Earlier today at his Friday press conference, Greg Maddux blew up, started screaming at writers and actually attacked a cameraman!  Okay, none of that happened.  In reality, he answered questions with the same calm demeanor he always has.  Click below for the full transcript.

BK

The big news coming out of the Ravine today concerns Nomar Garciaparra.  Unless you've spent much of the last couple weeks zooted out on the Mary Jane (in which case everything has been moving slowly) you've probably noticed that Nomar hasn't been all that spry of late.  Last night, he had to leave in the sixth with a bum quad, a perfect match for the rest of his parts that aren't working.  The news isn't good.  "Nomar did go for an MRI this morning, and there is a tear in his upper quad," Grady Little said at today's press conference.  "He'll be limited for the rest of this series.  But he will be able to pinch hit, but the running part of it is very limited."  James Loney will start Saturday at first base.  How do I know that?  Because I found the hidden subtext in this quote from Little: "James Loney will start the game tomorrow at first base."

I'm very good at my job.  In other news, there's a chance Andre Ethier will be in the lineup tomorrow, but Grady is still a believer in the power of Marlon. 

Click below for the full transcript of Little's conference.  Greg Maddux to follow, and I'll have some audio up hopefully in the next hour or two.  Brett Tomko had some interesting things to say about Joe Beimel. 

Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus has been following the playoffs, including the growing fiasco that is the Dodgers-Mets.  He has some very interesting, and very choice, words regarding the performance of Grady Little in the series.  I, like many, have said that the decision to use Penny in Game One, and then to leave him in after he walked Beltran was a terrible one for a whole variety of reasons.  A veritable buffet of criticisms. 

As for last night, Sheehan correctly puts the majority of the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Dodgers defense, but makes some interesting observations about the work Little did as well.  Not sure I agree with all of them, but they're definitely worth reading.  Click below to take a look. 

On the plus side, every Dodger ran the bases correctly. On the minus side, that was partially due to the Dodgers finding themselves on base so little during last night's 4-1 loss that there were very few opportunities to screw up. For Game 2 of the NLDS, the Dodgers found themselves matched up against the wizardry that is Tom Glavine, and as has often been the case throughout the lefty's career, hits and runs became scarcer than a dodo bird. Having frothed at the mouth for a postseason in blue and orange, Glavine blanked the Dodgers for six innings, punishing Kenny Lofton in particular.

For the Blue's part, rookie Hong-Chih Kuo couldn't conjure a repeat of his wizardly debut against the Mets, but he didn't kill his team, either. Until the fifth inning rolled around, the kid was holding court. But a fifth-inning walk of Jose Valentin started a mini-snowball effect, with the former Dodger eventually scoring and Brett Tomko taking over for Kuo. From there, some shoddy D reared its ugly head, leading to more scoring opps for the Mets. Doesn't take Peter Gammons to know that if teams don't hit the ball well and teams don't field the ball well, they generally find themselves in deep caca staring at box scores like such.

Well, if it's any consolation (and we suspect it's not, but we're working hard for you), Dodgers fans can take comfort knowing that yesterday's 6-5 loss to the Mets in Game 1 of the NLDS featured one of the most unique sequences in postseason history. It's even rarer to see a second-inning event shape the entire outing of a game. But again, we're talking very unique sequence. As in "Haley's Comet happens every hour on the hour by comparison" unique.

With nobody out, Jeff Kent on second, J.D. Drew on first, Russell Martin at the plate (and a herd of black cats apparently lingering by the batter's box) the rook catcher sliced one to deep right. Undecided on Shawn Green's ability to catch the ball, Kent got off to a bad start, which put a hard running J.D. Drew quickly on his heels. Realizing the Dodgers could end up with two men on the same base (which is illegal, for those just learning the game), third base coach Rich Donnelly waved Kent on but didn't make it clear Drew needed to stop. And because Donnelly was busy watching the lead footed Kent get nailed by a perfect relay chuck, he didn't realize Drew made the inexplicable decision to head for the dish as well. Former Dodger Paul Lo Duca tagged both out and two runs potentially scored by Marlon Anderson's subsequent were instead in the dugout, brooding about lose mo'.

They'll just ruin your dinner. That's assuming you have any appetite left after the Dodgers dropped a frustrating Game 1 to the Mets, 6-5. It's hard to boil an entire nine-inning baseball game into one critical moment, especially when it comes in the second inning, but in this case, I think it's appropriate.

With nobody out in their half of the second, the Blue somehow managed to turn a Russell Martin single to right into two outs at the plate. First, Jeff Kent in the old-fashioned thrown out at home variety, then J.D. Drew in the semi-unprecedented, tagged out right behind him variety. Somehow, the Dodgers turned what could have been at best a bases loaded, nobody out situation, or even a first and third, one out scenario at minimum into a man on second and two out. That would be "at worst." Marlon Anderson's double scored Martin, but the L.A.'s shot at a big inning was gone.

Here we go, kids! Rock and roll!

In case you haven't see it, here's your Dodger playoff roster against the Mets. Just out of curiosity, am I the only one shocked Delwyn Young didn't make the cut?

Pitchers (10)
Chad Billingsley
Jonathan Broxton
Mark Hendrickson
Hong-Chih Kuo
Derek Lowe
Greg Maddux
Brad Penny
Takashi Saito
Aaron Sele
Brett Tomko

Position Players (15)
Toby Hall
Russell Martin
Wilson Betemit
Rafael Furcal
Nomar Garciaparra
Jeff Kent
James Loney
Julio Lugo
Ramon Martinez
Olmedo Saenz
Marlon Anderson
J.D. Drew
Andre Ethier
Kenny Lofton
Jason Repko

— AK

Once the playoff pairings across baseball were set, my gut went to work in picking the winners. Teams and numbers jumped out at me: Yankees in four. Twins in five*. Padres in four**. Then there's the series near and dear to the Blue Notes crowd: L.A. at New York. This one feels like a coin flip to me, which shows how far the Dodgers have come since the All-Star break, and how the Mets have slipped. Losing Pedro off a staff that didn't otherwise keep opponents up at night will do that. Add a banged up El Duque to that equation and it gets even tighter. Maybe enough to make the Dodgers favorites? Let's break it down.

*OK, my gut wasn't accurate Tuesday.
**see above.

L.A versus N.Y. The madness officially begins today (and yesterday). The Dodgers will trot out an older, wiser Derek Lowe for game 1 (and note, we said game ONE, not FOUR), matching up against his old Sawx buddy Pedro Martinez.... Rephrase. El Duque... OK! John Maine! That's the Mets' final offer. As the Dodgers' steadiest starter (and resident "Mr. October"), it's considered imperative for Lowe to get things off on the right foot. Grady Little believes in his playoff tested sinker specialist and the feeling is mutual. For that matter, the gritty Nomar Garciaparra — who's feeling aw-ite coming into this series — is also onboard with his one-time Boston skipper.

For the bruised first baseman, Lowe and Little, this postseason is like déjà vu all over again (and hopefully, with a few differences this time around). Actually, there's nostalgia to be had for those without Beantown roots, all the more reason to keep this hot streak running at a scorched clip.

The 2006 Dodgers has been nothing if not interesting, and you can take a pick from a variety of reasons. If you like your teams absurdly streaky, the Dodgers had you covered and then some. If you enjoy the return of local products done (and still doing) good, Nomar Garciaparra certainly fits the bill. Junkie for roster turnover? First-year GM Ned Colletti pulled that off. Twice. For that matter, Colletti's arrival itself, along with new skipper Grady Little, have given fans plenty to keep their eye on.

But for my money, the most enjoyable and exciting part of this season has been watching a plethora of rookie talent develop and make their presence felt. And make a difference, often carrying the team through stretches when the veterans were injured or under-performing. They've become a huge part of this team's present and future, and for that, Dodgers fans should be very optimistic.

There have been a lot of first year guys making contributions all season, but the five guys who've spent the most time up are Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and Takashi Saito (36-years-old, but a rookie nonetheless). I caught up with all five a couple weeks ago and haved posted a series of interviews with each. We wrap things up with Andre Ethier, a young outfielder whom the Dodgers acquired from the A's in the offseason for Milton Bradley. Hard to argue who got the better end of that deal. Ethier spent much of 2006 in the thick of the "Rookie of the Year" gab, courtesy of a batting average north of .300 from May-August. The proverbial "rookie wall" caught up to Either in September, taking him out of both the awards race and the starting lineup. But the future is still plenty bright for this former ASU Sun Devil. Here's what he had to say.

Andrew Kamenetzky: How would you describe your rookie season, in terms of taking it all in?

Andre Ethier: It's not really one thing you can say or point out that stands out more than the other. I can't believe I've been up there this long already. I've been up here since May 2, I think, and time has flown. You learn a lot. I've been through a lot in that time and had to deal with a lot of good times and bad times. But it's been a fun experience and the good times won through it all and I'm glad I've got my first Major League season under my belt.

Hey y'all. I put out a couple of feelers, and what I hear right now is that he did in fact cut himself, but they won't know exactly how bad it is or if he can pitch until tomorrow.

That's all I know.

—BK

The Mets already shaky starting staff just got a little shakier. Orlando Hernandez hurt his calf running in the outfield (who says baseball players aren't athletes?), and may be forced to miss his scheduled Game 1 start tomorrow afternoon. Willie Randolph isn't flush with options if Hernandez can't go. He actually called A.K., who is currently working on about 72,000 days rest. He should be good to go, if needed.

Short of that, look for John Maine to take the ball in Game 1 if El Duque is scratched. The whole thing really makes a mockery of this analysis of each team's starters.

— BK

T-minus 24 hours and counting until playoffs! Who ya got? Well, given that the grand majority of this blog's readers are Dodgers fans, probably not the same squad as this cat, I imagine. Or this one. Your fancy probably isn't tickled by opinions coming from Chicago. Nor Hotlanta. And you've probably outgrown everything Seattle, from grunge to this character. And we don't advise visiting Bristol.

Picked up on a vibe yet? The Blue are clearly considered the universal underdog, if one to be taken seriously. But no worries, because things can still very much happen, especially in the vulnerable National League. And the Dodgers ain't hurting when it comes to the all-important temperature. And the team certainly hasn't had a chance to sleep away that collective heat.

So how will the Dodgers go about handling their business? Well, it all starts with the starters. Pitching's played a key role between these teams all season, and the playoffs shouldn't rock that trend. It won't be exactly the same, however, given the absence of a certain eccentric hurler in the Big Apple. Should the Dodger starters (two vets and a rook) make it through six-plus innings, the team is more than confident in their A-list relievers. And speaking of the A-list, Tinseltown hasn't offered a more surprising star than Takashi Saito. An important detail, since the power of a strong close can never be underestimated.

There were a few posted in Extra, but here are a few more. First, ESPN.com's Keith Law (Mets in five). CNN/SI's John Donovan (Mets in four). The rest of ESPN's gaggle of writers (our boy, Jim Caple!). Dayn Perry of Fox Sports (doesn't pick anyone, but seems to like the Mets). Finally, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal. (Dodgers in five. We stick with it until we find one you guys will like.)

— BK

The 2006 Dodgers has been nothing if not interesting, and you can take a pick from a variety of reasons. If you like your teams absurdly streaky, the Dodgers had you covered and then some. If you enjoy the return of local products done (and still doing) good, Nomar Garciaparra certainly fits the bill. Junkie for roster turnover? First-year GM Ned Colletti pulled that off. Twice. For that matter, Colletti's arrival itself, along with new skipper Grady Little, have given fans plenty to keep their eye on.

But for my money, the most enjoyable and exciting part of this season has been watching a plethora of rookie talent develop and make their presence felt. And make a difference, often carrying the team through stretches when the veterans were injured or under-performing. They've become a huge part of this team's present and future, and for that, Dodgers fans should be very optimistic.

There have been a lot of first year guys making contributions all season, but the five guys who've spent the most time up are Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and Takashi Saito (36 years old, but a rookie nonetheless). I caught up with all five a couple weeks ago and will be posting a series of interviews with each. Today's chat is with Chad Billingsley, a young starter brimming with potential. The kid was called up in mid-June and immediately rotation bound. The early results were up and down, but Grady Little and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt stuck with the 22-year old. Nice call. August was terrific for Bills, who started the month with a 3.67 ERA and ended at a 3.02 clip. A recent oblique injury derailed much of that momentum, but the Dodgers will likely count on the youngster to contribute in the pen throughout the postseason. And in the meantime, Bills is just happy to be on board for the ride. Here's what he had to say.

Andrew Kamenetzky: What's this experience been like for you, being up with the big club for so long?

Chad Billingsley: I mean, it's been an unbelievable experience, for all of us, our first year up here, our rookie year. Being in a playoff race and we're right there. It's very exciting for all of us. There's a lot of guys who've been in baseball for many years and sometimes don't get a chance to (go to the playoffs), and this being our first year, it's a great learning experience and it's fun being involved with it.

AK: Did you have any expectations going into this season? That you might spend some time up?

CB: I had a good spring training in my first big league camp and when I started out in Vegas, I just pitched to the best of my ability. And if everything went right, I had a chance to (get called up) maybe mid-season or September. All I was really concentrating on was going out and keep throwing well.

If omens do indeed exist — and assuming one considers second stringers handling business an omen — the Dodgers' 4-3 win series sweeping win over Giants could be labeled a sign of good things to come. Some fans and media pundits had questioned Grady Little's fielding of a B-list lineup, considering the Dodgers still had a shot at taking the NL West. But Little erred on the side of caution, since a Pads win gave San Diego the title no matter what, courtesy of their better record against L.A. And the Pads indeed did come out on top against Arizona. But that doesn't diminish the B Crew's success at keeping the NL's hottest team rolling. Hot enough to even think about 2007 and beyond. And definitely thinking about this box score.

Give the "B" squad credit. Lotta folks thought Grady Little was conceding a trip to New York by making Julio Lugo the closest thing to a true blue (pun intended, but hard to avoid) starter in this afternoon's lineup. But the Jason Repkos, Ramon Martinezes and Eric Stultses of the world actually took care of business, notching a 4-3 win in San Fran.

For that matter, the trio just named (and James Loney, who apparently hasn't let a recent E. coli scare keep him from eating his spinach the last few days) all played prominent roles in producing a winning box score. Unfortunately, the Padres didn't let a shaky Trevor Hoffman outing prevent a 7-6 nudging of Arizona. And with the 13-5 head-to-head victory goes the spoils (which we like to call "home field").

Everyone now has two days to come up with a good excuse to miss work on Wednesday (4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT) for the first contest in the Big Apple. We at Blue Notes strongly caution against the "fake death in the family" route, as it's just ridiculously bad karma. Just lie about your car going dead or something.

—AK

Wild Card or Division Title?  This is where it all happens, baby!!!

Okay, yes, technically, it happens in San Fran.  But I trust you all got my drift.

AK

For months, Grady Little has said it would take 87 wins for the Blue to get into the postseason.  87 wins.  87 wins.  How many wins?  87.  Well, the next time Little gives you a prediction on a stock or horse down at Hollywood Park, we recommend taking it.  With Saturday's 4-2 in San Francisco, the Blue's 87th of the '06 campaign, the Dodgers clinched a playoff birth.  The guy is better than Nostradamus.  Fitting, too, that the starter who picked up the win- and a stolen base- was the same guy whose acquisition helped turn around a nearly lost season.  Also not surprising that he acted like he'd been there before.  But while Maddux was typically mellow after the game, the rest of the clubhouse partied like it was 1999, and who can blame them, considering the roller coaster they've been riding for 161 games (plus spring training, of course).  Though we're not totally sure players would need a specific occasion to douse T.J. Simers with booze, the clincher gave everyone plenty to say.