NO LONGER THE NL WORST THE NL WEST APPEARS MUCH STRONGER IN 2006.

Byline: TONY JACKSON Staff Writer

Last year, it was baseball's biggest embarrassment, a division so laughably shallow that it was won -- and won handily -- by a team that finished two games above .500. Predictably, those San Diego Padres were brushed aside like bread crumbs in the first round of the playoffs, failing to win a game against the vastly superior St. Louis Cardinals.

At that point, it was clear the National League West was an utter joke. And until the five teams in it gave the media, scouts and various other experts a reason to believe otherwise, that perception wasn't going to change.

Barely two months into the new season, the division has shown improvement. The only question is whether anyone takes it seriously.

Consider: Of the five teams in the NL West, four are at least one game above .500. The lone exception, the Colorado Rockies, got off to a sizzling start before slowing down, and even they entered Monday's action at a salvageable 30-32.

Each of the five clubs has a winning record against the NLCentral, pegged before the season as baseball's deepest division.

Four clubs reached the one-third mark of their seasons (54 games) with records at least two games better than they were at the same point last year. The Padres, who were four games worse, were the only exception, and even that was the result of a bad start before they got hot and won 21 of 31 games. Colorado has improved by nine games.

All of which makes one fact clear: 82 wins won't get it done this year.

``All that will do is enable you to plan your vacation to start right away after Oct. 1,'' Dodgers manager Grady Little said.

One National League scout estimated it will take at least 90 victories to win the West.

``And at this point, I would bet on the Dodgers,'' he said.

On paper, the Dodgers look like the deepest club in the division. But for more proof that the NL West isn't what it used to be, look no further than the fact the Dodgers, beginning May 5, have played at a .750 clip, winning 33 of 44 games. Not until Sunday, when the formerly sizzling Arizona Diamondbacks lost their seventh consecutive game, did that success propel the Dodgers into sole possession of first place.

There are several theories for why the turnaround has been so dramatic. But all of them are at least indirectly tied to the notion that this division was never really as bad as everyone seemed to think.

``I think last year was somewhat of an aberration,'' said Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti, who was San Francisco's assistant GM last year. ``I think a lot of the clubs last year that were picked to contend had some things go wrong injury-wise.

``At the same time, I think Colorado was greatly improved toward the end of last season and has carried that over. And I think Arizona is obviously better, because they made some good moves in the offseason and started playing some of their young players, too.''

Promising young players have made an impact with all five teams. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers have been racked with injuries. Last season, they were forced to respond with journeymen minor-leaguers such as Mike Edwards, Brian Myrow, Mike Rose and Cody Ross and untested rookies such as Willy Aybar and Jonathan Broxton.

This year, they have been able to dip into their vast reserves of prospects -- Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin and the more experienced Aybar and Broxton -- all of whom have proven to be major-league ready.

The other clubs have their share of productive youngsters, too. Brandon Webb won his first eight decisions for Arizona, while Conor Jackson (El Camino Real of Woodland Hills) was playing well as the everyday first baseman. San Francisco sent Travis Ishikawa back to Double-A after he went 6 for12 in an emergency call-up to the big leagues, and Matt Cain is a serviceable 5-6 with a 5.20ERA. Rookie Mike Thompson is 2-2 with a 4.67ERA in five starts for the Padres.

Then there is Colorado, which for years has been touting its young talent. Three of those players -- Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe -- are hitting better than .300, a major reason the Rockies led the division for most of April and part of May and remain well within earshot of contention.

``The Rockies aren't bad,'' the scout said. ``They pitch pretty well, and they have strengthened up their bullpen. And I don't really think Arizona will hang in. They look more like a .500 team to me.''

In 2005, that alone might have been good enough. In 2006, it won't come close.

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