NOW THAT THE LEGENDS ARE GONE, THOSE `SEINFELD' RERUNS LOOK PRETTY GOOD; CAN ANYONE FIND A PULSE OUT IN DODGER STADIUM?

Byline: Dennis McCarthy 

You know something's wrong when it's the last inning in a close, televised Dodger game during a tight pennant race, and you find yourself opting for a ``Seinfeld'' rerun.

With Lasorda gone and O'Malley bailing, I for one am having a tough time getting into the Dodgers' stretch drive with the Giants for the National League's Western Division crown this year.

It's like the old joke about the poor guy whose wife runs off with his best friend. Things just aren't the same - he sure does miss his best friend.

I miss Tommy. I know, it's over - he's gone to the Hall of Fame with the rest of the baseball relics. He will never again waddle out of the dugout screaming and waving his arms.

In his place, O'Malley gave us a nice guy who's about as exciting to watch manage as watching paint dry or grass grow.

Replacing Lasorda with Bill Russell was like replacing Sinatra with Wayne Newton, or Rodney Dangerfield with the Funniest Person in the Valley contest winner. It just ain't the same.

Tommy was good for five, maybe six blue streaks a month to get his team fired up when they were started to play like Keystone Kops.

Russell hasn't had one good blue streak all season in the dugout that fans could get behind and appreciate. It just ain't the same.

At this point in the baseball season, I'm usually manic by now - up screaming at the TV set, scaring the hell out of the dog, and second-guessing every umpire's call and manager's decision.

But I haven't worked up the excitement to scream at the Dodgers on TV all season. My dog sleeps through the whole game without flinching. My wife isn't missing out on ``Melrose Place.''

It's like I'm watching ``Bowling for Dollars'' when I watch the Dodgers play these days - win or lose. There's no spark, no excitement.

The Dodgers are dull. They've lulled us fans into a state of boredom. That four-run, come-from-behind rally in the ninth against the Cards the other night was the most excitement the Dodgers have mustered all season. They didn't hand the ball to Todd Worrell in the bottom of the ninth, so they didn't blow it.

If it weren't for Mike Piazza and Vin Scully, this team would make vanilla ice cream exciting. And poor Scully doesn't even get an at-bat.

Even for Scully, making Karros, Gagne, Zeile and the rest sound exciting is a challenge. When you've seen Robinson, Reese and Campanella play, and Koufax and Drysdale pitch, Scully must feel like he's been shipped down to Class A ball.

Winning doesn't necessarily equate to exciting. The Houston Astros are winning, and there's hardly a pulse on that team.

Tommy took a big part of the excitement on this club with him. And O'Malley's decision to bail out and sell the team to Rupert Murdoch hasn't helped - a ship without a compass.

You can bet the Murdoch conglomerate will take a similar deal to the one Disney just took with the Angels - $50 million for 20 years - for selling its stadium name to the highest bidder.

Angels Stadium, in case you missed it, is now Edison International Field of Anaheim.

What's Dodger Stadium going to become? The Yoshinoya Bowl? The Budweiser Brewing Stadium of Los Angeles? The Farmer John Shipped West and Packed Fresh Arena?

It ain't the same down at the old ballpark. The legends are gone, and I'm home watching ``Seinfeld'' reruns.