WRITE ON: DODGERS COLUMNIST CONTEST.

GROUP 1

Little, Colletti were right hires

SETH AMITIN

21

Writer

Glendale

The beginning of this season was a recipe for disaster. Returning from a 71-91 record, returning with a new manager and a new general manager, returning without the same stars of yesteryear, Eric Gagne and Cesar Izturis, and returning without hope, the Dodgers have congealed a winning chemistry, with a group of young and old talent mixing well.

With two months come and gone in the 2006 season, there are possibilities of a post-season for the Dodgers, and there's no one to accept the credit except General Manager Ned Colletti and Manager Grady Little.

Of the eight position players from last season who started, two of them, J.D. Drew and Jeff Kent (now injured), are starting this season.

The players don't know each other, the manager doesn't know the players and they're winning? Why?

Of the three biggest acquisitions in the past three years (J.D. Drew, Jeff Kent and Rafael Furcal), Drew has been hitting like his normal self. Kent is injured (and even if he weren't, he's still only hitting .256) and Furcal, the speedster, is hitting .261, but as the saying goes, you can't steal first base. It's something that all Dodger fans are familiar with -- Shawn Green, Hideo Nomo and Darren Dreifort -- but poor performances by big signings usually lead to losing.

The biggest signings in the past few years are floundering and they're winning? How?

The big question mark coming into the season, Nomar Garciaparra, has proven his worth by hitting the lights out (7 homeruns, 40 RBIs and a .360 average in 41 games), has missed only three games since coming off the DL May 1st and has made Colletti look like a genius. It could very well be because he has moved to first base, a position that requires less stress on the body, a decision agreed upon by both Colletti and Little.

Garciaparra could play the rest of the season without getting injured? Huh?

The bullpen, which was known as the arson squad for the first month and a half, has calmed down considerably since May 5th, when the team really picked up and started winning. Before that date, the team had a .500 win-loss average.

That was also roughly the same time when Garciaparra came back and when Furcal started building his average up from .200 to get out of his slump, but it was the point when the team must have realized that the time was now, and that has made all the difference.

Two starters, Jae Seo and Odalis Perez, are suffering. Aaron Sele and Brett Tomko aren't keeping up their solid starts to the season. The bullpen and the offense could easily fall into slumps. But they're still winning.

Though the managers don't run onto the field, Colletti and Little have gotten the best out of their players in two months, and that's something that's hard to replace.

Confetti for Colleti

MATTHEW GURROLA

29

Student at UCLA 

Canoga Park

While no parade is thrown for midseason accomplishments, fans of the first place Dodgers are celebrating the arrival of new General Manager Ned Colletti. The Dodgers sit atop the NL West due to a few shrewd moves by their new GM.

Credit should first be given to the McCourt's for seeking Tommy Lasorda's advice. DePodesta's detached style was a drastic philosophy change that left the team confused, bickering and leaderless. As quickly as possible, the McCourt's decided to amend their mistake. Enter Colletti. Within a week of his arrival, the manager search debacle was ended with the hiring of Grady Little, whose even-keeled approach has become the team's personality.

Next, Colletti moved to improve the offense. The running game was jump started with the additions of Furcal and Lofton. Star power was added with the signing of Nomar. Tomko, Seo and Baez were acquired to strengthen the pitching staff.

Last year's team wilted due to key injuries. This year's team has flourished because of injury. The brilliant job that Colletti and his scouting staff have done in the evaluation of the farm system has resulted in timely call-ups, and the emergence of Martin, Ethier, Aybar and Kemp.

Colletti is a tireless worker who will exhaust all avenues to improve the team. He was an assistant on the Giants, a team known for making key moves at the trading deadline each year. Cruz Jr., Navarro, Perez, Izturis, Werth and lower level prospects could be used for starting rotation and bullpen help.

Chemistry, leadership, charisma, attitude and character are intangibles that mean something to Dodger fans. Colletti knows this. He has put a team on the field at Chavez Ravine that the fans of blue-collar grit can root for; something his predecessor couldn't see the importance of.

GROUP 2

New wave of allegations

FRANK T. DALY, III

47

Car Salesman

Woodland Hills

``Morality is truth in full bloom", to quote a line from the play Les Miserables. Is the word ``morality'' an outdated concept in our society and how it relates to the microcosm of major league baseball?

Is there right and wrong, black and white? Or only shades of gray spoken by a lawyer, finding the safe haven with invocations of one's constitution fifth amendment rights (the right not to self-incriminate oneself)? An anachronism in the new millennium?

Maybe, but Major League Baseball has a vested interest in ``keeping it real''. With an attitude among some major league players, and even worse, some college and possibly high school athletes believing in the old adage, ``better living through chemistry'', the game itself is moving into uncharted territory.

The issue of steriods and other performance-enhancing drugs such as Human Growth Hormone, which is at the forefront of the baseball public's consciousness and in almost all of sports today, but with professional baseball elevated to an even higher level, with some of baseball's oldest and most revered records held in such high regard, with home run records held as sacrosanct.

Baseball's poster children for this much needed cleanup of the sport are known to most all of its fans. And with last week's new wave of allegiations by Arizona Diamondback pitcher Jason Grimsley involving himself and naming others with statements of widespread amphetamine use and human growth hormone (hgh) injections, this one in particular called Serostrim, and the new challenge that high presents regarding detectability or the lack thereof.

So now comes the hard part for the powers that be in our most revered national pastime, the difficult, long term, strategic choices that need to be made to get the genie back in the bottle. Major League Baseball must now undertake the task of weeding out any players, no matter what their rank or status within the game, who believe that taking one for the team means another cup of the ``leaded'', from the ones that spend the extra hour or so in the batting cage or the weight room.

Major League Baseball must balance that with the business side of baseball. But the hard chocies, if they are done in earnest, will bear fruit for many seasons to come, and truth will once again be in full bloom.

If You're Not Cheating, You're Not Trying

CRAIG LONDON

49

Security Guard/H.S. Sports Official

Encino

Stained by scandal and strikes, and rocked by lockouts, Baseball has always recovered from the depths of its darkest hour.

But now its steroids, designed to give a player an edge over mere mortals. And amphetamines as a means for that quick pick me up. Speed, such an integral part of the game, now takes on a whole new meaning.

Our cherished game that bonds Fathers and Sons, generations to generations, now has deeper issues to concern itself with. Now what "Bonds", is who we read about as the poster child for a society gone bad.

Home runs have been replaced by hormones, RBI by the FBI. So now everytime someone hits a shot, we have to ask what shot did he take first. To hang around the game and collect exorbitant salaries, might seem worth the risk, to lead the league in asterisks.

Once the hallmark of magical moments, from Gehrig's farewell speech to Campanella's stirring tribute at the Coliseum to Mickey saying goodbye. Now our speeches ask forgiveness from their fans. Innocence has gone the way of injections, surrealism instead of syringes.

The bottom line is that everybody cheats. Be it on a job application, job resume, taxes, our friends or significant other. We do it because we can and until we get caught. But when that bill comes due, no amount of money or credit card will bail you out.

Baseball players should not be held on a pedestal higher than Mount Olympus, regardless of what they think. It's a tragedy when those priveleged, show no integrity for the game that has made it possible for them to enjoy things in life only some dream about.

GROUP 3

Fernandomania

DAVID COTTER 

35

Los Angeles

Journalist

There are immigrants - and then there's Fernando Valenzuela.

He's down in the Mexican Pacific Coast League now. But there was a time when the rallying cry of Latinos, Chicanos and Hispanics in greater metropolitan Los Angeles was Fernandomania - how he made history by making a fortune for playing baseball and how proud the immigrant community was for a man whose skills rested in sheer unlikelihood.

The glasses. The gut. Screwballs. Who throws those anymore? Val-en- zoo-ay-la? He's a goof! But, man - can he throw that ball!

Waxing poetic isn't something one does too often about the game these days - MLB outlawed it; said it was too close to a spitball.

But certain players break certain records under certain clouds and that's the apex, the zenith, the apogee?

What about the uniqueness of the players in the game? Their quirks? Valenzuela's pudge. Rollie Fingers' nutty moustache. There's always talk about returning to a kinder and/or gentler time in baseball - before the scandals that knocked one out of the park and into early retirement - yet a huge chunk of what makes the game worth watching is its strangeness.

The only MLB player who died during a game. The blooper reel. Even with one leg and one arm, does the pitcher have heart?

This reporter remembers the heated debate over whether Valenzuela was really worth the $1 million he got during the 1983 arbitration - and in no place was this argument more volcanic than a 6th grade at recess in a middle school in Ojai, California. It was an issue that beat out Atari and ``Friday The 13th Part III in 3D.'' Yet it was an issue everyone fought over just before choosing sides, including that Valkyrie-lookin' girl on shortstop that everyone picked on but man! Could she hit that ball!

Immigration, and ethnicity

JOE SOONG

In 1981, Fernando Valenzuela became the hopeful symbol of the Hispanic community at a time when the current wave of immigration was just beginning. Hispanics were a visible, but disenfranchised minority, trying to establish themselves in a new country. More than 20 years later, Hispanics flexed their newly-found strength in the recent protest marches in Los Angeles and across the nation.

These events reminded me of Jackie Robinson's entry into Major League Baseball in 1947. When Robinson exploded onto the baseball scene, he, like Valenzuela for Hispanics, became a symbol for African Americans trying to find their place in a sometimes hostile society.

There is the obvious difference between the two groups. African Americans were legal residents. Conversely, many Hispanics are here illegally and may not be entitled to the privileges and protections accorded American citizens.

Yet, there are more similarities than differences. Both groups played an important role in the communities in which they lived and worked. However, their contributions were not acknowledged and they were regarded as second-class citizens. And both groups eventually had to stand up for themselves.

Back in April, I was at Dodger Stadium for Opening Day. It was a festive occasion and 56,000 enthusiastic Dodger fans were filled with hope that this season might be better than the last one. On the field, players with last names of Kent, Lowe, and Mueller lined up alongside teammates with surnames of Perez, Furcal, and Cruz.

None of us worried about where the players were born or what language they spoke. We only cared that they played their best, and if they were good and a little bit lucky, our team would still be around in October.

GROUP 4

Most valuable Dodger

BARRY PINSKY

54

Financial Advisor

North Hollywood

I've known Vin Scully for 48 years. Not personally, perhaps, but as a devoted listener. If you've ever experienced the magic of Scully calling a Dodger game, you can't help but feel like you're chatting with an old friend. The comfortable, familiar patter of his voice, the depth of his understanding of the game, and his intimate knowledge of the players' lives all inform his narrative with an exhilarating immediacy.

Over the years, we've shared such extraordinary events as World Series victories, Wills' stolen bases, Koufax's perfection, Fernandomania, scoreless streaks by Drysdale and Hershiser, Gibson's improbable blast. There have also been heart-rending tragedies: the paralysis of Campanella and the premature passing of Gilliam and Drysdale. But throughout the years, Vinny would return to the game of baseball and the tales of the men who played the game.

The secret Vin Scully learned at the knee of Red Barber, and which has animated his career for 55 years is the secret allure of all great sports in general, and baseball most especially. Baseball is not really about bats and balls, strike-outs and walks, double plays and home runs. Baseball is about people, their glories and their follies. Thus Koufax, Clemente, and Ripken are beloved, and Bonds despised.

We know them as individuals, not just as players. Baseball matters to true fans because Vin Scully and his colleagues have described how Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron overcame blind bigotry, and Butler cancer, how Valenzuela and Nomo struggled with English, and how LoDuca and Tomko love their moms. Our love of baseball derives from our fascination with the flesh and blood characters who bring the game to us for seven glorious months each year. Vin Scully is my friend who draws these marvelous men into our lives.

My friend Vinnie

LYNWOOD24

Vinnie first came in to my house in Solana Beach on a warm evening in the summer of 1960. I was 7 years old and the nextdoor neighbors were moving.

They called me over to their garage and asked me if I wanted my very own radio. I couldn't believe it. It was totally cool...avocado green molded

plastic with a checkerboard grill over the speaker. Getting a tacid nod from my parents, I plugged it in and placed it in my bedroom on the nightstand next to the bed.

Each night, I would carefully tune the dial until I heard the Dodger game, and the distinct sound of Vin Scully's voice describing the action.

I would nestle in bed and close my eyes, visually

imagining the action as it unfolded. Vin's silky smooth voice comforting me like a soft extra blanket. Maury Wills legging-out a triple. Willie Davis leaping high and reaching over the fence to rob someone of a home- run. A Sandy Koufax curveball that "just dropped-in to say hello."

That summer, I got to know the National League teams. The Cardinals, the Cubs, the Reds and the Giants all came to life in my bedroom. I got to know the players too. Roberto Clemente's odd way of running with his" arms extended and elbows pumping way out from his body." The quick wrists of Henry Aaron ( I never remember Vin calling him Hank), or the great running catches of Willie Mays. "That ball is headed for no-man's land and here comes Willie", the last three words stretched-out for emphasis. There was no cable TV back then, no computers, no iPods or the like. Baseball games were on black and white television once a week, and rarely were the Dodgers on the CBS game of the week with Dizzy Dean and Pee Reese. However, thanks to Vinnie's nightly visits, this 7 year-old fan could keep-up with baseball and learn some strategy as to how the game was played.

I began asking my Dad to fill-up the car at the local 76 station so I could get the Dodger player booklet of the week, just like Vinnie told me to do on the radio. I got Junior Gilliam, Wally Moon, Roger Craig, Norm Sherry and Don Drysdale. I began asking mom for Blue Bell potato chips to I could get the Dodger baseball card inside each bag. You could see right through the packaging and pick your player! I remember re-arranging an entire store display of chips just to get a Duke Snider.

So here is a thank-you to my friend Vinnie, who helped develop my love and appreciation of baseball. Here is to the man who is still there each summer night on the radio some 46 years after I was lucky enough to meet him.

I'm certain that somewhere in Solana Beach tonight, some young boy is tucked-in bed and listening to Dodger baseball. Sweet dreams, and thank God some things don't change.

GROUP 5

Revival at the Ravine

EVAN LOVETT

27

Online Advertiser

Valley Village

During a year of realization, rejuvenation and renewal in Chavez Ravine, its time for a bit of reflection.

A quick overview of the surprising success of the Dodgers is simple enough: newly hired General Manager Ned Colletti shrewdly acquired stars Kenny Lofton, Rafael Furcal, Bill Mueller and Nomar Garciaparra in the span of two weeks, and hand-picked darkhorse candidate Grady Little to lead the new-look squad , With experienced and savvy veterans complementing a precocious bunch of home-grown youngsters, the Dodgers now stare down at the rest of the upstart National League West.

Overlooked in the Dodgers success however, is a former castaway 7/8 Dan Evans.

The same Dan Evans that was unceremoniously dumped after a disappointing 2003 campaign in which the Dodgers finished 15.5 games behind the intra-state rival San Francisco Giants in the race for the N.L. West title. The same Dan Evans that was fingered as the scapegoat by the incoming ownership regime. The very same Dan Evans that left Los Angeles with an "I'll be back" gleam in his eye, handling his swift firing with class and pride.

And how Dan Evans has returned; his legacy is on display each night as the Dodgers trot out Matt Kemp, Willy Aybar, Jonathan Broxton, Joel Guzman to play key roles while James Loney, Chad Billingsley and Andy LaRoche, coveted prospects all, watch from their television screens in Jacksonville and Las Vegas.

After signing little-heralded Ceasar Izturis and Eric Gagne to contracts while still in the minor leagues, Dan Evans made the most important move for the Dodger franchise in recent history; he hired Logan White to be the Scouting Director. Under White's vision of talent, instruction and development, the Dodger farm system continues to improve each year.

For quantitative evidence, view the heady Baseball America Organizational Talent Rankings. The Dodgers' ranking improved from 28th out of 30 teams before Evans/White to its current status in first place. 7/8 the single most talented organization in Major League Baseball.

Though Ned Colletti's genius is evident on a daily basis, Dan Evans' past is every bit as responsible for the Dodgers' future.

Forgotten solider

SCOTT YANNICH

23

Real Estate Agent

Valencia

Over the past month or so I have been comforted by a team who has had a 7 game winning streak, won 20 of their last 28, and is who I believe the favorite to win the NL West.

Most would bow before the feet of Ned Colletti and praise him. I, on the other hand, will be writing a letter. A letter to Paul DePodesta. No, I won't be throwing the Dodgers' recent success back in his face and no I won't bring up the fact that he traded fan favorite Paul LoDuca, and no I won't be blaming him for the 2005 injury riddled Dodgers season. But what I will be saying is 'Thank You'. Thank you in part for the Dodgers' recent success.

I know he didn't sign Nomar or Furcal or Lofton or have any intention of hiring Grady Little, but remember it's the signings of DePodesta who have been anchoring this team. The Ground Ball Machine, Derek Lowe. 2.68 ERA/1.11 WHIP/.223 BAA. The Fireballer, Brad Penny. 2.62/1.21/.237. The Five Tool Player, J.D. Drew .278 BA/.378 OBP/.503 SLG. Who is also on pace for a 119 RBI season. And of course The Foundation, Jeff Kent. Who although now hurt, brings an extraordinary work ethic and talent to the stadium every game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if DePodesta was still the GM, the Dodgers would be better than 32-25. Quite the contrary, Ned Colletti posses the ingredient that DePodesta lacked: the knowledge of how to run an organization from top to bottom. But what I am saying is don't forget to tip your cap to another man. A man whose baseball intellect is right up there with the best in the game. The Forgotten Soldier. Paul DePodesta.

GROUP 6

A Giant paradox

JAKE TRACER 

21

UCLA Student

San Diego

Waiting in line to enter Dodger Stadium, I had an epiphany: Giants fans are the luckiest in Major League Baseball.

Note that I am a Dodgers fan. Through the years, one figure has embodied my hatred for all things Giants: Barry Bonds. Until this season, I loved to hate him, and after buying tickets to a Dodgers/Giants game, I looked forward to it, romanticizing 50,000 people endlessly booing one.

I pitied Giants fans for having to cheer for Bonds. I can understand rooting for an unlikable player, but an unlikable human being? We all remember John Rocker, right?

My clear distinction between player and person was blurred while standing in line. I was late, and I missed Bonds' first at-bat. I knew he was up because anyone could hear boos, but I didn't feel the cathartic release I anticipated. Instead, I worried about missing something important.

If Bonds were to hit a home run, I wanted to see it. While circling the bases after his hypothetical 448-foot shot to right field, I wanted Bonds to include me as a witness to history.

I would boo that home run, but I would be happy to do so. I'd guess that most Dodgers fans would be happier booing a Bonds home run than they were cheering when he lined out.

Such feelings compose a contradiction. Was I rooting for Bonds or against him? Did I want him to strike out or hit a ball through my car's windshield, parked miles away? At the stadium, I wasn't so sure.

At least Giants fans can support such a paradox. They can witness history while rooting for it to happen, making a much more healthy psychological makeup.

The Dodgers won the game, and Bonds went 1-3 with a double. Why did I feel incomplete?

Commissioner for a day

ALVIN M. OKAMURA

47

Grocery Checker

Encino

Please MLB, let me be commissioner for one day, and I will help you regain your place as America?s favorite spectator sport. I will help you distance yourself from NASCAR and move past the NFL to regain your title as America?s favorite pastime.

I would first remind the media and fans that some of the pitchers that faced Barry Bonds were probably using steroids, too.

I would make a new division with only two teams in it, the Yankees and the Red Sox (and make Roger Clemens pitch for both teams).

I would make the Dodgers apologize for trading Mike Piazza and failing to sign Ichiro Suzuki.

I would make sure that Ken Griffey, Jr. stays healthy.

All games in Toronto versus the Blue Jays will be played on ice.

Make George Steinbrenner buy the Dodgers, while still owning the Yankees (only conflict of interest will come in the World Series, and by then, no one will care).

Move Alex Rodriguez to a team that will appreciate his incredible talents.

Make any player that charges the mound have lunch with Bob Gibson and Don Baylor while watching film clips of Don Drysdale.

Send any player that takes the day off because of fatigue to IRAQ.

Kids 10 years old and younger attend games for free.

Let the manager wear whatever he wants, but make the owner wear a uniform.

Make ``fantasy'' baseball easier to understand.

CHEERLEADERS 

GROUP 7

Wake me up when September ends 

MARK SOTELO

40

Bookseller

Temple City

I am a chronic eavesdropper and I heard this one recently: Hateorade. No, it's not a Haitian, tropical version of the popular sports drink, it's a euphemism for someone who is bitter, or jealous of someone else's success or at least suspicious of it. That's not me, though as I watched old timers day candidate Sandy Alamor Jr line a single to bring home rookie Russell Martin and put the Dodgers atop the NL West, I had to admit to having somewhat of a jaundiced eye towards the situation.

Look, I know all the signs are all there to prove me wrong: the left for scrap heap star making a great comeback, Nomar Garciaparra, the miracle rookie coming out of nowhere to electrify baseball, Matt Kemp, and lets not forget the other Blues Clues kids Martin and Willy Aybar all of whom come up with big hits at the right time on a regular basis. Kind of gives you the Cey, Garvey, Lopes chills.

Aybar, Martin and Kemp. If you have said those names to me after the 2005 season I just would have assumed Milton Bradley had just hired more legal help.

What's the problem you say? Well, it's the nagging doubt, often irrational though in recent years, partially justified, on the part of a jilted lover of a team that once personified professionalism and winning that disintegrated into head shaking and apathy over the years as the Dodgers lost the crown of L.A sports to the Lakers and unbelievably, the Anaheim, L.A CA, Middle Earth, or whatever they are calling themselves this week Angels.

I want to believe this team like summer itself is special. Summer like baseball is a waiting game. No hateorade, in fact, I really want to drink the blue Kool Aid.

The Wally Pip Dodgers

ALEXANDER B. WAUGH

Not since the glory days of the mid 1990s when the Dodgers churned out 5 consecutive Rookie of the Years has the farm system been so well stocked with talented players.

Five years ago the talent pool was so shallow that Joe Frazier could have negotiated it. Now it is rated among the best in baseball.

After the disaster that was Kevin Malone (Kevin ``$105m for 7 years'' Brown), some credit has to go to former GM Dan Evans, more credit to former wonder boy Paul DePodesta (gulp) and now Ned Colletti for not trading away all the youthful studs for aging veterans.

Kudos must also to scouting director Logan White for supplying the talent. He is one of the unsung heroes of the organization.

Of course, the season is still in diapers. All the youngsters may fade like John Rocker's career. The long, hot season may take its toll and all the good feelings may turn into the reality of a callow team with 8 rookies on the roster. But don't bet on it. And don't get injured.

GROUP 8

Learning from the kids

JOHN MAGGIORA

29

Saugus High School Baseball Coach

Santa Clarita

When does a big leaguer finally arrive? Is it a 5 for 5 game at home? How about two great blocks at the plate? Maybe it's a clutch 3-run homerun in a tight ballgame? Whatever it is, Andre Eithier, Russell Martin, and Willie Aybar have certainly arrived for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In an era where overpaid ballplayers might say ``I don't need to improve anything'', such was the quote from Odalis Perez after the recent series in Washington, these three rookies are constantly trying to improve themselves and their ball club. They have gone about their business in a quiet manner with loud results.

Eithier has been a pleasant addition to an outfield rotation that has been hampered by nagging injuries to Kenny Lofton and J.D. Drew. Eithier has hit around the .300 mark while providing a good bat down in the order.

Martin has done a phenomenal job handling the pitching staff and has not been a slouch at the plate either. He has made a couple of good blocks of pitches and base runners and has called good games as evidence by the sub 3.00 ERA of the pitching staff when he catches.

Lastly, Aybar has filled in more than adequately for the injured Bill Mueller at third base. He has provided protection for Jeff Kent in the batting order and has made a couple of defensive gems in the field.

What all three of these players have in common is that they do not appear to take the game for granted and are constantly trying to improve. They are watching the veterans like Lofton, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Nomar Garciaparra go about their business and fitting in well.

Maybe Odalis Perez can improve by learning from these guys.

Catch him while you can

RYAN GORCEY

20

UC Berkeley Student

Camarillo

If there's one thing that home plate collisions don't do, it's generate thought. Concussions, yes; profound insight, not so much. But the train wreck that leveled Russell Martin on Sunday, June 4 was a real mind bender and not just for Martin.

A bad throw from Olmedo Saenz left Martin wide open for Chase Utley to slam the Dodger catcher into a not-so-polite introduction with the dirt. A bloodied Martin looked like he lost a few thousand years of evolution and several childhood memories. But before the trainer could jog out, Martin got up and waved him off.

Martin looked straight into a television camera and, with a scrap-metal glare alone, seemed to say, ``I'm a Dodger catcher. Bring it on.'' The past two Dodger catching stars? Mike Piazza and Paul LoDuca were traded away by the same men who brought you such hits as Pedro Martinez-for-Delino DeShields and Shawn Green-for-Dionner Navarro. Amidst those blunders was perhaps the greatest crime of all the alienation of the Patron Saint of Tough, Mike Scioscia.

Martin could be the Dodgers redemption a savior in shin guards. He's not a Moneyball baby, but he's as tough as a $2 steak. He talks to a veteran pitching staff like he's the old man, and where he's short on height, he's long on heart ? just the way Dodger fans like 'em.

He's a gamer that fans can fall in love with like LoDuca, a blue-collar worker like Scioscia, and could be the heart behind a championship team ? something Piazza never was.

The McCourt' can change the colors of the seats, but they still have to fill them. Chaining Russell Martin behind the Dodger Stadium plate for life is a good start.

Memo to the Dodger front office: don' let this be another catcher who gets away.