WRITE ON: DODGERS COLUMNIST CONTEST.AMITIN vs. PINSKY A tale of two ballparks SETH Seth, in the Bible Seth, in the Bible, son of Adam and Eve, father of Enosh. In the chronology in the Gospel of St. Luke, Seth is an ancestor of Jesus. The Nag Hammadi codices preserve revelatory discourses ascribed to or allegedly emanating from Seth. AMITIN 22 Writer Glendale With 47 games left, the time to act is now. For any team within homerun distance of a playoff spot, it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a to forget about bad losses and focus on winning and the Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, team that's doing that isn't the Angels, but the Dodgers. Look at the AL West. The Angels are three and a half games in back of the perennial dark horse, the Oakland Athletics “Philadelphia Athletics” redirects here. For other uses, see Philadelphia Athletics (disambiguation). The Oakland Athletics are a professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. . Look at the A's. They just finished their latest round against the AL West, went 9-2, taking two of three from the Angels (in Anaheim) and Rangers and sweeping Seattle at Safeco Field • • [ . They don't have nearly as much talent as the Angels, but they're winning and having fun. Look at the Angels. This is a team that has the goods: a smart manager, a talented pitching staff with two future aces, a not-too-bad bullpen, a sexy lineup and Vlad Guerrero. But in the American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). , the goods aren't good enough. With 47 games remaining, they have to win, get into that assassin's mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. and leave everything on the field, instead of waiting for something to happen. And even then, their efforts still might not be good enough. Now look at the NL West. The division isn't the weakest, it's just the most volatile - it's the only one in baseball where every team has been in first place. And look at the Dodgers, while you're at it. Losing 12 of 13 and then winning 11 straight? Only a few teams have been able to do flip around a season like that after the All-Star break (let alone with less than 60 games left), and most of them made the playoffs. The bounce-back win against the Rockies Thursday night only validated their winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" - this team has the mental toughness it lacked before the trading deadline. With 47 games left, the Dodgers sit on top of the NL West and have the wildcard See wild cards and wildcard mask. to fall back on, while the Angels are caught in limbo between preparing for next year or making a last-minute charge. With 47 games left, the Dodgers are acting; the Angels are stalling. On to the playoffs?! BARRY PINSKY 54 Financial Advisor N. Hollywood The 1988 Dodgers fielded a team comprised of ``Bulldog'' Orel Herschiser, Kirk Gibson Boasting nary nar·y adj. Not one: "Frequently, measures of major import . . . glide through these chambers with nary a whisper of debate" George B. Merry. a .300 average, no slugger with over 25 home runs, nor a batter with even 85 RBIs, this unlikely assembly captured the National League West, defeated the powerhouse New York Mets
In recent years, unity and interpersonal chemistry Noun 1. interpersonal chemistry - the way two individuals relate to each other; "their chemistry was wrong from the beginning -- they hated each other"; "a mysterious alchemy brought them together" alchemy, chemistry have received short shrift short shrift n. 1. Summary, careless treatment; scant attention: These annoying memos will get short shrift from the boss. 2. Quick work. 3. a. in the Dodgers' executive suite. The results mirrored the general team malaise and instability. In contrast, the Angels have worked hard to maintain the bonhomie bon·ho·mie n. A pleasant and affable disposition; geniality. [French, from bonhomme, good-natured man : bon, good (from Latin bonus; see deu-2 which comes from positive leadership, and have generally prospered. Mike Scioscia Good feelings are no substitute for ability and preparation. But Ned Colletti has made a concerted effort to assemble a team of players who understand the role that cooperation and teamwork play in a successful collective enterprise. Shortstops play new positions, Hall plays second fiddle, starters play relievers, and Maddux sits after six hitless innings -- all for the team. Can the positive sentiment currently washing over Southland fields of dreams lift our local cohorts to victory? Well, of course, it is impossible to predict. That is, after all, why they play all 162 games. But the past two weeks may represent a tipping point in the Dodgers' fortunes. With the addition of a few key players of skill and character, and the dramatically improved attitude that consecutive victories can engender, the team appears poised for a successful stretch drive. Grady Little has adequate talent at his disposal; his task is to maintain their fortitude. The Angels, on the other hand, may simply lack the horsepower to reach the playoffs; yet one should never underestimate Scioscia's motivational skills. The DuPont Company had it right: there is ``Better Living Through Chemistry.'' GORCEY vs. OKAMURA Two roads beat a full house RYAN GORCEY 20 UC Berkeley Student Camarillo The 2002 Anaheim Angels resembled the 1988 Dodgers, and not just because of their coaching staff -- Mike Scioscia, Mickey Hatcher, and Alfredo Griffin. They were pesky. They played small-ball. They were a team of destiny -- and they knew it. But in 2006, the magic has left Anaheim. With a tight AL West and impossible Wild Card, the Angels are the odd team out, and the Dodgers are very much alive in both the NL West -- which they currently lead -- and in the Wild Card. Simply put, the Dodgers have two ways to make the playoffs. The Angels are battling for only one tenuous spot without the intangibles that allowed them to make their improbable run in 2002. The leaders of that Angels team are now aging and other key members are long gone. But more than personnel, it was consistency that gave them the confidence to make their inspired run. In 2002, 10 Angels played in over 100 games and eight played 111 or more at one position. In 2006, at least four players have played over 10 games at three of the four infield positions and three have played over 10 games at catcher -- many of those players being rookies. When Bill Stoneman had the chance to get a stabilizing, veteran infield bat in Alfonso Soriano to pull ahead of the largely idle Athletics, he balked balk v. balked, balk·ing, balks v.intr. 1. To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump. 2. at trading those rookies -- even though many of them have faltered and look like they know they don't belong. For the past three months, the Dodgers have been able to regularly field six of the same players in the same positions -- consistency that allows them the confidence to weather injury. Instead of the uncertainty plaguing the Angels lineup, the Dodgers have not had to worry about whether anyone belonged, and when they did, they solved those problems through trades. The Dodgers finally seem to have a realistic impression of their own strengths and weaknesses -- something the Angels have lost. For the first time in the past five or so years, the Dodgers appear to have more direction than their neighbors down the 5. Dodgers On Demand ALVIN M. OKAMURA 47 Grocery Checker Encino ``Dodgers on Demand'' is a new cable channel where viewers can access the Dodgers 24-hours a day. The timing of this announcement is ideal, because of the two SoCal teams, the Dodgers will make the playoff this year while the Angeles will not. The Dodgers (58-56) and the Angels (59-55) have almost identical records. The Angels have one of the best pitching staffs in the American League and the Dodgers are one of the better offensive teams in the National League. In fact, if the Dodgers and Angels played each other in the World Series, the Angels would probably be a slight favorite to win. The problem for the Angels is they play baseball in the American League. The advantage for the Dodgers is they play baseball in the National League. The Dodgers are 1/2 game out of first place behind the Padres and only 1 game out of the wild-card race. Ned Colletti and Grady Little aren't losing too much sleep over the teams the Dodgers are competing against for a playoff berth. The Dodgers are hot and everyone knows it. With Jeff Kent and a 90% Nomar Garciaparra back, chances are the Dodgers will at least stay warm enough to get into the playoffs. The Angels are 3 games behind the A's in the American League West The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. and are 8 1/2 games out of the wild-card spot. Ahead of the Angels in the wild-card race are teams called, the Twins, the White Sox, the Red Sox, and the Blue Jays. Let's just say the Angels won't be entering the playoff as the wild-card team. The Angels need to win the division the make the playoffs. Since 2001, the A's have a .730 winning percentage in the month of August, so when the Angels and A's play seven games versus each other at the end of the season, the playoff race might be over. Playing baseball in the American League versus the National League is like driving on the 405 during rush hour traffic, the only difference is the Dodgers will be driving in the ``carpool car·pool n. also car pool 1. An arrangement whereby several participants or their children travel together in one vehicle, the participants sharing the costs and often taking turns as the driver. 2. lane.'' |
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