WRITE ON: DODGERS COLUMNIST CONTEST.

TRACER vs. OKAMURA

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

JAKE TRACER

21

UCLA Student

San Diego 

Baseball is not a game of change. Basketball can add a three-point line and football can move its field goal posts from the front to the back of the end zone, but baseball is not a game of change. In the histories of the three major American sports, the baseball rulebook is the oldest and has changed the least since its creation.

Baseball is more a game of chance and repetition. Its most well known statistic, the batting average, represents nothing more than the chance of success in a consistently repeated action. Every legendary moment in baseball history is essentially an anomaly of chance, coaxed into existence by endlessly repeating at-bats until something interesting happens.

No wonder so many people think the sport is so boring.

Ironically, baseball's limiting structure leads its general managers into constantly changing their teams. With no major playbooks to memorize, players can easily move from one dugout to another, sparking the flurry of activity that always accompanies the season's July 31 trade deadline. Teams on the cusp of the playoffs, like the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, universally think that changes in their lineups will catalyze the creation of more anomalies. But why run a team with a philosophy that opposes the way the game is played? The Dodgers are near the top of the National League, and have a chance to win either their division or the Wild Card. Trying to expedite the necessary chemistry with a trade also runs the risk of blowing up the reaction in progress. The San Francisco Giants gave up Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano for A.J. Pierzynski. The change didn't help.

Instead of searching for a phantom starting pitcher who doesn't really exist, the Dodgers should instead marry their front office to the structure of the game. Let the young players repeat their production from the first half of the season, and trust in the team's chances for success. Curses never follow changes that aren't made.

Nomar's health equals postseason

ALVIN M.

OKAMURA

47

Grocery Checker

Encino

The most important thing that has to happen in the second half for the Dodgers to make the postseason is they need to stay healthy. Most people think the Dodgers need pitching. Well, guess what? Everyone needs pitching.

The Dodgers need pitching to go deep into the playoffs, but as far as making an appearance in the postseason, they just need to stay healthy. The Dodgers' key players are older players with a history of being injured.

Jeff Kent usually heats up toward the end of the season. He's starting to become healthy and needs to stay healthy for the Dodger to catch the Padres. Brad Penny showed everyone in the country why he started the All-Star game, and what he is capable of when healthy. And Nomar Garciaparra is the superstar that every team needs to be successful.

The Dodgers lead the NL in batting, but are last in home runs. They have 25 more stolen bases than they had all of last season, so they can manufacture runs. Their offense will carry them to the postseason because Kent will add the power that the Dodgers need.

Brad Penny is the dominant pitcher that prevents losing streaks. He needs to stay healthy, and stay angry.

With the Dodgers looking to some of the younger players to play important roles down the stretch, Nomar's health becomes that much more important. Forget about the Dodger triple crown (leads the Dodgers with .358 AVG, 11 HR, and 53 RBI), Nomar is the kind of player that other players feed off of, especially the younger players. Nomar played in Boston, so playing in Los Angeles is like going to Disneyland. Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, and Andre Either have someone that can help them through the ups and downs of a pennant race.

Most of the teams are still in the race for the playoffs; so don't expect too many big trades. Maybe, Ned Colletti can pry Jason Schmidt from his old friends in San Francisco, I doubt it. Forget about Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins are playing good baseball. Greg Maddox?

LOVETT vs. YANNICH

Deadline Dealing

EVAN LOVETT

27

Online Advertiser

Valley Village

Heathcliff Slocumb. Larry Andersen. Victor Zambrano.

Besides being moderately successful pitchers, each was acquired in a short-sighted trade deadline deal that cost the receiving team both valuable prospects and immeasurable long-term success.

The Dodgers do not need to force a transaction for the sake of doing so; the foundation for success is already present; the only trade that the Dodgers need to make at the 2006 trade deadline is a swap in the N.L. West standings with the with the San Diego Padres.

The quest for a quick-fix leads a team down the dangerous dual paths of disharmony and mediocrity. In addition to the aforementioned deals (Slocumb for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek, Anderson for Jeff Bagwell; Zambrano for Scott Kazmir) the Major League baseball landscape is littered with myopic trades that produce nothing more than negative ramifications for the future of a ballclub.

While the pitching rotation behind Brad Peeny and Derek Lowe inconsistent at best, it would seem that a trade for a starting pitcher is imminent. The fact is, Ned Coletti scored Mark Hendrickson for the discount rate of Dioner Navarro and Jae Seo, a price that would have only increased as the deadline approached. Each competitor in the division needs starting pitching, and the same can be said for all 20 teams in baseball with a legitimate shot at contention.

Strengthening the bullpen is also being seen as necessity by those eager for an `impact' deal at the deadline. Grady Little and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt has settled the roles of each hurler. Jonathan Broxton, Baez and Takashi Saito form a solid support system .

With the offense leading the league by a comfortable margin in batting average, hits and RBI, the lack of a true power hitter is offset, and an acquisition would only serve to disrupt the continuity of the lineup .

The Dodgers started the season with a record of 6-8. Nomar Garciaparra did not enter the lineup until the subsequent game, and it was a few weeks hence that Russ Martin took over the catching duties permanently; injecting spirit and leadership uncanny for a young player, handling the pitching staff with maestro-like precision and hitting in the clutch as well as any rookie in baseball, he is a fixture for years to come.

163

SCOTT YANNICH

23

Real Estate Agent

Valencia

182 days. 162 games. 30 teams. Each given two opportunities to extend their season. Win your division or win the wild card. 89 games into the season, the Dodgers currently occupy one of those golden playoff granting spots, the NL Wild Card. But in a division race where first and last place are separated by 5 games and a wild card race where 4 of the top 7 teams belong to the NL West, one important thing must occur if the Dodgers are to make the postseason. They must win the games that matter the most - the games against their NL West opponents. Of the 73 games remaining, over half are opposed by one of their four divisional rivals including the final nine games of the season.

So far, the Dodgers have fared well in divisional play posting a division best 20-15 record. But in order to make the post season, the Dodgers and their fans must shift their focus away from the belief that making the big trade will bring to fruition a playoff birth. Don't mistake what I'm saying, I would love for Ned Colletti to make that blockbuster deal and bring in another top tier starting pitcher like Barry Zito or Dontrelle Willis. But, in a trade market where starting pitching is a rare and expensive commodity, I must live in reality. Either way, the Dodgers will still have to go out onto the field and win those critical division battles because at the end of those games, the winners are guaranteed to move up in the standings and the losers are guaranteed to move down.

What exactly will it take for the Dodgers to win these divisional rival games? A winning team has to have more than just good players. They need to have the heart of a champion. The 2006 Dodgers have the players. Find that heart and most importantly win the games against the Padres, Giants, Rockies, and Diamondbacks and the 2006 Dodgers will grant their fans and themselves what we have all been desiring for 182 days, Game Number 163.