Oh, To Be Relevant Again

Following the initial brouhaha about the Manny Ramirez suspension, word of the Dodgers in the national media basically disappeared. The opening days were spent trying to figure out what was going on with Manny's sudden suspended status, what he took, whether he would apologize to teammates, fans, and Bill Plaschke. But after Ramirez handled all of the important constituencies, he quietly disappeared, working out only when the team (and most press) wasn't around. This overlapped with a quick eon of articles all trumpeting the Dodgers' demise. Rudderless without Manny, we lost four of the next five games. The press were stomping on our grave like a reporter stomping on a bucket of grapes. But then, like said reporter, those who stomped were soon on the ground in pain, as the Dodgers sacked up and got some mettle. We split a series with the world champion Phillies in Philadelphia. Won a series in Florida. Swept the Mets at Citi Field. Lost a series to the Angels,...