Counting Down

The boys at ESPN.com whipped up a nice little roundtable discussion on the state of baseball in the final two weeks of the season. Obviously discussed is the NL West race, and the question of whether or not the how-can-anyone-dispute-he's-the-MVP God-among-mortals that is Barry Bonds can lead his scrappy band of overachievers to another amazing victory over the floundering Dodgers. Eric Neel, Page 2's resident Dodger flag-bearer, sums it all up nicely:

Eric: You can never say with these two. Even if you have, like I do right now, a sick, creeping feeling that the Dodgers are going to tank, you just can't say. These teams will be in each other's business right up until the last.

I think it's possible the Dodgers will hold on, and I'm not just thinking with my heart. I mean, of course I'm just thinking with my heart, but my heart says if Brad Penny returns, and they get some quality innings out of Edwin Jackson, and the Yhancy Brazoban-Giovanni Carrara-Eric Gagne trio keeps getting the ball with a lead, which I think is a good bet in head-to-head matchups with Giants' pitching (after Schmidt), then they could hold on.

And you're right about the rivalry: The great thing about the coming two weeks is that one of them, as you say, is going to screw the other, which is going to add a layer of pathos and bliss to the race, a mix of anguish and joy, you know? If Houston knocks out Chicago, what's the big deal? if the Dodgers hold off the Giants and Bonds misses the playoffs, it echoes across the country and across generations.

I guess I'm not the only one with a pit in my stomach. I don't like the fact the Giants miss Roger Clemens this week, or that a stiff like Brett Tomko is suddenly pitching like Clemens, or that Brad Penny will miss the Giants, or that a raw rookie like Edwin Jackson will likely be starting a crucial game of blood-curdling intensity. I need some Pepto now.

David Schoenfeld also notes how the Dodgers are carrying the torch for the new school of statistically-oriented baseball management:

David: Well, I'll give you that one. Anyway, here's why the Dodgers will hold off the Giants: The future of baseball is at stake. Since everyone ripped Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta's trade of "chemistry" guy Paul LoDuca and setup ace Guillermo Mota, we need the Dodgers to win, just so we don't have to endure four months of offseason yakking about what a stupid trade that was.

If the Dodgers fold, then DePodesta gets fired for screwing with the chemistry, all the young, "Moneyball"-type GMs will no longer get jobs and we'll see nothing but a future of Bill Bavasi-type GMs who keep guys like Willie Bloomquist around because they're scrappy. (Yes, I'm a bitter Mariners fan.)

I doubt the Dodgers will fire DePodesta if the Dodgers end up not making the playoffs, but he's right: everyone will point to the trades as the reason why. The trades were solid on merit, despite the glaring hole that's opened up at the bottom of the order. It's not DePodesta's fault that Penny got injured in his 2nd start.

It goes without saying that my two favorite teams are the Dodgers and whoever's playing the Giants. Right now, I'm the biggest 'Stros fan in the country.