Los Angeles Dodgers

Now a 2-1 win is a 2-1 win, and I am sure Joe Torre and the Dodgers will gladly take this sure loss and head to Philly with a split.

What perplexes me though is the way managers continue to take 162 games worth of coaching and strategy and throw it out the window once the playoffs roll around.

Now can someone explain the thought process behind having Russell Martin squared to bunt in that situation?

Now it all worked out in the end, but to have a legitimate MLB hitter who had only dropped down two sacrifice bunts all year force the issue makes no sense to me.

That's right, I said it. The Los Angeles Dodgers saved their 2009 season by beating the Philadelphia Phillies today 2-1. No, it's not hyperbole. It's reality.

If the Dodgers had dropped game two today, they would have headed into Philadelphia down two games and facing Cliff Lee, who has looked spectacular this postseason, looking very much like the Cy Young winner that he was last season. Dodgers have not done well against left-handed starters on the road this season, so today was a must win.

Joe Torre is a Hall of Fame manager.

Take that to the bank. Play the Lottery with it. Bet the mortgage. Use your wife and kids as collateral, if you like. It’s as sure a thing as the Earth being a spheroid (a trifle flat at the poles), our Sun being ridiculously hot, divorce rates being on the rise, and our President’s approval ratings being on the decrease.

Now that the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs are behind us, I thought I’d check back in and see how well my prognostic skills were doing.  When I made my predictions for the 2009 post season I was clearly hopped up on cough syrup or some sort of delusional medication.

A wise man once said that age is nothing but a number.

The Los Angeles Dodgers certainly hope that is the case on Thursday evening when 21-year old Clayton Kershaw steps to the bump against the defending World Series Champions.

Manager Joe Torre announced late on Wednesday afternoon that the southpaw would get the call in Game One as the Dodgers look to get revenge for a loss in last season’s NLCS to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in pursuit of the franchise’s first pennant since 1988.

That season, they went on to win the World Series behind the heroic effort of Kirk Gibson and the steady arm of Orel Hershiser.

In 2009, the Dodgers will turn to a young core, including 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw to start the series, in an attempt to break the World Series drought.

In light of the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS to earn a date with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS, not to mention being four wins away from their first World Series appearance in 21 years, I have three words to say...

I was wrong.

I honestly didn't think that L.A. would sweep the Cardinals, due to the fact that those Redbirds had two aces in Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, a legitimate slugger who had a great season in Matt Holliday, and baseball's best player in Albert Pujols.