From Worst to First in a Month!

The “What if’s?” of sports are endless…

What if Jordan was drafted 1^st or 2^nd instead of 3^rd to the Bulls?

What if the Red Sox never traded Babe Ruth?

What if the “tuck rule” had not been used and the Raiders beat the Patriots to go to the Superbowl?

What if’s can be as big as player movements from team to team or draft picks or as small as one call that changed the course of a game.  The ripple effects can last for games, weeks, seasons, years or even the life a sport.

By the middle of the 2013 MLB season, I think the biggest “What if” is, What if the Dodgers had any kind of health luck.  Unlike the Angels or Yankees, who have had health issues of their own, whose marquee players have not lived up to hype that was in place for those teams regardless of injuries.  When the Dodger players have been healthy and in games, they’re doing well.  Matt Kemp came back for one game against the Washington Nationals, went 3 for 4 with a home run, and is now back on the dreaded Disabled List.

A month ago every Dodger fan was enraged that Puig was not in the All Star Game.  The savior of the 2013 season and a possible Mickey Mantle-esque future superstar was being overlooked for the likes of Freddie Freeman.  While I’m sure Mr. Freeman is a swell gentleman, other than his friends and family, have you every heard a single baseball fan clamoring for more Freddie Freeman. 

When I had season tickets, there would be games that I would perk my ears to.  I know this is a bad time to bring this name up but in 2007 / 2008 when the Brewers came to town, they had this budding superstar named Ryan Braun that was from here in the San Fernando Valley and I wanted to check him out.  He had his own section of fans in the outfield.  He played well.  He hit a homerun.  It was quite the show.  Whether helped by testosterone enriched gummy snacks or whatever he was taking, it was quite a show to see.  In subsequent years, he led his team to the playoffs and won the league’s MVP.  He was someone you wanted to go to a game to see, even as an opposing player.

I’m pretty sure Freddie Freeman doesn’t come with the same fan fare when the Atlanta Braves are touring the country.

That was my only real argument that Puig should have been in the All Star Game.  Never mind the naysayers who bemoaned that he’d only played for six-plus weeks and didn’t deserve to be in the All Star Game.  Well by that theory, no rookie or even second year pitcher should ever be in an All Star Game because they only pitch every fifth day.  Matt Harvey of the Mets started the All Star Game and he only “played” in less than 20 games.  “But Harvey is a phenom and an attraction”, well so was / is Puig.  Of course he’s not going to continue hitting .430 and hitting homers every other game.  But during the short time he's been in the majors, he has been electrifying.  He was all anyone wanted to talk about.  While the Dodgers were drowning in last place and Mattingly’s job seemed as if it was on the line game by game, the legend of Puig was growing.  Why deprive the fans of baseball the chance to watch of the most exciting players in baseball.  God forbid Puig gets an AB in an All Star game and then turns out to be a bust.  We must not have such a blemish like that tarnish the MLB record books.  Nary a liar, nor cheat, nor racist, nor felon, nor etc. has ever graced a baseball field; and they never will corrupt America's pastime, by-golly.  We can all agree, the sacred history books of baseball have other problems to worry about than a potential superstar getting a few chances to swing the bat at an All Star Game.

It’s always fun when your team has, not just great, but exciting players.  Sunday, July 28^th, Puig had 3 strikeouts going into the bottom of the 11^th.  With one swing and crack of the bat, GAME OVER.  There was no question, that ball was gone.  A game winning homerun was exactly what the Dodger’s needed and all the Puig haters to shut up.  Later on Sunday, I was at a family dinner and there was a Padre fan in attendance.  He was amazed at how great Puig looked and how fast the Dodgers had turned their season around.  He implanted the “What if” the Dodgers had been healthy all year scenario in my head.  Immediately I ran off five “What if’s”:

Puig starts the whole season?

Greinke doesn’t get hurt and has to sit out for most of the first half?

Hanley Ramirez doesn’t start on the DL and plays like a potential MVP for the whole season?

Crawford’s inconsistent return from injuries?

Finally, Matt Kemp’s constant battle with the DL?

I’ve seen more of Anthony Weiner’s Louisville Slugger than Kemp on a lineup card.

Amanda Bynes and Lindsey Lohan have had more court appearances than Kemp has plate appearances.

C’mon, do a third one…umm…well…I’ll try… The only thing that's had a worse showing than Kemp this year was R.I.P.D. (That's too cruel.  I love you Kempy, I can't compare you to that train-wreck.  Just please get better and stay healthy.  Don't even watch Contagion or Outbreak.)

Kemp, find Kobe and just do whatever he's doing.  Don't ask, just do it.  If he's in Germany, I want you in Germany.  If he's taking stem cells from fetuses, I need you taking the same stem cells.

Enough fun and games, we’re talking “What if’s” here.  We finally have a roster that is almost healthy.  Aside from Kemp and Crawford, our lineup has been consistent and when ever these two players can contribute, the Dodgers become playoff favorites.  We’ve got 3 ½ quality starters, one of which might be the next Colfax (you can calm down Greinke, I’m talking about Kershaw).  Imagine if Kemp could play and be at least half the player he has been for the past few years?  The only things We’re (yes the Royal We) is a good third baseman and a steady / more reliable bullpen and closer.  I’m not sure that Carlos Marmol, who by all accounts the Cubs couldn’t wait to get rid of, is who I’m banking a World Series run on but I’ll take it.

I’ve tried to temper my Dodger fever but after a 20 strike-out game, featuring the SO hat-trick by 4 players, for Puig to rock a walk-off homerun is just pure enjoyment and excitement for the rest of the year.  These are the games that great seasons are made of.  Taking 3 of 4 from the Reds, a top tier team in the NL for sure, is something not to go unnoticed.  The Reds were seen as World Series contenders at the begging of the season.

The most impressive stat is the 8-0-3 series record over the last eleven series played.  Baseball is not about being perfect.  All great teams are beatable.  Any team can be on the wrong side of the other teams pitching Ace and you’re going to loose 9 out of 10 times.  It’s what you do with the rest of the games OR the 1 out of 10 times you beat that Ace. 

Here’s a side question for you seam-heads.  What’s worse, winning 2 of 3 but you’re beating say the 4^th and 5^th starter on the Astros OR winning the one game against a teams Ace but loosing the other two games to go 1 for 3 on a series?  I say it’s worse to win the two games.  The reason is, those are games you should be winning.  If you’re a middling team, then yes, all you’re trying to do is rack up wins however and against whomever you can.  But if you’re trying to show that you’re a World Series team, you want to beat 1^st and 2^nd starters.  If you’re good / lucky enough to make it into the playoffs, you’re going to see the other team’s best pitchers.  You need to know that your pitchers can keep up with the other Aces (which Kershaw and Greinke can certainly do) and you can score just enough runs to win the close games. 

To win series after series, or in this case not get beat in a series, the team has to be locked in every game.  There are no nights off.  Sure, you’ll loose a few games here and there but you’re not letting the losses pile up.  To win series after series, no matter who the opponent is, that means you’re winning the easy games, tough games and lucky games.

Starting tonight, the Yankees are in town.  The Yankees, albeit not Murder’s Row, are still “The Yankees” and to win a series against them will only boost the Dodger’s confidence.  This series will be telling because Yankee / Dodgers will be a high profile series.  We’ll see if the team is ready for the bright lights (which can be as intimidating as a good pitcher).  The Yankees are a team the Dodgers should beat.  In the next week or two, if the Dodgers can stay hot and put some distance on the rest of the NL West, then to have Kemp come back (hopefully for the rest of the year), we’ll be in a great position for a post season run. 

Lastly, I have to address this picture of Puig sliding in on his game winning homerun.  He’s the spark that this team needed.  Who cares if he runs to third base when he hits the ball or doesn’t stop running until he’s tagged out or has never seen a pitch he doesn’t like. I’d love to see an over / under on Puig’s pitches per plate appearance, it’s got to be 5 pitches?  Regardless, Puig is awesome.  “Wild Stallion” was a perfect call by Vin Scully on Sunday.  You never know what you’ll get but Puig is going to put on a show.  Unlike most cases, I think it’s an advantage to be so young, doesn’t speak the language, is in Los Angeles (transplant / Spanish speaking central) and isn’t the only superstar in the city like if he were playing for Kansas City, Cleveland or Arizona where he’d be the biggest celebrity in town right now.  Also, the LA press isn’t as desperate to create and destroy players like Boston or New York.  Those towns would be scrutinizing every over-run base or quick strikeout.  These “pluses” should help allow him to grow as a person and a player without all the pressure that other young studs like Bryce Harper or Matt Harvey must be under.  Also, the Dodgers have a roster of better players like Kemp and Kershaw that will take some of the spotlight away from Puig.  If we could live with Manny being Manny, we certainly can live with Puig being Puig.

All-in-all, the Dodgers have come around to being a great story and something that the LA sports scene has needed in 2013.  We don’t have football (Which by the way NFL, this is fine with 99% of the people who live here.  We don’t need a new team or some other city’s throwaway team like the Jags.)  and our basketball teams (Which is what this city is, a basketball city) both experienced huge disappointments this year.  The Kings doing well is great but no one really cares until they make a decent run for the cup, but they ended on a whimper.  When the Dodgers are rolling, there’s a special fire that gets lit under the city.  Vin Scully seems to be coming out of every speaker and Dodger blue starts to cover all the city’s woes for a few hours a night.  As Vin would put it, “It’s time for Dodger baseball!”