Blue rules the Bay
October 3, 2006
By Andrew Lomeli
This past Saturday I partook in the greatest party my eyes have ever seen —
and I wasn’t even anywhere near Sigma Nu.
With my dorm’s residents scavenging throughout the City by the Bay, I had
earned just enough time to buy a $20, standing-room-only ticket from a
scalper for the Dodgers-Giants game at AT&T Park.
Just one night after being heckled by Giants fans for my Rafael Furcal jersey
and oversized blue foam finger during an improbable Dodger comeback, I found
myself this time surrounded by blue —- towels, hats, jerseys, banners, face
paint and plenty of wide smiles amidst the gloomy expressions of the
fair-weather orange and black. Yes, my blue brethren had joined me on this
wonderful day — a day that the mighty Dodgers would clinch a playoff spot
over the vile Hated Ones, a day I would see the loyal fans
of the Azul dance in the streets of San Francisco and climb the Willie Mays
statue in conquest, the one day on which AT&T Park was truly Dodger Stadium.
But the celebration was short-lived. My Boys in Blue were promptly robbed of
their rightful National League West championship the next day, as a
controversial reversal of a call granted the Padres a win over the
Diamondbacks in the regular-season finale, giving the Friars the title in the
process. My elation was also ruined by the realization that the Dodgers would
open up their road to the 2006 World Series with a trip to New York to face
the class of the National League: the Mets. But I stand firm
beside my preseason prediction that the Dodgers will win the NLCS en route to
a 1988-like World Series.
While many of my contemporaries will shrug off the Dodgers as mere fodder for
the talented Mets, the deadly duo of Derek Lowe and Greg Maddux should
present quite the challenge for a loaded New York lineup. Lowe gave up two
runs in six innings in the Dodgers’ 8-5 win over the Mets at Chavez Ravine
earlier in the season. Maddux, meanwhile, was barely outdone by Orlando
Hernandez, 3-2, at Shea Stadium three months later.
Lowe has since improved to an overall 16-8, landing him a tie for tops in the
NL in wins — not to mention his 3.63 ERA. Mad Dog, meanwhile, has pitched
gem after gem, going 6-3 with a 3.30 ERA in Los Angeles. Throw in potential
starter Hong-Chih Kuo — the man who pitched six scoreless innings in New
York on Sept. 8 — and you have three more-than-solid pitchers that can each
bewilder the Mets’ lineup.
The loss of Pedro Martinez leaves New York with Tom Glavine and an 11-11
Orlando Hernandez with a less-than-dazzling 4.66 ERA. Dodgers
Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Takashi Saito may not be Eric Gagne — or even
Billy Wagner for that matter — but his 24 saves and 2.07 ERA should provide
for confidence in the ninth inning.
I’ll be the first to admit the Mets have the edge in the batting department,
with Paul Lo Duca, Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos
Beltran bolstering the toughest lineup in the NL. But with multiple comebacks
this season and the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-walk-off miracle of Sept.
18, there is no doubt that the power and versatility of Jeff Kent, J.D. Drew,
Garciaparra, Furcal, Wilson Betemit and Kenny Lofton can deliver in the
clutch.
Finally, the Dodgers are fresh off seven straight nail-biting wins, while the
Mets haven’t played meaningful baseball in weeks. After surviving a rough
season, including a 2-13 stretch, to eventually pull together a wild card
win, this Dodger squad definitely possesses the faith needed to overcome
discouraging odds in the NLDS.
And as much as I hate to bring up the past, I just have to mention one thing:
As if this team didn’t remind me of 1988 enough already, the Mets were the
squad defeated by the Dodgers in the NLCS of that magical season.
And in response to criticism that I’m certain to receive later today, I
understand I have high expectations. But even in the worst-case scenario in
which the Dodgers go three-and-out in the playoffs against the Mets, at least
the Good Guys played in three more October games than the Giants.
Andrew Lomeli is a junior who put away his Angels hat to write this column.
Email him at alomeli@stanford.edu.
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