Even for an Angels fan, Manny is Making the Dodgers Interesting
As of right now, my California Angels are running away with the American League West Division, as they hold a monstrous 15.5 game lead over the second place Texas Rangers. Since the Halos are almost certain of an A.L. West crown and a playoff appearance this October, the upcoming weeks are going to seem a lot less exciting without a divisional foe to contend with. But while the A.L. West race has already been decided, baseball’s weakest division, the N.L. West, still remains up for grabs with just over a month left to play in the regular season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have just won four consecutive games against the Philadelphia Phillies, have been much improved since the acquisition of Manny Ramirez at the trading deadline. With Ramirez and ex-Cleveland Indiana Casey Blake now sporting Dodger blue, the team is in a deadlock with the 2007 division champion Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams presently hold a 62-59 record, and it appears as if the division will be decided by either of these two clubs.
While Arizona is in a frenzy after acquiring Adam Dunn earlier this week, it is the Dodgers who have gained all the momentum heading into the final stretch run. LA has won four straight and seven of their last eleven games, while Arizona has dropped six of their last eleven.
One of the major reasons for LA’s renaissance is the play of All-Star outfielder and Red Sox reject Manny Ramirez. So far, Manny has belted 5 home runs in addition to 16 RBIs and a .438 batting average in 13 games since joining the team at the end of July.
While Manny’s on the field performance has been nothing short of spectacular, his positive attitude has also given a sudden jolt to the team’s morale. His fun and relaxed attitude has been a calming influence on an previously frustrated clubhouse and has allowed the team’s confidence to sky-rocket.
But don’t think that he has just made a mark on the field and in the clubhouse, Manny has almost single-handily made the Dodgers the “it” thing to do in Los Angeles these past few weeks. During Manny’s first three games as a Dodger, attendance jumped from 42,000 to 55,000 over a 24 hour span, and was above the 52,000 mark for the next three games as well. Even I bought a couple of tickets for this Sunday’s game, and heck, I’m an Angels fan.
The Dodgers, who are 36-27 at home this year, will host two three-game series against the sizzling Milwaukee Brewers, who have won 8 of their last 10 games, and their division-rivals, the Colorado Rockies. If Los Angeles can take two out of three in both sets the Dodgers could be positioning themselves quite nicely for the September stretch run.
And yes, thanks in large part to Slamin’ Manny.
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Excellent analysis of Dodgers roster for 2010: http://yallkiltit.wordpress.com/2010/03/06/dodgerblast-spring-training-roster-analysis/ 
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