Despite the breakouts of Joc Pederson and Alex Guerrero, the hot start of Adrian Gonzalez has been they key to the Dodgers’ hot start. By Owen Main

The Dodgers are 13-8 at the end of the first month of the season — two games ahead in the National League West. The fun thing is, they haven’t got close to hitting their stride.

I thought it would be an OK time to summarize the good and the bad of the first month of the 2015 season.

The Good

First place

No matter what, setting a tone early-on in the season is important. The Dodgers have won five of the seven series they’ve played so far and, while they were swept by the Giants in San Francisco, they also had a seven-game winning streak.

Greinke keeps rolling

While Clayton Kershaw finds his form and the rest of the Dodgers pitching staff struggles to stay afloat, Zack Greinke has been exactly who he has been since he joined the Dodgers — a second ace. Grienke has a .918 WHIP and is 4-0 in his five starts in April.

Howie Kendrick is as-advertised

Howie Kendrick has been really, really good. He sports a .295/.353/.526 slash line and has been everything the Dodgers have needed him to be.

When people in the know said how good Howie Kendrick would be, many Dodger fans, especially those who are fans of the type of game Dee Gordon plays, didn’t want to hear it. All Kendrick has done is start the season in Kendrick-like form, contributing to wins, fighting in at-bat after at-bat. I really like watching replays of Kendrick at-bats.

Joc Pederson

Neat.

Joc Pederson, who owns the MLB's best walk rate, also appears to be hitting the ball quite hard: pic.twitter.com/AnD7QPcjEQ

— August Fagerstrom (@AugustF_MLB) May 1, 2015

Adrian Gonzalez‘ hot start

This has been the real story of the beginning of the season. Gonzalez leads the National League in home runs (8!!), slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases. Dude is lighting it up. I don’t expect him to all season, but I’ll certainly enjoy it while it lasts.

Alex Guerrero

In just 28 at-bats this season, Guerrero has been dominant, bringing much optimism from Dodger fans. Five home runs, 13 RBIs, and a 1.505 OPS is a decent start for the enigmatic Cuban. Especially with the losses of Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford, Guerrero should get a chance to prove that he can hit for real in the major leagues.

The Bad

Injuries

Unfortunately, the list of key injuries to the Dodgers was long in April. Perhaps better that they come now instead of July or August, but here’s a short list:

Yasiel Puig

Carl Crawford

Brandon McCarthy

Joel Peralta

Hyun-jin Ryu

Kenley Jansen

Chis Withrow

Brandon League

Brandon Beachy

In all, nine players are currently on the disabled list, including three pitchers named Brandon. Ryu’s and McCarthy’s injuries are the most concerning for me. The starting rotation for the Dodgers could hinge on the performance of guys from the minor leagues.

Mike Bolsinger, David Huff, and Scott Baker have already made one start each. Zach Lee, Joe Wieland, and Carlos Frias could all be future options as well.

The list of replacements isn’t bad if we’re talking about a spot-start or a fifth starter situation. The problem is that right now Brett Anderson is being depended on as the THIRD starter and the fourth and fifth spots look like they’ll be filled with the list above, at least until Ryu comes back.

Starting pitching depth

This is kind of addressed above. The Dodgers have stockpiled talented hitters who are major-league ready. Despite trading Matt Kemp and injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford, the team has three or four Major League-capable outfielders to choose from. On top of that, Darwin Barney, Austin Barnes, Chris Heisey, and Enrique Hernandez are all at the ready down on the farm should the Dodgers need them in Los Angeles. Corey Seager could be successful in the big leagues RIGHT NOW if he was needed.

But for all the depth in hitting the Dodgers have amassed, the pitching depth is thinning-out pretty quickly. Kershaw and Greinke are as good as any duo in the majors, but after that things are starting to get rocky. Brett Anderson hasn’t gotten hurt yet, but he was supposed to be the fifth starter. He’s now in the number-three role.

It looks like Carlos Frias will get the start tonight against Arizona. 

The good news is that there are guys who could fill the role (see the list above), but none of them are really proven. Will the Dodgers go outside of what has been their plan so far and reach in a trade for a pitcher like Cole Hamels? Who else could be available as the season goes on?

I guess as long as the team keeps playing like they are and maintains their first-place standings, maybe the questions about starting pitching depth become moot. If they start to skid or fall in the standings, how much patience will the new management team exhibit?

Only 141 more games left, you guys.

The baseball season’s coming up and Mike Krukow thinks Yasiel Puig is dumb for not pegging the Giants as their biggest rival. In San Luis Obispo, I’d say they are, though the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the Wild Card round started.

I thought it would be fun to, over the next few weeks, go position by position and compare what personnel the two teams have in preparation for the 2015 season. Today’s position: First base.

First base is a big contrast. The Dodgers have one of the steadiest guys in the league and a bona-fide star at the position. The Giants have at least three players who could see significant time at the position. Back-up players will be in parenthesis.

Position by Position: Catcher

Adrian Gonzalez (Scott Van Slyke?, Andre Ethier?, ?)

Gonzalez is the start and the end of the first base conversation for the Dodgers. The 32 year-old led the National League with 116 RBI’s last season and finished seventh in the MVP voting. He played in 159 games — the most since he was traded from San Diego to Boston — and was one of the steadier Dodgers. He hit 27 homers, but his batting average “dipped” to .276, his lowest full season in the major leagues.

As Gonzalez gets farther and farther away from a shoulder injury five years ago, he continues to show that he is a very productive player in the heart of the Dodgers’ order. His dependability and durability last season played a big part in the team winning as many games as they did.

ZIPS projects Gonzalez to have a slightly worse year than last season when counting home runs, RBI, WAR, and other counting statistics, but an identical or better year than 2014 is within the realm of possibility. When he plays, it’s likely Gonzalez will contribute at the steady rate he has for most of the past two seasons. The question will be — can he stay healthy? Dodgers fans better hope so.

Brandon Belt (Buster Posey, Andrew Susac?)

The Giants’ depth chart is fun and hard to nail-down at this position. (Although I’m scratching my head to find out why a depth chart that boasts to have been updated today shows Travis Ishikawa as a first-base option…) The chart in question shows Buster Posey as the starting catcher and back-up first baseman, which makes a ton of sense. Posey’s ability to play first base and the team’s desire for him to do the same will make the position a really flexible one.

The issue is one of playing time at first base. ZIPS likes Belt and Susac to have roughly equal contribution this season for the Giants, but that dosn’t say anything about playing time or where that playing time will happen for either Susac and Posey. Presumably, Susac will play mostly behind the plate, giving Posey a chance to sit-out or man first base against left-handed pitchers while giving Belt the night off. If Belt is less effective or injured again, a scenario where Susac and Posey basically platoon between the two positions, excepting days off.

Belt will be turning 27 years-old in 2015. He should be right in his prime in his fourth year in the majors. Injuries limited Belt to 61 regular season games last year, perhaps contributing to a mild ZIPS projection of less than two wins. He could produce twice that, which would put him somewhere close to where Adrian Gonzalez was a season ago. He could also be closer to the two-win player that ZIPS projects him as.

One really good, steady guy vs. options

While I’ve been touting the Dodgers giving themselves lots of organizational flexibility and options during the offseason, they don’t have a ton of flexibility at first base. In a pinch, I suppose Juan Uribe could play there as well, though someone like Andre Ethier could also fill-in were Gonzalez to go down for any length of time.

The question when comparing the Dodgers and Giants at this position is one of flexibility. Would you rather be the Giants, who have a decent starter, a catcher getting off the position for 30-40 games, and a relative unknown? Or would you rather be the Dodgers, with the best player at the position between the two teams but with some question marks after that.

Because of Gonzalez’ season last year, I’ll take the Dodgers, but not by as big a margin as Dodgers fans would like to think. If Adrian stays healthy all year and has a season close to the one he had last year, it won’t be close. If something else happens, or if Belt improves significantly, then the difference could be marginal.

Advantage: Dodgers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have not made a World Series since 1988. With their loss this week, they won’t have a spot in the fall classic in 2014. A team with the highest payroll in baseball in one of the best baseball cities in America shouldn’t be eliminated from the playoffs as early as the division series. The Dodgers squad is made up of different types of talent that honestly don’t really work together to create a complete team. This season, their raw talent led them to the division title, and fans and experts alike looked past their obvious shortcomings.

Ned Colletti’s job could be in jeopardy after the team’s clear holes weren’t addressed. By PVSBond, via Wikimedia Commons

It has been two seasons since both trades went down and what do the Dodgers have to show for it? Two division titles and two playoff beat-downs at the hands of the St Louis Cardinals, who have are arguably become the San Antonio Spurs of Major League Baseball.

While the regular season winning is nice, when you spend that much money on a team it is championship or bust. So the question remains who is to blame for the Dodgers disappointments and what do they do about it?

Clayton Kershaw had a historic season. The Dodgers’ ace went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA, but his postseason demons struck again against a familiar opponent. He is now 3-7 with a 4.83 ERA against the St. Louis Cardinals and 70-22 with a 1.99 ERA against everyone else. Kershaw cruised through six innings in game one, only having allowed two runs before squandering a four run lead and giving up eight runs in the 7^th inning. While Kershaw deserves some of the blame, Mattingly also deserves some for not pulling out his star pitcher once the Cardinals had closed to 6-4. I don’t care who the pitcher is or how much you trust them, once they start giving up runs and putting the game in jeopardy you take them out especially in the 7^th inning of a home playoff game. Mattingly in his Dodger career has made a lot of blunder-headed mistakes but none like this playoff series.

His first mistake was with Kershaw in Game One. Then, in game three he took Hyun Jin Ryu out after the 6^th inning when he was pitching a masterful game on the road. After the game, Ryu came out and said that he felt fine to pitch the 7^th inning. Instead of bringing in a relief pitcher that has carried the team all season like Brandon League, he brings in Scott Elbert who promptly gives up a two run home run that sealed the Dodgers game-three fate.

In Game Four, with Kershaw pitching on three days rest, the Dodgers jumped out to a 2-0 lead and Mattingly left Kershaw in for the 7^th against the heart of the Cardinals order, which lead to a three-run home run and the end of the Dodgers’ season.

All signs point to Don Mattingly and all-star pitcher Clayton Kershaw taking the majority of the blame. While they both made mistakes, they shouldn’t get all of fans’ ire. Mattingly made some dumb decisions, but in the end he isn’t the one who goes out onto the field and plays. The big hitters the Dodgers have didn’t produce and the bullpen, which was the weakest link of the Dodgers team all season, struck again.

The person who deserves the most blame for the Dodgers’ disappointments has to be general manager Ned Colletti. There have been rumors swirling that there might be changes in the Dodgers front office and I hope they are true. At the trade deadline, Colletti had opportunities to pursue bullpen help that might have saved the Dodgers season. Instead, Colletti went out and got back-end pitchers Roberto Hernandez and Kevin Correia neither of whom made the postseason roster.

While Colletti has built teams that made the postseason, he continues to disregard the team’s biggest needs and it ends up costing them late in the season. The Dodgers could use a new General Manager in their system and maybe then they will finally reach the World Series. The Padres and Diamondbacks have already changed their GMs so the Dodgers should continue the trend in the NL West.

Leave no doubt, this team needs some fixing. In order for this team to be fixed it is going to take major work. Much of the team is locked in for years to come in their respective deals. One solution would be to upgrade on a few positions including third base and catcher. Juan Uribe and AJ Ellis have been good clubhouse guys but their production on the field has been less than expected and more consistent production is needed from those positions. For me, the most important factor of the 2015 offseason will be getting bullpen help. Kenley Jansen is the only bullpen guy the Dodgers could rely on this season and even he has some issues.

Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford, Dee Gordon, Clayton Kershaw, Zach Greinke, Hyun Jin Ryu and Kenley Jansen should be the main players returning to the team next season due to their success. Trading Andre Ethier and re- signing Justin Turner should be priorities going into the offseason. This coming offseason is going to be a tough one on both the Dodgers front office and the players but this team will be back again next season and should again be favorites to win a championship. In the mean time, the front office needs to make some changes in both player personnel and front office personnel, because the Dodgers have the core talent to win a title but proving it out on the field is a whole different story.

After making it to the NLCS a season ago and going on their historic 42-8 run to make it there, the Dodgers seemed primed to be legitimate World Series contenders in 2014. Yet the start of the 2014 season seems oddly familiar to the 2013. The likelihood of them going on a run like they did last year, though, is very far-fetched. So the question remains what is wrong with them right now?

Currently the Dodgers hold a record of 19-18 and are sitting in the third place position in the NL West. They started out winning four of their first five games and were looking good. Recently though, they have dropped six of their last eight games. They are a pathetic 2-6 head-to-head against the Giants who are clearly the best team in the NL West right now. They have had some injuries including Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and A.J. Ellis but that shouldn’t be an excuse for a team with such a high payroll and as much talent as they have.

It’s been said before but if the Dodgers don’t start winning soon, Don Mattingly may be looking for a new job. By http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvsbond/, via Wikimedia Commons

Aside from their obvious struggles, the Dodgers have had some bright spots this season, including the play of Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, Zach Greinke and Adrian Gonzalez.

Gordon, who  is leading the team with a .328 batting average, has also  stolen 21 bases already which is the best in baseball, nine more than the next guy behind him.

Free agent acquisition, Dan Haren, has shown why the Dodgers signed him with his 4-1 record and his 2.68 ERA. With all the injuries to the pitching staff, Haren has stepped up and played a huge role in keeping this team afloat.

Zach Greinke started out 5-0 only to finally lose a game where the Dodgers just couldn’t score any runs. His 2.35 ERA and 47 strikeouts lead the team and have carried the Dodgers while Kershaw was hurt.

Adrian Gonzalez, in my opinion is an early contender for National League Most Valuable Player. He is hitting .265 with 9 HR and 26 RBI. He also has an .861 OPS, putting him just below the range of his best three seasons. Gonzalez has carried the load offensively thus far while the rest of the team figures themselves out.

How to fix whatever is wrong?

Other than the injuries to the team the only two real problems with this team are the inconsistency of the bullpen and the lack of hitting in some games, both of which can be easily fixed. As for the bullpen, manager Don Mattingly needs to read the situations during games better and figure out when to plug certain pitchers in rather than go with a set bullpen rotation. With the kind of depth that the Dodgers have, its the only way to manage all those bodies.

Dodgers win and Mattingly only made three mistakes. I'll take it.

— Howard Cole (@Howard_Cole) May 10, 2014

The hitting will come around, I’m sure of that. The Dodgers have too much depth and talent on their roster for it not to. It’s still very early in the season and the Dodgers just need regroup and get things together. Although it was over a month ago, the unorthodox trip to Australia could still be affecting them, since it cut their spring training and usual time to prepare for the long grinding season short. The Dodgers will get it together and I expect to see them being the team we all expect them to be come the second half of the season.

What do you think? Will the Dodgers turn it around or will they stay at .500 and be a disappointment all season?

Hyun-jin Ryu turned out to be a great pickup for the Dodgers last offseason, but the team has more subtle changes to be made this year. By Owen Main

Last offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers made some huge splashes in the free agent market by signing Zack Greinke and Hyun-jin Ryu to multi year contracts. Both signings panned out for the Dodgers during the 2013 season as both Greinke and Ryu pitched very well in both the regular season and postseason helping to guide the Dodgers to the NL West title. After being eliminated in the NLCS, many people wondered what the next big move for the Dodgers would be during the offseason. Would they make a trade for former Cy Young Award winner David Price? Would they trade away star outfielder Matt Kemp? Neither have happened to this point. Here’s what has happened so far:

The winter meetings have passed and the Dodgers have remained very quiet this offseason. The biggest signing so far is that of Dan Haren to close out the pitching rotation. Since the new ownership of the Dodgers has taken over they have been willing to spend money whenever they want with no price limit, so the lack of movement this offseason has confused some folks. Aside from the Haren signing the team has re-signed some key players from last season including Juan Uribe, Brian Wilson and J.P. Howell. The team’s quiet signing of these players and lack of a big splash so far has been a blessing in disguise for the Dodgers. Sometimes, less is more.

Even with their lack of moves, the Dodgers should still should be the favorites to win the title this season. Re-signing such major players to their team as Uribe, Wilson and Howell was very important for the team and its chemistry. Consistency is a major factor for any team playing any sport and keeping mainly the same players around and having them grow together with the ups and downs wins championships which is the Dodgers ultimate goal. The type of players the Dodgers have in their clubhouse is extremely important. They did lose some utility players and clubhouse presences to free agency and retirement (Skip Schumaker, Mark Ellis, Nick Punto, Jerry Hairston, Jr.), but for the most part the rest of the 2013 team is there.

The Dodgers management should get more credit than they deserve for finally putting a winning product back onto the field in Los Angeles. Both the players and fans of the Dodgers should be excited for the upcoming season regardless if any more moves are made. For the first time in a long time, the Dodgers are looked at as the favorites to win the World Series and end their 26 year title drought. And, with a team this talented, they aren’t just making moves to make moves.

The new ownership couldn’t wait to make a splash.

The day was August 25, 2012 and nobody knew the kind of storm that was about to rock Major League Baseball. The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers agreed on a trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett, Nick Punto and their combined $260 million-plus contracts to Los Angeles. It was one of the biggest deals in sports history just because of the money involved, not to mention the players.

In exchange for Gonzalez, Beckett, Punto, and Cawford, the Dodgers traded long-time first baseman James Loney and minor leaguers. From a skill standpoint, the Dodgers got a steal but the deal helped the Red Sox shed a ton of salary to put them in a more flexible financial position.

Could Dodger Stadium host a World Series game in 2013 for the first time since 1988? By Frederick Dennstedt, via Wikimedia Commons

The Red Sox started off the 2013 season hot and haven’t looked back.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, were 9.5 games back of the division lead in June. Injuries and a lack of excitement in the clubhouse made things pretty glum for the bums and their fans.

With injuries to multiple outfielders, Yasiel Puig was called-up. Since he and Hanley Ramirez started playing together, the Dodgers have been on a hot streak and don’t seem to be looking back. The Dodgers now hold a 9.5 game lead of their own in a miraculous and historic turnaround. Before a few recent losses, they had gone 42-8 over a 50 game stretch, something that hadn’t been done in the past 100 years.

Could it be possible for the Dodgers and Red Sox to meet up in the fall classic just a year after the huge trade? Yes, it is very possible and many people would love to watch that matchup. But for now, all we as fans can do is sit back and watch because both of these teams in their own way are fun to watch.

It was only a year ago. Twelve months. I went to the cactus league for the first time. So many conversations. The tone was always the same.

In Surprise, taking in the Dodgers and Royals:

“You’re Dodgers fans, huh?” A combination of giddiness and sorrow on the face of the man with the “KC” hat.

Out to dinner at Grimaldi’s in Scottsdale:

“… .” Silence. It’s the worst thing you can hear from a fan of the opposition. There was virtually no trash talking. It means, we don’t care about you because you don’t pose any threat to us. Those orange and black-clad Giants fans turned out to be right too. The Giants won last year’s World Series.

New Dodgers ownership has shown willingness to take chances with players like Hyun-Jin Ryu and fans are paying attention. By Owen Main

Between last year’s spring training and the end of the 2012 season, a lot happened for the Dodgers. The team was sold to an ownership group that proved their commitment to winning almost instantly with a pair of blockbuster trades. First there was Hanley Ramirez. Then there was the  trade for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, and Carl Crawford. In a few short months, the ownership group created a buzz around the team that endured the offseason and has fans more excited this year than any in recent memory.

“The one thing that I didn’t know coming in because it was so new is how awesome the ownership group was. They’re awesome,” said Adrian Gonzalez, who played 36 games for the Dodgers after being traded from the Red Sox. “They’ve got one thing in mind and that’s to win and it’s great to be a part of.”

Even when they made the playoffs, getting over the hump to being true contenders year after year was never in the cards. The previous ownership group seemed to want to win just enough games to keep fans coming. The new ownership group wants to win. Period. At all costs. This year, the Dodgers’ payroll is expected to top $200 million. 

After a hectic final six weeks of the season during last year’s pennant chase, the core player’s on this year’s version of the Dodgers has had more time to gel this Spring.

“Guys move around so much in the league now that everybody knows everybody,” said Gonzalez. “It was just a situation where we came in, we were a few games down in both the wild card and the division and it was like ‘you got to win, you got to win’ and that made it tough. I think we put a little pressure on ourselves and we tried too hard and things didn’t come out so it’s definitely a lot more settled knowing that we’ve got a full season to go through all the ups and downs.”

Last season, the Dodgers led the division as late as August before losing the National League West to the surging Giants, who ended up winning the World Series for the second time in two years. This year though, the Dodgers are in their first spring training with the new ownership group.

“Last spring training everybody was anticipating new ownership and all that stuff and this year everything’s more settled,” said second-baseman Mark Ellis. “The feeling’s good. Expectations are high, which is good. We accept those expectations and we’re excited to get going. I think everybody’s just anxious to get out of here and start playing the regular season.”

The team has also invested more than $100 million on stadium renovations in the offseason according to team president Stan Kasten, doing work on every level of the stadium to benefit “every single fan, whether it’s bathrooms, concessions, concourses, artwork,” said Kasten.

After testing out the new digs during the freeway series this weekend, the Dodgers will begin the season on Opening Day — April 1st — at 1:10 pm vs. the Giants.

Everyone else is doing top-10 lists for this year, so I thought I’d weigh-in. Here is my list of the top sports things that happened that I wrote about or covered at some point in 2012. You may disagree on the order (sorry Giants fans), but here is my end of year top-10.

Kristaan Ivory’s nose for the end zone helped Cal Poly upset FBS Wyoming in Laramie early in the 2012 college football season. By Owen Main

10. The Warriors and Clippers are kind of relevant

The Clippers started their march toward relevancy when Blake Griffin was drafted. Signing Chris Paul last offseason and a group of other really solid players this past offseason has put them squarely in first place in the Pacific Division with a 25-6 record. The Clippers have won 17 straight games and look like they could be serious contenders with Oklahoma City for the best record in the West. While the Lakers have been a bevvy of turmoil, Donald Sterling’s team has become really good. Those are words I never thought I’d utter.

As for the “Clippers North,” Golden State has started to reap the benefit of new ownership and the consistency of Mark Jackson‘s system. The Warriors are 21-10, would be the 4-seed if the playoffs started today, and are currently 5 1/2 games ahead of the Lakers. Yep, almost halfway through the NBA season the Warriors and Clippers both have better records than the Lakers. By far.

9. The Giants won the World Series… Again

This one would have been higher, except that SLO County is split between Dodgers fans and Giants fans. For the second time in three years, the Giants are World Champions. As much as it sickens me to say it, the Giants had to make this list. They have done it in every way a big market team dreads. Pitching, defense, timely and patient hitting have been hallmarks. The Giants have taken really great pitching and key no-name players and done what their cross-bay rivals never could — brought home the trophy.

As a side note, the World Series trophy will visit the Central Coast again around Valentine’s Day. I don’t know why they’re bringing both of their two whole trophies they’ve won in San Francisco, but they are. And you can be there to get your picture taken with it or something. I’ll probably be there with my camera and some Dodgers gear on.

8. The Lakers keep themselves relevant, but at what cost?

With the offseason acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, the Lakers looked like they were creating a dream team of their own to compete with Oklahoma City and Miami. The only question in fans’ minds was whether Mike Brown was the right guy for the job.

The answer, as was always the case, was a resounding “no.” Brown was let-go just five games into the season and the Lakers have struggled to stay at or around .500. They are 9 games behind the Clippers, in third place in the Pacific Division, and in 10th place in the Western Conference. In other words, if the playoffs began today, they’d be out. Not out of home-court advantage. Out of the playoffs. The team has been front-page news all year, which is what is really important in Los Angeles, but it hasn’t gotten them any closer to a title. Yet.

As a side note here, how much is their coaching situation like the movie Gladiator? Phil Jackson could be Russell Crowe, Jim Buss could be Commodus (the Joaquin Phoenix character), Jerry Buss as Marcus Aurelius, and Jeanie Buss as Princess Lucilla. It could work. Here’s the Gladiator IMDB page.

7. The Dodgers get new ownership

The Guggenheim group, led by Magic Johnson, won the bidding war for Los Angeles’ most valuable sports franchise. In doing so, they erased about a decade of questionable ownership decisions (see #1 below) and moved the Dodgers firmly out of “Laughing Stock” category as a franchise. If the Giants hadn’t won the World Series it would be even better. Even so, Dodger fans can look toward a future that’s a lot brighter than it had been.

Dylan Royer’s sharp shooting helped Cal Poly muster a huge upset in Westwood. By Will Parris

6. The Dodgers new ownership spends A LOT of money

Having new owners isn’t the only thing that got Dodger fans’ hearts pumping this year. In August, the Dodgers traded for Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto. Punto aside, that’s a lot of unrealized talent and payroll to take on all at once. Adding the star power of Gonzalez along with the depth of Beckett and possible awesomeness of Crawford made a lot of Dodger fans really happy. Alongside newly aquired Hanley Ramirez, the former Red Sox couldn’t put a dent in the Giants’ World Series run, but they give the Dodger faithful hope for the future.

With the addition of ace Zack Grienke this offseason, the Dodgers will have (BY FAR) the biggest payroll in baseball in 2013. Whether it brings a World Series back to Los Angeles is yet to be seen, but it makes up for some of the frugal heartache Dodger fans have experienced over the past few years. Again, reason to be hopeful for those of us who bleed Dodger blue.

5. The Angels keep up with the Joneses (Guggenheims)

An argument could be made that the new Dodgers ownership actually had to do what they did to keep up with Arte Moreno. Though they didn’t make the playoffs, the Angels were (arguably) the most talented team in baseball in 2012. Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Jered Weaver, and a pitching staff that looked (on paper) like the best rotation in baseball created a fervent preseason buzz around the Orange County team. The season itself was a disappointment, but the spending of Arte Moreno set the bar for and put the pressure on the Dodgers’ new ownership to spend the same way.

In the offseason, the Angels got their hands on Josh Hamilton. Mike Scioscia will be stacking-up Mike Trout, Hamilton, and Pujols in a lineup that should have no trouble drawing attention. The Angels remain relevant and, in Southern California, that is of the utmost importance.

4. Cal Poly football wins in Wyoming

It was early-on in what would be one of the most storied FCS seasons Cal Poly football has ever seen. A lot of things lined up right for the Mustangs including a down season from Wyoming, a Cal Poly team that was coming into their own, and some big plays early-on in the game. Being in Laramie and hearing that big crowd go quiet was pretty incredible. Withstanding Wyoming’s comeback bid and winning the game launched the Mustangs into as successful a season as they’ve ever had in FCS.

3. Cal Poly footabll wins the Big Sky Conference title and makes the playoffs

In their first season in the Big Sky Conference, Cal Poly earned a share of the conference title and a playoff birth. As a part of the Big Sky, Cal Poly can rest assured that winning their conference alone will guarantee them a playoff birth, something they could never rely on in the Great West.

A season like they one they had in 2012 should boost recruiting for Tim Walsh and could help Cal Poly to be a consistent FCS contender.

2. Cal Poly basketball upsets 11th-ranked UCLA

It was simply the greatest win in the history of Cal Poly basketball. On November 25, Cal Poly visited UCLA for the second time in three years. It was Shabazz Muhammad’s first home game at the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion. Keeping the game close would have been a successful road trip.

Instead Dylan Royer, a senior from Los Osos, drilled six 3-pointers en route to 18 points and Cal Poly scored the signature program win.

The day Frank McCourt no longer owned the Dodgers was a great day for Los Angeles. By Jake N. (Mrmiscellanious) (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just remind myself that the Dodgers are no longer owned by McCourt. It’s always a reliably uplifting experience, speaking to the atrocity that was the McCourt ownership. I’m sure that there are even worse owners still in play in sports, but McCourt used my team like a disposable bank account and was rewarded with over $1 billion profit on the sale of the team. It still makes me sick when I think too much about it and for that, the cessation of McCourt’s ownership is my number 1 story of the season.

The Dodgers signing Zach Greinke shouldn’t surprise anyone as they were the frontrunners for the right-hander all along. But why stop here? The Dodgers, having all the money they obviously do, should take a chance and sign 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton and then trade Andre Ether. The move would give the Dodgers an outfield trio of Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford. It would instantly be the best outfield in baseball. While this move is unlikely, GM Ned Colletti has a history of keeping to himself and then unveiling a huge move.

With the addition of Zach Grienke, among others, Dodgers owners are hoping the stadium is more full than this next year. By Adam_sk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

As of right now, with more possible moves to come, the Dodgers have put themselves in a position to be considered on the short list of “title favorites”. The new ownership wants to spend money and so far have shown no relunctancy to do so.

Dodger fans should be excited for this upcoming season. They haven’t had this kind of preseason chance to make the World Series since the team last made an appearance in the fall classic (1988). So buckle up Dodger fans, this should be a great season! And to Giant fans: the NL West just got a whole lot more competitive.

Potential Dodgers Starting Rotation in 2013:

1. Clayton Kershaw (LHP)
2. Zach Greinke (RHP)
3. Ryu Hyun-jin/Beckett/Billingsley
4. Josh Beckett/Billingsley/Hyun-jinn
5. Chad Billingsley/Hyun-jin/Beckett

Starting Lineup:

1. Mark Ellis (2B)
2. Carl Crawford (LF)
3. Matt Kemp (CF)
4. Adrian Gonzalez (1B)
5. Hanley Ramirez (SS)
6. Andre Ethier (SS)
7. Luis Cruz (3B)
8. A.J. Ellis (C)
9. Pitcher

Bullpen:

Ted Lilly, could be traded or start (LHP)

Aaron Harang, could be traded (RHP)

Chris Capuano, could be traded (LHP)

Matt Guerrier (RHP)

Scott Elbert (LHP)

Javy Guerra (RHP)

Ronald Belisario (Set-up Man)

Kenley Jansen (Set-up Man)

Brandon League (Closer)

Bench:

Nick Punto (Infielder)

Dee Gordon, could be traded (SS)

Jerry Hairston Jr. (Outfielder)

Ellan Herrera (3B)

My prediction is that the Dodgers will probably sign Blanco for 8 years, $80 million during the off-season — because we know how much the Dodgers like those recycled Giants. Speaking of the Dodgers, we talked about them as well. In case you are wondering, Adrian Gonzalez is actually only 30 years old, a full year younger than me. That makes him almost a year and a half younger than Matt. Carl Crawford is 31, but younger than me. Josh Beckett was the old man in the trade. He is 32. One year older than me. That settles that.

Matt used the word “Machiavellian,” which is notable. He will hopefully be a regular contributor to the podcast to give some Bay-Area perspective to our Central Coast and Southern California-biased blog. Hope you enjoy.

THAT is a happy Giants fan aka Matt Dale.