"They are just not THAT Good

Back in April a good friend of mine told me that the Dodgers, "Aren't that good". "You'll see", he said, "They aren't going to go anywhere". Take in to consideration that he made this claim at a time when the Dodgers had won 12 home games in a row and the Giants were still within a relative striking distance. I have had his words on my mind all year as one success led to another and another and another. I watched game after game trying to dissect the Dodger team from a purely baseball perspective. (I absolutely admit I am a homer). I found a lot of things about this years team both positive and negative.
In the early parts of the year the biggest concern was an untested bullpen in particular the middle relief. Over the months those concerns have been put to rest by the aquisition of Baltimore closer George Sherrill and the coming of age of youngsters Ronald Belisario and Ramon Troncoso. The Dodger bullpen is now one of the best in all of baseball.
The Manny Ramirez suspension was next and Juan Pierre stood up and was counted. Most experts were talking about, "This is the chance the rest of the National League West needed", but Pierre played at an All Star level and proved how deep this team really is. Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney proved to be the core of a Dodger lineup that never waited for the three run home run. They simply went out and hit singles until they scored enough to win. Here we are in late September, a team that did without the one bonafied superstar in the lineup for 50 games and is about to enter the playoffs ranked at or near the top of the league in batting average, RBI's and on base percentage.
I was talking about this with a neighbor over the weekend when it struck me. Without reservation we are watching the finest top to bottom Dodger lineup in the Los Angeles Dodgers history. I tried to match them up and there were great players at every position but never assembled out there at one time. This has come at a moment in time when the young kids have come in to their own at the same time. Ned Colletti has brought in talent that has meshed well, both in personality and a baseball fit. Eight guys that get along. Eight guys that can get it done. Eight guys that I believe will not stop until the final task has been accomplished.
Martin, Loney, Hudson, Furcal, Blake, Ramirez, Kemp and Ethier taking thier places next to Garvey, Wills, Moon, Cey, Roseboro, Baker, Davis and Parker. The 6'th World Championship in the Dodger's Los Angeles era. It is theirs to take and ours to enjoy. 1988 never seemed so long ago as it does right now.
As for my friends claim? He was wrong. Oh so wrong. The Dodgers are that good, in fact better than I could have imagined back in April. Let us savor this year and enjoy it as it unfolds! 6 World titles. And my friends Giants? Like the photo above cries out..... Zero, Nada, Zilch. Hmmmm, maybe he was talking about San Francisco when he said, "They're not that good", and I simply misunderstood. Sorry Dude.