OMG. I think I brought Manny to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a deal
that makes the Lakers' Gasol deal seem equitable by comparison. A
couple of days ago, on the way to my single most disappointing meal in Paris, I was prompted to do my part in ending the Dodgers cursed ways. The second-best team in L.A., by quite a distance now, needed to get better if there was any hope of contending for th NL title.

My ties to Cleveland mean I was conflicted even about the deal for Casey Blake. So in France I decided to cut the cord. Or, more precisely, clip the band.

The
band is a formerly yellow plastic dealie of the sort you get in a
nightspot — only mine sits ’round the shoulder strap of my Manhattan
Portage
bag. And, sadly, my band ties me to the Los Angeles Dodgers’
under-performance. A clubhouse attendant put it on the bag last
September 15, when he checked it. I was about to hang out in the home
locker room up on Chavez
Ravine, waiting to chat up Andre Ethier about Ethiopian food, as I
really
wanted to get him into the mag I was editing.

Schmoozing with the young star went fine, but the Dodgers went south,
dropping seven consecutive games after that day of my visit. They were
out of the playoff hunt within the week. Over the winter and through
their current half-assed season I’ve come to think I jinxed them. I
blame me at least as much as the young team’s inconsistency.

So
I cut the band this morning, before I even unpacked fully. Before I
became reconnected with clarity. And look at the results. Who needs a
GM, or even preparation? On Wednesday I had awakened at 5:30 in Paris
and hopped the 7:20 train to London. Then I caught a jet from Heathrow,
after coffee with my girl and my buddy at the British Library. And I was so late for flights that I never did cop that issue of Baseball Weekly or log on to ESPN. I don’t know more about sports than what IHT
or news or Info Sports can tell me. I don’t know what any of the trades
mean in baseball’s big picture. However, I can tell you that I’ve done all I can to make sure the Dodgers go deep into the playoffs.

Donnell Alexander is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Sports & Fitness. He posts Mondays and Thursdays.