What's bad for the Dodgers is good for the Giants.

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Yes, that's how it works. The Sacramento Bee's (love that!) Bill Bradley writes:

Maybe the Giants have a chance to win the National League West after all.

That's because their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, are writing the script for a great Hollywood drama, with no happy ending in sight.

The owners of the Dodgers, Frank and Jamie McCourt, are getting a divorce. As part of those proceedings is an Aug. 30 trial to determine who will run the team. Oh, and Jamie is asking for $1 million a month in temporary spousal support.

So how will the divorce hurt the Dodgers as the season opens? First, it will mean the team will be a seller, not a buyer, at the trading deadline. Second, if the team falters early, it could replace manager Joe Torre with his cheaper bench coach, Don Mattingly.

Plus, their biggest offseason acquisitions were pitcher Ramon Ortiz, 36, and Garret Anderson, 37. Oh, and Manny Ramírez is in his contract year, which means he'll start pouting about June 15.

A few things: (1) The trial beginning August 30 is to determine who owns the team, not runs it. Nit-picky, yes, but a very important distinction; (2) Saying the team will be a seller is a little aggressive. And really, what sorts of players on this team are even sell candidates? Maybe Blake, Furcal, Kuroda, Padilla, and bullpen flotsam and jetsam. But certainly not the cost-controlled core of the team; (3) Replacing Torre with Mattingly wouldn't likely save a dime--Torre's under contract; and (4) Being in a contract year could well have the opposite effect with Manny--he needs to show he's still an elite hitter if he wants anything approaching his current deal.


Happy Tuesday! And happy baseball!
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