FanHouse Jason Johnson

Adios ... Amigos.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The funny thing about the Dodgers is that it's really, really easy to forget that before Manny Ramirez rode in on his dreadlocked donkey like a free-swinging Don Quixote, well, they were basically just your run of the mill mediocre baseball team.

Ned Colletti was, justifiably, on the hot seat, Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre were gathering larddustballs on the bench, and despite some pretty good pitching, there wasn't enough offense to limp the team towards a .500 National League West-winning record and OMG JOE TORRE FAIL.

But Manny did show up, and he did play the role of hero. The Dodgers streaked into the playoffs, the fans started flocking back to Chavez Ravine in their imitation 'locks and then Los Angeles shocked the world by sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS. Nowhere to go up but, right? Um, actually, no.

In the Playoff Pulse series, our MLB editor takes on a hot October topic.

These aren't your daddy's Dodgers, you know the franchise that had one playoff win in the last 20 years. Heck, these Dodgers barely resemble the team that was lagging behind the Diamondbacks and below the .500 mark in the NL West three months ago.

The Cubs found that out the hard way in the NLDS, and the Phillies (or Brewers) could be in for a similarly rude awakening in the next round.

Los Angeles won 84 games this season -- the fewest of any postseason team. It's worth noting that the last playoff team to win so few games -- the 83-78 2006 Cardinals -- went on to the World Series. But that team had Jeff Weaver and Anthony Reyes in the rotation and hit an extraordinary hot streak at the right time. This Dodgers team does not need to go on a fluke hot streak to win it all. It is much better than its 84 wins would suggest.

It will be all too easy to point to the Manny Ramirez trade as the key turning point in Los Angeles' season. His impact is undeniable. He hit close to .400 over the final two months of the regular season and he had two home runs in the three-game sweep.

But Ramirez is only part of a radical in-season makeover that has turned the Dodgers from an expensive flop into an NLCS team.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Arizona Diamondbacks (57-53) at Los Angeles Dodgers (55-55)- 4:10 PM EST
Did you hear? Manny Ramirez hit a home run last night! He plays for the Dodgers now! He might cut his hair! Manny being Manny hype aside, the Dodgers win last night pulled them to within two games of the Diamondbacks in the NL West. A win today makes it one, while a loss keeps them three back. Since the Manny trade, people have acted like the Dodgers winning the NL West is a foregone conclusion. The Diamondbacks have Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Randy Johnson, making it far from a sure thing that they're going to just hand the division over. None of those guys start today, though, and it's Doug Davis against Jason Johnson. Davis got shelled in his last outing against the Dodgers, so maybe this thing is about to get a little closer.

Just Monday we informed you that David Wells is a Type 2 diabetic (and we presented the conversation with manager Bud Black informing him of the news). We have now come to find out that Wells isn't the only player on his team who has experience with diabetes.

[Scott] Cassidy, 31, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in July 2000.
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Nearly seven years later, Cassidy feels as healthy as he did before the diagnosis. He has a handle on his diet, his life and his body.

In addition to Cassidy, Doug Brocail, the man responsible for the recent bad blood between the Rockies and Padres, had to change his lifestyle after undergoing two angioplasties for blockage of his coronary arteries.

Brocail said he has made the adjustment with ease. And now the veteran reliever -- who sits two stalls away from Wells in the Padres' spring clubhouse -- is providing the 43-year-old starter with a wealth of advice. "My biggest thing was having a whiskey with the boys and to stop (chewing tobacco)," Brocail said. "(Wells and I) talk about it every day. We sat down and he said 'Damn, I have to start following your diet.' I said, 'Look, its simple.' "
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And he's helping Wells understand that pasta, fast food and alcohol can't be part of his daily regimen.

It's nice to have that type of support within the clubhouse -- you know, because fast food and alcohol are the staples of an athlete's diet.

Previously at FanHouse:
David Wells Changes His Lifestyle
David Wells Is Giving Up Beer Because of Diabetes
Padres and Rockies Bad Blood Continues