The Dodgers have done enough to prove to everyone that they should be one of the elite teams in Major League Baseball this season. At this writing they have the best record by 3 ½ games and are the only teams with 30 wins. They've gone 10-7 without Manny, with 4 of those losses coming in the first five games of his suspension, so it's legitimate to say that after an understandable period of shock, they went right back to being dominant selves.

The Dodgers have outscored the rest of the National League by 19 runs despite being ranked 12th out of 16 teams in homeruns. Translated: the Dodgers are the most efficient offensive team in the league as their .302 average with runners on base suggests (leading that category by 18 points). All of this is paired up with the 2nd best staff ERA and the lowest BAA (batting average against) in all of baseball at .233. Throw in that they're also one the better fielding teams at .988 (good for 4th in the N.L.), and you can count me convinced.

I've watched every game and they don't get rattled and they don't play like they feel any pressure. They constantly keep the opposing team on their heels by consistently scoring runs in the first inning, giving their starter the confidence that often accompanies a lead to work with.

They're on pace to win 109 games, which would be the highest win total since the Mariners 116 in 2001. They actually share a lot statistical similarities with that Seattle club. The other thing they also have in common is potential lack of a 1-2 starting pitching punch that will make a difference in the postseason. That season the M's rotation had Freddie Garcia (18-6), Aaron Sele (15-5), Jai me Moyer (20-6) and Paul Abbott (17-4). They all had solid seasons but they were a staff full of #2 or #3 starters - no aces. Seattle survived the Indians in the first round that year, but Bartolo Colon and C.C. Sabathia were almost able to lead Cleveland to a first round upset as the series went the full five games. The Marniers luck ran out when they faced the Yankees and their big three of Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte. The team that won 116 regular season games didn't even get to the World Series.

Even the Yankees, with all of their great starting pitching years ago, couldn't overcome the D-Backs duo of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, who wound up being World Series co-MVP's. I was in Phoenix to watch Schilling start Game 7 and Johnson close it out for one of the most amazing Fall Classics of all time.

That is the only roadblock I can see for the Dodgers. Chad Billingsley is Step One. Clayton Kershaw could develop into Step Two but why take the chance? Go out and get Jake Peavy or Cliff Lee, and if Kershaw works out his inconsistencies, then they could have THREE great, stud starters to continue their regular season dominance deep into October. Otherwise, 2009 could be remembered as the great regular season that never became anything more than just that.

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The Dodgers just finished an impressive road trip against the Phillies and Marlins taking each series. Considering how bad they looked in the first game in Philly, the Dodgers showed heart, toughness and flat out dominance at the plate, on the mound and with their gloves. They passed their first real test after bullying the rest of the National League West all of April and half of May. They did it without Manny, though understandably stumbling a bit after his suspension.

Now, they need to pursue the one thing they lack that would make them the odds-on World Series favorite: get Cliff Lee. This is where it gets sticky. How do they do this? The Dodgers already dealt one of the top catching prospects in baseball, Carlos Santana, in a package to acquire Casey Blake, and their system isn't as deep as it used to be.

Pretend for a second that you're G.M. of the Dodgers, and the Indians called offering Lee and 1st baseman Victor Martinez for James Loney and Clayton Kershaw. Would you do it? Think about it for a bit before answering.

Martinez is a 30-year old 1st baseman hitting .401 with 7 homeruns and 26 RBI. Lee is also 30, is last year's AL Cy Young, has an ERA of an even 3 and is starting to pitch like his old self. Now imagine this line-up: Furcal, Hudson, Manny, Martinez, Ethier, Kemp, Martin, Blake with Lee and Chad Billingsley as the Dodgers starters in their first two playoff games.

I know a deal like this is not going to happen, but half of it has to. Cliff Lee, or an ace like him, needs to be a Dodger by the trade deadline or at the very least wind up in the American League. I don't want the Dodgers to face the Mets in the playoffs and have to go up against Johan Santana and Lee in the first two games or take on the Phillies again this time with Cole Hamels and Jake Peavy as the two starters.

The Dodgers have shown they have the muscle and finesse to be a consistent playoff contender and division winner. Now, I want them to be built to win in October and a proven ace to pair up with Billingsley is the last clip of ammo. Kershaw could develop into that someday, but if his pitching is inconsistent as the deadline approaches, the Dodgers might have to protect the present instead of planning for the future.

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I have some jerseys in my closet that haven't seen the sun in a long time. I used to wear them all the time. It was easy to wear them to work because I was doing a show and updates on the weekends at the old XTRA SPORTS 1150. I was in my late 20's and even though it was just barely starting to feel weird for me that a grown man would leave the house looking like he was in his Little League uniform, I figured that no one would see me on Saturday and Sunday nights, so why worry?

Then one weekend, I showed up to the studio in my Magic Johnson home Lakers jersey complete with the gold warm-ups. My boss happened to stroll into his office to get some work done and he saw me looking like a ball boy. All I needed to make the look complete was to hold a stack of towels. I felt embarrassed. I didn't feel like a professional. I felt like I was an adult trying to be a kid. The next day I decided that I would never wear a jersey to work ever again. I didn't get rid of my jersey stash, but the only time I would put one of them on is at home when I was watching a Dodgers, Lakers or CSUN basketball game, or when I used them as a night shirt.

A few months later I got the Dodgertalk job as I was traveling around with the club. It was my dream come true but I really had to resist wearing my Karros or Beltre jersey around Vero Beach. Since I couldn't trust myself, I packed up ALL of my jerseys, took them to my mom's garage and forgot about them.

As I looked around the Dodgertown complex on my first day, I saw four guys wearing the jerseys of the Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey infield. My first thought was, "What a group of losers. Why don't you four grow up?" Admittedly, it was a mean thing to think, but I had to have been rationalizing my own shame for subconsciously wishing I could join them with my Yeager jersey. That's, however, when I started to look at grown men wearing jerseys with disdain.

Now, I never had a problem with men wearing polo shirts with a team logo on the left chest. At least, I thought, it was big-boy clothes wearing a nice, collared shirt. Also, the Dodgers gave me a bunch of really nice shirts to wear when I was doing the Coke Quiz so that's why I let it slide.

In addition, I've never had an issue with women wearing jerseys. I've always thought it looks cool when a woman shows off her team pride. I just started to have a sense of contempt for men who seemed to want to pathetically hold on a piece of their childhood. Even Jay-Z on the Black Album released in 2003 rapped, "And I don't wear jerseys, I'm 30-plus. Give me a crisp pair of jeans... Button up." I took those words to heart... until now.

I'm getting close to 40, and I find myself lusting after the Adidas Lakers Magic Johnson Soul Swingman Road Jersey. I can't get it out of mind. I think about it 55 minutes out of every hour. I almost think I should just buy it so that I can release my brain from the prison it's currently in as a result of not having it. However, every time I imagine myself wearing it, I think about when and where I would do it? Not to work, not to the supermarket, but it's too sweet of a jersey to only wear around the house.

J.A. Adande told me it's OK to wear the jersey of a player that is older than you. For me, at my age, that means I would have to stick to strictly throwbacks, which is exactly why this Magic jersey makes sooooo much sense. This is why I need your advice. I will do whatever the first person that responds to this blog on Twitter@AListLive tells me to do. If you tell me to buy it, I will. If you tell me to forget about it, I will. How often will you get to have absolute power over the decision of a total stranger? Now please, help me out and tweet away.

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A. Martinez and Dave Dameshek discuss the best and worst jerseys for L.A. fans to be seen wearing. Considerations include: the aesthetic quality of the uniform's color scheme and individual number choice; the era the jersey evokes for local fans; and -- maybe most importantly -- how that player's style, attitude and success personify the history of L.A. sports. In other words, decisions were dictated as much by the heart and gut as the brain.

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It's been Hypocrite Heaven since Manny Ramirez was suspended as everyone on the radio, internet and print mounted their high-horse with their mouth watering to get to their next meal: a superstar they built up that they can't wait to chew up and spit out. "The Dodgers should release him" said one (they can't and won't). "This is a dark cloud over baseball" said another while at the same time privately speculating over which player might be the next to be found guilty of simply doing what it takes to be as prepared as possible for their job.

Anyone that has heard me on the radio over the last 10 years knows where I stand on the PED issue. To me, a level playing field means everyone gets and uses ANY and EVERYTHING whenever they want. I'd still be up for testing, but only to see what combination of PED's works best.

I know, I know, I'm in the media and I'm supposed to be outraged, shocked and saddened by Manny's positive test. I'm not. You see, I don't live in the press box with the rest of those credentialed, self-important and self-imagined "caretakers" of the game. I live around people that are actually PAYING to get into the stadiums to watch the same athletes that the media is reporting on. They're called fans. Remember them? They're the ones that ballplayers are performing for- not the Baseball Writers of America. They're the ones that most in the media are now completely out of touch with. They're the ones that buy the tickets, t-shirts and hot dogs that keep the sports industry going. It's amazing to me that the media-elite in this information age actually thinks that fans look to them to know what their opinion should be.

Here's the newsflash that the old-timers don't seem to want to accept: MOST FANS DON'T CARE THAT BALLPLAYERS ARE ON STEROIDS! The fans in the stands are the same ones that use pills and/or injections for depression, anxiety, weight-loss, energy, impotence, wrinkles, concentration, etc. The list could go on and on. In the big picture, this isn't just the Steroid Era in baseball- it's the Performance Enhancing Age in America. Everyone really should just learn to like it or at least live with it.

P.S. Frank Robinson thinks that guys like Manny should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame. Does Cooperstown belong to the players or the fans that made them famous? The concept of the Hall is to preserve fan memories. It shouldn't be used a political tool for bitter ex-greats.

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There are 11 owners in the 710 ESPN fantasy baseball league, and all of them work in and around the studios here at L.A. Live. We talk/complain about our teams to each other so much that I'm surprised we get any work done. In listening to all of the owners propose ridiculous trades to each other, I think I've got a sense of everyone's style if this were a club or bar.

WOODY ALLEN: This is the guy who looks at his team every second of the day and is never happy with what he sees. He could have five All-Stars in his line-up, two Cy Young Award winners and three 40-save closers on his pitching staff and never feel confident in what he's put together. This is the same guy who'll never make a move on a girl at a club because he thinks he's not good-looking enough. He'll agonize for hours and talk his way out of it even though he works out, has a good job, and owns his own home.

EAGER BEAVER: If there's one guy who's ALWAYS willing to make a trade, this is him. There's never any offer he won't listen to and he's likely to accept because he always needs to feel like there's something happening on roster. He can't stand to dance with the same girl for more than one song so he's always asking someone else to take a whirl. If a woman even glances in his direction, he thinks there's chance. All you have to do is walk by his desk and say, "I could really use some more steals," because then, the next you'll hear is, "I've got Carl Crawford just sitting on my bench. Wanna talk?"

MR. VANITY: His team is off to great start. Every player on his roster could be a candidate for National or American League Player of the Month. His team is good, and he loves telling everyone about it. "Do you realize this watch costs $10,000? Yeah baby, if you play your cards right maybe I'll drive you home in my new Bentley." Every other team in the league stinks, and unless she's 5'7 and 115 pounds, every woman at the bar isn't worth the time on that diamond-encrusted watch strapped to his wrist - not to mention the gold chains around his neck and the shades he's wearing indoors.

THE SHARK: Always looking to make a deal, he's also always trying convince you that he losing on every deal he makes, especially the one he's trying to make with you. "I walked all the way over here just to talk to you." If you don't agree RIGHT NOW, then this is what you get: "Look, baby, you are not the only girl here. If you don't want to dance, I'll just ask that redhead in the corner. I'm sure SHE'LL like what she sees." Don't worry about burning bridges with him because if you want him to come right back, all you have to do is flirt a trade in his direction.

STUART SMALLEY: This fantasy owner has five players on the DL, not a single hitter has a .200 batting average, the starting pitchers all have ERA's over 5.00 and the closers have 5 blown saves EACH. Despite all of that, he thinks that everything is just fine. Things will get better, and there's nothing to worry about. This is the guy with the beer-belly, mustard stains on his shirt, receding hairline, no job, no car or discernable reason to live, but he's convinced that if he stands at one end of the bar long enough, some woman will give him the time of day. May, April and June come and go, and he's still in last place. Midnight, 1 a.m... last call has come and gone with him still in Lonely-ville.

If I keep going I might really offend some of my co-workers, so I'll stop here, but if you're in a fantasy baseball league at work, use this as a guide if you ever feel like hanging out with some of the guys from the office outside of work. The way they run their teams is the way they'll run their game at the club, I guarantee it.

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