Marked Manny

Last year, the answer seemed to be almost anything.

With the Dodgers crawling down another dead-end road of mediocrity, Manny Ramirez fell out of the sky and showed up at Dodger Stadium at the trade deadline with his trademark dreadlocks, loose-fitting uniform and goofy smile.

The place was never the same.

Not only did Ramirez put a face on a faceless franchise, he single-handedly transformed an anemic offense by hitting .396 with 17 home runs and 53 runs batted in 53 games and took the Dodgers to their first National League Championship Series in two decades.

Injecting life into a team that had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball is one thing. Helping a team with a rotation that lost Derek Lowe and a bullpen full of unknowns is another.

Especially in a year when Ramirez didn't report to camp until March because of often-bitter contract negotiations, resulting in his being limited to 28 plate appearances in the Cactus League.

Ramirez will turn 37 next month but looks as if he's trying to do everything he can to sustain the excitement that reverberated through Chavez Ravine last year, showing no signs that his inability to get the four-year, $100-million contract he wanted had turned him back into the malcontent who forced the Boston Red Sox to trade him.

"Manny's been everything we could've asked of him, really," Manager Joe Torre said. "He is a tireless worker. . . . His daily ritual never really changes. It doesn't matter if he's tired or if he's not tired. You can't tell. He gets that tee work done, he gets to the ballpark early whether we're on the road or at home."

With Ramirez batting third and Casey Blake eighth, the Dodgers' lineup could be one of the best in the National League.

The division they're in is very winnable, as several major league scouts have said this spring that it is weak even by its recent low standards.

San Francisco might have the best rotation in the NL, but its offense might be one of the worst. Arizona's bullpen has as many uncertainties as the Dodgers', and the Diamondbacks' lineup is also similar except in one major regard: They don't have Ramirez.

But for the Dodgers to do more than flame out in the first round of the playoffs and reach their first World Series in 21 years, at least three significant obstacles will have to be overcome.

Protect leads