Dodgers Fans

Maybe it would be easier if L.A. Yankees' ownership offered Bud Selig a sackful of cash and he can just declare them honorary champions. Vernon Martinazzi Huntington Beach :: Don Mattingly had a dream of managing the New York Yankees. Who would have guessed it would come true in Los Angeles? Paul Zimmelman Marina del Rey :: I take exception to Bill Shaikin's depiction of the Dodgers as the West Coast version of the Yankees [Aug. 26]. The Yankees got their reputation by outbidding every other MLB team for free agents, signing them to ridiculous contracts, and essentially buying an All-Star team.

Adrian Beltre has been on quite a tear lately for the Texas Rangers. In his last eight games, the veteran third baseman is hitting .385 with six home runs and 13 RBIs. That includes a three-home run game and another in which he hit for the cycle last week, plus a three-for-three, four-RBI performance with another home run to lead the Rangers over the Tampa Bay Rays, 6-5, Monday night. “He's locked in,” Rangers Manager Ron Washington said. Over his last 65 games, Beltre is hitting .332 with 15 homers, 14 doubles and 44 RBIs.

Say it ain't so, Clueless Joe. In Wednesday morning's report on the Dodgers' loss to the Giants, Joe Blanton said he threw the ball well. That's what is important, of course, Clueless Joe feeling really good about his own work while the Dodgers lose. "I felt it was the best I've thrown since I've been here," he says. But if that's all he's got, warm up the bullpen. He was so bad, Dodgers fans were booing him in the first inning. It was a huge game against the anemic-hitting Giants, and the fans let Blanton know they weren't pleased.

It was a volatile mix to begin with, opinionated and outspoken Bobby Valentine managing a club coming off a highly disappointing and turbulent 2011 season in a city with a rabid media and fan base. And now it has blown up in the face of the Boston Red Sox with the gory details of a July 26 player mutiny exposed by Yahoo Sports. Several players, including Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia, reportedly blasted Valentine to owners John Henry and Larry Lucchino and lobbied for a change, the last straw coming when Valentine left popular left-hander Jon Lester in to give up 11 runs in a July 22 loss to Toronto.

Dodgers fans are still celebrating the 50-game suspension of San Francisco Giants star Melky Cabrera for using a banned substance, which could very well end the Giants' hopes of defeating Los Angeles for the National League West title. But there's no joy in Bay City. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that even the Giants players have turned against Cabrera, casting serious doubt on whether he will ever again appear in an orange-and-black uniform. What's less clear is whether they're mad at him for cheating, or mad at him for cheating so inexpertly.

I took a two-week vacation figuring you people needed it. By my calculations I missed five Sparks' games and Stan Kasten's letter to Dodgers fans proclaiming, "Dodger pride is back. " I guess first place is something entirely different. Maybe they get that back, maybe they don't. As for Magic and when he might be back, a Dodgers' spokesman texted to say he couldn't recall the last time Magic was at Dodger Stadium, but would check to see whether if he will ever return.

Kate Upton may have found herself a new man. That's good news for many people -- the new man (obviously), as well as fans of the New York Jets and whichever National League team ends up playing in the World Series. But it could be devastating news for fans of the Detroit Tigers and the American League representative in the World Series, not to mention all those Tim Tebow fanatics out there just counting the seconds until their idol takes the field again. OK, so Upton -- the bikini model best known for appearing on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and showing off her dance moves all over the Internet -- apparently has been seen out and about in Detroit recently with Tigers ace pitcher Justin Verlander.

Where's Magic Johnson been? You know, the supposed face of the new Dodgers ownership group. The guy who repeatedly promised he'd be at Dodger Stadium every single day. Only, of course, he hasn't been at the stadium every day. He's hardly been there at all. In the two months Guggenheim Baseball Management has owned the team, he's taken in a ballgame maybe a half-dozen times. So where's he been? He's been in Bristol, Conn. He's been in New York. He's been in the French Riviera.

When I met with Dodgers President Stan Kasten on Monday, I told him what a great guy I was. I see no reason not to accentuate the positive. I told him in the past when I received email from fans complaining about stadium experiences gone sour I would pass them on to the team to get fixed. If fixed, I wouldn't make the complaint public. If not, I would. Kasten said I should do the same with him, "but don't overwhelm me with emails," he said. I took exception, a little surprised the Dodgers wouldn't want to address every complaint given the dramatic fall-off in attendance.

Someone wanted to know how it went with Stan Kasten , the Dodgers' new president, now that I have love in my heart after seeing a spiritualist. Here's what Kasten had to say Monday when we came together to commune: "I'm entitled to say, 'no comment.' I'm entitled to evade. I'm entitled to change the subject. " How do you think it went? Maybe Kasten is an acquired taste. Maybe he will turn out to be what the Dodgers need to make an economic go of it after being left bankrupt.