Dodgers @ MindSay

OK, football is still played in the US. But so is Baseball and the play-offs are just starting. How about some chatter about Bonds' last game. F. Alou leaving in a huff. Who will be back with the Giants and who should care. Then there's who's left standing this October and whether anyone can beat the Yankees again. Everyone seems to be stumbling onto the field and into the sunset. Do the Dodgers have enough to take the NL? Can the A's take the Yankees with small ball? Does a team win the ring or can an assemblage of stars do it? I'm enjoying your writing. I'll keep checking in.

-Urant

I apologize for my tunnel vision, I can't help myself.  But this is what I need to keep my from being too one-dimensional.  So, in response...

The Giants could have 11 free agents this offseason depending on whether options are picked up.  That list includes  Barry Bonds, Jason Schmidt, Ray Durham, Steve Finley, Moises Alou, Pedro Feliz, Shea Hillenbrand, Todd Greene, Steve Kline, Mike Stanton, and Jamie Wright.  Who does that leave in the Opening Day starting lineup for next season?  Randy Winn in center, Omar Vizquel at short, Mike Matheny at catcher (has he even recovered from that concussion yet?) and Matt Cain at pitcher.  Other than that, the Giants are looking at guys like Lance Niekro and Todd Linden on their current roster.

If there ever was a time to rebuild, now is it.  First, bring Bonds back for one more year.  Yes it will be expensive, yes he is too old and can't run anymore, and yes he is a distraction to his teammates.  But how often does the opportunity come along to have the home run record broken in your team's uniform.  The Giant's need to consider that simple historical accomplishment, but they should consider the fact that Barry is a hometown boy who has given San Francisco the best year of his career.  I don't care if it will be expensive to resign him.  Owner Peter Magowan will make it all back in ticket sales and merchandise, not to mention the fact that baseball does not have a salary cap.  It simply comes down to whether or not Magowan wants to spend the money.  If I were to take a guess, I think he will.

As for the rest of the free agents, I think Schmidt needs to come back.  He still has a few good years in him, and Cain isn't ready to take over as the ace (and don't even mention Matt Morris in that role).  Ray Durham looked fantastic the second half of the season, and I think bringing him back for a year or two would be a smart move to keep a switch hitter who can bat anywhere in the lineup.  Feliz has potential, but I've heard that once too often at this point.  The guy is 31 years old, how much potential can someone have at that age?  So that's what I think should happen.  Bring back Bonds, bring back Schmidt, bring back Durham, and cut ties with eveyone else.  As a last note, I urge the Giants to build around Matt Cain.  The kid is legit and looks like he could be in the mold of Roger Clemons.  It may be blasphemy to make the comparison, but he has all the tools to do it.

But let's move away from the sad state of the Giants to the always-exciting baseball postseason.  After a long, long, long regular season, the games finally take on some real significance.

ALDS:

Tigers vs. Yankees:  I would love nothing more than for Detroit to win.  They have had a remarkable turnaround since losing 119 games in 2003, 90 in 2004, and 91 last season.  Likewise, I hate the Yankees.  Unfortunately, Detroit needs another year or two learn how to play in big games.  Believe it or not, the Yanks already know how to do that.  I relize the Yanks have no pitching, but the Tigers have been in a bad slump and have too many yound players.

A's vs. Twins:  I love this matchup.  Here are two of the best teams at getting the most out of anemic payrolls, who also tend to get bounced from the playoffs early.  Well at least one of them will make it to the ALCS, and the team to do it will be the Twins.  The A's offense depends too much on Frank Thomas, and if he has an 0-4 day they will probably get blanked by a solid Twins pitching staff.  Minnesota, on the other hand, has guys like Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Torii Hunter who everyone has heard about, as well as guys like Michael Cuddyer who has hit 24 home runs with 109 RBI this season.  As best as I can tell, the Twinkies have a better offense and better pitching and will win the series in 5 or 6 games.

ALCS: Twins over Yankees.  I don't think it will actually happen, but I can hope.

NLDS:

Dodgers vs. Mets:  My pride will not allow me to analyze this matchup.  The Dodgers suck.  I don't care who they have on their team.  They will lose in four games.  Go Giants!

Cardinals vs. Padres:  This will probably surprise some people, but I'm going to take the Cardinals.  The Cardinals have been in a big slump, and pitching, in which the Pads also have an advantage, wins in the playoffs.  What needs to be considered is who that pitching will be facing.  San Diego will be facing the like of Scott Rolen, Jim Edmonds, Preston Wilson, and a little guy going by the name Pujols.  That lineup can make any pitcher look like he belongs in AAA.  The St. Louis pitchers will be throwing aganist Mike Cameron (.268 Ave, 22 HR, 83 RBI), Brian Giles (.263 Ave, 14 HR, 83 RBI), and Mike Piazza (.283, 22, 68).  Those are the 2,3,4 batters in their lineup, respectively.  That won't scare anyone, particularly St. Louis pitchers who are used to being in the playoffs every year.

NLCS: St. Louis over New York.  We have seen it year after year recently.  Just because a team has been consistenly good all year does not mean they will win in the playoffs.  The key is getting hot, as a team, at just the right time.  I think the Mets have gotten too comfortable at the top, and the Cards will be feeling very good after catching fire offensively against the Padres.  Throw in Pedro Martinez being hurt, and the Cards take it in 6 games.

World Series:

Minnesota over St. Louis.  Pitching wins, and the Twins have more of it than St. Louis.  I think it will be that simple.  As long as they can score a couple runs each game, Minnesota should cruise in 5.

Hopefully this will convince Steinbrener to stop buying the entire league and let Torre put together a TEAM instead of a group of superstars.

(Quick note about the 49ers:  It appears that the starting right tackle job is actually Adam Snyder's to lose.  Even though he is starting at left guard right now for Larry Allen, once Allen gets healthy, which is about 3-4 weeks away, he will take the starting right tackle job from Kwame Harris.  All Snyder has to do is not screw up.)

As always, comments, critiques and suggested topics are welcome by replying here or by emailing me at KONsports@yahoo.com.

LOS ANGELES -- Free agent infielder Nomar Garciaparra has agreed to terms to join the Dodgers, according to reports by ESPN and the New York Post.

A club official on Sunday would not confirm the report.

Garciaparra, 32, is expected to be the No. 5 hitter and first baseman in a dramatically rebuilt infield. New general manager Ned Colletti previously signed Garciaparra's former Boston Red Sox teammate, Bill Mueller, to play third base and former Atlanta Brave Rafael Furcal to bat leadoff and play shortstop, joining holdover All-Star second baseman and cleanup hitter Jeff Kent.

The Dodgers aggressively pursued Garciaparra for his bat, not his glove. The most critical current need, in the view of Colletti, is a fifth hitter to bat behind Kent, their only consistent run producer in 2005. Garciaparra, a five-time All-Star, is considered by Colletti to be the best available candidate.

According to the reports, Garciaparra agreed to a one-year contract worth a base salary of $6 million with incentives that could increase its value to $8 million. He earned $8.25 million in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs. The deal is contingent on Garciaparra passing a physical and, according to the ESPN report, finalizing "contract details."

For a Dodgers club that was decimated by injuries in 2005, Garciaparra would come at some medical risk. He was limited to 81 games in 2004 and 62 in 2005 because of Achilles tendon and groin muscle injuries, respectively, after playing in only 21 games in 2001 because of a wrist injury. But he's also won batting titles in 1999 and 2000 and driven in more than 95 runs in six different seasons.

Garciaparra has made three postseason appearances with the Red Sox and was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1997, when he won the Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting shortstop in a league that included Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2004, missing out on Boston's World Series championship three months later.

Garciaparra would be reunited with new Dodgers manager Grady Little, his Boston manager in 2002 and 2003, and former Red Sox teammates Mueller and Derek Lowe. He might also contribute to a bottleneck of infielders if and when Cesar Izturis returns from major elbow surgery, estimated around midseason, so playing the outfield is a possibility.

In addition to the Dodgers, Garciaparra was pursued by the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros.

The Dodgers also are in pursuit of outfielders Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders to round out a renovated lineup.

"The problem is, he doesn't know how to deal with African-American people," Bradley said. "I think that's what's causing everything. It's a pattern of things that have been said - things said off the cuff that I don't interpret as funny. It may be funny to him, but it's not funny to Milton Bradley. But I don't take offense to that because we all joke about race in here. Race is an issue with everything we do in here.

Me being an African-American is the most important thing to me - more important than baseball," said the 27-year-old center fielder, whose voice never went beyond his normal speaking level. "White people never want to see race - with anything. But there's race involved in baseball. That's why there's less than 9 percent African-American representation in the game. I'm one of the few African-Americans that starts here."

Bradley did not like what Kent said to him after Bradley failed to score from first base on a double in Saturday's victory over the Marlins. Bradley initiated a 25-minute closed-door meeting with manager Jim Tracy after that game.

"I was told in spring training I was the team leader by Paul DePodesta. By Jim Tracy. By Frank McCourt," Bradley said of the Dodgers' general manager, manager and owner. "Growing up in LA, I know how to deal with all types of people, and I do it on an everyday basis. But some people don't deal with all different types of people every day, and therefore don't know how to handle situations when they arise."

Bradley accused the media of coming to his locker first Tuesday because he is black. Kent had not yet arrived at his locker.

"At no time am I going to let somebody question my hustle, my injury or question my motivation for playing," Bradley said. "I watch him on the field, and I follow in his footsteps and the things he does on the field. As far as off the field, he has no clue about leadership.

"If you're going to be the leader of the team, then the need to mingle with the team and associate with the team. I mean, you can't have your locker in the corner, put your headphones in and sit in the corner reading a motocross magazine. He's in his own world. Everybody else is in this world."

Kent, a former NL MVP who feuded with Barry Bonds in San Francisco, defended himself following Bradley's accusations.

"He can go ahead and say those types of things, and it comes from an incident that he still doesn't get. And that's a shame," Kent said. "If you think that I've got a problem with African-Americans, then go talk to Dusty Baker. Go talk to Dave Winfield, who took me under his wing. Go talk to Joe Carter - all the guys that I idolized in this game and all the veteran players who taught me how to play this game.

"That's a shame, and I take offense to that. That's just absolutely pathetic if it comes from his mouth."