L.A.-cool Ramirez enjoying Dodgers' success

[October 09, 2008]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Sporting freshly trimmed, thick braids instead of his usual dreadlocks, Manny Ramirez has a slightly new look for the NL championship series to go with his reformed West Coast attitude.

On the field, it's the same old Manny. He just keeps hitting.

Ramirez changed the culture of the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading them to the playoffs with a dynamic performance after forcing his way out of Boston.

Riding their slugger's torrid hitting and a couple of masterful pitching performances, the Dodgers swept the heavily favored Chicago Cubs out of the first round. Getting past the Philadelphia Phillies and their strong pitching in the NLCS won't be that easy.

"They're the best team out there," Ramirez said Wednesday. "These guys are great. We don't think we are better than them, but the key in the playoffs is to get in and anything can happen."

Game 1 is Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with Derek Lowe (14-11) on the mound for the Dodgers against Cole Hamels (14-10).

Both teams have several outstanding players and a mix of interesting personalities, but all the focus was squarely on Ramirez the day before the opener. Cameras clicked and microphones followed the enigmatic left fielder everywhere he went before the Dodgers' workout.

Ramirez took it in stride.

"It's not my first rodeo," he said.

He was charming, witty and humble, sitting down for nearly 20 minutes and answering questions on a wide range of topics.

Manny loves California, but he hasn't learned to surf just yet. He doesn't have the patience to walk 200 times a year like Barry Bonds. He enjoys playing for manager Joe Torre.

Just don't ask Ramirez about his final days in Boston that ended with plenty of acrimony.

"I don't want to talk about the past," he said. "I don't look back. I move forward. I don't have anything bad to say about Boston."

That goes for all his critics, too.

"My teammates know what kind of guy I am. That's where I'll leave it," Ramirez said.

The 2004 World Series MVP, Ramirez already has two championship rings from his 7 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox. He wants another one with the Dodgers, who wouldn't be here without him.

Ramirez batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 regular-season games with Los Angeles. He made a tremendous impact off the field, too, loosening up the clubhouse with his loud music and showing teammates how to relax and have more fun.

"I think he fit us perfectly because of our youth," said Lowe, who also played with Ramirez in Boston. "It was great for our young hitters to see how a superstar goes about his daily business, how hard he prepares, how he doesn't let one pitch or one at-bat affect him."

Overall, Ramirez hit .332 with 37 homers and 121 RBIs this season. He continued to torment pitchers in the playoffs, going 5-for-10 with two homers, three RBIs and four walks against Chicago.

Ramirez has hit safely in 38 of his last 43 postseason games, with a .350 average during that span. His 26 postseason homers are the most in major league history.

Does that make him the real Mr. October?

"I just go out there and relax and try and do my best," he said.

Confident and modest, Ramirez leaves it to others to praise him.

"Manny has been their catalyst and he's helped everyone around him," said 45-year-old pitcher Jamie Moyer, scheduled to start Game 3 for the Phillies. "He exudes confidence. He's a guy who can adjust. Hitting in this ballpark has to be like hitting in his backyard."

Actually, not quite.

Ramirez is batting just .191 (9-for-47) with three homers in Philadelphia's hitter-friendly ballpark. He joked about his lack of success here and told reporters he needed extra batting practice.

Phillies pitchers have had varying degrees of success against Ramirez. Hamels and Brett Myers, who starts Game 2, have shut him down. He's 2-for-8 against Hamels and 3-for-19 off Myers with a grand slam and five strikeouts.

Moyer and Joe Blanton, the scheduled starter in Game 4, might want to think about walking Ramirez. He has more homers (10) off Moyer than any pitcher he's ever faced, and he's hitting .560 (14-for-25) against Blanton.

Ramirez has a .274 career average against the Phillies (26-for-95) with eight homers and 30 RBIs. He was 7-for-33 (.212) with one homer this season.

"There's a certain way to pitch Manny," Philadelphia backup catcher Chris Coste said. "It's just a matter of pitchers executing those pitches. There's a book on Manny Ramirez, but he's more likely to hit a mistake. If we execute the game plan, I don't see a reason to walk him."

While the Dodgers rely on Ramirez to carry their offense, the Phillies need more production from their big hitters. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a combined 4-for-26 with nine strikeouts against Milwaukee in the division series. They're batting .184 (9-for-49) with 21 Ks, four extra-base hits and four RBIs in two postseason series.

Not the kind of numbers that make October stars. If they don't snap out of their slumps soon, Utley and Howard could be labeled chokers.

"I'm trying to hit the ball hard," Utley said. "Finding holes is important, too. But I'm just trying to put together good at-bats."

In a way, Utley and Howard's struggles could help Philadelphia's confidence in the long run. The Phillies now know they can win a series without their 3-4 hitters doing much.

Shane Victorino hit a grand slam off CC Sabathia, Pat Burrell homered twice in the clinching game and Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth had key hits against the Brewers.

Both teams are streaking going into this series. The Dodgers finished 19-8 to capture the NL West crown and won three in a row over the Cubs. The Phillies went 13-3 down the stretch to win their second straight NL East title and needed four games to get past wild-card Milwaukee.

The teams split eight regular-season meetings, each sweeping a four-game series at home in August.

It's the fourth time in 31 years that the Dodgers and Phillies meet in the NLCS. The Dodgers beat the Phillies in 1977 and 1978, winning both best-of-five series in four games. In '83, the Phillies beat the Dodgers in four games after losing 11 of 12 to Los Angeles and getting shut out five times during the regular season.

[Associated Press; By ROB MAADDI]

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