Joe Torre may have just turned Clayton Kershaw into Rick Ankiel (or worse, Oliver Perez)

Ok, so I am watching the Phillies vs. Dodgers NLCS Game 1 and Clayton Kershaw is locked up in an old fashion pitcher’s duel with Cole Hamels. The Dodgers are winning 1 – 0 going to the top of the 5th on a James Loney HR.

So between innings I go to the bathroom. I come back and sit down and I’m thinking, ‘wow, this kid is only 21 years old and he’s throwing a gem in Game 1 of the NCLS!’

Then….the 5th inning from hell including 3 wild pitches!

A single by Ibanaz, a wild pitch, a 5 pith walk to Feliz, a BOMB to Feliz! A walk on 4 pitches to Hamels (yes I typed that correctly). A fielder’s choice, a strikeout and another wild pitch, a walk to Utley, a double to Howard; 4 2/3 Innings pitched, 4 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 Earned Runs, 5 Walks, 3K’s, 1 HR

My god, what the hell was Kershaw doing during the bottom of the 4th that made him lose it? Did get a phone call from Oliver Perez? And Where the hell was Joe Torre? He sat and watched Kershaw meltdown on national TV in front of 50,000 people in Game 1 of the NLCS! Seriously, that is exactly what happens when Perez pitches isn’t it? He’s Cy Young until a certain part of the game and then he loses it!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Kershaw will turn out to be a basket case, but you CAN NOT let a 21 year old pitcher endure that type of adversity on that big of a stage. I’ll say it again. Where the hell was Torre?

I guess Torre was too busy managing the Yankees in the 2000 playoffs and doesn't recall what happened to another 21 year old pitcher in game 1 of the NLDS, Cardinals pitcher Rick Ankiel. Remember that?
Game 1 started well for Ankiel, who did not allow a run through the first two innings. It was in the third inning that Ankiel lost control; he allowed 4 runs on 2 hits, walking 4 and throwing 5 wild pitches before being removed with two outs. Here is the play-by-play from that inning:

Greg Maddux walked; Rafael Furcal popped to Will Clark in foul territory; Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Maddux to second); Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Maddux to third); Andruw Jones walked; Ankiel threw a wild pitch (A. Jones to 2nd); Chipper Jones was called out on strikes; Andrés Galarraga walked (Maddux scores, A. Jones to 3rd on wild pitch); Brian Jordan singled to Ray Lankford (A. Jones scored, Galarraga to 2nd); Ankiel threw a wild pitch (Galarraga to 3rd, Jordan to 2nd); Reggie Sanders walked; Walt Weiss singled to Lankford (Galarraga scored, Jordan scored, Sanders to 2nd); Mike James replaced Ankiel; Javy López popped to Fernando Viña; 4 R, 2 H, 0 E, 2 LOB.

Ankiel was never the same after that traumatic event. Congrats to him for having the resolve to make it back as a MLB player (as an outfielder) but that day was the beginning of the end for Ankiel as a pitcher.

I hope Kershaw’s fate isn’t the same. Joe Torre, you didn’t do right by your team last night and worse yet, you didn’t do right by your young pitcher. His career and livelihood was in your hands and you may have very well have just eff’ed it up…… - Peter Costa

Pete is a serious Rotisserie participant playing the same league with the same guys for 18 years. Not only has Peter never finished in the money; he’s now finished last 14 times and no higher than 10th (in a league with 14 guys). Join us in following Peter’s trials, tribulations and frustrations, as he attempts to navigate his way out of the basement again in 2010.

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Enough with the love fest already….

Everyone is talking about the Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series as it’s a foregone conclusion.

Will Torre get an ovation louder than Girardi…. Will Mattingly get an ovation louder than Torre…. Will Jeter come over and hug Torre….

Enough with the love fest already…. Has everyone forgotten that the Yankees can’t beat the Angels and that the Phillies are the reining Worlds Champions?

I know the Yankees have the best record in baseball and they certainly have the best players. But there are two teams out there that do not fear the Yankees and they are the Angels and the Phillies. And to be honest, the Dodgers remind me of the Marlins team that beat the Yankees. Most of them are too young and naive to be intimidated by the Yankees, and Manny certainly isn’t.

I know the popular play is to pick the Yankees but I think someone (Angels, Phillies, Dodgers) is going to pick them off. I don’t think it’s going to be so easy to be a Yankee fan at this year’s Halloween party. - Paul Leume

Paul Leume is a MLB columnist from Montreal, Canada. Paul, a one-time beat writer covering the Montreal Expos for the Montreal Gazette is a proud grandfather of 3 girls and now spends his time offering his thoughts and prospective on Major League Baseball on a variety of blogs and websites throughout Al Gore’s internet.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

What’s wrong with Manny?

Since September 1st coming down the stretch, including these last two playoff games Manny Ramirez has played 27 games. In those games he’s had 82 at-bats. In crunch time here Many is 18 for 82, a .219 batting average! In this last crucial 27 games he’s has only 4 HR’s and 13 RBI and he has 21 strikeouts!

It’s been widely reported that pitchers have been challenging and even overpowering Manny over the last month. This is something I can’t remember ever hearing other than if he’s been hurt.

Joe Torre has been asked about this repeatedly over the past month or so and Torre’s explanation has been simply that he’s out of sync. Torre has stated that he has no physical ailments and that he’s age is a non factor. Torre contends that he’s still Manny and at any moment and time, the real Manny will appear.

After game #1 Torre admitted, "He was still missing some fastballs."

For his part, Ramirez mumbled his way through a postgame interview Wednesday night. When asked if he felt he was finding his rhythm, he responded, "The picture in this post is from Game #1 against the Cardinals on Wednesday night. It’s Manny missing a Chris Carpenter fastball. It’s hard enough to hit Carpenter when everything is in your favor. How can you hit the ball with hair in your eyes? I’m just saying…….

"The playoffs, everything's different."

"I feel much better at the plate. I took advantage of a couple of pitches they gave me."

Manny is one of the great clutch hitters of our generation; of all time for that matter.  This is true for both in post season as well as the regular season, so it’s hard to count him out until you have seen him actually not perform an dthat can't be determined untill the playoffs are over. But to say that everyone in Dodgers camp is concerned is an understatement.

Stay tuned and we’ll all find out together if Manny is still Manny. - Keith A. Baker

Keith A. Baker is a sports agent in Stamford, Connecticut. His goal is to offer a unique insight to the world of sports and Major League Baseball in particular. Comments in his columns are for entertainment purposes only and do not reflect the views and opinions of his firm or his clients.

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Have a Fantasy Football or Baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

He needed a day off!?

A day after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres, Manny Ramirez sat out of yesterday’s game. Why? His legs were sore.

Are you kidding me? Your legs are sore!? You had 50 games off, you played two games and your legs are sore! It’s your third day back and you need a day off!? Did getting your hair done last week somehow put too much stress on your legs?

This takes ‘Manny being Manny’ to a new level. Moreover, manager Joe Torre will now ration Manny’s playing time until the All-Star break. No one will ever question his ability to hit a baseball, but I can’t take much more of this guy. – Vincent Purosi

The above post was sent in by reader Vinnie Purosi who must have been shunned ny Manny for an autograph at some point.