Yogi once said … : “You can observe a lot just by watching.”

When McCourt closed the deal and took control of the team, that’s what he should have done … just watch … for about a year.

The 2003 Dodgers were winners but hadn’t made the playoffs … their seventh straight year without a playoff appearance. But general manager Dan Evans, who’d run the team for two seasons, was nearly finished clearing away some contract deadwood, and was assembling a team that might contend.

In December 2003, he dealt sore-armed and sore-headed pitcher Kevin Brown … and actually got some talent in return (Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban). He brought in outfielder Juan Encarnacion, and it only cost him a low-level minor league prospect to do it.

Evans added Olmedo Saenz and Jose Hernandez to a versatile bench that already included Jolbert Cabrera and Robin Ventura. He grabbed a hard-throwing righthander named Duaner Sanchez after Pittsburgh cut him loose. Evans took a flyer on pitcher Jose Lima. Maybe he could still pitch … and if he couldn’t, it wouldn't cost much to cut him loose.

The rest of team – Green, Lo Duca, Gagne, Beltre, Roberts, Cora, Izturis, Nomo, Ishii, Dreifort, Mota and some others – stayed in place. And for the most part, so did a crop of highly prized minor leaguers that would be the core of the Dodgers in 2007 and beyond.

That’s what Dan Evans put together heading into the 2004 season … a good but not great team, but one with a chance to win … with fewer payroll problems than the Dodgers had seen in years … and with a strong minor league system intact. And Evans had done it with front office spending hemmed in by money constraints as the team changed hands from Fox to Frank McCourt.

All McCourt had to do was take over the team … let Evans continue polishing the Dodgers for the arrival of those kids in the minors ... and do nothing. Just observe a lot by just watching.

He didn’t.

McCourt quickly dismissed Evans … brought in Paul DePodesta … and as the team Evans largely assembled sailed into first place, DePodesta began taking it apart. Still, the Dodgers won the NL West title, and then came 2005 ... and you know the rest.

Now we’re back where we started … but with fans angry, players surly, McCourt sullied. Any of the candidates GM’s mentioned for the Dodger GM job – Pat Gillick, Gerry Hunsicker, Jim Bowden – will do a fine job of fixing the big league roster in a hurry … and, thank goodness, that crop of hot-shot minor leaguers is STILL intact ... even enhanced a little (not EVERYTHING DePodesta did turned sour).

Now all Frank McCourt has to do is hire one of the three GM candidates mentioned above, then do what Yogi says ... : Sit back and observe a lot just by watching. If McCourt can do that this time, we will all like what we see.

Personally, I'd welcome the return of the scrappy, loveable Bobby Valentine to the Dodgers. I've always been a big fan of him on the field and in the dugout. And had the Dodgers not traded him to the Angels, he never would have caught his spikes in that awful fence and broken his leg in a hundred ways and ended his playing career. So coming back to the team closes the circle.

Why? Well, though I didn't post it here, I had the Angels and the Astros going to the World Series. And I would like to see a 7-game series with the possibility of Roger Clemens getting three starts to take the trophy home to Houston. And the Astros are a gritty team, not unlike the Angels of 2002, and not unlike their opponents in this series, although the White Sox have the ability of getting the long ball out of their 2-spot in the lineup as well as 7, 8 and 9, or at least in those games played in Chicago.

It will be interesting to see how White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen manages his lineup in the games in Houston. He's not so far removed from his days in Florida that he has forgotten how to deploy the National League kind of strategy, but it does likely put Carl Everett's dangerous bat on the bench, and in a tight game it could force him to remove his starting pitcher from a game, which is something he hasn't had to think about for a week.

I believe that the Chicago relief pitchers will show signs of rust at first, but they'll be in the fray and effective in short order. And I predict that either Roger Clemens or Roy Oswalt will be named the World Series MVP.

And the off-season maneuvering promises to be interesting. Who wants to be the next Dodger manager? Will Manny and Johnny stay in Boston? Who will keep Joe company on the bench in Yankee Stadium? Does Brian Cashman finally escape the Evil Empire and find a less stressful job? Will a minority get hired to fill any of the prominent front office or bench openings?

Most important of all, who else out there thinks that Leo Mazzone leaving the Atlanta Braves for the Baltimore Orioles will be the most significant off-season move of the winter? While I'm sure that the Braves will find a suitable pitching coach to sit and rock next to Bobby Cox, I wonder if this will be the end at last to that sensational run of playoff appearances and division championships, the departure of the best pitching coach in all of baseball. This move alone may give Baltimore a leg up on signing Kevin Millwood, who is no longer the major talent he was when he first was traded from Atlanta to Philadelphia, but whose veteran presence made a difference to a young Cleveland Indians pitching staff. Rock on, Leo.

Los Angeles will send Ervin Santana to the hill in a situation that has become something of a weekly event for the rookie right-hander-- pitching the biggest game of his young career. Santana, who went 5-2 with a 4.06 ERA over the last month of the regular season, has compiled a 9-3 record at home, including a shutout of the White Sox way back in May, limiting opponents to a .233 batting average over 14 starts at Angels Stadium.

If this game were being played on the road, there would be good reason to be nervous, but I have a feeling that Santana will come up with a big game today-- seven innings, two runs or less-- before handing it off to the bullpen. The bigger question of where the Angels are going to find some offense might come from making minor adjustments, like starting José Molina, 7 for 15 against Garcia in his career and the Angels' best defensive catcher, and using Bengie Molina as the DH.

Mike Scioscia might also consider starting Jeff DaVanon in centerfield to give the Angels a hitter who has a more patient approach at the plate. But my hunch tells me that Vladimir Guerrero will finally make his presence felt in the postseason, and Santana's performance will energize the Angels to a win tonight and a big shift in the momentum of this series.

What a great role model. We, too, should remember that life is a seven game series and one bad call does not mean the end of western civilization as we know it.

Meanwhile, want to vent a bit about the call? Blog away, Angel fans.

And while the highest-paid starting pitchers for the Angels (Colon and Washburn) were non-factors in the series, you have to wonder if George Steinbrenner will stay awake at night cursing the $60 million he spent on a starting rotation of Johnson, Mussina, Brown, Pavano and Wright that produced one win in the 2005 postseason.

As the Angels were giving up the lead to the Yankees in game four, Thom Brennaman, whose day job is as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks broadcasting team, referred to the "vaunted" Angels bullpen as the best in the American League. I suppose if Brennaman had not been spending so much time in the National League, he would have known that the Cleveland Indians, and not the Angels, had the best bullpen in the American League over the course of the regular season. And he would have been aware of the fact that the LA of A bullpen had only recently resembled its old self, and only because Kelvim Escobar had moved into the main setup role, moving Scot Shields down into Brendan Donnelly's old slot, and pushing Donnelly into limbo, where he belonged following a shaky post-all-star performance (3.95 ERA, .286 opponent's batting average, 1.50 walks+hits per inning pitched).

I guess when an announcer from Arizona can't stay up late enough to watch your games, it's asking too much from anybody east of the Mississippi to have a clue about your team.

Only a New York sweep of the final 3 games in Boston, and a complete meltdown against the Indians could keep you from that best record, and a Yankee sweep in Boston doesn't seem likely. Now, a Red Sox sweep of the Yankees coupled with a sweep at the hands of Cleveland could be troublesome-- the tiebreaker would give Boston the best record in the AL. However, the likelihood of a Boston sweep of the Yankees also seems remote. Yes, it happened last year, but this isn't the same Red Sox team as last year.

And Stoneman has used just about every tool a GM has to acquire talent.

Team owner Arte Moreno supplied the money, but Stoneman chose to spend it on Vladimir Guerrero and Bartolo Colon. He and Moreno were repaid with an MVP for one and possible Cy Young Award for the other … plus two divisional titles. Stoneman brought in Orlando Cabrera and Paul Byrd, less expensive but still important free agents who made key contributions in the September stretch run.

The Steve Finley and Esteban Yan signings didn’t work out as well (like earlier signings of Kevin Appier and Aaron Sele). But Stoneman has shown some skill over the years in turning errors into opportunities.

When free agent Jose Guillen, who was having the best season of his career, turned surly at the end of last season, Stoneman was able to trade him to Washington for Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis. Both have been solid players for the Angels this season.

Stoneman's trade of Jim Edmonds to St. Louis looked like a disaster when the pitcher the Angels got in return – Kent Bottenfield – flamed out in 2000. But the minor leaguer who also came over in the deal – Adam Kennedy – has turned in six fine years as the Angels’ second baseman. Stoneman also was saved when his 2001 trade of Darin Erstad to the White Sox for Chris Singleton and jon Garland was vetoed by then-team boss Tony Tavares.

And Stoneman has found talent in unlikely places. Chone Figgins, perhaps the MVP of the Angels this year, came over in a minor league trade in 2001. David Eckstein – who’s now in St. Louis – was the Angels’ sparkplug in 2002 and 2004. He was picked up for pennies when Boston released him in 2000. Backup catcher Jose Molina became an Angel in 2001 after the Cubs cut him loose.

As for home-grown players … : Most of the stars from the Angels’ farm system – Garrett Anderson, Bengie Molina, Darin Erstad, Jarrod Washburn, Scot Shields, Francisco Rodriguez, John Lackey and Robb Quinlan – were signed years ago when Bill Bavasi was either the farm system director or the GM, and Bob Fontaine was in charge of scouting. Fontaine was also the guy who brought in Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, Troy Percival and Troy Glaus.

Stoneman’s own collection of farm system talent is just arriving in the big leagues now … with pitcher Ervin Santana the pick of a crop that includes 1B Casey Kotchman and 3B Dallas McPherson. Santana has 11 wins as a rookie starter, including the pennant-clinching victory on Tuesday. Kotchman’s stats in limited play this season might open the way for Darin Erstad to return to the outfield next season. McPherson was hurt for most of this year, but he’s the reason the Angels didn’t re-sign Troy Glaus. And there’s more talent on the way, topped by catcher Jeff Mathis.

What Stoneman has NOT done is the one thing most fans wanted him to do. He hasn’t tried to make big mid-season deals to bolster his team … even if the team is struggling. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, he willingness to stand pat ended with a plaoff appearance.

Maybe it’s patience … or reluctance … or confidence. Whatever it is, it’s working for Bill Stoneman.

How about Paul DePodesta?

On Wednesday's "Talk of the City" the Dodger General Manager joins me in studio to take YOUR phone calls. Please tune in at 2 and call in at 866-893-5722.

The baseball gods like that trick, too … only they play it not in February or March but in the autumn days of September. They’ll send a losing team a late-season call-up who plays like an All Star over the final days of a bad season. A game-winning hit here, a 4-for-4 night there … and you start dreaming of how this kid will be the team’s savior next season.

Then next season arrives, and the kid’s ticket to the Hall of Fame turns into a ticket back to Triple A.

In his first month in the big leagues, young Willy Aybar is hitting .400 for the Dodgers. He has an eight-game hitting streak … he’s scored seven runs in those eight games … and he looks like the answer to the season-long “Who’ll play third now that Adrian Beltre’s gone?” question.

Sometimes, a rookie’s hot September is not a “false spring.” Boston’s Fred Lynn hit .419 over the last two weeks of the 1974 season. All he did in 1975 was win the AL MVP and lead the Red Sox to the World Series. In September 1980, a chubby Fernando Valenzuela came out of the Dodger bullpen in ten games during the final month … and didn’t give up a run. And a year later? A World Series title for LA and a Cy Young Award for Fernando.

But I also remember September 1968 … and Bill Sudakis. That month, Sudakis – a switch-hitting slugger - was penciled in as the new third baseman for a bad Dodger team. He hit a home run in his debut game, then a grand slam a week later. The Dodgers won 17 of their final 24 games … and we all thought 1969 would be a Rookie of the Year season for Sudakis.

It wasn’t. He hit .234 in 1969 … got converted to catcher in 1970 … got hurt in 1971 … got traded in 1972.

There are other Dodger prospects more highly prized than Aybar. There’s a chance that the team will try to sign or trade for a proven slugger to play third base next season.

But for now, Willy Aybar is playing and hitting … and enjoying springtime in September.