Andre Ethier Leads Dodgers to First Place

I know the sports world is sort of focused on the NBA playoffs right now. And, in particular, L.A. has the Lakers in mind. But while everyone was watching Kobe, the Dodgers quietly sneaked into first place.

Well, technically a tie at the moment. But the Padres won’t be there long. I mean, come on — they’re the Padres.

But the Dodgers — they’re a different story. At the beginning of the season, it wouldn’t  have been a stretch to predict they’d be in first place at the end of May. Except with their lackluster start, it sort of is a surprise.

And the star so far is Andre Ethier.  The guy’s nearly hitting .400 and right now is a triple crown candidate — for the entire league (11 HRs, 38 RBI). Of course, it’s a long season, but right now he’s looking like an MVP.

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By the way? I can’t stand interleague play. When it first began, it was sort of a novelty. The Yankees v. the Dodgers. Cubs v. Red Sox. But now I think it sucks.

First of all, it created uneven schedules. If you get lucky and get to play the AL West during the season, you’re probably going to win more games than the team that has to play the AL East. So when it comes playoff time, you’re at a disadvantage for home field advantage.

Also, it was always special when the AL met the NL in post-season — because they never met before then.  Now it’s just a letdown — especially if one team dominated the other during the season.

Also, I hate how the league plays on cross-town rivalries. It’s a blatant money gimmick — even if the Mets suck, they’ll draw huge crowds if they play the Yankees.  At the same time it pits communities against each other, and there’s often a class component to it. The Cubs fans are much more frat boy/yuppie than the working class south siders — and they both hate each other for their respective ways. Same with the wine-sipping Giants fans vis-a-vis the rough and tumble Athletics crew.

What better way to exploit class differences than to pit sports teams against one another?