That Perfect Summer When Manny Was a Dodger

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be; so true.

Yet one can't help recalling with a grin and a sigh how transforming The Might Manny's presence was when he was wearing the Blue Bandanna at Chavez Ravine.

Young players suddenly caught on.

A veteran, like Jeff Kent, earned his last hurrah at 40, connecting with his bat better than he had done all season; heck for two or more seasons.

Manager Joe Torre had genuine, performing ballplayers to guide, who played as a team, battling back to pull out victories against all odds.

And Dodger owners, despite numerous personnel miscues, were seeing money go in and stay in their pockets.

Then, after the '08 season, Manny was free to negotiate with any team, and as he had allegedly whispered, his most welcomed suitor was the New York Yankees. Offering him $61 million for two years, with an option for a third, Manny declined the Dodgers' comparatively paltry gesture of $42 million, and away he chortled, ready to vanquish the team that had spurned him, the Boston Red Sox.

What went wrong? Why didn't the Dodgers cough up the premium needed to keep Manny in LA?

Some excused the brass because they were on a "youth campaign," seeking to develop tomorrow's stars from within their farm system. Having dropped big change on Andruw Jones and other disappointing veterans, the front office was thrice shy about taking out a mega Manny mortgage.

Cynics pointed out that the Dodgers got a free pass. They didn't have to go out of pocket to obtain Manny in the first place. The Red Sox offloaded him but continued paying his 2008 salary.

His dream sequence in Hollywood was a one-shot production. When the curtain fell on the 2008 season, Manny-The-Roadshow had scooted down the line to the next paying venue, where he packed them in.

But now that this has all played out, the Manny-Dodgers coupling was doomed from the start, much like that other Glittertown mismatch--featuring Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts.

The Dodgers were out of their league in sharing company with this all-time great ballplayer.

But this can't prevent fans from recalling with melancholy that perfect summer when Manny was a Dodger.