Like most baseball fans, I am excited at the commencement of the new season. This time each year my pulse beats just a little bit faster as I check the box scores in the paper each day and, whenever possible, catch Baseball Tonight on ESPN. This season I am more excited than usual as I firmly believe one of my two favorite teams has a legitimate chance of going deep into the postseason. As most of you who are regular readers of this column know, I have two teams that I follow with a committed heart. In the American League, I am a diehard White Sox fan. In the National League, I am not ashamed to admit that I bleed Dodger blue. While the Sox may indeed be in for a long season, I have faith that the Dodgers will emerge as winners of the National League West in 2007. Call me crazy, but I think L.A. could go all the way.

All of this got me to thinking a bit about my history as a Dodger fan. I started rooting for the Dodgers way back in 1955 when I was just six years old. At that time, the team was located in Brooklyn and were archrivals with the hated cross town Yankees. Having been born a Yankee-hater, I latched on to the Dodgers as my team with all the tenacity of a pit bull.

I don’t remember too much about those old Dodger teams from the 1950’s, other than the stars like Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges and Duke Snyder. The team moved to L.A. in 1958 and, as I became a little older (around nine I think), I began to study the team more closely. My recollection of the Dodger teams of the early ‘60’s is filled with nostalgia for players like Maury Wills, Jim Gilliam, Willie and Tommy Davis, Don Drysdale, and, of course, Sandy Koufax. This collection of talented players made it to the World Series in 1963, 1965, and 1966, meeting the Yankees, the Twins, and Orioles respectively.

My favorite group of Dodgers, however, came of age in the mid-to-late 1970’s. Managed by the irrepressible Tommy Lasorda, this Dodger team was loaded and featured an infield that played together for over 10 years, something unheard of these days.

Los Angeles’ inner defense played together in the minor leagues and all reached the majors about the same time. This infield eventually became synonymous with the words teamwork and consistency.

Steve Garvey anchored first base and provided solid offense as well. Garvey played in over 1,200 consecutive games and was considered to be the best defensive first baseman of his era. With forearms like Popeye, Garvey hit for both power and average and was one of the best clutch hitters in baseball.

The Dodgers had a rather unheralded double play combination, but what these two players lacked in publicity they more than made up for with talent. Davey Lopes played second base in a solid if not spectacular manner and was an offensive power threat as well, something very unusual for a second sacker in those days. Bill Russell manned shortstop and possessed soft hands, range, and a strong arm. Together, Russell and Lopes gave the Dodgers solid defense up the middle.

Ron Cey played third base and was, to say the least, an interesting character. Built like an inverted pyramid, Cey was known as “The Penguin” and he certainly looked the part. Short, stocky, and muscular, Cey was great both in the field and at the plate.

This group of Dodgers made it to the Big Dance in 1977, 1978, and 1981. As usual, they played the Yankees all three times. New York won in ’77 and ’78, but the Dodgers came through in ’81, defeating the heavily favored Bronx Bombers.

Los Angeles returned to the Series again in 1988, defeating the powerhouse Oakland A’s. Perhaps the most vivid memory of the ’88 Series is that of a gimpy Kirk Gibson coming off the bench in the ninth inning and belting a game-winning homer off Oakland’s ace closer Dennis Eckersley.

Will the 2007 edition of the Dodgers provide another chapter in the postseason history of this storied franchise? Stay tuned.