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Y E S T E R D A Y…

Phillies 3, Dodgers 2: Until Pat Burrell’s sixth inning rocket into the left field bleachers, the Dodgers had not trailed in this post season since Game 1 of the NLDS. Now, they must deal with their first playoff loss. A costly throwing error by Raffy Furcal led to a two-run blast by Chase Utley off Derek Lowe, who took the loss despite throwing basically two bad pitches. Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez went a combined 4 for 8 with one run and one RBI.

Sharks 4, Ducks 1: San Jose jumped out to a three goal advantage at the Shark Tank before Rob Niedermayer scored for Anaheim. The Ducks lost their second straight season opener.

Clippers 107, Lakers 80: The Dow fell below 9,000: bad. The Dodgers are hunting for a championship: good. There was a car chase on I-5 involving a nude woman: exciting. And then there’s preseason basketball. Thirty-two players combined for 44 turnovers. Moving on.

T O D A Y…

Dodgers at Phillies (Game 2, 1:00 p.m. PST, FOX): Thanks to the ALCS Game 1 taking baseball’s primetime slot, the Big Blue Wrecking Crew is forced to turn it around 14 hours after their Game 1 loss. Chad Billingsley, who shut down the Cubs at Wrigley, gets the call against Brett Myers. Bad news: the winner of 13 of the last 16 NLCS Game 1’s went on to advance to the World Series.

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• Whether he’s fourth or first on the depth chart, USC quarterback Mitch Mustain is preparing as if he’s one play away from taking the field. Incumbent Mark Sanchez has recovered from his bruised knee and will likely start Saturday’s game against Arizona State.
• A heap of encouragement came after Baron Davis’ exhibition debut. But the new Clipper is keeping it all in perspective.
• Andruw Jones is still cheering on his teammates. How weird, I didn’t know Curacao advanced to the Little League World Series this year.
• Rick Neuheisel and Mike Bellotti no longer hate each other’s guts.
• Rookie Drew Doughty earned a spot on the Kings roster, making the 18 year old the fourth-youngest player to start the season with LA’s hockey franchise.

O N  S P O R T S H U B L A:

• NLCS Game 1 and 2 analysis. Plus remodeled previews for the Chargers and Raiders.

I N  T H E  B L O G S:

• “Dodger Thoughts” bemoans the little mistakes from the Blue Crew, but has an optimistic outlook for the series.
• Clippers.com offers a tidy Q&A with GM/coach Mike Dunleavy. They really threw him some fastballs. For example: How has your coaching staff been able to settle into the brand new and beautiful practice facility in Playa Vista?
• Yahoo’s “Ball Don’t Lie” gives us an idea of why guard Sun Yue is so important to the Lakers. Not because he’s been compared to Magic. No. Because he’s hooking up with Chinese supermodel Gu Chen.

C O L U M N S:

• Manny Ramirez knew a good changeup when he saw it back in August. And on Thursday night, Phillies reliever Ryan Madson avoided Manny’s thunder by slowing things down during the slugger’s eighth inning plate appearance. Mark Whicker from the O.C. Register credits Madson for knowing what not to do: Hang one.
• Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci calls Hong-Chih Kuo arguably the most important Dodger in the NLCS. ”He is the rare reliever who can get out both righthanders and lefthanders,” SI’s baseball guru writes. While Matt Calkins from the Press-Enterprise says the best Dodger of all time wears a suit to the ballpark every day, “carving out a legacy with his larynx.”
• Greg Garber from ESPN.com says that the fall of the Raiders was a matter of gravity. Or an inevitable plunge into the abysmal pantheon of living in the past and touting an even more ludicrous future. Where have you gone Marcus Allen and Fred Biletnikoff?
• SportsHubLA Column of the Day: Nomar, Manny and Derek Lowe returning to Boston would be “must see TV,” according to the LA Times’ T.J. Simers. It’s just that Phillies and Rays could screw it all up. He also writes that a smooth ride from the Dodgers should hardly be expected, remember they merely won the NL West. My favorite line from Simers came in his observations section towards the end of the column. ”Before the game the scoreboard asked the fans to wave their towels and they did,” he writes. “Good thing they didn’t ask them to jump off the Whitman Bridge.” Side note: An emailer on KLAC’s Petros and Money Show yesterday said he saw two people smoking crack in a bathroom at Citizen’s Bank Park. If an emailer to a drive-time radio show in the opponent’s home city wrote it, it must be true.

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