LOS ANGELES — There is good reason why they "love LA'' out here.
The Dodgers are everything the Yankees should be: A bold big-market franchise willing to do anything and everything to make the team better, but this goes much deeper than that.
There is a tremendous vibe to the Dodgers and the ballpark. Dodger Stadium is raucous. All the celebrities are flocking here again. The fans are into it just like in that Randy Newman song.
The sellout crowd of 53,013 left disappointed last night because the Yankees managed to squeeze out a 3-0 win, thanks to Lyle Overbay's two-out pinch-hit single in the ninth and a two-run error by second baseman Mark Ellis but it was another entertaining night at Dodger Stadium.
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MO GOES HOLLYWOOD: Yankees closer Mariano Rivera (right) shares a laugh with actor Samuel L. Jackson before last night's game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
"That was a big hit by Lyle,'' said Derek Jeter who drew a huge leadoff walk to start the ninth. "These games are fun because the atmosphere is fun. The fans are into it.''
This reminds me of when Laker Fever took over this city. Magic Johnson is here for both, of course. Dodgers' president and CEO Stan Kasten has thrown himself into the battle, just as he did in Atlanta with the Braves and in Washington, drawing a blueprint of success.
Rookie Yasiel Puig has pumped up the energy level, no matter what he does; a young star the Yankees didn't entertain acquiring. Puig has embraced the Hollywood style. Hanley Ramirez (.374) has found his old success.
"We're the Dodgers, all caps,'' Kasten told the Post of the drive to bring the Dodgers back to the top of the baseball world. "We want to get the Dodgers back to what they once were. The fans deserve to have such a team.''
The Dodgers have gone 27-7 since June 22. That adds up to first place and an exciting night at the ballpark, every night. The Yankees, on the other hand, continue to battle as much as they can with what little they have, trying to survive each day.
Jeter, who embodies everything good about the game, can't even run full speed because of fear of injury, and he was replaced for a pinch-runner in the ninth. The Yankees are forever waiting on players to return, trying to make it through with a cast of marginal players forced to the front of the line because of a slew of injuries.
The Dodgers are the hot new big deal in baseball. This is a shift from just a few years ago.
The trade deadline passed quietly for the Yankees. General manager Brian Cashman was not able to do anything to improve the team. Yes, the Yankees were able to land outfielder Alfonso Soriano last week, giving them a much-needed right-handed bat, but the Yankees have too many players who are one step removed from the baseball boneyard.
The Yankees also continue to stuck with the Alex Rodriguez Albatross. They have lost their big-market compass as they scale down payroll. The talk is about the wild card. In the past the goal was only one thing — a world championship.
The Yankees do have Hiroki Kuroda and he was spectacular again last night, the best thing they have going for them as he matched zeroes with Clayton Kershaw.
The Yankees might survive all this somehow and they may make the playoffs, but this team is not capable of making any type of championship run. They were manhandled by the Tigers last October and have moved down the talent ladder.
I have crossed paths recently with some notable Yankees from the past — Yankees who have won championships — and I keep hearing the same question: What is going on with this team?
The Red Sox were the worst team around last year and rebuilt themselves into an AL East leading team, eight games ahead of the Yankees. The Dodgers took on some of the Red Sox problems and made the most of them. They had the scouting backbone to sign Puig to a seven-year $42 million deal, a deal criticized by many in baseball.
The Dodgers fans love it even on a night their team loses.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com
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