Dodgers already thinking about a better 2005

Nick Christensen

Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 | 10 a.m.

LOS ANGELES -- Before Saturday's Game 3 of the National League Division Series, Los Angeles catcher David Ross had a simple explanation for his team's mindset.

"We're anxious to keep playing," Ross said.

The famously laid-back Dodgers were definitely having fun this season, even with the pressure of two must-win games against the St. Louis Cardinals in Los Angeles last weekend.

But despite the spark provided by Dodgers starter Jose Lima's nine-inning shutout of St. Louis on Saturday, the Dodgers couldn't hang on for another night in their first postseason since 1996.

After the loss, instead of going their separate ways, the team planned a late-night meet at a hangout in Pasadena, happy at getting that far but not quite ready to say goodbye for the winter.

"If you look at the team, it looks good on paper," closer Eric Gagne said. "But this team on heart was huge. We battled back, and you just got to remember the fun and next year, make sure we get back to feeling that way."

The way the Dodgers bonded this season was surprising to Milton Bradley, Los Angeles' emotional outfielder who was traded from Cleveland shortly before the season began.

"I haven't been on any ballclubs where every single man, everybody on the staff, everyone was great," Bradley said. "It was a heck of an experience and I look forward to next year."

Outfielder Shawn Green, concluding his fifth year with the Dodgers, said the team's chemistry was what got it this far.

"This team showed a lot of heart. We battled back all year, especially in the last part of the season," he said. "The chemistry was definitely there; it'd be great to keep the team intact, and add to it."

First-year Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta said that the team's strides this season were not only a surprise, but an accomplishment in laying the groundwork toward future success.

"We got some valuable postseason experience. We had very few players who'd ever played in a postseason," DePodesta said. "It helps us going forward. We had a different level of confidence in spring training. I think it was a reach to say we were going to win the division."

DePodesta said his top offseason priority is re-signing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.

"I can't wait until spring training," DePodesta said. "I'm excited about it and hopefully I'll be able to dress up things."

DePodesta said he also expects to have nonplaying personnel cleared up by the general managers meetings in early November. That would include manager Jim Tracy's status, as well as farm personnel, which was left in limbo after the protracted ownership change of last winter. Las Vegas 51s manager Terry Kennedy last month said he was told he'd been dismissed by the Dodgers, but the organization refused to comment on his situation this weekend.

"As a baseball organization, I want us to be able to move forward," DePodesta said. "I want everybody to know their place."

Green said that if the team just had some better starting pitching, after the disappointing year for Hideo Nomo and Kazuhisa Ishii and the injury of midseason acquisition Brad Penny, they could easily go farther into the playoffs.

"If we could bolster our rotation a bit, all of the sudden we'd have a world championship caliber team," he said.