If the Dodgers beat Arizona in their series opener tonight at Dodger Stadium, they'll pull within one-half game of the division leaders. Then?

To me this is the most amazing thing about the Dodgers' season: Since climbing within one-half game on July 4, the've been one-half game back or tied for first place 14 times. That is, 14 times they've woken up thinking this is the day they take over sole possession of first place. They haven't taken over sole possession of first place yet.

The frustrating details follow, showing the each day the Dodgers began one-half game back or tied for first, and what the Dodgers and Diamondbacks did that day to keep the Dodgers from the division lead:

July 5: One-half game back, Dodgers lost, Arizona lost
July 6: One-half game back, Dodgers won, Arizona won
July 7: One-half game back, Dodgers won, Arizona idle
July 8: Tied for first, Dodgers lost, Arizona won
July 10: Tied for first, Dodgers lost, Arizona won
July 19: Tied for first, Dodgers lost to Arizona
July 21: Tied for first, Dodgers won, Arizona won
July 22: Tied for first, Dodgers lost, Arizona won
Aug. 9: One-half game back, Dodgers lost, Arizona lost
Aug. 10: One-half game back, Dodgers lost, Arizona won
Aug. 14: Tied for first, Dodgers won, Arizona won
Aug. 15: Tied for first, Dodgers won, Arizona won
Aug. 16: Tied for first, Dodgers lost, Arizona won
Aug. 19: Tied for first, Dodgers lost, Arizona won

I'll save you the trouble: The Dodgers are 5-9 in those games, the Diamondbacks are 11-2.

The London Times notes (read it by clicking here) what a lot of us realized already: There's something screwy about the way the Associated Press, and thus most U.S. newspapers -- including this Web site's newspaper -- have been showing the Olympic medal standings.

How to describe Manny Ramirez? There are lots of possibilities, and sportswriters had to choose after Ramirez was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers this afternoon. Here were the adjectives used in the first reference to Ramirez in the first dozen trade stories I read on-line ...

Scott Wolf's column about David Beckham concluded the English star has made minimal impact on the profile of soccer in Los Angeles and the United States. Scott makes some good points -- but I think Beckham's most important influence has been on the profile of L.A. and U.S. soccer in the rest of the world.

The death of Chicago reporter and MLB historian Jerome Holtzman at age 80 capped a really hard week for the baseball-writers community. Holtzman's death followed those of New York's Red Foley, Houston's Neil Hohlfeld and our own Matt McHale.

How long was Jerome Holtzman an influential baseball writer? The story goes that toward the end of Jerome's newspaper career, a boss suggested he freshen up his writing. The boss said Jerome's style had become old-fashioned, with too many old baseball cliches.

"But," Jerome protested, "they're my cliches! I invented them!"

That's the trouble with being oft-imitated.

Our story about the passing of Daily News sportswriter and editor Matt McHale on Monday included an excerpt of Matt's coverage of Kirk Gibson's World Series home run. It showed Matt's talent for efficiently yet gracefully capturing a moment.

Since space is unlimited here on the Web, here are all of Matt's game stories from that 1988 World Series. Dodgers fans will enjoy a time capsule of the club's last great effort, and Matt fans will enjoy reading him at the top of his craft.

Turn the page, go back 20 years ...

Matt McHale died of a heart attack Monday, after battling diabetes throughout this decade, and it seemed as if everybody who ever met him had a fond personal rememberance.

Sad news for veteran fans of Hollywood Park -- for fans of lots of racetracks all over America, actually. Luke Kruytbosch has died at age 46.

Kruytbosch (pronounced KRITE-boss), who called thoroughbred races at Hollywood Park in the 1990s and called the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs the past 10 years, was found dead Monday morning at the apartment in Evansville, Ky., that he rented during his summer gig at Ellis Park.

His death is believed to be heart-related. The Evansville Courier & Press reports Kruytbosch told friends at Ellis Park on Sunday that he wasn't feeling well.

Luke worked at Hollywood Park from 1996 to '99 before taking the job at Churchill Downs. I always thought of him as one of the top three or four announcers in the country. More important right now, he was as nice a guy as there was in the press box.

He didn't mind sharing how anxious he felt as he prepared to call his first Kentucky Derby in 1999. That race, won by Charismatic, had 19 horses. Luke had never called a race with more than 14.

"I just hope I can look past the emotion, rattle off names and call a solid race,'' he said the day before.

Which he did, not surprisingly.

Here's a profile of Luke that I wrote as he began his first Hollywood Park season in April 1996 ...

Columnist William C. Rhoden of The New York Times notes disapprovingly that while accused drug cheat Barry Bonds can't get a baseball job, admitted drug cheat Jason Giambi is the toast of New York and the inspiration for Yankee Stadium's recent Moustache Day.

"What's the message here?" Rhoden writes. "That you can do wrong and make it right -- after you're busted -- by groveling, granting media access, begging for mercy by playing ball with the powers that be?"

I think there's more -- or less -- to it than that.

More and more sports media types acknowledge the eastern bias that's most noticeable on ESPN and most annoying in the network's overcoverage of New York and Boston teams.

The latest? The media type who, to many people, inspired ESPN's Red Sox obsession: Peter Gammons, the Boston Globe baseball writer turned ESPN baseball oracle.