Oct. 12 -- THE CURSE OF DON MATTINGLY?

BY SCOTT LAUBER

LOS ANGELES -- Let me preface this post by saying that back in the '80s, when I was a Little Leaguer in New Jersey, Don Mattingly was my hero. Until I was 12, and realized that I couldn't hit a curveball, I wanted to be just like Donnie Baseball and play first base for the Yankees. So, I write what I'm about to write with all due respect.

Don Mattingly -- and, by extension, the team he works for -- is cursed.

And that's more good news for the Phillies.

Allow me to explain. Mattingly got called up to the majors in 1982, one year after the Yankees faced the Dodgers in the World Series. He retired in 1995, one year before the Yankees won the first of four World Series in five years. Then, Mattingly rejoined the team as a hitting coach in 2004. Since then, the Yankees haven't been back to the World Series. So, while Mattingly was in uniform, from 1982 to 1995 as a player and from 2004 to 2007 as a coach, the Yankees went to exactly zero World Series. While he was away, from 1996 to 2003, they went to six World Series in eight years.

So now, Mattingly is the Dodgers' hitting coach, and with L.A. trailing 2-0 against the Phillies in the NLCS, it appears that his World Series-less streak will live on. The Phillies, though, aren't getting overconfident. A 2-0 lead looks good, but if they lose tonight, a 2-1 lead is much less comfortable.

***
The Dodgers aren't worried either. As Manny Ramirez said yesterday, he's getting ready to break out the Crowne Royal, the good-luck charm when he was with the Red Sox in 2004.

***
Charlie Manuel will meet with the media at 2:30 p.m. It'll be the first time he speaks publicly since his mother died on Friday. We'll have an update here before the game. Within the notebook, neither Manuel nor grieving center fielder Shane Victorino will miss any games during the NLCS.