Bowa, of course, knew the pitcher from their time together in Philadelphia.
"I had to put it out on the line," Bowa said. "[Manager Joe Torre] called me in. He really wasn't worried about his ability. He grilled me on, 'Is he going to mess this clubhouse up? What kind of guy is he?' And I gave him the honest-to-God truth. He didn't do anything bad with me. He was on time. He showed up. He pitched. He didn't miss starts.
"After they started grilling me, then Ned Colletti came down and I'm like, 'God, I'm putting myself out there.' I read all the stuff about how bad he was in Texas. He wasn't bad with me. I don't think Joe questioned his ability. He just said, 'Bo, I don't want my clubhouse messed up.' ''
Colletti listened to Bowa.
"I don't know what went on," Colletti said. "All we got is what other people tell you. People told us a year ago we were foolish bringing in the leftfielder who carried us all the way to the LCS . . .
"I told [Padilla] I had no preconceived notion of who he was. I knew he was a talented pitcher. I said, 'You start with a clean slate here. You'll write the next chapter.' So far, he's penned a pretty good piece."
The Dodgers won a modern MLB record 13 consecutive home games to start the season. The Dodger Stadium crowds are much younger and much louder than they once were. So the homefield advantage they did not have last year but have now could mean something.
"People say homefield advantage isn't important," Bowa said. "I think it's very important. We play good on the road. We play real good at home."
And this is Torre's second year with this team.
"He knows when to stop the game," Colletti said. "He knows when the game lays in the balance. He's got a great knack for knowing when it's tilted just a little less than he likes it so he's going to tilt it back the other way. If he does something a touch unconventional, he's not afraid of doing that if he feels he's got the right people in the right spot."
And make no mistake: Torre wants another World Series, maybe more than ever.
"He'll never admit this," Bowa said. "I think deep down, he's just tired of hearing, 'Well, you should win with a $200 million payroll.' "
Now, Torre is winning with the Dodgers. How much more winning will be determined soon enough, starting tonight. *
