Jason Werth of the Phillies stole his way around the base paths last night, scoring one of the game winning runs against the Dodgers.

I want to get this right, for the record.

Werth was with the Dodgers a couple of seasons ago, correct? And they traded this guy, a young player with an entire career ahead of him.

And the same Jason Werth is the fellow that plagued the Dodgers in the League Championship series of 2008, sending the boys in blue packing for the year.

In how many ways and how many times can one ballplayer exact his revenge?

Though I cheer for the Dodgers, I'm also pulling for this guy. There are few things in sports and in life that thrill me as much as being underrated and dramatically, consistently, and expensively proving critics to be wrong.

I'm getting vicarious thrills as I observe Mr. Werth proving and re-proving his worth to the Dodgers.

I wonder if the Blue Crew learned any lessons from having dealt the wrong guy at the wrong time. Maybe, they have.

They're taking their youth movement very seriously, looking to Ethier, Martin, Loney, and Kemp to carry the day, and to create a long-term winning dynasty. When you compare their minimal salaries against those of achy-breaky veterans, they do come through as bargains and great bets, certainly over the long haul.

Maybe, it's a win-win situation. Werth was traded to a National League champion, and the Dodgers may have figured out how valuable up and coming stars can be.

We'll see.

In the meantime, if the Dodgers missed the lesson, it's going to present itself again when they replay the Phillies, for what that's Werth.

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