Claude Osteen

There are no Gimmes for someone like Kenny Rogers—not when you play one year of high school baseball as an outfielder, then get drafted by the Rangers in the 39th round and told you are a pitcher; not when you need...

•Fred Patek, 5'4" Kansas City shortstop, asked how it feels to be the smallest player in the major leagues: "It feels a helluva lot better than being the smallest player in the minor leagues."

Young and old Dodgers, Bill Russell and Claude Osteen to name just two, have held the lead in the National League West. Bill Leggett reports on the revival in Los Angeles.

The competitors have been tinkering resolutely, replacing worn-out parts, overhauling tired motors, installing steel-belted radials, but the Big Red Machine still looks like the best-engineered vehicle on this road....