With the one true Los Angeles team starting the season 12-2 after an offseason that saw they GM being vilified by just about every baseball analyst in the country and with the arch-rival Giants missing the best player on the planet for the foreseeable future, should Dodger fans be confident of another playoff berth in 2005?

Let's ask Mr. Owl….

How many teams started at 12-2 or better? Let's find out:

The average year-end record for a team starting at 12-2 or better is 97-65. 12 of 21 eligible teams went to the playoffs. The last team to start 12-2 and not make the playoffs was the '89 Rangers, who finished third (ignoring the '94 Braves since there was no postseason that year).

Let's say that it'll take at least a .563 winning percentage to make the playoffs (i.e., Houston's last year), 13 of the 22 teams that started 12-2 or better finished with a better winning percentage and two more were at .562. (Only one finished below .500, the 1914 Pittsburgh Pirates, but that took a "Miracle".) I guess they're not shoe-ins but Dodger fans should feel pretty comfortable. It's better than losing to Colorado at home.