By Jay Kitchen

Not too long ago a young and upcoming first-base man rolled into Highland to assist with a fundraiser at San Manuel Indian Casino and Bingo at a special event.

Poker was the main course for the night for James Loney, mixing with other athletes and stars as well as other Dodgers on the roster.

Politely taking time to answer questions with this reporter, the up-and-coming infielder was asked what did he want to achieve on the field with one of the most famous teams in Major League Baseball, he answered with just the right words.

“All I want to do now is continue to work on my game, get better” he said as he was making his way to the door after a decent night at the poker table.

“I look forward to see how the season goes.”

On this night Loney was polite and quiet, saying all the right things a 20-something would say, but things have gotten much louder in every aspect since then, with Loney now an even bigger cog in the Big Blue Machine’s quest for a World Series title. The last one came in 1988.

Patience has been running thinner every year since then. Other Los Angeles sporting teams have had some form of success since then. Titles have been plenty for the Lakers, from Magic to Kobe. The Los Angeles Kings made the 1993 Stanley Cup Final, the Los Angeles Galaxy has had plenty of success, and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA have won a title. Down in Anaheim the Ducks won a Stanley Cup and in the ’80s the Los Angeles Raiders won a Super Bowl.

But the team that moved from Brooklyn to the West Coast decades ago, breaking the hearts of many New Yorkers in the process, has seen little to hang their hats on.

Loney has done his part for the Dodgers in 2010. To the surprise of many, the San Diego Padres have been atop the National League’s West Division most of the year, in front of the Dodgers while having the Blue Crew chase San Diego with little success so far.

The 160-game plus season allows plenty of time for a team to make their way to first place. The baseball season is more like a marathon, as opposed to the NFL, where just about every game counts in the short season.

Loney is part of the 2010 Dodger team that had its ups and down in many ways. Issue one is that this could be Manager Joe Torre’s last year. The team has also suffered through the McCourts, owners of the team, battle to see who gets what and how much in ownership of the team. The McCourts are going through a nasty divorce, with the Dodgers being the main sticking point of the break-up.

The signing of Manny Ramirez has also changed the makeup of the squad. But Manny has not lived up to “Mannywood” status. He has been hurt many times the past two seasons, but to the delight of IE area Dodger fans, he has made stops in San Bernardino the past two years as part of his rehab recovery at Arrowhead Park. Both times, though, have been pretty much anti-climatic in San Bernardino.

While the hype has been with Manny, Loney has had better numbers and more of an impact in 2010.

So far he has played in 91 games, driving in 48 runs, 108 hits and six homeruns. His batting average is .309. This is impressive because the Dodgers are not really known for the offense throughout their history.

He is now certainly a mainstay. In his first year with the Dodgers in 2006, he played in 48 games. That number went way up last year to 158, showing his durability. His .991 fielding percentage has him as one of the best first-basemen in the game. Last year he made only seven errors in 1,361 chances.

Besides Manny, who is still riding the coattails of his more impressive Boston Red Sox days, only Matt Kemp is getting real attention in the media. Why? He is dating singer Rihanna and apparently doing a better job than Chris Brown.

“James has just been going out there and plugging along, not doing anything to get attention that gets a lot of attention,” said Manager Joe Torre.

“He’s been there for us all the time.”

If the Dodgers are to make a serious run for another World Series title, they must remain consistent. The run will likely not have the whip-appeal of the all-mighty Yankees, but more like a machine that is consistent and keeps on going. Just like long time Dodger commentator Vin Scully, they just need to keep plugging along, doing the basics.

If they make it that far, and get past the likes of the Padres and Philadelphia in the National League, no doubt first base will be covered. And maybe by then they will also have two key players back in Rafael Furcal and Andre Ethier, both out with injuries for most of the season.

For the player who enjoys playing ping pong, and looked up to his parents and liked the play of the great Ozzie Smith, he summed up what his goals are for himself and the team.

“Play hard and have a good time, always have fun and be confident.”

Come October, World Series time, we will see if these elements have worked.