Some More Snap Judgements on the Dodgers.

Far be it from me to wait beyond the second game of the season to evaluate this year's new-look Dodgers, so here I go...

• Mark my words, Jose Valentin will lose his starting job by midseason. I'm hoping Jim Tracy and Paul DePodesta will spare us all the agony and just give the third base position to Norihiro Nakamura now rather than later. I'm glad Nakamura showed the good judgement of agreeing to accept his Triple-A assignment rather than returning to Japan. He'll be back just as soon as Valentin's worn out his welcome.

• Remember the name Jason Repko. The new kid's going to make some noise before the season's out.

• New radio announcer Charley Steiner is a good addition, but he needs to stop talking about the Yankees (his old employer) so much.

• Milton Bradley seems to have turned himself around in the off-season and emerged as a clubhouse leader. I just hope he can keep it up.

• Say what you will about the signings of Valentin and Jeff Kent, but with them the Dodgers are quietly amassing the most formidible collection of porn star mustaches around.

• This team is built to win, no matter how much the L.A. Times writers insist on picking on DePodesta and the McCourts over (mostly) pointless matters.