Everyone enjoys occasional good laughs, but this gag has exceeded its allotment. Only so much giggling is allowed, and it?s high time for teams in the NL West to adopt some sober faces. This is serious. How?s it gonna look if the division champs win less than eighty? You keep hearing the talk about one of the teams breaking away from the pack ? seizing the moment to reach for the gold. But as we get into August, nobody has shown much interest. Maybe they?ve all decided the season is just way too long. Pile on playoff games? Nope. Not for us. The Padres came across as the potential favorite, and their early season streak exhibited the spectacle of a shuttle launch. With a solid pen and a starter named Jake, any kind of a losing stretch was out of the question. Not going to happen. My, how things have changed. Suddenly, any win is cause for a major gala. And with a record of 51-53 (as of this writing), they should be embarrassed to be leading anything. Losing 11 of their last 12 won?t get it done. Then again, in this division, maybe it will. The injury to Ramon Martinez is a tough blow, and management has added to the ugliness with the desperation trade of Phil Nevin for Chan Ho Park. Why? When the proposal to get Sidney Ponson failed, they should have all been spotted painting the town, dancing and drinking until dawn. Not a chance. So upset, they couldn?t wait to take a crack at snaring another loser. And this is supposed to help the team in some way? What must the talk be like in the showers? If the guys in the front office don?t have a clue, there?s big Padre danger ahead. For the other teams, continuing to gain ground on San Diego has been a mammoth shocker. All it has meant though, is that they have not been stinking it up nearly as bad as the Pads. Some consolation. Breaking out of the gate in a hurry has been the only defining moment of this Dodgers? season. All of the big changes to last year?s squad have yet to pay any visible dividends. Maybe there is a part of the master plan that hasn?t been revealed yet ? something more sinister to come. Yeah, right. General Manage Paul DePodesta is in the same silly mode as his counterparts ? not knowing exactly what to do about this so-called race. Does he make multiple desperate moves, perhaps giving up on young talent, in order to snag the title? Or is there already enough there, including a rejuvenated Jeff Kent, to eek out something? Not likely. The Giants have been gasping for air since opening day, and maybe even as far back as the last Bonds? surgery. When you are only 5? games behind, you tend to snicker and get all goose-pimply. Then you realize you are 13 games under .500, and just trying to win eighty games will take a superhuman effort. Every game has been a fresh opportunity for one of their pitchers to spray more gas on the fire. Nearly the entire staff should be investigated for arson. And getting behind is a terrible idea, since this team has determined it?s too much trouble to come back in the late innings to win anything. They can?t seem to get rid of their young pitching prospects fast enough either, so they had better win this year. Sure. Plucky Arizona has hung around, and will probably be the team to reluctantly raise their hands and exclaim: ?Okay, we?ll take it if nobody else wants it?. Plus, they are currently the closest to the reeling Padres, so put your money on them. Hey, why not. The Rockies never have a chance, so nothing matters for them. Thanks to the West, teams in the other divisions have enjoyed a welcomed feast, and been supremely able to bloat their records. Even teams in the American League have benefited. All because of a cleverly orchestrated prank, perpetrated for some perverted reason. Listen up, people of the West: Joke?s over. We?re not laughing anymore.