T.J. Simers has foisted his share of clunker conclusions on his readers — enough that some of them wonder if he knows much about sports, especially baseball. (We know he's clueless about hockey and soccer.) Still, that didn't stop the Times' most college newspaper-ish scribe from devoting his column on Tuesday to making fun of Steve Dilbeck, the Daily News columnist who made an unfortunate leap a few weeks back. Dilbeck declared the Dodgers dead before they went on the winning streak that reached eleven games last night. Simers made fun of Dilbeck's looks, name and paper — "I showed the newspaper to Grady Little and Colletti because I figured they've never seen a Daily News."

In a column today, Dilbeck eats his hat — and in a show of class doesn't mention Simers:

Enough, already. I'm actually embarrassed. Feeling all flushed. Come on now, please, stop it.

Cease the congratulatory letters, the flattering e-mails. Do need to free the cell phone for professional use. And if the back gets patted one more time, it'll become my chest.

Yes, it's become clear to everyone by now I single-handedly turned the Dodgers' season around.

They were a bunch of sad mopes, bent on self-destruction and plenty of unsightly baseball when I last visited our Boys in Blue. They had lost eight consecutive games and 13 of 14. They were fighting in the dugout, silent in the clubhouse and shrinking in the standings.

So I cleverly wrote them off. Said they were done. Dead team walking. That they not only lacked life, but simple spark.

And look at them now!

They've haven't lost since. They've become world beaters. They eat opposing teams for lunch. They hit, they pitch, they field. Bullets bounce off their chests. They're the Super Dodgers.

Game stories: Times, Daily News, MLB.com