Before their victory over the Colorado Rockies that enabled the Los Angeles Dodgers to clinch the National League West title, the Blue Crew seemed ready to utterly collapse as the 2009 regular season concluded.

All they needed during the previous five games was a single win and they would have clinched first place, long before October 3rd.

The Dodgers nearly accomplished a late season swoon that would have been discussed in tandem with the meltdown of the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies.

The only difference is that today we have the Wild Card, which the Dodgers had already won before their five game losing streak, guaranteeing them at least a brief appearance in the first round of post-season play.

Nearly having to be towed into the playoffs, stumbling and bumbling as they have done by losing game after game to last place teams, will the Dodgers deserve an asterisk next to their championship?

Will they be remembered as one of the least meritorious teams to ever sell playoff tickets to its fans?

It's possible, yet will the black eye be deserved?

Here was a team that overcame the 50 game suspension of one of its key sluggers, Manny Ramirez. It survived the scare of the line drive that caromed off the forehead of one of its ace pitchers.

And it pasted together the most impressive bullpen statistics from an ensemble that had been questioned regarding its talent, dating back to the end of 2008.

Plus, the Dodgers occupied first place in their division nearly wire-to-wire, from the first days of the season until nearly the last.

How could they be seen as losers?

Historians of the game and various pundits and fans will have to explain it.

Defying most objective measures of success, the 2009 Dodgers seem to be less than completely deserving, unless they can get hot when it really counts, which they'll need to do that against Central Division winners, the St. Louis Cardinals.