In The New Year

• In the new year, will the Dodgers meet the expectations that came with reaching the NLCS last season?

• In the new year, does Orlando Hudson's wrist remain strong, or does young Blake DeWitt make up for its weakness?

• In the new year, can Casey Blake's beard possibly be as magnificently hirsute as 2008's growth?

• In the new year, will the four-pack of Russell J. Martin, Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and James Loney finally meet their potentials head on?

• In the new year, does our hero, Vin Scully, call his last game?

• In the new year, will the discs in Raffy Furcal's back bulge or will they be good?

• In the new year, will the pitching staff end up in shambles?

• In the new year, shall I don a Manny wig in a drunken stupor?

• In the new year, all of these questions will be answered.

The Walkmen, hailing from NYC since 2000, are a band with the kind of magic that will creep into your most wonderfully unexpected places.