PHILADELPHIA — Sporting freshly trimmed, thick braids instead of his usual dreadlocks, Manny Ramirez has a slightly new look for the NL Championship Series to go with his reformed West Coast attitude.

On the field, it's the same old Manny. He just keeps hitting.

Ramirez changed the culture of the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading them to the playoffs with a dynamic performance after forcing his way out of Boston.

Riding their slugger's torrid hitting and a couple of masterful pitching performances, the Dodgers swept the heavily favored Chicago Cubs out of the first round. Getting past the Philadelphia Phillies and their strong pitching in the NLCS won't be that easy.

"They're the best team out there," Ramirez said yesterday. "These guys are great. We don't think we are better than them, but the key in the playoffs is to get in and anything can happen."

Game 1 is tonight at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, with Derek Lowe (14-11) on the mound for the Dodgers against Cole Hamels (14-10).

Both teams have several outstanding players and a mix of interesting personalities, but all the focus was squarely on Ramirez the day before the opener. Cameras clicked and microphones followed the enigmatic left fielder everywhere he went before the Dodgers' workout.

Ramirez took it in stride.

"It's not my first rodeo," he said.

Manny loves California, but he hasn't learned to surf just yet. He doesn't have the patience to walk 200 times a year like Barry Bonds. He enjoys playing for manager Joe Torre.

Just don't ask Ramirez about his final days in Boston that ended with plenty of acrimony.

"I don't want to talk about the past," he said. "I don't look back. I move forward. I don't have anything bad to say about Boston."

That goes for all his critics, too.

"My teammates know what kind of guy I am. That's where I'll leave it," Ramirez said.

The 2004 World Series MVP, Ramirez has two championship rings from his 7 1/2 seasons with the Red Sox. He wants another one with the Dodgers, who wouldn't be here without him.

Ramirez batted .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 regular-season games with Los Angeles. He made a tremendous impact off the field, too, loosening up the clubhouse with his loud music and showing teammates how to relax and have more fun.

"I think he fit us perfectly because of our youth," said Lowe, who also played with Ramirez in Boston. "It was great for our young hitters to see how a superstar goes about his daily business, how hard he prepares, how he doesn't let one pitch or one at-bat affect him."

Overall, Ramirez hit .332 with 37 homers and 121 RBIs this season. He continued to torment pitchers in the playoffs, going 5-for-10 with two homers, three RBIs and four walks against Chicago.

Ramirez has hit safely in 38 of his last 43 postseason games, with a .350 average during that span. His 26 postseason homers are the most in major league history.

Does that make him the real Mr. October?

"I just go out there and relax and try and do my best," he said.

CUBS

HARDEN GETS OPTION FOR $7 MILLION NEXT SEASON

Rich Harden's $7 million option for next year was exercised yesterday by the Chicago Cubs, one day after an MRI arthrogram showed the right-hander had no structural damage in his pitching shoulder.

The Cubs acquired Harden from Oakland on July 8. He was the losing pitcher in Game 3 of the NL division series Saturday night as the Cubs were swept in three games by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 26-year-old Harden went a combined 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 25 starts for the Athletics and Cubs this season. Harden, who has battled arm problems throughout his career, was 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts with the Cubs.

TELEVISION

DIVISION SERIES RATINGS DOWN FROM LAST YEAR

Television ratings for baseball's division series declined from last year.

The 15 games on TBS averaged a 2.8 rating, the network said Tuesday. That's down 26 percent from a 3.8 for 13 games in 2007.

The absence of the New York Yankees, with their large market and national appeal, hurt. Their four-game division series with the Cleveland Indians last year averaged a 5.2 rating.

But this season's matchups still featured several big-market teams: both clubs from Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as Boston and Philadelphia.