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 Wednesday. "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.

He was charming, witty and humble, sitting down for nearly 20 minutes and answering questions on a wide range of topics.

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 already has two championship rings from his 7Z\x 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 RBI 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.

Phillies pitchers have had varying degrees of success against Ramirez. Hamels and Brett Myers, who starts Game 2, have shut him down. He's 2-for-8 against Hamels and 3-for-19 off Myers with a grand slam and five strikeouts.

Moyer and Joe Blanton, the scheduled starter in Game 4, might want to think about walking Ramirez. He has more homers (10) off Moyer than any pitcher he's ever faced, and he's hitting .560 (14-for-25) against Blanton.

Ramirez has a .274 career average against the Phillies (26-for-95) with eight homers and 30 RBIs. He was 7-for-33 (.212) with one homer this season.

"There's a certain way to pitch Manny," Philadelphia backup catcher Chris Coste said. "It's just a matter of pitchers executing those pitches. There's a book on Manny Ramirez, but he's more likely to hit a mistake. If we execute the game plan, I don't see a reason to walk him."

While the Dodgers rely on Ramirez to carry their offense, the Phillies need more production from their big hitters. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a combined 4-for-26 with nine strikeouts against Milwaukee in the division series. They're batting .184 (9-for-49) with 21 Ks, four extra-base hits and four RBIs in two postseason series.

Not the kind of numbers that make October stars. If they don't snap out of their slumps soon, Utley and Howard could be labeled chokers.

"I'm trying to hit the ball hard," Utley said. "Finding holes is important, too. But I'm just trying to put together good at-bats."