Second Wind Just Wasn’t Enough : Dodgers: The second half provided some good memories, but those wasted leads blew the team out of the race.

When evaluating the Dodgers’ surprising 1990 season, no one person can be credited. Or blamed.

There were strikeouts from Ramon Martinez. Memories from Fernando Valenzuela. Majesty from Eddie Murray. Fear from Tim Belcher. Tears from Orel Hershiser.

There was youthfulness from Rick Dempsey. Age from Jeff Hamilton. Hope from Kirk Gibson. Disappointment from Kirk Gibson. And that same old spitting-mad inspiration from Tom Lasorda.

There were bad knees from Kal Daniels. And lots of runs produced by Kal Daniels.

There was inspiration from the platoon of Lenny Harris and Mike Sharperson. And a scheduled court hearing in Pittsburgh for the platoon of Alfredo Griffin and Juan Samuel that never came off.

It was not really one season, but two.

On July 22, the Dodgers were 45-47. They were in third place, trailing the eventual National League West champion Cincinnati Reds by 13 1/2 games.

From July 23 until they were eliminated from contention on Saturday, they were 39-27, the best record in the league during that time.

In the first season, Orel Hershiser and Jay Howell were injured. Jim Gott and Kirk Gibson were still rehabilitating. And Eddie Murray, Hubie Brooks and Kal Daniels were getting used to playing in the same lineup for the first time.

In the second season, Howell, Gott and Gibson returned, Jim Neidlinger arrived. And Murray, Brooks and Daniels had the most productive home-run derby in the National League.

The Dodgers never got closer than 3 1/2 games to the Reds, on three occasions. But that ground could have been made up if the Dodgers, with an inconsistent bullpen, hadn’t blown some big leads. That is where any season reflections should begin:

They Can’t Believe It Happened: On Aug. 21, the Dodgers blew a 10-run lead against Philadelphia to lose, 12-11. Afterward, Tom Lasorda could not sleep.

They Can’t Believe It Happened Again: On Sept. 4, the Dodgers blew a seven-run lead against Houston to lose, 10-8. The effect on Lasorda was worse. He could not eat.

Plain Ridiculous: In a span of 23 games, from June 10 to July 5, the Dodgers lost seven other games after blowing leads.

Best Bullpen Description: “Sometimes the guys in this bullpen are like soldiers in a war. . . . We get wounded, then we go right back to the front lines and fight again,” said John Wetteland after the Dodgers blew a 5-1 lead in Philadelphia and lost, 9-5, on May 6.

Most Valuable Player: Murray, who hit .357 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs . . . after the All-Star break.

Most Valuable Pitcher: Martinez. Five years ago, he weighed 150 pounds. Last year, he cried when he was sent to triple-A Albuquerque. This year, he outdueled Jose Canseco in the All-Star game.

Worst Scoreboard Message: With Greg Olson down two strikes in the eighth inning of a June 4 game against Atlanta, the Dodger Stadium scoreboard flashed that Martinez had tied Sandy Koufax’s club record with 18 strikeouts.

“I saw that and said, ‘No way am I striking out,’ ” said Olson, who lunged in front of a pitch and lined out. Martinez did not break the record.

Rookie of the Year: Unlike in other years, Neidlinger will not be delivering Christmas presents for United Parcel Service in Burlington, Vt. this winter. He is weary from helping carry the Dodgers, winning seven of his first 10 starts after he was recalled July 30.

Rookie Misfortunes of the Year: Jim Poole leaped off the mound and thrust his hands in the air in Cincinnati after recording what he thought was the third out of an important inning. There were only two outs.

“I better stop doing that if I value my life,” Poole said.

--In Brian Traxler’s first major league plate appearance, he replaced Murray after Murray was ejected from the game while behind one strike. Two pitches later, Traxler had struck out.

“Tough league,” Traxler said.

--After Luis Lopez’s first major league plate appearance, a wire-service reporter incorrectly called him “Gomez,” in the next day’s box score.

“Here I am, my first big league chance, and some guy thinks I’m from the Addams Family,” Lopez said.

Finely Aged: Orel Hershiser, making his first public comments about the team since undergoing shoulder surgery April 27, attributes the success to the veteran makeup of the Dodgers, players who are not quick to either celebrate or panic.

“We have the kind of guys who, under any conditions, could concentrate on their job and do it,” he said.

“Eddie Murray could play anywhere. Kal Daniels could play anywhere. Mike Scioscia could play anywhere. Mickey Hatcher could play anywhere. And so on. These guys all know they belong and don’t worry when things don’t go well.”

Still Rivals: After a sniper riddled Candlestick Park with gunfire while the San Francisco Giants were taking batting practice, the Giants ran from the field shouting, “Dodgers’ turn to hit!”

Unsung Hero: With two games remaining, Scioscia had a career-high 12 homers and 66 RBIs while holding together an inexperienced pitching staff.

Unsung Statistic: With two games remaining, Scioscia had thrown out only 23% of potential base stealers. Dempsey had thrown out 30%.

Unsung Change: After 17 years as the Dodgers’ scouting director, Ben Wade retired.

Though he will be remembered as one of baseball’s most shrewd talent judges, he has suffered through a series of bad drafts that recently has left the Dodger minor-league system with few prospects at the triple-A level.

His probable replacement, assistant Terry Reynolds, faces as much pressure as anyone in the organization.

Fake Identity of the Year: Griffin allegedly started a fight in a Pittsburgh bar when he told a female patron he was Jose Lind.

Most Important Strike: According to the police report, while helping Griffin in that bar fight with a local busboy, teammate Samuel “swung and missed.” The busboy later dropped his simple assault charges.

Most Important Walk: On June 8 in San Diego, after giving up runs for the fourth time in his first five appearances, Gott was so upset he walked from San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium to the team’s hotel two miles away.

He allowed a run in only four of his next 28 appearances.

Most Blunt Use of a Catcher’s Mitt: Dempsey slugged Philadelphia’s Lenny Dykstra with his left hand at home plate on Aug. 20. Dykstra had accused Dempsey of “brown-nosing” the umpire.

Most Blunt Evaluation of an Opponent: “I respect Lenny Dykstra as a player,” Dempsey said. “But he’s an idiot as a person.”

Biggest Home Run: Brooks’ three-run homer in the eighth inning opening day against San Diego’s Bruce Hurst that gave the Dodgers a 4-2 victory.

Memories: The opening-day lineup April 9 included Samuel in center field, Willie Randolph at second base, Jeff Hamilton at third base and Hershiser on the mound. The winning pitcher was Wetteland. The save went to Don Aase.

Wetteland has won one game since. Aase has two other saves.

Best Souvenir: After five of his first six complete-game victories, Martinez threw the game ball into the stands.

Tired Arm of the Year: With a 5-1 lead in the ninth inning in Pittsburgh on May 28, Belcher asked to leave the game because of a fatigued arm. It led to what many Dodgers believed was the most devastating loss of the year, the Pirates scoring five runs against the bullpen in the ninth for a 6-5 victory.

Some say Belcher just worried about suffering the same overworked shoulder problems as Hershiser. Doctors who later found a piece of floating cartilage in his right shoulder disagreed.

Irony of the Year: When Valenzuela pitched his no-hitter against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium on June 29, the only Dodger not present was Hershiser. He was attending a Janet Jackson concert.

Biggest Tease: In the start before his no-hitter, Valenzuela gave up 10 hits. In the start after his no-hitter, Valenzuela gave up 10 hits.

Likely farewells: Gibson, Samuel, Dempsey, Aase.

Possibly Incoming: Darryl Strawberry, Terry Pendleton, Ken Dayley, Dave Hansen.

Best Trade: Under the popular and inspirational Randolph, the Dodgers were 77-83 last season and 14-17 this season. Since acquiring Stan Javier for Randolph, they have gone 71-57 through Monday.

Best and Worst of Times: Mike Morgan pitched a two-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds on July 30 in the game that made the Dodgers believe they were in the race.

Nearly two months later, in a game that led to the end of the Dodgers’ division title hopes, Morgan could not get out of the first inning against Houston, allowing three runs in one-third of an inning in a 10-1 defeat.

Morgan is tied for the major league lead with four shutouts, yet entering his final start, he had won only once since that victory over Cincinnati.

Best Teamwork: Five Dodgers tackled and restrained Daniels when he attempted to attack home plate umpire Gary Darling in the first inning of the Dodgers’ 8-4 loss to Cincinnati Sept. 8.

Best Managerial Move: Lasorda deftly maneuvered between Gibson and Vice President Fred Claire during a screaming match in Lasorda’s office before the Dodgers’ game with Pittsburgh July 8.

Most Difficult Managerial Move: Lasorda no longer used his diet drink regularly. But through daily walks around stadiums and long swims with weights on his hands, he still kept his weight off.

Worst Encore: Shortstop Jose Offerman, the Dodgers’ top prospect, hit a homer in his first major league at-bat on Aug. 19. In his first nine at-bats, he had five hits.

He has had five hits since, none for extra bases.

Still Crazy: In his only ejection this season, Lasorda was thrown out by umpire Greg Bonin for claiming that Bonin thought he was Hitler.