I suppose everybody who is keeping up with the Braves' quest for the National League West pennant read the sports pages Thursday and saw Mike Downey is Atlanta-baiting again.

But just in case you didn't, the Los Angeles Times columnist is going down the stretch with the Braves and Dodgers by raining on our little parade.

In Thursday's offering, reprinted from the Times, he got away with a line I'm surprised went uncut by editors in both Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Wrote he: "...Perhaps you saw them (Braves fans) on TV last week. They were the ones who made a baseball stadium look like Pee-wee's Playhouse."

If you can't figure out the reference there, I'm sorry. I don't think my editors would allow an explanation. Just think about it.

Downey goes on to say Atlanta fans are demeaning American Indians with the tomahawk chop bit. He adds:

"...They can joke all they want down there about Dodgers fans arriving late and leaving early, but at least we don't pretend we're Indians and sit around going woo-woo-woo."

Far be it from me to get into a urinating contest with Mike Downey (is he wearing ear muffs in his column photo or is that his hair?) for a couple of reasons.

One is, the guy is just doing his job and he's pretty good at it. I loved his line on Otis Nixon: "...I don't know if Andy or Barney locked up Otis in the Mayberry jail."

And, two, I try never to get on the other side of a man who is balding. Balding men usually are frustrated or angry because other men (like me) still have their hair, while they're beginning to resemble Clarabell more each day.

I would, however, like to dispute Mike Downey on a couple of points, not merely to start an argument but for the sake of truth. This is, after all, Big Time Journalism, and the truth should find its way out of the entanglements of rumor and innuendo (not to be confused with the two Falcon '90 draft picks cut the first day of practice, of the same names).

 At least our nickname makes sense. The Braves: warriors of great courage. What the hell is a Dodger? You want to attack a fort? Who do you send? Braves or Dodgers?

Legend has it the Dodgers' name came from the fact people living in Brooklyn -- where the Dodgers once lived before owner Walter O'Malley got greedy and went West -- had to dodge trolley cars on their way to Ebbets Field -- where the Dodgers once played before they deserted their faithful for the phone numbers of starlets.

In Brooklyn the dodgers were also know as bums, as in "Dem bums".

That is the L.A. heritage, and talk about demeaning. Bums. We're talking about the homeless.

In Atlanta we don't name our baseball team after the homeless, we arrest them.

 We don't sit around going woo-woo-woo either; we sit around and go, "Nah,nah,naha,nah," an old Indian phrase meaning, "Otis, my man!"

Now that Otis is gone, maybe enjoying Aunt Bee's cooking in the Mayberry jail, we'll have to sit around and go something else.

But it won't be woo-woo-woo, which is what they say in L.A. when a starlet shows up at Dodger Stadium not wearing a bra. Starlets rarely wear bras in L.A. Panties are optional.

Anyway, to Mike Downey: It's our team and it's our town and we'll do what we damn well please.

Get a life Pale Face. And a head rug wouldn't be such a bad idea either.