"They're a lot the same, but definitely they have more experience," said Phillies righthander Chan Ho Park, who pitched for the Dodgers last year before signing with the Phillies in the offseason. "They are the same guys, a lot of young talent, and now they have better experience."

Ours is an impulse-buyer's society, and in no sport is that more reflected than the national pasttime, where each winter owners around the country open their checkbooks in an attempt at purchasing that glorious yet fleeting abstraction called success. Thus, when evaluating the year-to-year improvement of a team, we often turn to personnel additions - the free agents they have signed, the trades they have made.

And when looking at the difference in the Phillies this time around, it is a good place to start. Lefthander Cliff Lee, the likely Game 3 starter, was acquired in a late-July trade with the Indians. Righthander Pedro Martinez, who could start Game 2, was signed as a free agent in mid-July.

Leftfielder Pat Burrell is out. Free-agent signee Raul Ibanez is in.

The Phillies' core group of players has already endured its maturation phase.

But when looking at the Dodgers team the Phillies will face starting today and comparing it to the one they vanquished last October, the biggest difference is the maturation of young stars like Ethier.

Despite their five-game victory over the Dodgers last postseason, the Phillies realized at the time that they were facing a team with vast potential. Joe Blanton, who allowed three runs in five innings against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS, was impressed with the balance in their lineup, both in terms of lefthanded and righthanded hitters and in experience.

"When you looked at their team last year, and you step back and look at it now, they had a bunch of young guys, and guys that they have locked up for a while," Blanton said. "When you have a core group like that, it usually means that a team is going to be pretty competitive for those years."

Today, in Game 1, the Phillies will come face-to-face with another one of the Dodgers' young-and-improved stars. When they last faced Clayton Kershaw, the 21-year-old lefthander was 3-4 with a 4.26 ERA. On May 12, they scored four runs on four hits and four walks in five innings of a 5-3 victory. On June 4, they scored two runs on four hits but forced him to throw 105 pitches in 5 1/3 innings of a game they went on to win, 3-0.

But after that June meeting with the Phillies, Kershaw went 5-4 with a 1.97 ERA in his final 20 appearances of the regular season. Then, against the Cardinals in the NLDS, he allowed two runs on nine hits in 6 2/3 innings, walking just one.

In the past, the Phillies have attacked Kershaw with patience, knocking him from games early by forcing him to throw a lot of pitches.

"He has good stuff - a fastball that's electric, a curveball that falls off the table," Jimmy Rollins said. "You just have to outpatience him. You know he's going to throw a lot of pitches. You know he's going to get wild at times. But it seems to work out for him because he gets wild, and then all of a sudden he'll throw three strikes right down the middle and get the hitter swinging again."

But how will they fare against the new Kershaw? And centerfielder Matt Kemp, who went 5-for-14 against them last October and has only improved, hitting .297 with 26 home runs and 101 RBI during the regular season? And, of course, Ethier?

"The rest of the guys, last year, they grew up a lot," Dodgers leftfielder Manny Ramirez said. "I think they got a lot of experience for all the things we went through. I think the guys, they're more ready this time. But we're going against the best team in the National League, so let's wait and see what's going to happen."

Rollins says he saw the potential in the Dodgers last October. And the addition of veterans like Jim Thome and Orlando Hudson has helped refine that possibility.

"Any team with pitching and a young core of guys, they are definitely going to be good for a while," he said. "And then you bring in some leadership to show them the way and build their confidence, good things will happen, and have."

Of course, the Phillies hope the good things stop happening today. And that this talented young Dodgers team is still at least another year away.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese