Michael Ventre

The old saying about New York — “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” — is just that: an old saying.

It was coined during a bygone era when just about everything that mattered in business, sports and the arts was anchored there. But times change. In the past 20 years, jobs in publishing, advertising and the entertainment field especially have escaped from New York City in alarming numbers, due in part to the high cost of doing business there.

And now, Alex Rodriguez is leaving, partly because of the high cost of doing business with Scott Boras.

Meanwhile, since the first “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere” was uttered, Los Angeles has become an even tougher place to make it in certain fields.

Movies? Television? Music? Definitely. Sports? Maybe.

And then there is that profession whose ranks have grown exponentially in recent years, known as stardom. In New York, stars wear baseball caps and dark glasses and walk the streets of Manhattan in a desperate desire to blend in amid the hustle and bustle. But in Los Angeles, a star will crash his or her Mercedes on Sunset Boulevard in the middle of rush hour if he or she thinks it will attract media attention.

That’s why Alex Rodriguez should point his car West and drive it to Chavez Ravine to sign with the Dodgers, because right now in the sports world there is an opening for the biggest star in town.

There are many possible destinations for A-Rod. The Mets could decide to make a bold move and upstage the Yankees by signing him. The Yankees themselves could reconsider and come crawling back to A-Rod with a new contract. The Cubs could be players, if they settle their ownership issues. The Angels might blow out their budget and make a run, especially now that Bill Stoneman is no longer general manager. The Tigers could even come out of nowhere, a la the Texas Rangers. Heck, even the Rangers might dip their toe into the muck again.

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But the Los Angeles Dodgers seem like a perfect fit. They’re desperate for a major star and a big bat. A-Rod needs a stage upon which to perform. He’s done Seattle and Texas, but longed for brighter lights. And New York, while it is everything it is cracked up to be in terms of pressure and media savagery, was somewhat of a disappointment, like a much-anticipated Broadway production that is greeted with skepticism and confusion.

In Los Angeles, A-Rod would likely have the city all to himself, assuming that the Kobe Bryant saga ends with him becoming an ex-Laker. As of right now, it appears trade talks have quieted, and Bryant may indeed stick around for the time being to perform in front of Jack Nicholson, Penny Marshall, Glenn Frey and the rest of the Staples Center coterie of entertainment luminaries.

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Even if Bryant is still there, his star has fallen somewhat because of a combination of his impudence and his team’s impotence. He heard some boos in the season opener, a game that might serve as a microcosm for this season: he scored 45, the Lakers lost. And as a result of his furious campaign in the spring to be sprung, he isn’t held in the same regard anymore.

The Clippers have Elton Brand, who produces star-level numbers but is not really a star. And besides, he’s recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon.

Hockey’s Kings and Ducks? Most people in Southern California not only can’t name a star player on those teams, most would be hard-pressed to name the teams.

The city doesn’t have an NFL franchise, of course. And although Pete Carroll is a high-profile individual at USC, college football is still a niche, like independent film.

The Angels’ star is Vladimir Guerrero, who is shy, speaks mostly Spanish and toils in Orange County.

And David Beckham reportedly plays soccer in the area for the Galaxy, when he isn’t playing soccer overseas for England in pursuit of some international cup, or when he isn’t nursing a sore knee. Victoria Beckham has created more buzz in Beverly Hills than David has on the pitch.

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