John Sommers Ii / Reuters

if Alex Rodriguez, right, joins his former manager Joe Torre, left, with the Dodgers, he would become the biggest star in Los Angeles, says columnist Michael Ventre.

Yes, there’s a big opening in Los Angeles for a star.

When A-Rod was a Yankee, he had to share the spotlight with Derek Jeter. The perception by Yankee fans is that Jeter can do no wrong, whereas just about everything A-Rod did was wrong, even when he was tearing the cover off the ball and putting up MVP numbers. He was never a comfortable fit there. Having Alex Rodriguez at Yankee Stadium was like replacing the statue of George M. Cohan in Times Square with one of Emmitt Smith. It just felt cheesy.

That wouldn’t be the case in L.A. Whereas the Yankees won four World Series titles from 1996 to 2000, the Dodgers haven’t won a playoff series since 1988, which also happens to be the last time they won it all. And yes, A-Rod does not have a Ruthian reputation in the postseason. But at this point, Dodger fans are willing to gamble on the law of averages, figuring he has to break out eventually.

If A-Rod were in Los Angeles, he would have to deal with lots of media, but it would be nothing like New York. If he walked into a hotel accompanied by a stripper, the paparazzi likely would leave him alone because in the pecking order of sordid stuff in Los Angeles that wouldn’t even rate.

There is a perception that Alex Rodriguez is slick, phony, overly cautious, insincere, consumed with his image, greedy, cold and calculating. In New York, those are reasons to send him packing. In Los Angeles, those are reasons to make him feel at home.

A-Rod could very well get a contract in excess of $300 million. But if he signs with the Dodgers, he’ll own Los Angeles, and it will have nothing to do with money.

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