THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE: Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016

| October 16, 2016 9:15 PM

The Los Angeles Dodgers may very well not make it past that juggernaut that is the Cubs (when have you ever heard the Cubs be called that before?) in the NLCS.

But even if they don’t, Los Angeles still moved a few rungs up the respect meter with its gutsy come-from-behind victory over the Washington Nationals in the division series.

The Dodgers looked finished on Monday, especially after Jayson Werth’s ninth-inning Jack Clark-ian blast off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen in the Nationals’ Game 3 win.

But Clayton Kershaw, ripped for being great in the regular season but not to much in the postseason, proved he could pitch in the playoffs as well, winning on short rest to force a deciding game in D.C.

That’s when Kershaw went into Madison Bumgarner reliever mode, saving the game that decided the series. Even more impressive, Jansen looked like Rollie Fingers, getting seven huge outs on 51 pitches in an era where most closers rarely throw more than one inning, before turning it over to Kershaw for the final two outs. Back in the days, guys like the mustachioed Fingers entered the game as early as the sixth inning, and still had enough to finish up. These days, relievers come and go with each batter sometimes.

• Kinda interesting to hear people bad-mouth Colin Kaepernick for his take-a-knee protest during the national anthem.

Even if you think it’s wrong to show disrespect during such a song, it was a good way to bring attention to his cause.

Is it just because he plays for the 49ers? Are Seahawks fans that paranoid that they still have to foster a hatred toward the Niners, who are absolutely no threat to the ’Hawks these days?

If he plays poorly today, will his protest lose any steam?

Kaepernick is perceived as a bad apple, but when a member of the Seahawks speaks out about the same issue, somehow it’s OK? Is locking arms somehow a “better” protest than kneeling, or sitting, or raising your fist?

Answer this: If you took these stories and substituted the name “Russell Wilson” for Kaepernick, would you suddenly feel differently about what was going on?

Bet I can guess the answer to that one.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.