Oct 29, 2020

They Did It!

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been to the World Series in three of the last four years. We all know what happened in 2017. The Assterisks were cheating. They knew what pitches Kershaw was throwing. Then 2018, the Red Sox came in and beat the Dodgers in five. The Red Sox were just the better team. Last year. the Nationals took the Dodgers out in the division series. Then comes along the 2020 season. We didn’t even think there would be a baseball season. Luckily, we were treated a 60 game season. 60 games doesn’t seem long because as a baseball fan we are used to 162 games, but 60 games worked. There were a lot of precautions and bubbles. Teams often didn’t have a day off and it was a sprint to the finish. The Dodgers added Mookie Betts to the lineup this season and for the next 11 years. He was the conduit to help the Dodgers have the best record at 43-17 in baseball. The Dodgers started the wild card beating the Milwaukee Brewers in two games. Then the Dodgers met the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series. They beat the Padres in 3 straight games. Next up was the Atlanta Braves. The Braves gave the Dodgers a run for their money. They came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Braves in seven. The World Series match up was against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays are a scrappy team with names that most people don’t know with the exception of Blake Snell and Charlie Morton. Now everybody knows Randy Arozarena. In the World Series, Clayton Kershaw went 2-0. A postseason monkey that had been on his back is now gone. He looked great. His postseason performance was great. His ERA was 2.31 with a 0.86 WHIP. We are happy for Clayton Kershaw. He has been through a lot over the years and a lot of naysayers saying that he chokes in the postseason. That is over because Clayton Kershaw is a World Series Champion! The series went 6 games. Julio Urias was awesome. In the World Series, he ended up with a 2.57 ERA. He pitched 7 innings with 13 strikeouts and a .71 WHIP. It was fitting he was on the mound for the last out of the World Series. Corey Seager was the MVP of the NLCS and the World Series. A rare feat. Orel Hershiser was the MVP of the NLCS and the World Series in 1988. Seager had a .400 batting average with 2 HR and 5 RBIs.

As a fan of the Dodgers for as long as I can remember, I am so excited for the Dodgers to win the World Series. There has been a lot of heart ache being a Dodgers fan, but being a true fan means rooting for the team win or lose. Baseball is definitely a love affair. It is the highest of highs and lowest of lows. This year we ride out the season on a high. So excited for the Dodgers and can’t wait for the 2021 season.

Oct 15, 2020

Game Called

Game Called. Across the field of play
the dusk has come, the hour is late.
The fight is done and lost or won,
the player files out through the gate.
The tumult dies, the cheer is hushed,
the stands are bare, the park is still.
But through the night there shines the light,
home beyond the silent hill.

Game Called. Where in the golden light
the bugle rolled the reveille.
The shadows creep where night falls deep,
and taps has called the end of play.
The game is done, the score is in,
the final cheer and jeer have passed.
But in the night, beyond the fight,
the player finds his rest at last.

Game Called. Upon the field of life
the darkness gathers far and wide,
the dream is done, the score is spun
that stands forever in the guide.
Nor victory, nor yet defeat
is chalked against the players name.
But down the roll, the final scroll,
shows only how he played the game.

–Grantland Rice