Is this the Year?

I don't know. This hasn't been the dominant year like 2017, but then again, that all ended in heartbreak, so regular season dominance isn't a great indicator.

Watching NLCS Game 5 in my lucky shirt.

But as I'm watching the Dodgers play a solid game behind a classic Kershaw performance after last night's thirteen inning battle, I can't help but think that maybe this is the year. The Boys in Blue can win one more in Milwaukee.

A rematch with the Astros would be sweet vindication. A matchup against the Red Sox would be a battle of the coasts. Either way, thirty years after the last time the Dodgers were World Champions, maybe this is the year they finally take the title again. I'm a believer.

Spring Baseball

The scent of fresh-cut grass in the air.

"Ping!" as aluminum bats making contact with softly tossed baseballs from volunteer coaches.

Cheering kids as one of their teammates rounds the bases to score a practice homerun.

A blob of kindergartners leaving their positions to chase a ball (except the right fielder who's busy watching an airplane, and the shortstop who's digging a hole in the dirt with her cleat) while their coaches just sort of sigh and suggest that the catcher doesn't need to chase the ball into left field.

a pre-schooler's laugh as her father pushes her on the swings while they wait for her big brother to finish practice on the nearby field.

These are a few of my favorite things that are eating my free time right now.

Thanks Vin, And a Very Pleasant Retirement to You, Wherever You May Go

1992 was a lousy year to start being a serious Dodgers fan. Coming off a heartbreaking end to the 1991 season that saw the Giants play spoilers and end the Dodgers' run at the National League West title, the 1992 season started with high hopes. The off season had been spent signing Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis to anchor the outfield, and with most of the 1991 team still there, the next season looked to be a solid run at a championship.

Instead, the wheels completely fell off. Star players got hurt, and the year ended with the Dodgers at the bottom of the division, with the sole highlight being Eric Karros winning the Rookie of the Year award. Somehow though, this is the year I remember as being the one where I really became a Dodgers fan.

Vin Scully was the the voice of my teenage years. Playing through the headphones on my Walkman radio while I did chores or studied. Blaring through the tiny speaker of a baseball shaped AM radio I'd gotten at a Dodger Stadium giveaway as I tried to find the local station for Dodger baseball while on family vacations. (And coming back into Dodger country from wherever we were visiting was always the sign that we were almost home.) Creating theatre of the mind through the radio of my truck, and keeping me company during solo shifts at my first job.

Not my personal radio, but just like this.

Yesterday, Sunday, October 2nd, Vin called his last game, exactly 80 years to the day after he became a Giants fan at age 8 listening to them in the Bronx. He had this to say before the broadcast started:


"May God give you for every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise, and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life seems, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song, and an answer for each prayer."

Thanks, Vin, for the great memories. I'm going to miss that voice on the radio when next season rolls around.