Letters to the Editor: ‘I don’t sleep in October’ -- on being a Dodger fan right now
To the editor: Letters editor Paul Thornton effectively articulated the dread and apprehension — not the joyous anticipation — with which so many Dodger fans greet October now that the team has reached the playoffs 10 consecutive years and left without a World Series title nine times.
I no longer enjoy April through September, and I don’t sleep in October. Regardless of how the Dodgers have gotten better and better since their run began in 2013, I am reduced to hoping for the best but expecting the worst.
During this year’s historic 111-win regular season, I found I’ve been reduced from a baseball fan to the weirdest of creatures: a baseball fan with a football fan mentality, in that I no longer regard games as mere entertainment (it doesn’t help that Vin Scully’s gone), now I’m interested only in winning and how that will translate to relevance in the playoffs.
When former team owner Frank McCourt let go of the then-bankrupt Dodgers in 2012, he apparently cast a spell on the club: six months of not just happiness but borderline cockiness, followed by one or two or three or four weeks of sorrow. He succeeded wildly.
Donn Risolo, Altadena
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To the editor: Thornton’s opinion piece — in which he writes, “If there ever was a case for canceling the playoffs and awarding a championship because one team was so clearly better than all the others, our 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers would be it” — has sparked a lot of discourse in the Dodgers family in this city.
In order to keep my response print friendly, I’ve labored over just how to properly write out my heartfelt thoughts on his matter, and after making for myself a delicious eggs Benedict cooked over this piping-hot take, I think I’ve come to a simple elucidation:
Thornton sounds like a Yankees fan.
Christian Jacobson, Studio City
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To the editor: So, the Dodgers didn’t get to the World Series. Disappointing, yes; devastating, no.
It was a memorable season that included a record number of wins for the franchise.
Thanks to the boys in blue for all the exciting games. Enjoy the time off — I can’t wait for you to start again next season.
Michele Fair, La Crescenta
