The smell of the grass. The crack of the bat. The flavor of a Dodger Dog. The warmth of the sun. The cheers and jeers of adoring fans and disgruntled rivals. The team flags flapping in the wind. The sound of the organist revving up the crowd. The inevitable moment that some jackass decides to start a wave. I love it. I love it all.
It’s no secret that I am a huge Dodger fan. Truth be told, I haven’t always been. I liked them well enough growing up, since in Arizona, we didn’t have our own team until 1996, and so we rooted for either the Dodgers, Padres, or (God forbid) the Anaheim Angels (yeah, you read that right. LA has only one baseball team, people). Every once in a while, you’d run into a misplaced A’s fan. So, for the most part, I grew up liking the Dodgers (save for a brief stint in 1994-95 when I actually rooted for the Rockies for a whole season)
Then I met my ex, who was an avid Dodger fan. He corrupted me. He taught me the meaning of what it mean to be “Dodger Blue.” I learned all about Dodger history, thanks to several years of Dodgers books for my birthday. Our first vacation together was in 1999 to Dodger Stadium. I saw Mark McGwire hit one out of the park, a feat last achieved by Mike Piazza in the 80’s. We had a great time. From then on, I was a true Dodger fan. In 2000, I became friends with Kevin, who I could not believe was a bigger fan than my ex. He even has a tattoo on his ankle with the Dodger logo. Needless to say, we bonded over a mutual love for the team, among other things. Now I look forward to the season every winter, celebrate my birthday by hitting a game (or two or three), and cheer on my boys in Chavez Ravine. Being a Dodger fan brings me both great joy and leaves me on the verge of a heart attack every year.
The guy I’ve been dating went to the A’s/Mariners game last night and was surprised at how empty the stadium was. He said that there were maybe 6,000 people at the game. Shocking.
A’s fans must really hate their team. Two games into the season, playing a division rival and no one cares? Unbelievable. (Why couldn’t only 6,000 people shown up to the Dodger game last weekend?) Although Rockies fans aren’t much better unless the team is on a hot streak in September.
This is, yet another reason I love being a Dodger fan. Dodger fans are passionate. Probably a little too passionate.
Here’s hoping we see October again this year. Go BLUE!