'09 Playoff Teams' Current Droughts

World Championships:
Phillies- 2008
Red Sox -2007
Cardinals- 2006
Angels- 2002
Yankees- 2000
Rockies- Never (started in '93)
Twins- 1991
Dodgers- 1988


League Pennants:
Phillies- 2008
Red Sox- 2007
Rockies- 2007
Cardinals- 2006
Yankees- 2003
Angels- 2002
Twins- 1991
Dodgers- 1988

Besides the Dodgers, I usually root for the team that has gone the longest without a World Series Championship or at least a League Championship. I never thought that team would be the Dodgers, in both cases. Sigh.

Playoff Hibernation

Tomorrow starts the MLB Playoffs, a wonderful time of year. This is the 3rd time in 4 years, and 4th in 6 years, that the Dodgers have made the playoffs. Which is fantastic, except for two factors: the stress that I feel watching my team in must-win games every day- I live and die with every pitch, and drive myself crazy; and the way it affects my schedule. The latter is not a horrible thing, it just alters my planning on a day-to-day basis for a month. Want to do something next Tuesday? I can let you know Monday after the networks figure out what time the Dodgers game is. And there's no phone calls, emails, Facebook, etc. I have only missed one game in the last 25 years of Dodger playoffs, and that was to be best man in a friend's wedding (which I will never let him live down). The Dodgers haven't made it very far since 1988, so this usually only a week and a half of anomaly. But one of these years, they may actually make it back to the World Series. When that happens, hold your calls and emails till the second week of November.

Da Bums Leave Town

52 years ago today, the Brooklyn Dodgers played their final game at Ebbets Field before heading west to LA. It was not officially known at that time that they were leaving, but the writing was on the wall, and most fans knew they were seeing their beloved Bums for the last time. Even with this knowledge, barely 6000 fans showed up to see the Dodgers play the Pirates. That is unimaginable today, where tickets to a final game in places much less majestic than Ebbets Field go for 10 times their face value on ebay.

I've always been torn on this move of my favorite team. LA is certainly a wonderful home for the Dodgers, and Brooklyn desperately needed a new park to replace the crumbling Ebbets. And contrary to most reports, the fact that this couldn't get done was more the fault of politician Robert Moses, as opposed to Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley. Would the team have survived much longer with the changing profile of the city, along with the fact that a 3-team city was no longer viable? We'll never know for sure. The Brooklyn Dodgers, like a celebrity who dies too young, are romanticized in a way that no other team is. And maybe that's better that way.

Here is video of the last pitch ever at Ebbets Field:

A Dodger Passenger

Sorry that I have been MIA, but I have a very busy stretch, followed by vacation. But hopefully, you will be hearing more from me in the coming weeks, including the Family Guy Madness promised in my last post.

For today, let me tell you of my meeting with semi-greatness. During one of our games last week, my GM asked if I could drive a sick coach to the hospital. That coach happened to be former All-Star and World Champion Devon White, who was also considered the best defensive center fielder of the '90's behind Ken Griffey Jr. But even more exciting to me was the fact that Devon had two mediocre years with my Dodgers.

Of course, there was no way I could even a conversation with someone who was keeled over in pain, let alone tell him that I was a big fan. I felt bad for him, as he was clearly in alot of pain. Later, I found out that he had a mild heart attack, but is doing better. I feel good that I might have played a small part in saving his life.

My Bucket List Has One Less Entry

I've never seen the movie "The Bucket List," but the concept is simple- the things you haven't done in life that you want to do before you die. Everyone has one, mostly in their mind. Some things on the list will take time or money (climbing through the Alps, maybe?). And other things should never have taken so long, but when you finally scratch it off your list, it still makes you feel as good. This is one of those items.

I have been to hundreds of baseball games, and not one of them had been with my Dad, inarguably my first baseball influence. Through circumstances beyond my control, my Mom and Grandfather were the ones who took me and Mary to games. My Dad gave me my love for the Dodgers, explained stats, history, baseball cards, watching and listening to games, everything baseball- except the physical act of going to a game together. It's amazing, looking back, that I didn't further question this paradox. But my Dad was sick during alot of my childhood, and as an adult, time and distance just pushed it to the back of the line.

Then the last couple of years it had really started to bug me- why weren't we getting to a game? It was time- so I put my idea to my siblings, and we picked a Dodgers game in Philly to celebrate my Dad's upcoming 55th birthday.

And on this past Tuesday, my Dad went to his first game in nearly 40 years, and got to see his favorite team for the first time. And all 6 of his kids, his daughter- and son-in-law, and 2 of his grandkids got to share it with him. It was mostly unspoken, but something that I think we will all look back on as one of those little things in life that means so much. And much, much more important than climbing any mountain could ever be.

Jinx'ed!

Most people believe in some sort of jinx. My belief is that you don't mention how good the weather is if you're trying to avoid rain, you don't say how little traffic there is when you are on a long road trip, and you never mention how well your team is doing if you want them to continue to do so. I broke my own rule yesterday, and I paid dearly.

I had avoided talking about the Dodgers' great first month, record-breaking home start, or anything about them, for fear of making something go wrong. Until yesterday, when I mentioned the 13-0 home start on this very blog. I figured with a 6.5 game lead, the worst that could happen is they would lose a few games. Within 2 hours of my post, Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games for violating MLB drug policy. Do I think this is a death knell for LA? Maybe not, but it doesn't help matters. And it's all because I showed some optimism. Which is why pessimism is always the way to go.

We're Goin' Streakin'!

The Dodgers set the modern MLB record for most consecutive home wins to start a season last night, winning their 13th in a row by defeating the Nats 10-3. While this is very impressive, what does it actually mean? Not much, judging that the teams that have had long streaks like this usually don't even make the playoffs. I am much more excited about the fact that we now have a 6.5 game lead in the West.

In other streak news, Nats 3rd basemen Ryan Zimmerman hit in his 24th consecutive game, the longest streak in nearly 2 years. A long way to 56, though, especially on a team as awful as the Nats.

Best. Sports Day. Ever.

I knew about Manny finally signing before I went to bed last night, but when I awoke with insomnia at 5 AM, I tuned into Sportscenter just to see the news again. And what to my wondering eyes did appear- that the Cowboys had released T.O!!!! While it's hard to quantify which makes me happier, getting a player back that makes my team so much better (Manny), or getting rid of the only player I have ever hated that was on one of teams, I am going to call it a draw.

And the cherry on top of this sports sundae? Karma had a table for one- A-Rod is out for 8 weeks- 4 months. Shoulda stayed on the 'roids.

And Boom Goes The Dynamite

The Dodgers' dreams ended last night, as they lost game 5 of the NLCS to the Phillies. And while I am still bummed, I am less suicidal than I was last night. In retrospect, this is further than I had hoped for the Dodgers to make it this year. As late as 3 weeks ago, it didn't even look like we'd make the playoffs, so our 1st NLCS in 20 years ain't too shabby. Plus, I got to end my own baseball season by seeing my first Dodgers playoff game last week. And congrats to the Phils, who have waited a long time as well. Though I will be rooting for the DEVIL Rays from here on out.

NLCS Notes- 10/13

It was good to finally put a Dodger win in this NLCS, as they won 7-2 last night. The first 2 game sin Philly, they looked flat, not scoring enough, not fighting the same way they have the last month and a half. Last night, the Dodgers finally looked up to the task, as Hiroki Kuroda pitched wonderfully, and also gave a little retaliation for the head-hunting that wife beater Brett "Boom Outta Here" Myers and Clay Condrey have engaged in. And for all the talk of Manny being a carefree goofball, he had to be held back by numerous teammates when the benches cleared. At least this looks like a series again, and hopefully we'll continue to see great baseball from the Dodgers the next few nights.

'83 Revisited

It's hard to imagine a significant rivalry for teams that are 3000 miles apart. But once upon a time, the Dodgers and the Phillies were that rivalry, which they will renew in the NLCS tomorrow. This will be the fourth time these two team have faced each other for a chance to go to the World Series, but the first time in 25 years.

The first two times, in 1977 and 1978, LA and Philly were unquestionably the two best NL teams of the late '70's. And both times, the Dodgers came out on top. Unfortunately, those aren't the ones I can recall.

In 1983, my love for the Dodgers continued to grow. A World Series in '81 and a near-miss in '82, the '83 Dodgers looked like the real deal. A great pitching staff with Fernando Valenzuela (above), Rick Honeycutt, and Jerry Reuss; a bullpen with Tom Niedenfuer (2 years before the meltdown); and a starting lineup that included Pedro Guerrero, Steve Sax and Dusty Baker. The Phillies were solid as well, with the likes of Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt and Juan Samuel. But this was the Dodgers to lose. They had beaten the Phils 11 out of 12 times during the regular season.

Unfortunately, the Phils came to play. Except for a great win by Fernando, the Dodgers were completely dominated and lost in 4 games. I can remember listening to the games on the radio, as we were moving at the time and didn't have cable. It was brutal, as I had become spoiled into thinking my team would always win. 25 years later, the Dodgers have let me down more times than I can count. 20 years between playoff victories, for one. Now, for at least 4 games, I can pretend I am 10 again, with optimism that my Dodgers can beat the Phillies. At the very least, I can watch in on TV this time.

Division Series Notes- 10/5

The Dodgers finished off the Cubs early Sunday morning, 3-1, to advance to the NLCS for the first time in 20 years. Hiroki Kuroda (above) continued the string of great starting performances, and questionable Jonathan Broxton was able to close it out. Next stop Philadelphia, who finished off the Brewers on Sunday. The euphoria I felt as the game ended is indescribable, 20 years is a long time not to win any playoff series. The series vs. the Phils should be even harder, as LA will be taken more seriously than the Cubs took them.

But that's not till Thursday. For now, I will bask in the glow of finally being paid back a little for being a diehard fan.

Division Series Notes- 10/2

In "Could it be true?" news, the Dodgers beat the Cubs in Game 1 of their NLDS, 7-2. This brings the Dodgers' record in the playoffs since the fateful 1988 season to 2-12. Jose Lima won a game in '04 that barely kept the series alive. This time, James Loney (above) became the 3rd Dodger to ever hit a grand slam in the postseason (Ron Cey and Dusty Baker were the others in 1977), and MVP candidate Manny hit a home run as well that he golfed out. I have allowed myself a brief moment of joy, now back to the belief that we will return to our playoff-failure ways tonight.

In other 1st round news:

- Phils won over the Brewers, 3-1, for their first playoff game win since 1993. Brewers need to win today with the best pitcher in baseball, CC Sabathia, or it's over.

- Red Sox beat the Angels for the 10th playoff game in a row. Home losses don't bode well in the first round, and Anaheim needs to regroup quickly.

NL West Champs!!

The Dodgers clinched the NL West division last night, and oh, what a feeling! A team that is clearly different since the acquisitions of Casey Blake, and of course, Manny Ramirez (above). Joe Torre went as far to say yesterday that Manny taught this team how to play. It has been an exhaustively up and down year for the Boys on Blue, but now we head to October, and for the first time since 1988, they have a few days to set their rotation (every appearance since then, LA didn't clinch till the final 2 days of the season). Anything can happen in October, and it will be a little more fun for me now.

The Sports Weekend That Was

The best thing about pessimism is that when things you thought would go wrong don't, you can experience a small amount of surprised happiness. My sports weekend was filled with that kind of happiness. If you read my previous post, you can see the things I thought would go wrong. For one, euphoria wins out. Here's the review:

Dodgers-D'Backs fight for the NL West

My prediction: Dodgers will get swept and our season will be over.

What happened: Dodgers swept the 3 games and took a 1 1/2 game lead in the NL West.

Blue Rocks-P-Nats Carolina League Playoffs

My prediction: Rocks win Friday night, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane Saturday. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

What happened: A gut-wrenching 1-0 P-Nats win on Friday night as the rain beared down on us, dodging multiple bullets.

BK's Sunday Steppers Fantasy Baseball Team

My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

What happened: After a close weekend battle, my team pulls away on Sunday and I beat Lazardus 18-4, to move on to the 2nd round of playoffs.

Worries about PSU and the Cowboys were also unfounded, as they both crushed their opponents. And to throw a cherry on top of it all, Golden Boy Tom Brady of the Cheat-riots was hurt in the 1st quarter and appears to be done for the year. A good sports weeekend all around.

Playoff (And Stress) Overload

This weekend brings together three major playoff scenarios, all of which could leave me euphoric or miserable come Monday morning. First, the Dodgers play the Diamondbacks in a pivotal 3-game series. The Dodgers are 1 1/2 games back in the NL West and need to win 2 of 3 to make a serious shot at the division. My prediction: they will get swept and our season will be over.

The Blue Rocks play the P-Nats here tonight in game 3 of the 1st round of Carolina League playoffs. The Rocks have lost the 1st 2 games in extra innings. My prediction: they win tonight, forcing a game 4 during a hurricane tomorrow. After a record 12 tarp pulls, we finish the game at 2AM Sunday morning, a 16-inning thriller that we lose 12-11.

And my Yahoo fantasy baseball league playoffs continue- my Sunday Steppers take an 11-11 tie into the weekend. My prediction: my entire team stops hitting, my pitching takes a nap, and I lose 13-12 on a walk in the final game of the weekend.

And I haven't even mentioned the Cowboys' first game and Penn State's 1st real game, both happening this weekend as well. I could be a complete mess as Sunday turns into Monday. Stay tuned for updates on all.

Welcome Back Maddux

Greg Maddux, the greatest pitcher in the last 30 years, is set to be traded back to the Dodgers, where he helped us win the 2006 NL West. Maddux is not what he used to be, but still has had a respectable 2008 on a horrible Padres team that gave him no run support. Maddux can slide into the 4th slot of the rotation behind Billingsley, Kuroda & Lowe, a pitching staff that already has the league-leading ERA. This may be the last piece for LA in the quest for the West. And best I can figure, this is the first time a 350+ win pitcher (Maddux) and a 500-home run hitter (Manny) have been on the same team. The closest I could find was eventual home run king Hank Aaron and 363-game winner Warren Spahn, but Hank had only 366 homers at the end of Spahn's career. And, that, my friends, has to count for something.

Sweep!

I am so terrified of jinxing the Dodgers that I debated writing this for a couple of hours. But the recent 4 game sweep of the Phillies is just too good to pass up. For starters, it was the 1st four game sweep the Dodgers have had against the Phils since 1962, and the first they've had against anybody in 4 years. Two huge 9th inning rallies, courtesy of Andre Ethier and Nomar. And last night, Hiroki Kuroda (above) pitched his brains out in a 3-1 win. Kuroda and Chad Billingsley have become the co-aces of the Dodgers' league leading pitching staff.

We are still only tied with the Diamondbacks, as they have played better lately as well. But the schedule favors us down the stretch, so unless we fade down the stretch as in the past (see: 2007, 2005, 2002, etc..), the Dodgers may be well on their way.

ManRam Heads West

Every year, the Dodgers are in the discussion for the biggest names in baseball at the trade deadline. And every year the Dodgers do next to nothing. Instead of Alfonso Soriano and CC Sabathia, they choose Hee Sop Choi and Scott Proctor. Not this year, though. In the biggest in-season trade in Dodger history (not exaggerating, you can look it up), the Dodgers traded 2 overrated prospects for future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez. The Dodgers, with the best pitching and the 15th best hitting in the NL, have effectively won the division (barring more injuries or an '07 Rockies-like winning streak) with this move.

Now I am not nieve, Manny is a flake who makes cell phone calls and takes bathroom breaks during innings. But he also is the main reason the Red Sox won 2 World Series in 4 years, and he is a free agent at the end of the year, which means he will be playing his ass off for one more $100 million dollar contract. The biggest key to me is that we did not trade any of our future stars like Matt Kemp or James Loney. I can't remember the last time I was this excited about something the Dodgers have done, as it has been a long 20 years since our last championship. And this may not be the year either, but things look alot better than they did 24 hours ago.

Walter O'Malley Finally Gets His Due

This weekend's Baseball Hall of Fame induction includes a man who deserved to get in years ago. Dodger owner Walter O'Malley was revolutionary in his thinking by expanding baseball west beyond Missouri. He has been hated for 5 decades in Brooklyn for taking their Dodgers away, and he has often been portrayed as the evil in the whole situation. The truth is that Brooklyn politician Robert Moses had much more to do with it by thwarting every effort to replace outdated Ebbets Field. (Moses' only "solution" was to offer swampland in Queens- the exact spot where the expansion Mets later built the beyond-horrendous Shea Stadium)

Regardless, O'Malley was a man who took care of those around him and ensured continuity in his organization. From 1953 through 1996, with Walter and later son Peter running the team, the Dodgers had 2 managers and 4 general managers. Some teams go through that in one year. With that consistency came much success, as the Dodgers won 6 World Series in that time, and were always a contender for pennants and divisions. It's no surprise, then, that since the O'Malley's sold the team in 1997, the Dodgers have gone through 7 managers and 6 GMs, and have won 1 playoff game.

O'Malley was also the driving force for building Dodger Stadium, considered one of the finest in all of baseball. He also had drawn up plans for a dome and pay(cable) TV decades before they came to fruition. Walter died in 1979, and it's good to see that 30 years after his death, he is getting his rightful induction into Cooperstown.