Offseason Reflections

The Dodgers are champs and a new year beckons.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series champions. A few fireworks were set off in my neighborhood as soon as Walker Buehler recorded the final out on October 30 at Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees had Los Angeles down to the final out in Game 1 before Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam. Facing elimination in Game 5, the Yanks lost a 5-0 lead thanks to some shoddy defense, timely Dodger hitting, and plain old bad luck.

The Dodgers won it all in 2020, but this represented their first title as part of a full season since 1988. Their biggest hero Freeman fought back from a wrist injury to explode with four homers in the Fall Classic. Los Angeles overcame a quiet performance by Shohei Ohtani, who suffered a left shoulder injury in Game 2. I noticed bars everywhere holding watch parties, including Mutt Lynch’s in Newport Beach.

While Freeman is an obvious choice, there are plenty of heroes to choose from. Blake Treinen got seven big outs in the clincher. Shortstop Tommy Edman hit .328 in the postseason and .294 in the Series. Mookie Betts drove home four in the Fall Classic. Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched into the seventh and surrendered only one run in Game 2. Even Buehler overcame his history of injuries (and poor defense behind him in the Division Series against San Diego) to round into form when it mattered most.

New York gave its fans a fun ride, but this also represents a missed opportunity. Giancarlo Stanton had an excellent postseason attempting to will his team to a title and the Yanks still came up short. On the flip side, Aaron Judge had a relatively quiet playoffs and Austin Wells largely struggled despite often serving as the Yankee cleanup hitter in recent months. The Bombers lost Juan Soto to the Mets but now have a loaded rotation after adding Max Fried. The Yankees will need their starting pitching to live up to its potential if they hope to win it all like they did in 1956.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers signed Blake Snell, re-signed Edman as well as Teoscar Hernández, and could potentially be better next year. The injured Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw didn’t throw a pitch in the playoffs. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin missed most or all of the campaign. Atlanta won’t have ace Spencer Strider and all-world star Ronald Acuña Jr. ready to begin the season, but that squad could be formidable upon their return. While Baltimore struggled in the second half, the Orioles are loaded with young talent. The Padres could easily have gone to the World Series themselves. There are plenty of other cases to be made for teams who could take home the crown in 2025.

The Yankees should have Jasson Domínguez as a fixture in the lineup instead of warming the bench. Nevertheless, time marches on. It will be an uphill battle to return to the top of the division and make another playoff run. Can Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman guide them back? Betting against their on-field leader Judge in the long run is a fool’s errand, but even after winning the AL pennant the fan base seems restless. Cashman is banking on a bolstered bullpen featuring Devin Williams. Former Dodgers and Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger will join another former MVP in Paul Goldschmidt, who is set to play first base in the Bronx.

I’m happy for my friends who root for the Dodgers. It would also be disingenuous to say that the way the season ended didn’t sting on a personal level. When I attended the Cal men’s basketball team’s 71-67 win over USC at the Galen Center on November 17, I got to feel a little bit of the euphoria that eluded me during the Fall Classic.

After the incredible time I had at this year’s Malloy Conference, I was excited to read the details of the 2025 edition. It will be held in Louisville, Kentucky which was already on my list of places to visit thanks to the Louisville Slugger bat factory and museum. I am looking into becoming a presenter if I attend, which would add another dimension to the experience. There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months, including Hall of Fame voting results.

I also realized a dream when Dorina and I attended a local performance of Fiddler on the Roof starring Jason Alexander. As a Seinfeld fan I had to be there, but Alexander wasn’t content to coast on star power and did an excellent job playing the protagonist Tevye. Unlike the bustling Pantages in Hollywood, the La Mirada Theater offers free parking, refreshments at reasonable prices, and places to lounge during intermission or after the show.

Reminders of the sport are everywhere. At the Hilbert Museum in Orange, several vintage orange crate designs on display in the Picturing Paradise exhibit are baseball themed.

This radio featuring Yankee sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who both chased Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1961, reminds us that the game is timeless. Maris smashing 61 round trippers in ‘61 is one of baseball’s most memorable stories. No matter how much player salaries skyrocket and rules are changed, the sport will always hold a special place in this country.