Letters to the Editor: ‘I don’t sleep in October’ — on being a Dodger fan right now
October 3, 2014
I had a friend once who, when asked how he hated the season, said, “I don’t hate the season. I just hate the people who hate the season.”
I don’t have that friend now.
The Dodgers play each year like it’s some kind of Holy Grail, worthy of all the accolades and trophies and the fans who make it possible in Los Angeles. They play with a sense of urgency and intensity that, well, maybe that’s the point?
The Dodgers don’t sleep in October. They just go out and play. They don’t wait to see which player is hot for a stretch run or the game-changing injury that could break the heart of the season. They go out and play. If they’re not going to play in October, they don’t play at all.
They do it because they love this team and they do it for the people who love this team. The team is on a roll — they just have to find a way to keep going.
I’m going to go against the grain. I say the people who hate this team are the same people who hate the Dodgers because they can’t stand it when they’re forced to endure the misery. I’m not going to be a Dodger fan until the offseason. I’m going to stay home with the Giants.
I am a diehard fan of the Giants, and I have been for a long time. I was a Giants fan for 25 years before I was a Dodgers fan.
It’s not like the Giants haven’t been successful. The Giants made the playoffs a couple of times over the years, even when they were awful. And over the past 15 years they have always been competitive in the post-season. They finished 13-18 with a losing record in the NL