We have a dilemma in California that not even Governor Jerry Brown will be able to fix. Yet again, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Los Angeles Dodgers have underachieved and may not make the playoffs.
The glory days of 2009 when the Angels and Dodgers were two of baseball’s best clubs are long gone, and possibly for the second consecutive year So-Cal will be left to watch the playoffs without their beloved teams. Though the Angels have an outside shot, the chances are slim to none (with the Dodger’s odds being significantly worse).
With the season almost over and local teams on the outside looking in, some fans have become apathetic as evident in the attendance at Dodger Stadium, which is only 65.5% full according to ESPN. It appears Dodger fans have lost faith.
Angels fans are showing up to home games at a much higher percentage of 85.7%, but there is only so much we could do. If the team owners (or lack there of with Frank McCourt) didn’t beef up their teams in the off-season or before the trade deadline, we can’t expect much difference than last year’s dismal season.
So what are us Californians to do come October? Do we root for the vile Yankees, Red Sox or Diamondbacks?
To answer that quickly: hell no, we don’t cheer for our rivals!
I don’t care if the Angels and Dodgers have a 1% chance of coming back and making it to the playoffs, as fans we shouldn’t give up hope all together. Yes we could get frustrated, throw a pillow at the TV when Jeff Mathis strikes out, and scream when the injury bug strikes again (sorry Andre Either). All of these reactions are natural and they are the side effects of bleeding the colors of your favorite team.
Therefore, if worse comes to worse, when October comes around we should do what fans are supposed to do when their team fails to live up to expectations: we suck it up and move on. This means not realigning with the rival or rooting for the team going against the rival. We must just watch silently and wait patiently for next year, like a bear in hibernation waiting for the season to pass by to rear its head from its cave.
And like a bear, we will soon be on the prowl again to hunt down our prey.
The Angels underachieved? They're still within 3 games of league-leading Texas with 15 to play, and the last 3 games are at home against that very team! Even if they don't end up in the playoffs--which I'm still not counting out--take into account what the team endured this season: a) Kendrys' Morales comeback was aborted before it began, b) they start rookies in centerfield and first base (both of whom have exceeded expectations), c) two out of five spots in the pitching rotation have been platoon positions, featuring unprepared call-ups, castoffs, and one guy whose stuff flat-out sucks (ahem, Joel Pineiro), d) they have the worst-hitting catchers in the MLB, e) their "big" offseason signing has been a total flop, and f) Tony Reagins didn't do anything to bolster the bullpen before the trade deadline, even though it's the team's most glaring deficiency. All that and they're still in the hunt? That's an achievement.
ReplyDeleteAt least we can agree that the Dodgers were fucked from Opening Day.