Dodgers lose 10-4. Dodgers lose the series 4-1. Dodgers relieve 2008. Dodgers lose.
At the end of the day, when all was said and done, my heart was broken--just like it was a year ago. Just like last year, the Dodgers ended up beaten and defeated and the Philadelphia Phillies were the ones joyful on the field. Out in five games. Again. The Dodgers roared through the Division Series, sweeping their opponent: this year the heavily favored Cardinals; last year, the heavily favored Cubs. Again, they caused me to believe that maybe, just maybe, we really did have what it takes to make it to the World Series. After all, we kept defying the odds, what's a little more defiance? But no, again, the baseball gods lets Dodger fan know that the Dodgers are not yet good enough -- despite a National League best regular-season record and a second straight division title -- to make it to The Show.
But there is a difference this year. Last year, the Dodgers were plucky upstarts -- with young players, a superstar that came in and immediately positively impacted the clubhouse, and a superstar manager to lead the ship. And boy, we got into the playoffs! We won the division, for the first time in ages, in Joe Torre's first year. Manny was awesome for the clubhouse and we were all happy to be in the playoffs. Then, the sweep of the Cubs was as much a surprise as it was awesome. And when we lost to the Phillies in the NLCS, despite the heartache, we took it as a learning process. How long does it take to learn?
How long is it going to take the front office to learn that we need an ace? In this NLCS, the Dodger starters were 0-3 with a 12.59 ERA. How can the best bullpen in baseball save that?!
Clayton Kershaw may one day be a No.1 starter but right now, he is only 21 and his 9.45 ERA in two NLCS appearances says that he isn't.
And let's not forget that we have no idea how much and in what way the front office will be affected by the McCourt's divorce and their fight for the ownership of the ballclub.
And I haven't even mentioned Manny. Manny, Manny, Manny.
Tags: MLB Dodgers NLCS
