Not scary at all

 

So it's the wee hours of the morning in the hazy afterglow of celebrating the Dodgers' World Series title over -- can you believe it? -- the Yankees. It was a quiet celebration. Just my wife, who was rousted out of bed by a text from my daughter that basically said "GET UP, THE DODGERS ARE DOING SOMETHING!", and me, who raced home from work to see the on-field celebration.

Prior to that, I was in my office, sweating through the final innings. I wasn't that busy, so I had plenty of time to check for updates. I tell you, for a five-game World Series, that was a little too much drama.

In the eighth inning, I couldn't take it anymore and walked out to talk to a co-worker who couldn't care less about the game. I wanted her to take my mind off of it, and she did, talking about high school soccer playoffs, of all things (usually that would put me right to sleep but I needed anything off-topic to distract me).

 

But then I heard the game calling me and I went back to the office to sweat out the final inning. Somehow, a crazy person had placed Walker Buehler on the mound for the bottom of the ninth!

I sat down for what was sure to be an agonizing half inning. How would this go? Would they give up the tying run? Would someone walk and then, good god, it's going to be Verdugo hitting a two-run home run, isn't it?

But the inning went very fast, almost too quick for me to realize what was happening. Volpe grounded out. Then Wells and Verdugo struck out, almost as if they did it at the same time. And the Dodgers were World Series champions!!!

I wanted this title so much as a fan, maybe more than any other. You spend enough time reading and listening to people saying that "2020 wasn't a real title" or "they bought their title" and you'd like some ammunition for all the time you wasted on that nonsense. Now I have it. And now it doesn't matter if the Dodgers win another title in my life. Because this one was well-earned.

 

The Dodgers lost a dozen starting pitchers this year. There were many days when I had no idea who they were going to start for that night's game. L.A. even blew Game 4 of the World Series -- the World Series! -- because they didn't have anyone who could be a fourth starter.

I was almost sure that was going to come back to haunt them. And when the Yankees went ahead 5-0 in Game 5, I was pretty damn certain -- and scared.

But fortunately Dave Roberts has had to juggle pitchers all year because I think it helped in the postseason. Even when social media was freaking out when they saw Buehler in the bullpen, it turns out they knew what they were doing.

Buehler retired his three batters, I let out a yell in my office, got my stuff together, said a couple quick celebratory things to my co-worker and out the door I went to celebrate properly at home, i.e., spook the cat.

I've experienced the Dodgers losing to the Yankees in the World Series twice. And now I've experienced the Dodgers beating the Yankees in the Series twice. Each time was angsty as hell, living where I live, with Yankees fans on every corner and all over bleepin' Facebook.

So we're even now. That's nice. And the Dodgers are champions. That's nicer. And they got it done just as Halloween hit, which is great, because who wants to be playing baseball in November?

I'm happy to say, that for one of the few times, the baseball season didn't have a scary ending.

(P.S.: yes, this is my Halloween post).