I have been a Dodger fan as long as I can remember. Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey are four words I remember from my childhood. Hershiser, Gibson, Piazza and now Loney, Kemp and Martin.
But, it has been 20 years since they won a world series (notice I don't say since "we won", as soon as the give me a uniform and put my name in the lineup I earn the right to say "we").
This year does not look any different. They stayed close, got Manny Ramirez from Boston and were looking poised to make a run in a division where nobody seems to want to get too far over .500.
Then, an eight game losing streak. Now, when you are trying to win a division, I do not recommend losing eight in a row in late August!
What happened? Well, I would love to blame it on Andruw Jones, the $18 million dollar a year buck fifty hitting centerfielder who has been a flop of Ishtar proportions, but he is playing first base at Triple A Las Vegas (another long story). I would love to blame it on the $16 million dollar ace of the staff Jason Schmidt, but he has not pitched since before the McCain's campaign collapse of 2007 (like how I can tie the posts together? Politics and baseball).
Can I blame it on the manager? Well, he did win a World Series or four in his prior job, so he probably knows what he is doing.
How about the owner? He does charge too much for parking, but I cannot really connect that to the performance on the field.
Maybe it is just another one of those years: they come close enough to keep me interested, but disappoint in the end. The problem is the Dodgers do not have the lovableness of the Cubs. They are expected to win, they should win and yet, year after year they do not.
What is missing is a heart and soul. That one guy that everyone looks to. The guy that everyone wants to get behind. In 1988 it was Kirk Gibson.
Now? Maybe Russell Martin, but it does not seem that way. Until the Dodgers find real leadership, it seems they will be stuck in this pattern of 86 wins, 3rd place and "wait til next year". I'm still waiting.
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