Flashback to october 2017… the Dodgers looked like they were going to do what I, and every blue bleeding dodger fan, had been waiting for: reach the World Series. Where the Cubs dumped the Boys in Blue in the NLCS in 2016, the Dodgers completely whiped Chicago off the stage in 2017. And lo and behold, goosebumps everywhere, when I heard the 8 best words in a sentence: ‘The Dodgers are going to the World Series’.
I packed my bags, bought a plane ticket to LA and was there, at Dodger Stadium at the first two games since they won in 1988. A Surreal and satisfying feeling. (I wrote about my World Series experience in THIS blog entry). Game one was awesome, afterwards it was great to high five Dodgers faithful around the stadium. Everybody felt this would be next year.
Although we ultimately lost, I enjoyed this World Series. There were awesome plays, great games and while it was a bitter pill to swallow, I accepted the outcome eventually.
Flashforward to november 2019… stories of sign stealing began to surface. Was this for real? Again? After one of the best Dodger teams ever got robbed in 1951, did they do it to us AGAIN? In 2017 AND 2018? What the actual fuck? Then a state of apathy set in.
Now that the dust has settled and the Astos got their punishment, I’m mad. $5 million is a laugh! No first and second round draft picks for 2 years, some suspensions and firings. Well, that will teach them… NOT! To be honest, I only see one true punishment. Strip them from their World Series Title. They cheated. Armstrong cheated as well, he was stripped from his Tour the France wins. No winners for 7 straight years.
Saddest thing of all is the fun they took away from the whole 2017 World Series experience. I was heartbroken when we lost in 7 games, but after a few months I could accept it and looked back on a fantastic series with awesome games and absurd scoring. Now, I know it was all fake.
And even worse… all those older people who have been waiting for years for a Dodgers championship. Tommy Lasorda, Vin Scully, fans who died recently, that moment of glory (which was imminent if we had won that game 5, and we would have!) was taken away from them.
In short: I’m mad, sad and very curious how many heads will roll and ultimately see only one result: no winners of the 2017 World Series, just losers.
