My Final Farewell…
Starting a few weeks ago, Bluto posted three comments that were very instrumental in my decision to close LADT. He wrote this: “The drama or negativity people invent is something else.” Message boards or blogs have always been havens for people who hide behind a keyboard and…
Starting a few weeks ago, Bluto posted three comments that were very instrumental in my decision to close LADT. He wrote this:
“The drama or negativity people invent is something else.”
Message boards or blogs have always been havens for people who hide behind a keyboard and feel like King Kong as they anonymously post whatever they want with no repercussions. To Vinny’s Ghost, Zeke, John, Bobby, NH Dodger, DodgerDad, JayB, Woddy in VT, MushersPop, WatfordDodger, SBuffalo, and others (I can’t remember them all), I appreciate you all and am sorry to leave. I have threatened to stop this blog several times, but it just did not seem right at the time. This time, I am done. I will explain…
Bluto also wrote this:
“What are your priorities in life, if not optimism, about sports teams and enjoying the company of friends?”
The Dodgers played badly against the Astros and Padres, but the team is clearly trying. You know they all want to win. You know Andrew Friedman and Dave Roberts want to win. With a multitude of players in the IL, it’s clearly been a struggle.
But when I watch a Dodger game, I am there to have a good time. I want them to stay in the game until the 9th inning, but my experience isn’t terrible because they lost or are in the midst of a losing streak. I don’t understand people who, even when the Dodgers are winning, would find something to be mad about.
These are the same people who will say ‘trade —— because he’s having a bad year‘ and then next year scream ‘look what we gave away‘, or ‘Let’s trade all of our prospects’, and then ‘why don’t we develop players’.
It’s just insane. If you are stressing out about baseball this much you need to re-evaluate if sports are for you. Some fans just think being miserable is part of being a Dodger fan and I’ll never understand that. They may not be the best team in baseball today but they are fun to watch if you enjoy the sport.
I feel like most people who are constantly yelling about how the team sucks aren’t fans of the game because even when the team is bad, someone who loves the game can still enjoy it.
There’s a difference between self-deprecation and finding a perverse sense of happiness in the team being bad. Many Dodgers fans appear to be more excited when the team is bad because it gives them an excuse to be miserable, angry people. That is really what they are to their core: miserable, angry people!
They seem to think that being miserable is part of being a Dodgers fan. Actually, I think being an entitled toxic whiner is what should not be.
Finally, Bluto wrote this:
“Yeah, I can see why Mark may walk away from this stuff!”
BANG! When the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change… you change!
The fundamental fallacy of most sports fans is that if the team isn’t winning, it’s because the players somehow lack character or aren’t trying hard enough. It’s childish, particularly in baseball, where you’re trying to identify a pitch and whether to hit it in .2 seconds, failure is the norm, and trends play out only over huge sample sizes. To think otherwise is moronic.
I want to thank Bear – he is a real friend. Jeff Dominique is a good guy, but I stand by what I said. He made a comment about me, and I responded. If you don’t understand that, well, you are obviously a moron… and we all know…
Watford Dodger summed it up very well in a post several commenters sent to me:
“Very disappointing to read the negative comments about Mark and LADT.
Its amazing how many posters are willing to pile on, yet all seemed to visit his site every day to see what his latest Post had to offer.
To come up with new content every day for 20 plus years and have that amount of dedication takes a lot of effort and energy. His writing style was deliberately polarising but unfortunately some people were unable to see this and seemed to take affront or take it personally.
The use of the word Moron seemed to really upset people. Really!! Come on, it’s about as light as your gonna get, and of course the more people whined the more he used it. He was also right about the Dodgers far more than he was wrong.
I read there and contributed occasionally for 13 years in which time I learned so much more about the great game and enjoyed the to and fro with many of of you guys.
I would like to thank Mark for his efforts.
cheers”
Thank you, Watford – We did not always agree. In fact, sometimes we disagreed a lot, but he was respectful and generally gave a solid explanation of his opinions. People who think that I am a narcissist or thin-skinned are not morons. They are idiots and clearly have no clue. I won’t even attempt to defend myself because they literally have no comprehension.
I am seventy years old and having the time of my life. To be miserable over sports is just silly, especially when the Dodgers have as good a chance of winning it all this year as any team in baseball. They may be better than any other team. Watch and learn. LA Dodger Talk was once very important to me. That time has passed. I will still follow the Dodgers, but that phase of my life is over, and I am at peace with it.
Godspeed to everyone. Goodbye!
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Discussion (139)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Does anyone know of a good dodger message board?
Michael – that day with you, B&P and Patch I will remember with fondness for ever.
Mark – finding this place 13 years ago made following the Dodgers so much more enjoyable and I’ve learned so so much.
Totally understand where you’re at, enjoy yourself.
I’d be disappointed if you didn’t hit me up if you’re ever over here in the UK.
All the best mate
Mark, I have visited your site nearly every day for the past couple of years.
As a long time Dodger fan in KY, I’ve so appreciated LADT!
Wishing you and yours well.
Blessings…
Reading your website was one of the first things I would do every day. Always interesting commentary and the responses were very informative.
Wishing you and your family the very best. May you always have fair winds and following seas.
Well said Mark! I appreciate and have enjoyed all you have put into this blog. For many years, this was a my daily morning read. I also want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to write for the blog. It was something I truly enjoyed. I also enjoyed getting to meet you in person. Most people dwell on your gruff demeanor, but the Mark I met is much deeper than that: he is a wonderful family man, an astute business man, and while he’s a big man, who could easily whip my rear, he is also a teddy bear.
It was said that I quit writing because I didn’t like conflict. Actually, I stopped being involved in writing and commenting on the blogs, for the same reasons that Mark is shutting down LA Dodger Talk now. I’m in my seventies, I still work full-time as a litigation attorney. I deal with conflict every single day. I thrive on it. However, when it comes to the Dodgers, I have absolutely no interest in reading people whine on about Dave Roberts, etc., etc. and arguing with people I don’t know over nonsensical stuff. This is baseball folks, it’s not real life. For me, being a Dodgers fan is fun, light hearted enjoyment. I will be a fan until the day I take my last breath. If they lose, oh well, the sun will come up again tomorrow, and they’ll play another game.
Mark, I wish you and your loved ones nothing but the best going forward. If your ever in the Temecula area, give me a call, dinner is on me!
Thanks so much Mark for keeping this site alive for so long. I’m not much of a poster, but I sure did learn a lot about baseball and the Dodgers reading the comments from you and many of your posters. I’m 79 years old now and have been a Dodgers fan since I was 7.
I live in Jersey and when the Dodgers moved west I lived through what one poster referred to as “The dark years”. Since the internet came about it became easier to follow the team closely again. Between MLB.com. and LADT I got most of my Dodger info.
Enjoy your new home and may God bless you and your family.
Go Dodgers!
Good luck, Mark.
This has been a great site for commentary. Missed reading all the comments during the trade deadline.
I get it, it’s tough to do a site like this. An incredible amount of work. Not easy to keep all this relevant.
Sorry to see you go.
Man bro I’m sad. I was always on this website. I rarely ever posted but read most things even the comments. Yea some of them are weird and annoying but I mostly just found it entertaining. I know you’ve turned the website off before and those times sucked. Thanks for trying though buddy. If you really quit it’ll hurt like when Beltre left lol. Either way go dodgers. Wish you the best bud
where are you going to post your thoughts? Have you selected a site to participate in?
I have really enjoyed this Dodger site. Thank you, Mark, for the time and effort you put in to inform, educate, and interact with Dodger fans. This site was a great forum to read posts, exchange ideas, and yes, even disagree. I will miss it.
Like you, I have always looked at a baseball season as a 6 or 7 month soap opera with a different plot each year. It has always been entertaining and even more so these last ten years when every year the Dodgers had a legitimate chance to win a championship.
As you start this new and exciting phase in your life, I wish you and your family the best. Thanks again!
For those who are interested Buehler pitches for Oklahoma City Tonight. God bless and good health to all the posters!
I’m gonna miss your moronic opinions mark. Take care. Stay happy
Thanks for all the time you devoted to this blog for us Mark! I didn’t post very often but I read everyday.
Enjoy your time with your family and friends. We all share a common bond that is the Dodgers and whenever they next win a WS I will be thinking of you and others that posted here.
Hey Mark. Running a blog must be a pain sometimes. Coming up with something to say or something to talk about that hasn’t been beaten to death already.
I am critical of the Dodgers sometimes. We can do that as fans. That doesn’t mean that we don’t live and die with the team. When my wife died 2 years ago, I subscribed to the MLB games package so that I would have something to do other than miss her all of the time and pout. The Dodgers helped to get me through a horrible time.
I sometimes didn’t like the tenor of your response to people that you didn’t agree with. The tone of many commenters was frankly obnoxious. But I checked out your site several times per day to see what people were saying even if I reduced the number of times that I commented myself.
I hope you enjoy yourself. Thanks for giving we fans a place to get it off our chests. It would be nice to be able to stay in contact, but that seems unlikely. So for now, Goodbye and God bless.
As I’ve mentioned a few times the last two years, thank you MT for your efforts on YOUR site. I’ve learned a great deal about the Dodgers on this site from you and several of the frequent posters. Selfishly, I’m very sorry to see you go but it’s totally understandable! You’re a fighter and not gonna tolerate anything you perceive as disrespectful is your damn prerogative because it’s your site! Don’t like it, take a hike! I thought you punched down a few times but that’s for you to decide not me or anyone else.
No matter how wealthy or rich one is, there is something in life that no one can buy……..TIME! So as was mentioned above, enjoy the critical 7th, 8th and 9th innings and I pray that it goes into extras for you and everyone else on the site especially Bear! You two are both solid dudes so Godspeed to both of you and thanks again for creating this site. Be well, brother!
Take care Mark. I hope you get bored and come back soon!!
Nothing good lasts forever… but nothing bad lasts forever too. Unless you go to hell. I’ve enjoyed this immensely Mark. I understand 100% where you’re coming from. My wife served as a legislator in Lansing for several years… and the grief and hatred she endured was painful for me. People with mean hearts are always going to be around. The hardest part was hearing comments from folks on our conservative side that were taking shots at her. Through it all she still enjoyed serving ‘the people’. And might still be in Lansing if I hadn’t persuaded her to retire from politics. That being said, I know part of your heart will be tugging at you to post your Dodger thoughts. Have you considered posting just weekly ? At any rate, let’s talk baseball. I give AF and BG lots of credit for picking up reinforcements for the stretch run, without depleting our farm. Flaherty should be another Doyle Alexander. Tommy Edman could be the real steal. Kopech might finally unleash his amazing potential. Rosario gives us more versatility. Not sure Kiermaier will contribute a whole lot though. These late inning losses are very troubling. But, considering out pitching depth, we released 2 pretty fair pitchers in Paxton and Yarbrough.. The injury bug is biting hard in all of MLB.. seems especially hard on us. What to do when they finally all come back ? It seems that Mookie might be better suited to go back to the outfield. Some combination of Edman, Lux, Rojas and Rosario around 2nd base should be good. I’m comfortable with Kiermaier and Pages in Center, Teo in left, Mookie in right. Max and Freddie at the corners..Will and Austin behind the plate… and obviously Shohei at DH. That means goodbye, Kike, CT3, Cavan, James and Nick. _ When we get back just a couple of our SP’s and RP’s… we’ll be good. So Mark, how do you walk away ? But, I’m being selfish cause I’ve gained much knowledge from your opinions. And would enjoy learning more… Take care my friend . Godspeed to you
Vaya con dios, Mark.
Without you, there would have been no drama!
Here’s hoping that Miguel Vargas finds success in Chicago while our beloved Dodgers get well and storm to the championship.
Mark, thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it. And I also want to thank you for allowing me to write for this site for a little over two years. I got to try my hand at something I had never done before and came to enjoy it very much. Despite getting roasted for some of my opinions, I still enjoy doing it over on Jeff’s site. He is in the hospital having surgery and I am carrying the ball by myself, so I know how difficult that doing can be. I have met you, and some of those who have been posting here. Me, B&P, Watford and one other poster met a couple of years ago at a sports bar and watched the Dodgers play against the Cubs. It was one of the best two hours I have spent with people in years. I also enjoyed the two times we were able to meet up. The time at the Quakes game was special. I wish nothing but the best and enjoy life. You deserve that. You have my number and email. If you ever feel like just talking baseball and the Dodgers, I am here. By the way, I also appreciate the bobblehead, and the Dodger media guides you sent. All the best my friend.
I’m sorry to see you ending the site, but I completely understand why you are doing it. We should all be doing that’s that we enjoy and when the enjoyment ends we need to stop. I’ve followed the site for many years but don’t post a lot and I’m going to miss the articles and constructive comments and opinions. Thank you and good luck.
Mark: I will miss you and your perspective on the baseball team we love. I absolutely agree with your decision. I have owned businesses with over a thousand employees and unfortunately those experiences have taught me that some people just get off on being unhappy.
As I’ve previously said, I have been a Dodgers fan since my Grandfather used to take me to Ebbets field as a young boy. This is absolutely the “golden era” of Dodgers baseball. For some people to not understand that just blows my mind and fully supports that some people just get off on being unhappy.
A blog should be a great place to express opinions on things that can be done to improve results and just have a general discussion. However when it deteriorates to a place to just bitch about moves that are made and the people that made them, that’s when fun leaves the equation. And it amazes me that some people just have to get the last word in (ie dodgerram’s last post).
Leave LADT fully knowing what a great thing you have done and have incredible pride in having done that. I live in Phoenix during the spring and if you are ever in town I would love to take in a ballgame with you. Thank you and be well.
Gonna miss you Mark, ive always had your back, we are both old school true blue fans, good times or bad. I get it, the new age Dodger fan has zero patience when the team is struggling and always defaults to Fire Roberts, which automatically tells me they have zero clue on how a team works. I see it more and more, just negativity and hate on the team they root for, I can see how exuasting that must be for you, so ride off into the sunset my friend. You had a great ride.
Bradley. i always enjoy your posts , almost as much as the real stuff! lol! Dave Roberts may not be the right guy for this job. But who is? DOC. , nor anyone else can lite a fire under the current lineup they HAVE to run out there currently!!! last nights lineup included THREE, count em, Three players who were starters coming out of spring training!! the other 5 couldn’t make other playoff team’s roster! So this will be the last time i get to post this, Doc gets his full complement of players and pitchers back and they wither away in the playoffs, yeah, he might get the axe. That does not include zDusty! it would be another “DOC “ like manager. AF doesn’t want an old school manager!! PERIOD! So Bradley, i really have enjoyed your posts!! As crazy as some are, there were some that made sense! Your love for the dodgers is obvious. … Bear, will miss you too! Admire and respect your knowledge of the game. APPRECIATE YOUR SERVICE!!!! Hopefully you live a long and healthy life!! AND, Bichette will be a DODGER in the off season!!!! lol! Closing , i say to all you dodger fans, quoting the great Christine McVey, DONT STOP BELIEVING!!
Sad to see this come to an end, but there are more important things in life that we have to learn to appreciate.
Best of luck in your future endevours Mark!