My Opinion on Opinions

I have come to a stage in my life in which I just want to enjoy life, the winning, the losing, the draws. My love for the team and the game is not diminished by a loss. It is disappointing but if disappointment is my big issue for a day I am having a pretty good day. In my many years, there has not been even one day in which the morning light did not erase the night darkness. You might say I am looking through rose-colored glasses and I must admit the view is very good. In the same vein, I really do not engage in controversy unless the stakes are high for someone else personally. Then I will wrestle a bear.

In the same light, on LADT, I tend to stay away from debate, not expressing my opinions that are certainly not as well informed as so many LADT posters. I tend to play around the edges and mainly delve into my love of minor league baseball. Practically everything I write is merely informational and can be found just about anywhere. Perhaps it is even a bit selfish as at times I seem to be writing for me about things I find interesting. It is a low risk and a low reward process rarely eliciting more than a few comments because there are no opinions to cause rebuttal or even further thought.

First, a bit of a story. I had previously written on another blog and had become friends with a number of blog members. We became close enough that in 2013 we spent over a week of spring training together at Camelback Ranch. It truly was a highlight of my baseball life and in fact my life, period.

Three years ago, things fell apart and I left the blog. I am telling this story as at times on LADT I see things being said that I had experienced and of which I chose to no longer be a part. I am not saying that about myself and LADT, as I have never experienced it personally here,  but through a lens I had once used elsewhere.

On that blog, it became very difficult to express opinions that were outside of the mainstream. For instance, I was called “naïve”, my opinions “ridiculous” when I wrote about my feelings regarding some of baseballs unwritten rules. I still consider some of them to be a sign of immaturity and ego-driven. The end came when I wrote a piece that was opposed to another writer’s point of view regarding the World Series. His stand, backed by Tommy, was that you got nothing if you did not win the World Series. My stand was that much was gained just by being there, a place 28 other teams wished they had been. I claimed a World Series appearance is still good for the faithful fans and good for players experiencing their first World Series, among other things. I was chastised publicly and accused of attacking the writer with my opposing view even though we had agreed that if we had issues with each other we would talk it out over the phone or by private email. The story is a bit longer than that but it ended when I felt  I was no longer trusted as a lifelong Dodger fan and a friend.

LADT articles with some fire, some speculation, some risk-taking in them engage so many posters. Who cares if opinions don’t match? That is why they are called opinions. That is, a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter. Opinion is strengthened by relevant facts but can be just an opinion thrown out there with no supporting data. For instance, I could just say I don’t like the DH and leave it at that or provide my reasons why I would prefer it never came about. It wouldn’t make any difference if I was right or wrong. It’s an opinion. It isn’t insulting to anyone and doesn’t mean I am naïve. I know both sides of the story and what will soon happen but I just prefer my opinion based on my 67 years as a Dodger fan.

After all this rambling, what I am trying to say is if we don’t take to an article, or an opinion, that would not be unusual, although LADT has a pretty good batting average.  It would be one dull place if we did not have differing opinions with something to elicit other opinions and consequent discussion and would be much less informative. Differing opinions cause us to grow in the realm of baseball that we all seem to love. Do we like every other article we read in life or the opinions that are expressed? Obviously we don’t. If we don’t, there is no obligation to read the piece or respond to it.

Opinions, speculation, opposing views are the spice of writing. I expect in the political world they are referred to as an op-ed. They stimulate conversation, discovery, show that the authors of the opinions are engaged and knowledgeable, just as those with differing opinions are equally engaged and knowledgeable. Regardless of our opinions, differing or otherwise, we should always keep our eye on the ball, not the writer. If it was not for the ball, and the writer, there would be no blog.