Regain Some Sanity

A short two or three weeks, many Dodger fans removed their brains, put them on their dresser in a jar and proceeded to lose their minds. They had convinced themselves that the sky was falling, the Dodgers were doomed, and the world as we know it would never be the same again. Five hundred years ago, Michel de Montaigne said: “My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened.”  Guess what? – most of what you feared never happened! Here were are 20 games into September and the Dodgers are 14-6, which is a better winning percentage than they have for the year.

Many of you were convinced that they were doomed. Why do you repeat this same insanity, over-and-over, and over-and-over? You create mountains out of molehills and the stress you put upon yourself with this needless worry robs your joy and leads to shrinking brain mass and lowering your IQ. Enjoy the ride people! It’s not about Cody Bellinger winning the MVP or Ryu winning the Cy Young. The Mets could have the Cy Young winner and Rookie of the Year and still are going home. It’s not about the individual “bling.” It’s about the Big Trophy:

To me, the Championship Trophy is much sweeter than all individual hardware involved. The Dodgers are losing a few battles along the way, as they rest their veterans. “But, Kenley isn’t Kenley anymore!” Who cares? “Joe Kelly might be out of the playoffs?” Who cares? The Milwaukee Brewers are 19-4 in September and have lost one of the TOP 5 best players in baseball. They just keep winning, because they have too. However, by the time they get to the playoffs, they will have spent a season of adrenaline and will most likely fall flat.

The Dodgers are pacing themselves… winning but not stressing. Teams with home-field advantage win about 50% of the time, and teams without it lose about 50% of the time. Do you get my drift? Who cares? Next man up! This is where the unexpected happens… Joe Kelly, Nate Eovaldi, Madison Bumgarner, Steve Pearce, Rick Dempsey, Larry Sherry, and Steve Yeager are all examples.

Anything is possible. The Dodgers might lose in the first round, or the NLCS, or the World Series. Do you know how hard it is to win seven Division Titles in a row? Do you know how hard it is to get to two World Series in a row… let alone loose? These guys had one goal when they started Spring Training… they are getting closer by the day, but they are focused on the goal while completing the process. The season was a marathon. They are now in a position to take the next steps… one at a time.

They are galvanized, seasoned and hungry. They also have a chip on their collective shoulders. Things can happen and maybe they don’t win it all… again, but I like their odds. Get those brain cells back and boost your IQ. Enjoy this wild and wonderful ride!

Arizona Fall League – Postponed with Lightning

Dang the luck!

Misc.

• 27 HR/75 RBI/106 BB/ .250 BA/.382 OB%/.854 OPS – Yasmani Gramdal is having his best year.
• Joc Pederson is a real asset to the Dodgers right about now… at bat and in the field. This year he is hitting .229 against LHP. Last year it was .170. If you think a 59 point jump in his BA against LHP is nothing, well you are lost case.
• Corey Seager will rest a couple of days but would play if this were the playoffs. Good call!
• Cody is pressing, trying to win the MVP and set the Dodger HR record. I have a feeling he will feel relieved in the playoffs.
• Could May and Gonsolin both make the playoff roster? Yes, they could.