BD DRINKS AND GOES HOME

by the Editor

It was with resignation, frustration, and sighs that I bid farewell to the Dodgers Tuesday night.  How appropriate that their arch-nemesis lit the fire on their funeral pyre.  I gotta give it up to the Giants: minus their ace closer and star hitter, they still ran away with the division.  Well played, lads, well played.  Credit where it’s due and all that.  Dodgers, we'll see you next year with the new ownership, deep pockets and high hopes.
 
My chagrin was made more palatable by a last minute gift from BD scribe S Soriano: the piece of vinyl shown here!  Yes, though an admitted Dodger hater, I guess he took pity on one of their fans and gifted me this amazing artifact just a few days ago.  Oh, to hear the incomparable Vin Scully explain “What is a Dodger” ("No city looks good at 4:00 in the morning/A Dodger rates respect/A Dodger is a way of life"), to dance to the groovy sounds of Stubby Kaye, shortstop Maury Wills, and outfielder Willie Davis singing "Dodger Stadium" ("There is a place you gotta dig/I mean Dodger Stadium!"), to hear show biz legend Jimmy Durante on "Dandy Sandy [Koufax]" ("They can't hit what they can't see/To them a pop up is a moral victory/Dandy Sandy!"), yes, these and more are soothing balm to this haggard, tired soul.  

And of course also easing the pain were the Oakland A’s.  I couldn't have put it better than this from The Guardian US:

“What can you say - we gush over the Oakland A's. They play in a dump, in front of no one, for an owner the locals detest, one who is trying to move them away, they have no money, a tiny payroll, and they win. They win big. It's awesome…Not surprisingly, Bob Melvin's team never gave up, certainly not when they were 13 games out of first place on June 30…Yes, there is a flare for the dramatic in Oakland for sure, winning the division on the final day of the season, a day they usually clear out their lockers. The young pitchers are bold and fearless, as are their hitters, so much so that they struck out 1387 times, the most in baseball. They are dangerous, even more so now that they're heading straight to an ALDS…”

Onward to the post season!