Saturday, October 18, 2008

Thank You, Dodgers, for Our Happiest Season in 20 Years

It started a long time ago, in a country far, far away....

It continued in an arena that hadn't been visited in nearly 50 years....

And it ended much deeper into October than anyone expected.

Along the way, the Dodgers' 2008 season presented us with new perspectives we felt privileged to experience. There were quite a few low points, there were superstitions, and we had questions about some of our players along the way.

But after months of mediocrity, things started to look up. And then...a certain trade happened. Coincidentally or not, other players—kids and veterans alike—started to make this a team, not just a group of players.

September was a good month: The Dodgers gained sole possession of first place and never let go. They celebrated a well-deserved division victory, even the odds didn't favor them advancing past the Cubs.

Improbably, October was an even better month. Every victory made us appreciate how this team was accomplishing what Dodger teams of the past 19 years couldn't.

And even after the Phillies shocked us into realizing they were the better team in 2008, we still have a brand-new wing of the Pantheon of Post-1988 Dodger Playoff Win Heroes to carry us into 2009.

So thank you, Dodgers, for our happiest season in 20 years. We'll still be watching the rest of the playoffs and World Series (Go Rays!), but what interests us most are the Dodgers' many off-season issues, from A (Manny Ramirez) to Z (Kim Ng) and even AZ (2009 spring training).

So keep checking back with us, loyal SoSG readers—when it happens to the Dodgers, we'll be talking about it!

top photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
bottom photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

3 comments:

QuadSevens said...

I hope to see that first picture recreated again in April.

cigarcow said...

Happy? One NLDS win is enough to make up for 20 years of suck? What are you, Cubs fans? Brewers fans?

Orel said...

What's wrong, Cigarcow? Do you miss TBS' on-field reporter?