1 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,600 Speaker 1: Dodger Stadium, Sunday night. Top of the ninth inning, Blake 2 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: Trinan on the mound, Francisco Alvarez hits a chopper to second. 3 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: CT Three comes up with it. He tosses to Muncie 4 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: at first, and the game's over. Dodgers win. The Los 5 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: Angeles Dodgers are going to the World Series. Welcome to 6 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: Dodger Blue Dream Daily. I'm Richard Parks, the Third. It's Monday, 7 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: October twenty first, twenty twenty four. The Los Angeles Dodgers 8 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: are the champions of the National League. I don't love 9 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: the Dodgers because they win. I love them because I 10 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: love baseball. I loved playing it when I was a 11 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: kid growing up in Los Angeles. I loved collecting the cards. 12 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 1: I loved memorizing the stats on the back of the cards. 13 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: I loved the stories, particularly the stories you'd hear on 14 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: the radio and TV told by Vin Scully, the dodgers 15 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: longtime broadcaster, about the players and their lives, the ones 16 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: on the team and many of them already long gone 17 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: and dead, or the stuff of legend. I loved learning 18 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,479 Speaker 1: the history of the game, a history that was being 19 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: added to year after year. Each time, a season that 20 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: could be consumed from start to finish like a good book. 21 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: And I loved the words that Vin Scully used, his 22 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: peculiar turns of phrase, squibber number, the little girl with 23 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: the curl deuces wild. I love the way language fit 24 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: neatly into the pace of a baby ball game. How 25 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: the length of the season gave you time to really 26 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: get to know the characters, to fall in love, and then, 27 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: of course, more often than not, have your heart broken. 28 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: And all these years later, I still love the Dodgers 29 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 1: for the same reasons, but also because they represent something 30 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: constant in a life experience that is ephemeral. I know 31 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: that long after I die, there will be men wearing white, 32 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: blue and red uniforms standing on grass, wearing little leather mits, 33 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: trying to hit a round ball with a wooden bat, 34 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:38,399 Speaker 1: the hardest thing to do in sports. And that's comforting 35 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: because they are so giant. The Dodgers make me feel small, 36 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: but they're like me. They play the game that I played, 37 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: and they fail a lot while trying. And they do 38 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: it here in and for the place where I was 39 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: born and where I still choose to live. The faces change, 40 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: the stories are different, from you to year, but there 41 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: are always stories and they tend to hit the same 42 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: emotional notes. But this year things are slightly different. We 43 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: don't usually get to see the Dodgers make it this far. 44 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: They don't always win the National League Pennant, but last 45 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: night I got to see them do that in person 46 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 1: for the first time ever, and I'll never forget it. 47 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: I don't love the Dodgers because they win, but it's 48 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: impossible not to love it when they do. And now 49 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: the Dodgers are going to the World Series. They are 50 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: one of just two teams left, the best of the best. 51 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: It's the ultimate ending to the story of a season 52 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: in the starkest contrast, imaginable Los Angeles versus New York City, 53 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: Coast against Coast, Superstar against Superstar, dem bombs against the 54 00:03:55,720 --> 00:04:00,840 Speaker 1: damn Yankees. I've been waiting for this matchup my entire life, 55 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: and it's happening this year. The late great Dodgers manager 56 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: Tommy Lasorda famously said, the best possible thing in baseball 57 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: is winning the World Series. The second best thing is 58 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 1: losing the World Series. And now we're guaranteed one of 59 00:04:17,720 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 1: those two outcomes. It's kill or be killed. Survive and 60 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: conquer all, or go home with the agony and ignominy 61 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: of defeat. Either way, it's an ending we don't often 62 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: get to see, and I feel blessed do help tell 63 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,520 Speaker 1: that story For those of you who have decided to 64 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: listen to this show. The world series Dodgers Versus Yankees 65 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: starts on Friday at five h eight, very specifically Pacific 66 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 1: time at Dodger Stadium. Ooh baby, I'm looking forward to 67 00:04:54,520 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: sharing it with you here on Dodger Blue Dream. Dodger 68 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,679 Speaker 1: Blue Dream is written and produced by me Richard Parks. 69 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: Music in this episode by Jonathan Snipes. If you like 70 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: Dodger Blue Dream, please leave us a rating and a 71 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,120 Speaker 1: review on Apple Podcasts or however you can, and if 72 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: you've already done that, please share the show with one 73 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: friend today. We'll be back soon with more episodes to 74 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: help get you ready for the world series. In the meantime, 75 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: feel free to check out our back catalog. Thanks for listening.