NLDS Over

Sandy Motherfucking Koufax!

Anyone who knows the Dodgers knows the man on the right. Sandy Motherfucking Koufax. After the Dodgers win last night, he walked into the clubhouse with Lon Rosen*. He wanted to congratulate Clayton Kershaw on his performance, but he didn’t want to overshadow the champagne celebration that was going on.

* Mr. Rosen is best known as being Magic Johnson’s agent. He also tried to get the Dodgers to hire cheerleaders and a mascot back in 2004. He is responsible for trying to phase out Dodger organist Nancy Bea Hefley and bringing in the in-stadium emcees to scream at the fans before the game and try and convince everyone of how much fun they should be having.

So the story I wrote last night on LAist about the game did sound a bit wistful. I apologize for that. See, it’s the last Dodger game I’m covering this year because of credentials and MLB and shit.

I fall prey to the pitfalls of covering games a lot. I get jaded. Oh it’s another baseball game. Set up, go downstairs, get dinner, watch the game, write, go downstairs, file, go home. Considering I am at over 100 sporting events per year, it can become routine.

But last night was different. Perhaps it’s being out amongst the fans in the aux box. But when Juan Uribe hit that home run, it was one of the biggest moments of awe I’ve had doing this.

When I got downstairs, I did my best to avoid the splashing liquids. I was mostly successful. It’s a fun environment. When the Dodgers clinched the division in 2009, I got caught up in everything. Last night, I was a bit more aware.

It is pure chaos and joy in there. The music is blasting, guys are screaming, you can’t hear anything that’s being said. I put my voice recorder out there and just hope for the best. It’s a bit like this:

So that’s it. I’ll still dutifully write about the Dodgers, but since I won’t be at the games I’ll compensate for that by being bitchier. It’s a win for the readers. It’s a win for me. It’s probably not a win for the Dodgers.