Dodger Thoughts

Jon Weisman's outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball and life

Month: July 2022

Reflections on reflections
of those astonishing Dodgers

Because this site has the word “Dodger” in the title, I should probably take some time on this anniversary day to write, you know, about the Dodgers. 

By the way, let’s be clear. As an adjective, it’s “Dodger,” not “Dodgers.” One rolls off the tongue, and the other doesn’t. Vin Scully didn’t say, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball,” and neither should you in any similar situation. 

Moving on … and taking a cue from my second post at Dodger Thoughts, let’s look at the state of things on July 21, 2022. 

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Dodger Thoughts at 20: How it began and what it has meant

I did get comfortable.

In a stream-of-consciousness sense, I found myself wondering who I’m doing these anniversary posts for — you all, or me. And in the next thought, I realized that’s exactly the dueling mindset I was in when I started the site.

If readers like what I write, great. But if they don’t, hopefully I will. 

I’ve been healthier in expressing myself at this place than anywhere else, regardless of the audience.  I’ve been my best friend here. I can’t always say that elsewhere. 

At the same time, that audience — and more specifically, the community that formed around Dodger Thoughts in the Baseball Toaster days — was more rewarding than I can say. Having readers was great. Bringing people together and forming bonds was beyond great. 

So, that’s a relatively short way of explaining why I’m celebrating this anniversary even when I haven’t been writing much here lately. July 21, 2002 remains a life-changing day for me. 

 

The most popular post
in Dodger Thoughts history

It might surprise you. It still surprises me. But four years after I wrote it, it gets at least 500 hits a week.

“Best kids shows of the 2000s: A semi-comprehensive list”

State of the Dodgers at the launch of Dodger Thoughts

My second post ever on Dodger Thoughts was a State of the Union dated July 22, 2002 — and boy, what a trip down memory lane that is. Let’s put it through the Excerptatron 4000. 

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Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers and me

I can’t remember if I wrote this here or only on Twitter, but it’s been clear from the day the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series that thankfully, my angst over the team has diminished like — well, like the water supply in California. 

It doesn’t hurt that they’ve continued to win about two-thirds of their games since then. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that the Dodgers won 106 games in 2021 but lost their streak of division titles at eight. I can’t say that I wouldn’t have been annoyed if last year they had lost the NL Wild Card Game or the playoff series against the Giants. But I will say that as much as I wanted them to beat Atlanta and reach the World Series, I got over that defeat instantaneously.

Honestly, my No. 1, prime interest with the Dodgers is Clayton Kershaw.

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Two posts (of many)
that meant a lot to me

If I looked back at the personal pieces I wrote for Dodger Thoughts, the ones that had more to do with life than with the Dodgers (though certainly, they intersected quite a bit), I could find many I value. But these are the two that come to mind instantly. 

“My Phil Dunphy Problem” — February 20, 2012, where I discussed my lifelong anxiety, how easily I could lose faith in myself and, in a word, my pain.

“Love, hate and tears” — December 2, 2009. The title speaks for itself, though it does intersect a great deal with the Dodgers, but speaks even more loudly to my inner pain that was enough to arouse genuine concern to me from at least one reader. . But perhaps the thing that meant the most to me was this: I wrote about the impact an episode of Friday Night Lights had upon me, and the writer of the episode, Rolin Jones, saw my post and wrote this comment.  

Dear Jon,

I can see the lights of Dodger stadium from my deck in echo park. I appreciate the summer fireworks on fridays but mostly I consider the ravine a place to see the cubs three times a year. Someone sent me your piece this morning. Hardly dispensable. More like awesome. You can’t make me like the Dodgers, but I’ll read about them now. Good to know you exist.

From the writer of last night’s “Friday Light Nights”,

Rolin Jones

 

I would say that things got worse for me before they got better, and I still have plenty I have to deal with. But I’m happy to report that I’m in a better place now. 

Anniversary Eve

Well, hi there. 

One of the key things about writing Dodger Thoughts in the glory days was the groove. The more posts I wrote, the easier it was to write them. It’s easier to start a new post when you’re coming off a completed one, because there’s momentum. If I needed a rest, I’d take it. But I’d never need a rest for very long. 

The other big component was that the more often I wrote, the more focused I could be, and focus for me is a big part of a successful piece. I didn’t feel like I had to cover everything in one shot. And it allowed me to take the time for longer posts crafted with more care. Perhaps most of all, I felt free to break from the Dodgers to write my more personal thoughts, which quickly became my favorite and most meaningful ones to write. 

Which brings me to today, the eve of the 20th anniversary of Dodger Thoughts. As any visitor to the site knows, I haven’t written much here at all since the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series, particularly this year. So there’s the desire to catch up on the team since then, but moreover, the desire to reflect upon the past 20 years in some signifcant way. 

So my plan is, rather than writing one grand, winner-take-all post, that I’ll publish in short bursts over the next two days. In a way, it fits with an approach to life that I’ve subconsciously understood but never really crystalized literally until this moment: the less ambition, the easier the success.  

We’ll see how it goes. Y’all come back now, ya hear?

Dodger Thoughts at 20: Podcast interview with Eric Stephen

As the 20th anniversary of Dodger Thoughts approaches (though admittedly, I haven’t been writing here this year), Eric Stephen has posted an interview with me at True Blue L.A. looking back at those two decades. 

It’s always a pleasure and an hour to talk to Stephen, who in my view has set his own standard to become the definitive Dodger writer. 

I do hope to write more here in regards to the anniverary on July 21, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. 

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