By Jon Weisman
There are things that are true, and there are things that people think that are true. Here’s an attempt to separate one from the other, as we head into the weekend series between the Giants and the Dodgers.
• The Giants ride on the wings of seraphim, while the Dodgers are a dysfunctional timebomb.
We had a welcome respite from this dichotomy while the Dodgers rallied from their 9 1/2-game deficit in the National League West, but once the Giants went back ahead in the race by two games in two days, it didn’t take long for this angle to return. Why even play the games?
• The Giants own the Dodgers this year.
This year, San Francisco has won seven of the first 10 games they have played against the Dodgers. Last year, Arizona won seven of the first 10 games they played against the Dodgers. Does anyone still think Arizona owned the Dodgers?
The New York Mets won 10 of 11 from the Dodgers in the 1988 regular season. Does anyone still think the Mets owned the Dodgers?
Nobody owns anybody.
P.S. In those first 10 games against the Giants this year, Clayton Kershaw has started once.
• The Dodgers need a sweep.
If the Dodgers win two out of three, they’ll be a half-game behind San Francisco with 56 games remaining in their season and reversed the momentum between the two teams. A sweep would be lovely, but it’s hardly do-or-die.
• The Dodgers need to win two out of three.
If the Dodgers only win one game, they’ll be 2 1/2 games behind San Francisco with 56 games left. They’ll look like the second-best team in the division, especially if San Francisco wins the series against the best of the Dodger rotation.
But reverse the positions. If the Dodgers took two of three at home from the Giants and led by 2 1/2 games with 56 remaining, would you think that the race was over? Heck, if the Dodgers led by 2 1/2 games with five or six games remaining, would you think the race was over?
• Surely the Dodgers must win at least one out of three.
This is false for the reasons alluded to above, but I’ll concede that if Zack Greinke, Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu can’t do enough to keep the Dodgers from being swept, the Dodger fan base will turn into this:
If the Dodgers quit on themselves, their followers would rightfully go ballistic. But losing is not the same as quitting. If Dodger players shouldn’t quit on their team when the going gets tough, why should you?
My strong advice for Dodger fans: Enjoy the upcoming drama, root hard for your team, dream of celebration, but if things go south up north, don’t pretend that the season ends Sunday.
Jack Rosenberg
I don’t know, Jon. Of course there will still be 50+ games left to be played, but considering the Dodgers adjusted the rotation to get their 3 best starters in line for this series, a sweep by SF would be pretty disheartening.
Jon Weisman
Did I say anything differently?
Robin Warren
thank you for trying to regulate the massive population of Dodger fans who are always so quick throw in the towel when we drop out of first place…the NL West is always a grudge match until the last week…even our clinch last year took a little longer than expected (based on how the team was playing). If your a fan, you root for the team until you’ve been eliminated, you root for all of your players, and most importantly, you have confidence in your team, no matter what has happened that season….that’s what being a fan truly is. GO BLUE!
glsmithassociates
I really enjoyed your article today Jon, it did a great job of keeping us / me in check. I will obviously be ecstatic if we sweep but the world won’t come to an end if we take 2 of 3 or even 1 of 3. And if by some unfortunate chance we get swept I’ll have to deal with all those Giant fans and naysayers, but I’ll survive and my hopes for a Dodger Post Season will still be alive!!
suekamm
In the immortal words of that great Italian Philosopher L. P. Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Go Dodgers!
Kevin Williams
With Dodgers’ “Big 3” going against Giants’ not-nearly-as-big 3 (no Bum, Hudson or Cain), LA BETTER win at LEAST two. Hard to believe they can sweep, given their offensive woes.
artieboy
One down, two to go! In July this is a mid summer classic not a must win series. But is it drama or entertainment? Is there a difference? I’m wrestling with that right now.