My timing for this post is off—given that the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to fall to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series—but it's one that points to something beyond baseball.In Canada, we live in a time when everyone's a "traitor" or "disloyal" to the collective tribe. COVID was illustrative of just how disconnected and disengaged we've become from taking our basic civil rights seriously.
You're a "traitor" for having taken part in the truckers' protest. An episode that spawned the noxious term "freedumbers" from dullards. If you question "climate change" or residential schools, you're engaging in "denialism" (of course, they'd never consider abortion a form of denialism, since they're prepared to fully ignore its harmful psychological and physical side-effects, which are detrimental to a healthy and strong community, culture, and society). And during the World Series, a new form of faux-patriotic fervor has emerged. Specifically, if you don't support "Canada's team," you're "disloyal."
A thin-skinned, passive-aggressive demand to "support the team" and "wear the damn ribbon" isn't my cup of tea.
Predictably unsurprising, the reliably tedious Canadian sports fan is out on social media complaining about how the Jays are disrespected—as if they're entitled to it—and that MLB wants them to lose, while talking smack all over the place.
Big-deal analysts chose the Dodgers to win. Vegas had them as favorites since spring training. It's not an example of "disrespecting" Toronto but just a sober (maybe lazy) reflection of going with the probabilities. And if there's a sport where probabilities reign, it's baseball.Not that I need to explain myself to the faux Canadian patriot, but here's why I root, root, root for the Dodgers.
When the Montreal Expos disappeared from the diamond forever, I figured rooting for another team would keep my interest in baseball going. So I stared up at the sky and asked myself: who is worthy? I spent many a rainy morning looking creepily out my window, deciding.Finally, I chose the Dodgers. Here's why. First off, they were a National League team, and I liked NL ball. I never considered the Blue Jays. Just because they were based in Canada wasn't a good enough reason for me. No offense.
However, there was a more historical and personal reason to settle on the Dodgers. The Montreal Royals were the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939–1960, if memory serves me right. My grandfather—who was a catcher—used to go watch the Royals and saw 42 play many times. By natural extension, he was a Dodgers fan, I think, too.
Many years later, I read a book on the Royals and loved the rich, albeit somewhat short, history and the legendary and colorful players and characters who wore its uniform: Don Drysdale, Tommy Lasorda, Roy Campanella, Roberto Clemente, Duke Snider (later teaming with the great Dave Van Horne calling Expos games), Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Sal Maglie, and others who helped turn Montreal into a big-league city.
And they were winners. The Royals are still considered among the greatest farm teams ever, having won seven league titles (Governor's Cup) and three Junior World Series in 1946, '48, and '53.
It was a golden age for both the Royals and Dodgers, with the big team heading to the World Series in '47, '49, '52, and '53, losing each time to the Yankees before finally defeating their mortal arch-rival bums in 1955. Not longer after they were off to Los Angeles, and the Royals folded in 1960. But those successful 20 years led to the arrival of Nos Amours—the fabulously eccentric Montreal Expos. To this day, the Expos are beloved in Montreal.
The only other potential teams a Montrealer could root for were the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, given the popularity of those two teams.
So, it was logical to naturally migrate to the LA Dodgers.
What about Blue Monday? Crushing, yes, but water under the bridge. Ironically, it was like losing to family, given the two franchises were linked. You do what you can to cope, I reckon.To add a propeller to my beanie, I watched the Expos lose to the Dodgers 4-0 at Chavez Ravine in 1990.
And that's why I support the Dodgers.
Go Dodgers.
You're a "traitor" for having taken part in the truckers' protest. An episode that spawned the noxious term "freedumbers" from dullards. If you question "climate change" or residential schools, you're engaging in "denialism" (of course, they'd never consider abortion a form of denialism, since they're prepared to fully ignore its harmful psychological and physical side-effects, which are detrimental to a healthy and strong community, culture, and society). And during the World Series, a new form of faux-patriotic fervor has emerged. Specifically, if you don't support "Canada's team," you're "disloyal."
A thin-skinned, passive-aggressive demand to "support the team" and "wear the damn ribbon" isn't my cup of tea.
Predictably unsurprising, the reliably tedious Canadian sports fan is out on social media complaining about how the Jays are disrespected—as if they're entitled to it—and that MLB wants them to lose, while talking smack all over the place.
Big-deal analysts chose the Dodgers to win. Vegas had them as favorites since spring training. It's not an example of "disrespecting" Toronto but just a sober (maybe lazy) reflection of going with the probabilities. And if there's a sport where probabilities reign, it's baseball.Not that I need to explain myself to the faux Canadian patriot, but here's why I root, root, root for the Dodgers.
When the Montreal Expos disappeared from the diamond forever, I figured rooting for another team would keep my interest in baseball going. So I stared up at the sky and asked myself: who is worthy? I spent many a rainy morning looking creepily out my window, deciding.Finally, I chose the Dodgers. Here's why. First off, they were a National League team, and I liked NL ball. I never considered the Blue Jays. Just because they were based in Canada wasn't a good enough reason for me. No offense.
However, there was a more historical and personal reason to settle on the Dodgers. The Montreal Royals were the farm team of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939–1960, if memory serves me right. My grandfather—who was a catcher—used to go watch the Royals and saw 42 play many times. By natural extension, he was a Dodgers fan, I think, too.
Many years later, I read a book on the Royals and loved the rich, albeit somewhat short, history and the legendary and colorful players and characters who wore its uniform: Don Drysdale, Tommy Lasorda, Roy Campanella, Roberto Clemente, Duke Snider (later teaming with the great Dave Van Horne calling Expos games), Gil Hodges, Carl Furillo, Sal Maglie, and others who helped turn Montreal into a big-league city.
And they were winners. The Royals are still considered among the greatest farm teams ever, having won seven league titles (Governor's Cup) and three Junior World Series in 1946, '48, and '53.
It was a golden age for both the Royals and Dodgers, with the big team heading to the World Series in '47, '49, '52, and '53, losing each time to the Yankees before finally defeating their mortal arch-rival bums in 1955. Not longer after they were off to Los Angeles, and the Royals folded in 1960. But those successful 20 years led to the arrival of Nos Amours—the fabulously eccentric Montreal Expos. To this day, the Expos are beloved in Montreal.
The only other potential teams a Montrealer could root for were the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, given the popularity of those two teams.
So, it was logical to naturally migrate to the LA Dodgers.
What about Blue Monday? Crushing, yes, but water under the bridge. Ironically, it was like losing to family, given the two franchises were linked. You do what you can to cope, I reckon.To add a propeller to my beanie, I watched the Expos lose to the Dodgers 4-0 at Chavez Ravine in 1990.
And that's why I support the Dodgers.
Go Dodgers.
