It’s Time For a lot of Things For The Dodgers in 2015

It’s time for Dodger Baseball will have many meanings in 2015. With pitchers and catchers set to report in less than a month, we must put to rest the painful memories of the 2014 season. The Dodgers must be single minded in their attempt to do the only thing that matters, and that’s breaking the nearly 27 year World Series drought that has plagued the franchise. We as fans must support them in every way possible. We must bleed Dodger Blue, and come out again in record numbers in 2015. Nothing else matters.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Once again the 2014 season started out with such promise. After the 2013 Dodgers made that incredible 42-8 run during that summer, clinched the NL West division title, and reached the NLCS getting to the precipice of the World Series and then choking, the 2014 season was supposed to be the year.

World Series or bust was the term used in spring training. That was the season when the Dodgers were finally supposed to sleigh all their demons and clear all of the monsters and skeletons out of their closets. Unfortunately now they have even more demons and more monsters to sleigh than ever before.

It’s time to clean the closet. We must forget about last year. It was painful for everyone involved. The Dodgers got off to another dreadful start falling 9.5 games behind the Giants in May. The Giants looked like another World Series caliber club and the Dodgers couldn’t stop crapping all over themselves. Things looked bleak.

Fortunately the Dodgers went on another summer run that coincided with a San Francisco June swoon, which vaulted the Dodgers back into first place by the middle of summer. The Dodgers had to fight off a hungry Giants club to hang on for an eventual division championship, their second consecutive NL West crown.

It’s time to move on from last October. The division series loss to the Dodger’s perennial Postseason enemy the Cardinals was more painful than ever. The poorly constructed bullpen predictably failed, the late inning offense couldn’t score, but perhaps the most painful, our Cy Young ace and MVP Clayton Kershaw couldn’t get the Dodgers over the hump. Much of the blame fell on his shoulders, and he took it hard. It wasn’t all his fault.

It’s time to stop blaming Kershaw. It’s not his fault the Dodgers choked last year. Kershaw won his third Cy Young award and the NL MVP last season by turning in one of the greatest seasons ever by a Dodger pitcher. If it weren’t for Kershaw the Dodgers wouldn’t have made it to the postseason. There is plenty of time left for Kershaw to win a World Series. Hopefully that comes in 2015.

It’s time to win for Vin. It’s imperative the Dodgers make it to the World Series in 2015, as it could be Vin Scully’s final season. Last August Vin Scully announced that he would be returning to the Dodgers for another season to bless us all with his beautiful voice. Scully the greatest broadcaster in sports history has been the voice of the Dodgers for almost 66 years, an unprecedented sports record.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The announcement was made on the new video boards of Dodger Stadium, announced in Spanish by Yasiel Puig, Korean by Hyun-jin Ryu, and in English by Justin Turner. Dodger Stadium exploded into celebration as the crowd cheered as if the club had just won the World Series. They might as well have, it was better than a title. Vin was coming back for another year. It was jubilation. Vin is beloved by all Dodger fans. He’s been with us through everything. He’s been our guide throughout the years, and no matter how painfully the Dodgers choke, we know we can handle it because Vin will be right there with us. He’s been on our televisions, in our cars, on our radios, and he was an integral part of our childhoods.

Vin goes year to year when making the decision on whether to return for another year. He goes year to year, like we all do. But all Dodger fans must face the nightmarish realties that each season may be his last. It’s far too painful to deal with, but we all have to at some point. So that means we must cherish every game he broadcasts like it’s his last. We must cherish every minute we hear his beautiful voice, serenading us across the airwaves. Every game we get to hear his magical dulcet tones is a gift from the Baseball gods. Dodger fans are indeed the chosen fans. How else can you explain why we’ve had 66 incredible years of Vin?

It’s time to win for Tommy. There will never be another man like Tommy Lasorda. We will never see another man as passionate about the Dodgers as our site namesake. And again, like with Vin we must deal with the nightmarish realities that this could be our last year with him. The former player, coach, manager, and executive is now more of a Dodger ambassador. He was the last Dodger manager to win a World Series. His gumption and heart personify what it means to wear Dodger Blue.

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Tommy said himself, he can’t go up to the big Blue heaven in the sky until the Dodgers win a World Series. It’s time to get that title for Tommy so he can go in peace.

It’s time to win for Kenny Shulsen. Last year was especially difficult for us as we dealt with the sudden and tragic loss of longtime writer and friend Kenny Shulsen. Kenny passed away well before his time. He was one of the most passionate and devoted Dodger fans I’ve ever known. It was a heartbreaking loss, and I still think of him often. I miss the long Baseball talks we used to have, and the frequent chats during games. It’s not the same without him.

It’s time to win for Stacie. My sister wants a championship too. She’s been my partner in crime over here at Lasorda’s Lair for nearly four years now. She’s the heart and soul of this site, and I couldn’t do this without her. Growing up together was a lot of fun, as her Dodger fandom rivaled my own.

Now she’s passing on her Blue heritage to her beautiful daughters, who will continue the legacy of our Dodger obsessed family. That is always the right way to raise children. I can’t wait for the Dodgers to win it all and have Stacie right by my side when it happens and the champaign begins to flow.

It’s time for the Dodgers to sleigh their demons. The Dodgers now have many demons to sleigh. The Cardinals are their perennial postseason enemies and must be destroyed. The Dodgers can’t allow them to eliminate us for a third straight year. If we don’t play the Cardinals in the postseason, then I can definitely live with that. But if we have to play them again, then the Dodgers must defeat them. They’ll be tougher than ever this year.

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It’s time for the Dodgers to vanquish the Giants. The Giants have always been a thorn in the Dodger’s side. Our hated rivals have now won three championships in the last five years. As disgusting as that has been, we can never count them out, or underestimate them. They snuck in to the playoffs last year as a second wild card, and went all the way. Despite losing postseason veteran and fatman Pablo Sandoval to free agency, they still will likely give the Dodgers a tough time. The Giants seem to always find a way to disgust and horrify us every other year. It’s time to put an end to the Giant’s nasty little dynasty.

It’s time for the Dodgers to shut up the Padres. Now the Padres have decided they no longer want to be cellar dwellers every year, and made a flurry of moves to improve their roster under new GM A.J. Preller. They picked up a lot of former Dodgers, including Matt Kemp, Tim Federowicz, Scott Elbert, and longtime Dodger executive Logan White. It’s cute that they want to try and be competitive, but it’s time to put them in their place. The unprovoked attack of Zack Greinke still haunts us. You haven’t won anything yet San Diego.

It’s time for every Dodger fan to be able to watch the Dodgers on television. It’s a shame that the cable wars between sportsnetla and the rest of the cable providers are still unresolved. The Dodgers are still blacked out from anyone who doesn’t have time warner as a provider. I’ve always felt that no Dodger fan should ever be deprived of Dodger Baseball. All Dodger fans have a god given birthright to watch Dodger Baseball and have full Dodger access at all times. Let’s make this happen please. 

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It’s time to win for all of you. The Dodgers need to win for everyone. Especially you. We all share the same love and passion for the Dodgers, and every Dodger fan around the globe deserves to see the Dodgers win a World Series championship.

It’s time to welcome the new Dodgers with open arms. The new Dodgers should be welcomed and cheered. For example, it doesn’t matter what they did in the past. Jimmy Rollin’s soul crushing walk-off double off of Jonathan Broxton in game 4 of the 2009 NLCS doesn’t matter anymore. These guys are Dodgers now, they’re here to help. They deserve our admiration and support. Make them feel at home. Don’t hold their past against them.

It’s time for new beginnings. It’s time for a lot of things in 2015. It’s time for Dodger Baseball. It’s time for everything. It’s time.