The case for Rockies fans to root for a Dodgers title in 2020
Jul 15, 2020, 7:27 AM | Updated: 7:36 am
OK. This one is going to take a little open-mindedness, a little perspective and a whole lot of shoving down that competitive edge many of us still have.
But, what if I told you, the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the World Series in a significantly-shortened, Bizarro World season might just be the best outcome for the Colorado Rockies faithful?
Hear me out:
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Why it makes sense for the Los Angeles Dodgers
This one seems fairly obvious, but in a significantly-shortened season, it might feel a bit like a dubious honor to win a World Series.
However, there’s just a handful of teams in which it makes sense to throw your tertiary support behind this season, including:
» Pittsburgh Pirates (Last World Series win – 1979)
» Baltimore Orioles (Last World Series win – 1983)
» Detroit Tigers (Last World Series win – 1984)
» New York Mets (Last World Series win – 1986)
» Los Angeles Dodgers (Last World Series win – 1988)
These teams have the longest World Series championship droughts (aside from the few mentioned below).
Four teams have never won a championship: the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers. And, of course, Cleveland has not won a championship since 1948.
But a championship in a 60-game season might dull the shine on a team’s first World Series win, or to end a significantly long winless streak.
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Why it makes sense for the “baseball gods”
From the five teams listed above, the Dodgers seem to be the most snakebitten of the past decade.
From Clayton Kershaw’s struggles in postseason to losing the Series (maybe twice) while being on the fuzzy end of the lollipop with at least one cheating scandal that put them at a significant disadvantage.
Plus, while all the other teams on the above list reside in larger markets, Los Angeles in the second-most TV sets, second only to New York.
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Why it makes sense for the Rockies
Would it be fun for the Rockies to net its first National League West crown or another crack at the Commissioner’s Trophy? Of course.
But winning a championship that no doubt will have an asterisk next to it sounds less appealing than making a legitimate run next season and beyond.
It would be easier to defend a Rockies season that ended with a division title and World Series ring if it’s at full capacity.
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A Dodgers win might not be ideal for fans within the NL West, but the championship would only serve to bring prestige to the division.
It would end a long drought for a marquee MLB franchise and quell tensions over the cheating scandals of the past few seasons.
And an added bonus, maybe (just maybe) getting a Los Angeles title out of the way might spring open an opportunity for the Rockies first.
