World Champions!

The last time the Dodgers won the World Series, I was eight years old. Yes, I know I’m dating myself, but it’s not like anyone other than MLGB is going to be dating me anyway. Point is, I’ve seen Kirk Gibson’s home run so many times that I don’t know whether I remember watching it on TV in the living room of our family home in 1988, or just on so many video clips. But this game? I’ll remember this one for the rest of my life.

My “vintage” Dodgers shirt from 1997. Bought new. Mondesi, Piazza, and Karros.

It’s been such a long time coming. I remember listening to Vin Scully call so many games in the ’90s during the great Rookie of the Year crop in seasons that never ended in success. The doldrums of the McCourt era. I grew up a Dodgers fan in Southern California, moved away from So Cal to go to college in Florida, graduated, moved to Seattle, got married, discovered the all you can listen to audio package on MLB.com, had five kids, turned gray, and moved to South Dakota. All the while, the Dodgers never won another championship. Until last night.

I probably bought this pennant at Dodger Stadium in 1993 or 1994. The pins are all from ’92 and ’93. This hung in my bedroom as a teen, followed me to college, and has hung in every office and cubicle I’ve had in my professional life. It’s home now, because my office is now at home too.

I screamed. I chest-bumped with Future Jedi and The Centurion, who had decided to stay up and watch the game with me. I may have overspent on a commemorative Kershaw jersey and some World Series cards from Topps that I won’t see until 2021.

Closeup of one of the pins on my pennant. Yup, that’s the 30th Anniversary (1962 – 1992) celebration. In two years, Dodger Stadium will be celebrating 60 years. It’s the third oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.

I really hope that I don’t have to wait thirty-two more years for the next Dodgers championship. But this one, the first of my adult life, is always going to be special.