The fierce battle between the Dodgers and Padres reminds me of the National League Championship pitting the Chicago Cubs against the San Diego Padres nearly four decades ago.
It was a best three-out-of-five contest and the Padres were behind two games to none.
Mike Royko, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune wrote a rather scathing column explaining why the Padres didn’t deserve to triumph since, as he put it, “San Diegans have no sense of tradition. They really don’t care,” he opined. “They aren’t delirious with the drama and historical significance of it all. If San Diego wins, they’ll simply say how nice. But if the surf is up, that will be even nicer.”
Royko suggested he wasn’t worried about San Diego winning because he was convinced there’s fairness and equity in life.
But the Padres went on to win three consecutive games to defeat the Cubs and find themselves in the World Series.
I don’t know how the Dodgers-Padres series turned out since, as I write this, it’s Thursday with the series tied one game apiece. For me, the stressful weekend still lies ahead.
Regardless, I continue to savor that Padres victory over the New York Mets in the National League Wild Card Series.
It rekindled the rivalry with my friend Stan, a lifelong NYC resident certain his heavily favored and beloved New York Mets would easily defeat the Padres.
He’s been giving me a hard time ever since I left New York and the challenging weather conditions there. I traded it all in for the fabulous climate we enjoy here.
Stan claims weather issues in New York are overblown.
He also brought up what he perceives to be the artistic contrasts between the two coasts, or as he puts it, “You ain’t got no cultcha dere.”
He points to world-class landmarks in New York such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Opera, The Guggenheim and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“What’s San Diego got,” he questioned, “other than fish tacos?”
I asked him if he’s ever visited one of those cultural marvels he boasts about and he explained that they’re all on his “must visit” list.
(He’ll be 78 in January.)
In his defense, it’s not easy for Stan to get around because of crime on the subways, and he won’t drive because he refuses to give up the parking space he found in 2020 located only three blocks from his house.
“New York City not only claims some of the greatest museums and concert halls,” he crows, “but it’s also home to the world’s most famous theater district.”
I reminded him the plays that wind up in New York often open in San Diego. And at a fraction of the cost.
“When’s the last time you saw a Broadway play?” I inquired.
He said he had tickets for “Hamilton” back in 2015, but he wasn’t able to get out of the house when 3 feet of snow and 20-foot drifts blocked the exits.
I told him we got to enjoy the celebrated musical on a balmy Saturday evening when it opened here at the Civic Theatre.
Erdos is a freelance humor columnist. him at [email protected].
