October 25, 2024 • 20 mins
Get ready for the matchup Richard has been waiting for all his life: Dodgers vs. Yankees in the 2024 World Series! And: we remember Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela. ALSO: Jomboy!
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Bitch time for Dodger base I have dreamed of this
matchup my entire life. East Coast versus West Coast, Biggie
versus Tupac. The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the New
(00:27):
York Yankees in the World Series.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Do you have the two teams with the best records,
two teams with the biggest fan bases, and the two
teams with the biggest stars. If your cousin or your
aunt or your uncle, or your friends that don't watch baseballs,
and hey, tune in, this is going to be fun.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Hey, their Dodgor Blue Dream.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So it's six twenty in the morning, Christmas Morning.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Anybody else have trouble sleeping last night?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
The first day of the World Series twenty twenty four
Dodgers Yankees? So darn excited for this thing.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Welcome to Dodger Blue Dream, a documentary about the baseball season,
made in real time as the season unfolds. An incredible
twenty twenty four Dodgers baseball season, which is now hurtling
towards a guaranteed thrilling conclusion with this must watch, must listen,
(01:17):
must experience series. So today on the show, we're going
to briefly set the table for the World Series as
we get ready for Game one today October twenty fifth,
twenty twenty four, at five oh eight, very specifically Pacific
time at Dodger Stadium. I'm about to get ready and
head down there, so let's get her done.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
That's what.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
And after we give you a little setup for the
World Series, we will take a moment to pay tribute
to Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who died earlier this week
at the age of sixty three.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Finally, like Rasa, everywhere saw somebody who was being recognized
for being great because Rasa always knew they were great.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
But who's memory is very much alive as these two
iconic franchises face off in the Fall Classic for the
first time since nineteen eighty one, the year of Fernando
Mania and the Dodgers One. I'm Richard Parks, the third
(02:20):
Welcome to the Dodger Blue Dream twenty twenty four World
Series preview. I'm a Dodger fan. You are a Yankees fan.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yes, winning is all that matters. My name is Jimmy O'Brien.
I started John Boy Media, and I talk a lot
about baseball.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I reached out to John Boy, a lifelong Yankee fan,
to help contextualize why this matchup is so unusually exciting
and appealing in a way that transcends fandom.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Do you have the two teams with the best records,
two teams with the biggest fan bases, and the two
teams with the biggest stars. You have the two players
that will win the MVP this year in their respective leagues,
and Otani and Judge facing off against each other. You
have six MVPs Judge, Stanton Mookie, Freddie Otani. Sodo's never
(03:17):
won one, but he sure plays like an MVP a
lot of years. So just the star power and then
the stars at the peak of their game. So it's
not star power but fading stars. It's no these are
burning bright. This is the brightest stars on the biggest stage.
If your cousin or your aunt or your uncle or
your friends that don't watch baseball, so hey, tune in.
This is gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
You might think that Dodgers Yankees World Series happen all
the time. Well, in fact, this matchup has never happened
in my lifetime. They have met twelve times, and that
is more than any other two teams have met in
the World Series, but the lion's share of those matchups
happened in the forties and fifties, and there have been
unforgettable moments in series.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Kicky Robinson let at third base takes his lead.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And Jackie Robinson stealing home in Game one of the
fifty five World Series. He's safe tayting out.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
He's oux, says Yogi Vera and brother Yogi.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Don Larson pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in
Game five of the fifty six series with Vin Scully
on the call. Got him.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
In the nap back, passed them out of my willing man.
Then Lena burn.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Sandy Kofax got the last out of the sixty three
Fall Classic for a sweep for the Dodgers. And in
seventy seven and seventy eight, Mister October Reggie Jackson was
wreaking havoc all right, right, advine as the Bronx Bombers
bested dem Bums in both matchups in the seventies before
(04:56):
the Dodgers took it in six.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
In eighty one, angelous Dodgers have guessed you're not done
the impossible. The shorter throws his hat away, run j
out with his hands and arms and mine.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
This is a rivalry, and it's a rivalry that exists
because of the World Series. It wasn't until very recently
that National League teams and American League teams played during
the regular season. But because these are two of the
oldest teams and two of the best teams, there's a
lot of history here. But what about the present day matchups.
(05:31):
What's your biggest fear about the Yankees facing the Dodgers
in this World Series. Ah, let's talk about our hopes
and fears pitching and lineup first pitching, starting pitching. When
it comes to starting pitching, the Yankees have the clear advantage.
(05:55):
They have five real deal starters to the Dodgers three,
and really the Dodgers have two hole starters or one
and two half starters. Jack Flaherty, who is starting Game
one tonight, who showed flashes of greatness during Game one
of the Championship Series but has been knocked around a lot.
Other than that, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler, both of
(06:18):
whom are in different stages of building themselves back up
from injuries. The Yankees, on the other hand, have Garrett Cole,
a very good pitcher and a very good postseason pitcher.
Cole starts Game one against Flerity and then Carlos rode On,
who can be very good, and then they'll probably fill
out games three and four with Clark. Schmidt would probably
(06:39):
go against Buehler and Luis Heel, all of whom are
solid starters. We are probably going to have to pitch
a bullpen game against Heel in Game four in lieu
of a fourth starter, and we've done that with success recently.
We shut out the Padres in a bullpen game. And
there's potentially a lot to be concerned about for us,
but also for the Yankees in this regard, and it
(07:00):
all relates to the use of the bullpen and then
of course the effect of the starting lineup. And that's
what I call a segue to the next topic. Let's
talk bullpen. In terms of bullpen, we're wiping the floor
with these guys. We've got the Dowgs, Kopek trying in.
(07:21):
Evan Phillips is not on the roster, which I don't
understand and I'm kind of scared about. So we're down
one dog, but we got a Dowg back. Alex Vesia
made the World Series roster, and that's particularly good news
because he is a left handed pitcher. With Vessia out,
Anthony Bondo is our only lefty and the Yankees could
have used that to their advantage. I'm not super familiar
(07:43):
with the Yankees bullpen. What's your biggest fear? When Jimmy
O'Brien started opening up about his fears, ah, the first
thing that he talked about was the Yankees bullpen.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
The first high end bullpen that gets beat is going
to be pretty brutal, but close enough that the Yankees,
after they use their top bullpen and then the Dodgers
get to them, it's kind of all she wrote, like
if they just feel comfortable against Cainley and Weaver.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
The other side of the coin is that if our
starters get knocked out early and the Yankees hitters have
chances to see our dogs early on or multiple times,
god forbid, and our bullpen starts getting generally taxed, you
can see how the dominoes start falling all of a sudden.
We don't feel so good about that bullpen game start
for Game four, But the same logic applies for the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So those first outings by Kayleean Weaver, Kopek and Hudson
and Brazier and all the guys. The Dodgers bullpen, I'm
going to be really looking closely at.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So while we have a strength here, it all comes
down to how things play out, how deep our starters get,
what type of lead we might have when we use
our high leverage dogs, and when we use our innings eaters,
the Brent Honeywells of the world. But damn, I'm looking
forward to seeing that turtleneck at Yankee Stadium. The point
that I'm coming around to is everything relates to everything else.
(09:04):
So you're afraid of our offense and you're afraid of
our bullpen.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Now I'm not. I'm not afraid of your bullpen. I
think the Yankees can get them. I'm afraid of the
offense getting to the Yankees bullpen.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
All right, let's talk offense. Starting lineup. Look, both these
teams have superstars, but you know, if you listen to
this show, the Dodgers' role deep. The Yankees lineup is
honestly more top heavy. They've got Judge, Stanton and Soto
up there, but after that it kind of falls off. Conversely,
with our lineup We've got sho Hey, Mooky Freddie. Then
(09:38):
we've got Tao, Will Smith, Max munci Kik, who is
an October god and owns both Cole and Rodin could
hit seventh or eighth in this lineup and one of
the keys to the Yankees path to the World Series
this postseason has been those big three guys coming through
in big moments, getting to the opposing team's bul even
(10:00):
the incredible Cleveland Guardians bullpen. I didn't even mention Tommy Edmond.
He was our NLCS MVP, batting cleanup in the decisive
game and hitting bombs in addition to the bunts he
laid down earlier in the postseason. And that's a clear
illustration of how deep this Dodgers' offense really runs. So
(10:21):
in a comparison of these two lineups, the Dodgers win
flat out.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
And the Yankees pitching has not faced the lineup that
has depth yet this postseason. With the Royals and the Guardians,
they're top heavy and then pretty light, so they are
able to really navigate and not pitch this guy pitch
that guy.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Dodgers are super deep, I would argue deeper offensively in
the Yankees, I kind of doubt that you would argue
against that. Yeah, So there's a little bit of a
preview the history, the matchups for pitching, both starting pitching
and bullpen, and the lineups. But of course, now we
gotta go play the games. We'll see what happens. Thanks,
(10:58):
thank you Day as well, thank you John Boy, Big Fan.
But now we are sworn enemies as rival podcasters whose
favorite teams are facing off in the World Series. So
all this week, since we found out that the Dodgers
and the Yankees would be in the World Series together,
(11:21):
I have been thinking about nineteen eighty one. And you
can't think about nineteen eighty one if you're thinking about
the Dodgers without thinking about Fernando Valenzuela.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh, listen to the crowd most of the book on
their feet down, Valenzuela delivers Roba.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Fernando Valenzuela has died at the age of sixty three.
We just got the news the other night, and it
would be insane to have a show about the Dodgers
and not take a moment to make some kind of
tribute to this incredibly important Dodgers figure. Fernando is on
(12:02):
a very short list of Dodger legends that US fans
are on a first name basis with Tommy, then Fernando
Brnando Valanuela. In an age where this word is applied
superfluously and almost flippantly to completely undeserving people. Fernando Valenzuela
(12:27):
was and is an icon, and he's so integrated with
the city and this baseball team. If you know, it's
not something that needs to be discussed or defined, you
just get it. But for those of you who may
not know, we're going to try on this episode to
describe and encapsulate who this person was and his impact
(12:51):
on the city of Los Angeles. In addition to being
a very remarkable baseball player, Fernando Valenzuela truly trans ended
the game. What does that mean, Well, just start with
the experience of going to the ballpark in Los Angeles.
When you go to Dodger Stadium, you walk in, there
(13:13):
might be Mariachi's playing in the center field plaza. Every
concession stand sells Michelada's, the seasoned Mexican beer drink, they
sell tacos, and you look around and the fan base
is predominantly in most cases Latino and Mexican and you
(13:33):
might think, well, it's la. Of course it is, but
it's possible that that would not be the case if
it weren't for Fernando Valezuela. He was the first prominent
and still the greatest Mexican pitcher in Major League history.
He was a lefty, he threw a screwball, which is
not super common, and in nineteen eighty one he arrived
(13:56):
in Los Angeles and changed the culture of baseball here forever.
Because before Fernando there was actually a general aversion to
the Dodgers in the Latino community. And that's a very
complicated story. Basically, the site where Dodger Stadium is was
(14:16):
once a predominantly Latino neighborhood, and the arrival of the
Dodgers in the late fifties from New York was accompanied
by the displacement of all these families via eminent domain.
The extent to which the Dodgers organization was responsible for
what happened is the topic of some debate. In any case,
(14:37):
it's thanks to Fernando and his celebrity and his massive
cultural impact that Dodger Stadium looks and feels the way
that it does today.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
I don't think people understand the cultural impact that Fernando
Lenzoela had on the city of a Lake two Mexican
American and to immigrants, to any brown folk.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Really, this is Memo Torres. Memo writes for La Taco,
local grassroots online publication. He is always eating tacos all
over Los Angeles and I found out after years of
following his eating adventures that this is because Memo is
all over town doing work for his landscaping business. This
(15:17):
will become pertinent to Memo's recollection.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
We're talking about an era where Latinos had been marginalized
with different reasons, whether it be as farm workers, laborers,
whether it be through different propositions. Your stadium's own history.
They literally kicked out Mexicans to take over the land
so they could build out your stadium. And I know,
growing up, it was hard to see any Latinos prominent
(15:42):
on TV or anywhere else. I mean, I think the
only other Latino was Paunch from Chips, you know, the
Higher Patrol Cops show. So you know, even with that,
we couldn't relate with him. But when you see Fernando
Valle in Soila, guy that reminds me of like my uncles,
you know, and my dad and my uncles. They didn't
like sports, but they watched the Dodgers. Actually, no, they
(16:04):
didn't watch the Dodgers. They watched Fernando Valinzuela and that
was every time they watched them. It was a source
of pride and be like, look, Miko, that's one of
our own. He's over there and he's beating a lingos
at their own game. You know, he was a pride.
It was like finally, like Rasa, everywhere like saw somebody
who was being recognized for being great, because Rasa I
(16:24):
always knew they were great. We were, you know, my people,
we were. I grew up in a hard working family gardoning,
you know, servicing the mansions of like bel Air and
Beverly Hills. Funny enough, my uncle, he was the gardener
for the O'Malley's, one of the original owners of the Dodgers.
And for Fernando Vealinzuela to come along, he kind of
(16:46):
like made us feel proud that he could be in
that space and dominate, and in a way he brought
everybody closer together. You know, now you're having conversations out
and about as you're working with folks that you would
never have conversations with, you know, people that were your
bosses as you're gardening around in different parts of the
(17:09):
city and only saw you as a gardener. Now you
know Fernando Alenzoela, you know all the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
It's just it sparked an icebreaker for the city to
be able to have a conversation in almost relaxed of fashion.
And I think it really brought the city together, and
it really helped people rally behind the Dodgers. And I
don't think if Fernando Venezuela would have happened, I don't
think our city would be as united and as close
together as that are. I mean, granted, Ali still has
(17:38):
a lot of divisions, there's a history of redlining, communities
are segregated, but I think the Dodgers, or Fernando Valenzuela
with the Dodgers at least, helped build bridges for everybody,
and for us Latinos and brown kids growing up like
myself and seeing Fernando Venezuela and what he meant to
folks like my parents who weren't into sports at all,
(18:02):
how that person could be a source of pride, and
it just it really affected us all psychologically, our attitude
towards La and in our acceptance in the city, and
just the feeling of belonging so Bernanda Venezuela meant a
lot more to us than just the game of baseball.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Thank you so much, Memo Torres for this contribution. I
highly recommend you look Memo up on Instagram. He's a
great follow, and check out La Taco. The timing of
Fernando Valenzuela's passing is cosmic. Not only are the Dodgers
(18:41):
facing the Yankees in the World Series for the first
time since nineteen eighty one, the year this icon took
the city by storm, but also Game six of this
World Series, should the series get there, will take place
on what would have been Fernando Valenzuela's sixty fourth birthday,
and it just so happens that in eighty one, the
(19:03):
Dodgers won the series in six games. We've been following
this season since spring training, a documentary made in real
time as the season unfolds, where you never know what's
going to happen next, and what an ending that would
be with the Dodgers beating the Yankees in six, just
(19:24):
like they did in eighty one. On Fernando Valenzuela's heavenly birthday.
I'm Richard Parks the third and that is my Dodger
Blue Dream. Dodger Blue Dream is written and produced by
me Richard Parks. Music in this episode by William Bryan Fritch,
(19:47):
The Blasting Company, and by me. I made this episode
with the help of Tyler Hill, Elizabeth Parks, Kibbi and
Caitlin Esh. Special thanks to Memo Torres and thanks to
Bryan Hidalgo whose voice you heard at the beginning of
the episode. I highly recommend you check out John Boy,
his video breakdowns, his podcasts like Talking Baseball. The man
(20:11):
has an obvious passion for the game that is infectious
and a knack for story that draws you in. If
you like Dodger Blue Dream, please subscribe, listen to our
back catalog, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or
however you can and help me spread the word. I'm
off to the World Series Game one. Thanks again for listening.
(20:34):
Go Dodgers.
Bitch time for Dodger base I have dreamed of this
matchup my entire life. East Coast versus West Coast, Biggie
versus Tupac. The Los Angeles Dodgers are playing the New
(00:27):
York Yankees in the World Series.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Do you have the two teams with the best records,
two teams with the biggest fan bases, and the two
teams with the biggest stars. If your cousin or your
aunt or your uncle, or your friends that don't watch baseballs,
and hey, tune in, this is going to be fun.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Hey, their Dodgor Blue Dream.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
So it's six twenty in the morning, Christmas Morning.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Anybody else have trouble sleeping last night?
Speaker 3 (00:49):
The first day of the World Series twenty twenty four
Dodgers Yankees? So darn excited for this thing.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
Welcome to Dodger Blue Dream, a documentary about the baseball season,
made in real time as the season unfolds. An incredible
twenty twenty four Dodgers baseball season, which is now hurtling
towards a guaranteed thrilling conclusion with this must watch, must listen,
(01:17):
must experience series. So today on the show, we're going
to briefly set the table for the World Series as
we get ready for Game one today October twenty fifth,
twenty twenty four, at five oh eight, very specifically Pacific
time at Dodger Stadium. I'm about to get ready and
head down there, so let's get her done.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
That's what.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
And after we give you a little setup for the
World Series, we will take a moment to pay tribute
to Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who died earlier this week
at the age of sixty three.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Finally, like Rasa, everywhere saw somebody who was being recognized
for being great because Rasa always knew they were great.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
But who's memory is very much alive as these two
iconic franchises face off in the Fall Classic for the
first time since nineteen eighty one, the year of Fernando
Mania and the Dodgers One. I'm Richard Parks, the third
(02:20):
Welcome to the Dodger Blue Dream twenty twenty four World
Series preview. I'm a Dodger fan. You are a Yankees fan.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yes, winning is all that matters. My name is Jimmy O'Brien.
I started John Boy Media, and I talk a lot
about baseball.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
I reached out to John Boy, a lifelong Yankee fan,
to help contextualize why this matchup is so unusually exciting
and appealing in a way that transcends fandom.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Do you have the two teams with the best records,
two teams with the biggest fan bases, and the two
teams with the biggest stars. You have the two players
that will win the MVP this year in their respective leagues,
and Otani and Judge facing off against each other. You
have six MVPs Judge, Stanton Mookie, Freddie Otani. Sodo's never
(03:17):
won one, but he sure plays like an MVP a
lot of years. So just the star power and then
the stars at the peak of their game. So it's
not star power but fading stars. It's no these are
burning bright. This is the brightest stars on the biggest stage.
If your cousin or your aunt or your uncle or
your friends that don't watch baseball, so hey, tune in.
This is gonna be fun.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
You might think that Dodgers Yankees World Series happen all
the time. Well, in fact, this matchup has never happened
in my lifetime. They have met twelve times, and that
is more than any other two teams have met in
the World Series, but the lion's share of those matchups
happened in the forties and fifties, and there have been
unforgettable moments in series.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Kicky Robinson let at third base takes his lead.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
And Jackie Robinson stealing home in Game one of the
fifty five World Series. He's safe tayting out.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
He's oux, says Yogi Vera and brother Yogi.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Don Larson pitched a perfect game for the Yankees in
Game five of the fifty six series with Vin Scully
on the call. Got him.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
In the nap back, passed them out of my willing man.
Then Lena burn.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
Sandy Kofax got the last out of the sixty three
Fall Classic for a sweep for the Dodgers. And in
seventy seven and seventy eight, Mister October Reggie Jackson was
wreaking havoc all right, right, advine as the Bronx Bombers
bested dem Bums in both matchups in the seventies before
(04:56):
the Dodgers took it in six.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
In eighty one, angelous Dodgers have guessed you're not done
the impossible. The shorter throws his hat away, run j
out with his hands and arms and mine.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
This is a rivalry, and it's a rivalry that exists
because of the World Series. It wasn't until very recently
that National League teams and American League teams played during
the regular season. But because these are two of the
oldest teams and two of the best teams, there's a
lot of history here. But what about the present day matchups.
(05:31):
What's your biggest fear about the Yankees facing the Dodgers
in this World Series. Ah, let's talk about our hopes
and fears pitching and lineup first pitching, starting pitching. When
it comes to starting pitching, the Yankees have the clear advantage.
(05:55):
They have five real deal starters to the Dodgers three,
and really the Dodgers have two hole starters or one
and two half starters. Jack Flaherty, who is starting Game
one tonight, who showed flashes of greatness during Game one
of the Championship Series but has been knocked around a lot.
Other than that, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler, both of
(06:18):
whom are in different stages of building themselves back up
from injuries. The Yankees, on the other hand, have Garrett Cole,
a very good pitcher and a very good postseason pitcher.
Cole starts Game one against Flerity and then Carlos rode On,
who can be very good, and then they'll probably fill
out games three and four with Clark. Schmidt would probably
(06:39):
go against Buehler and Luis Heel, all of whom are
solid starters. We are probably going to have to pitch
a bullpen game against Heel in Game four in lieu
of a fourth starter, and we've done that with success recently.
We shut out the Padres in a bullpen game. And
there's potentially a lot to be concerned about for us,
but also for the Yankees in this regard, and it
(07:00):
all relates to the use of the bullpen and then
of course the effect of the starting lineup. And that's
what I call a segue to the next topic. Let's
talk bullpen. In terms of bullpen, we're wiping the floor
with these guys. We've got the Dowgs, Kopek trying in.
(07:21):
Evan Phillips is not on the roster, which I don't
understand and I'm kind of scared about. So we're down
one dog, but we got a Dowg back. Alex Vesia
made the World Series roster, and that's particularly good news
because he is a left handed pitcher. With Vessia out,
Anthony Bondo is our only lefty and the Yankees could
have used that to their advantage. I'm not super familiar
(07:43):
with the Yankees bullpen. What's your biggest fear? When Jimmy
O'Brien started opening up about his fears, ah, the first
thing that he talked about was the Yankees bullpen.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
The first high end bullpen that gets beat is going
to be pretty brutal, but close enough that the Yankees,
after they use their top bullpen and then the Dodgers
get to them, it's kind of all she wrote, like
if they just feel comfortable against Cainley and Weaver.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
The other side of the coin is that if our
starters get knocked out early and the Yankees hitters have
chances to see our dogs early on or multiple times,
god forbid, and our bullpen starts getting generally taxed, you
can see how the dominoes start falling all of a sudden.
We don't feel so good about that bullpen game start
for Game four, But the same logic applies for the Yankees.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
So those first outings by Kayleean Weaver, Kopek and Hudson
and Brazier and all the guys. The Dodgers bullpen, I'm
going to be really looking closely at.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
So while we have a strength here, it all comes
down to how things play out, how deep our starters get,
what type of lead we might have when we use
our high leverage dogs, and when we use our innings eaters,
the Brent Honeywells of the world. But damn, I'm looking
forward to seeing that turtleneck at Yankee Stadium. The point
that I'm coming around to is everything relates to everything else.
(09:04):
So you're afraid of our offense and you're afraid of
our bullpen.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Now I'm not. I'm not afraid of your bullpen. I
think the Yankees can get them. I'm afraid of the
offense getting to the Yankees bullpen.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
All right, let's talk offense. Starting lineup. Look, both these
teams have superstars, but you know, if you listen to
this show, the Dodgers' role deep. The Yankees lineup is
honestly more top heavy. They've got Judge, Stanton and Soto
up there, but after that it kind of falls off. Conversely,
with our lineup We've got sho Hey, Mooky Freddie. Then
(09:38):
we've got Tao, Will Smith, Max munci Kik, who is
an October god and owns both Cole and Rodin could
hit seventh or eighth in this lineup and one of
the keys to the Yankees path to the World Series
this postseason has been those big three guys coming through
in big moments, getting to the opposing team's bul even
(10:00):
the incredible Cleveland Guardians bullpen. I didn't even mention Tommy Edmond.
He was our NLCS MVP, batting cleanup in the decisive
game and hitting bombs in addition to the bunts he
laid down earlier in the postseason. And that's a clear
illustration of how deep this Dodgers' offense really runs. So
(10:21):
in a comparison of these two lineups, the Dodgers win
flat out.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
And the Yankees pitching has not faced the lineup that
has depth yet this postseason. With the Royals and the Guardians,
they're top heavy and then pretty light, so they are
able to really navigate and not pitch this guy pitch
that guy.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
Dodgers are super deep, I would argue deeper offensively in
the Yankees, I kind of doubt that you would argue
against that. Yeah, So there's a little bit of a
preview the history, the matchups for pitching, both starting pitching
and bullpen, and the lineups. But of course, now we
gotta go play the games. We'll see what happens. Thanks,
(10:58):
thank you Day as well, thank you John Boy, Big Fan.
But now we are sworn enemies as rival podcasters whose
favorite teams are facing off in the World Series. So
all this week, since we found out that the Dodgers
and the Yankees would be in the World Series together,
(11:21):
I have been thinking about nineteen eighty one. And you
can't think about nineteen eighty one if you're thinking about
the Dodgers without thinking about Fernando Valenzuela.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Oh, listen to the crowd most of the book on
their feet down, Valenzuela delivers Roba.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
Fernando Valenzuela has died at the age of sixty three.
We just got the news the other night, and it
would be insane to have a show about the Dodgers
and not take a moment to make some kind of
tribute to this incredibly important Dodgers figure. Fernando is on
(12:02):
a very short list of Dodger legends that US fans
are on a first name basis with Tommy, then Fernando
Brnando Valanuela. In an age where this word is applied
superfluously and almost flippantly to completely undeserving people. Fernando Valenzuela
(12:27):
was and is an icon, and he's so integrated with
the city and this baseball team. If you know, it's
not something that needs to be discussed or defined, you
just get it. But for those of you who may
not know, we're going to try on this episode to
describe and encapsulate who this person was and his impact
(12:51):
on the city of Los Angeles. In addition to being
a very remarkable baseball player, Fernando Valenzuela truly trans ended
the game. What does that mean, Well, just start with
the experience of going to the ballpark in Los Angeles.
When you go to Dodger Stadium, you walk in, there
(13:13):
might be Mariachi's playing in the center field plaza. Every
concession stand sells Michelada's, the seasoned Mexican beer drink, they
sell tacos, and you look around and the fan base
is predominantly in most cases Latino and Mexican and you
(13:33):
might think, well, it's la. Of course it is, but
it's possible that that would not be the case if
it weren't for Fernando Valezuela. He was the first prominent
and still the greatest Mexican pitcher in Major League history.
He was a lefty, he threw a screwball, which is
not super common, and in nineteen eighty one he arrived
(13:56):
in Los Angeles and changed the culture of baseball here forever.
Because before Fernando there was actually a general aversion to
the Dodgers in the Latino community. And that's a very
complicated story. Basically, the site where Dodger Stadium is was
(14:16):
once a predominantly Latino neighborhood, and the arrival of the
Dodgers in the late fifties from New York was accompanied
by the displacement of all these families via eminent domain.
The extent to which the Dodgers organization was responsible for
what happened is the topic of some debate. In any case,
(14:37):
it's thanks to Fernando and his celebrity and his massive
cultural impact that Dodger Stadium looks and feels the way
that it does today.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
I don't think people understand the cultural impact that Fernando
Lenzoela had on the city of a Lake two Mexican
American and to immigrants, to any brown folk.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
Really, this is Memo Torres. Memo writes for La Taco,
local grassroots online publication. He is always eating tacos all
over Los Angeles and I found out after years of
following his eating adventures that this is because Memo is
all over town doing work for his landscaping business. This
(15:17):
will become pertinent to Memo's recollection.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
We're talking about an era where Latinos had been marginalized
with different reasons, whether it be as farm workers, laborers,
whether it be through different propositions. Your stadium's own history.
They literally kicked out Mexicans to take over the land
so they could build out your stadium. And I know,
growing up, it was hard to see any Latinos prominent
(15:42):
on TV or anywhere else. I mean, I think the
only other Latino was Paunch from Chips, you know, the
Higher Patrol Cops show. So you know, even with that,
we couldn't relate with him. But when you see Fernando
Valle in Soila, guy that reminds me of like my uncles,
you know, and my dad and my uncles. They didn't
like sports, but they watched the Dodgers. Actually, no, they
(16:04):
didn't watch the Dodgers. They watched Fernando Valinzuela and that
was every time they watched them. It was a source
of pride and be like, look, Miko, that's one of
our own. He's over there and he's beating a lingos
at their own game. You know, he was a pride.
It was like finally, like Rasa, everywhere like saw somebody
who was being recognized for being great, because Rasa I
(16:24):
always knew they were great. We were, you know, my people,
we were. I grew up in a hard working family gardoning,
you know, servicing the mansions of like bel Air and
Beverly Hills. Funny enough, my uncle, he was the gardener
for the O'Malley's, one of the original owners of the Dodgers.
And for Fernando Vealinzuela to come along, he kind of
(16:46):
like made us feel proud that he could be in
that space and dominate, and in a way he brought
everybody closer together. You know, now you're having conversations out
and about as you're working with folks that you would
never have conversations with, you know, people that were your
bosses as you're gardening around in different parts of the
(17:09):
city and only saw you as a gardener. Now you
know Fernando Alenzoela, you know all the Dodgers.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
You know.
Speaker 3 (17:15):
It's just it sparked an icebreaker for the city to
be able to have a conversation in almost relaxed of fashion.
And I think it really brought the city together, and
it really helped people rally behind the Dodgers. And I
don't think if Fernando Venezuela would have happened, I don't
think our city would be as united and as close
together as that are. I mean, granted, Ali still has
(17:38):
a lot of divisions, there's a history of redlining, communities
are segregated, but I think the Dodgers, or Fernando Valenzuela
with the Dodgers at least, helped build bridges for everybody,
and for us Latinos and brown kids growing up like
myself and seeing Fernando Venezuela and what he meant to
folks like my parents who weren't into sports at all,
(18:02):
how that person could be a source of pride, and
it just it really affected us all psychologically, our attitude
towards La and in our acceptance in the city, and
just the feeling of belonging so Bernanda Venezuela meant a
lot more to us than just the game of baseball.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Thank you so much, Memo Torres for this contribution. I
highly recommend you look Memo up on Instagram. He's a
great follow, and check out La Taco. The timing of
Fernando Valenzuela's passing is cosmic. Not only are the Dodgers
(18:41):
facing the Yankees in the World Series for the first
time since nineteen eighty one, the year this icon took
the city by storm, but also Game six of this
World Series, should the series get there, will take place
on what would have been Fernando Valenzuela's sixty fourth birthday,
and it just so happens that in eighty one, the
(19:03):
Dodgers won the series in six games. We've been following
this season since spring training, a documentary made in real
time as the season unfolds, where you never know what's
going to happen next, and what an ending that would
be with the Dodgers beating the Yankees in six, just
(19:24):
like they did in eighty one. On Fernando Valenzuela's heavenly birthday.
I'm Richard Parks the third and that is my Dodger
Blue Dream. Dodger Blue Dream is written and produced by
me Richard Parks. Music in this episode by William Bryan Fritch,
(19:47):
The Blasting Company, and by me. I made this episode
with the help of Tyler Hill, Elizabeth Parks, Kibbi and
Caitlin Esh. Special thanks to Memo Torres and thanks to
Bryan Hidalgo whose voice you heard at the beginning of
the episode. I highly recommend you check out John Boy,
his video breakdowns, his podcasts like Talking Baseball. The man
(20:11):
has an obvious passion for the game that is infectious
and a knack for story that draws you in. If
you like Dodger Blue Dream, please subscribe, listen to our
back catalog, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or
however you can and help me spread the word. I'm
off to the World Series Game one. Thanks again for listening.
(20:34):
Go Dodgers.
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