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The Sublime Feeling of the Dodgers Losing


I can’t stand the Dodgers. Their fans, their ‘Dodger blue’ (it’s just blue), their team, their manager, the entire concept of their baseball team is a thorn in my side. The only nice thing I can say about them is how happy they make me when I see them lose; especially when they lose to the Diamondbacks. Sure, watching them lose from the couch or even at Chase Field is one of the best things in life, but I’d like to think there’s more joy to be found in their downfall. So, in my quest to see the Dodgers lose, I must go into the heart of their operation. On May 9th, in just 9 days, I’ll be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles with my Archie Bradley jersey on watching my Diamondbacks crush the Dodgers.
 Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Timjarrett
      An overnight trip to LA doesn’t require too much luggage. Here’s what I’d bring:
-       Two shirts (in case one falls victim to a ballpark hotdog induced mustard stain)
-       A pair of pants
-       A pair of shorts
-       My Archie Bradley jersey
-       My black Nike sneakers
-       My Diamondback cap
-       Two pairs of socks
-       Two pairs of underwear
-       $150 cash
-       My phone and charger
-       Some cold brew coffee for the drive
-       Trader Joe’s Giant Peruvian Corn (glorified cornnuts)
-       Car keys (the crux of all of this)
-       My hydro flask
-       My backpack to put it all in

            Driving to LA is undoubtedly a chore. Seven hours of boring highways, rancid smelling cow feed lots, lifeless windmills and dusty drive through towns isn’t how anyone wants to spend their Wednesday morning. With graduation being just the night before, I’ll have to leave early in the morning on Wednesday to get to LA in time for the 7:10PM game. I’ll need a full tank of gas, a good amount of cash to deal with the criminal cost of pumping gas in California, an oil change to turn that light in my car off, and a good amount of snacks to get to LA. Once there I’ll make a stop in Azusa, California to pick up my friend who I’ve known since preschool, Connor. With the way LA traffic is we’ll probably need to leave his house in Azusa at 5:30 to drive the 25 miles to Dodger Stadium and get there 30 minutes before the game. From his place we’ll Uber down to Dodger Stadium and hang out at a bar or two before making our way to the gates and up to the nosebleeds. Hey, baseball is fun to watch, but it’s sure not cheap. Once we’ve got our peanuts and beer we’ll hunker down and get busy relaxing while the Diamondbacks beat the Dodgers.
           
            Once the Diamondbacks win we’ll make our way back to Azusa and meet up with some of Connor’s friends to find a nice brewery and revel in our recent college graduations. After we’ve finished our merrymaking we’ll Uber back to Connor’s house and I’ll take up my bed for the night on Connor’s faux leather couch in the den. I’ll wake up the next morning slightly worse for wear after a night of friends and beers. Connor and I will probably go down to Glendora, a slightly, as he puts it ‘bougee’ neighborhood just east of Azusa for breakfast outside at a café. We’ll probably waste most of the day playing videogames and catching up after our busy semesters. One thing I’ve always appreciated about a friend like Connor is that nothing ever really seems to change even if we haven’t seen each other for a while. Our friendship has had a reoccurring theme of distance ever since we met on the playground at Shadow Rock preschool. In the 3rd grade Connor moved to Japan and would come back every summer until he moved to California for school four years ago. I still see Connor from time to time but even if it’s been a month, a day or a year we’re still the same two friends.
A mostly bald me and Connor.

            After our ‘boujee’ brunch I’ll say my goodbyes and hop back into my two door jeep and make my way back down the I-10 though Palm Springs, Blythe and then Litchfield Park to Tempe. Reinvigorated and rejuvenated from seeing my longtime friend and the Dodgers lose, I’ll set up shop for the summer in Tempe, toiling away at my past due thesis in a research lab in PSD 116.

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