I’ve written a bit about my Dodgers fandom on this blog. Last night, I watched from afar (thank you, streaming services) as Clayton Kershaw notched his 3,000th strikeout, becoming the 20th pitcher to ever do it (and only the 3rd pitcher to rack up 3K strikeout for one team).

He’s definitely my favorite active player on the Dodgers (we even got to see him deal when we went to game 1 of the 2017 World Series). But it got me thinking: who is my absolute favorite player of all time?

There’s only one answer, and it goes back as far as I can ever remember: Orel Hershiser.

So much so, that when I was a wee little lad, I would write him actual letters and send them to Dodgers Stadium via the post office. I have no idea what I said. Probably something in an 8-year-old’s hand writing that said, “Dear Mr. Hershiser, you are my favorite baseball player and I’m going to be just like you when I grow up and blah blah blah.”

I remember writing him numerous times. One thing I do know: I never asked for anything*. Never for tickets to a game. Never for an autograph. Then, one day, we received a letter in a big envelope from Dodger Stadium. Do you know what it contained?

Are you kidding me?! Looking at that photo you can see it’s definitely been through some stuff over the years. Pre-teen and teen version of me probably just stuffed it in some folder that got lost in my room, stepped on, and whatever else. Anyway, I ultimately framed it and still have it today!

All of this brings me to the title of this post: “SCHUMAKER 55”. For reference, Hershiser wore number 55 throughout his career.

So, as a kid, I would play baseball in our backyard, pretending to pitch and throw tennis balls at the garage, where I had drawn a small “strike zone” in chalk.

(Side note: hey, I won a school wide pitching competition in 5th grade — maybe this pretend play helped!)

All the while, I would wear this homemade uniform in honor of him, where I had written “Dodgers” in blue marker on the front and “SCHUMAKER 55” on the back. I wish I had pictures. It was probably cheesy.

So, imagine my shock, surprise, and delight when the Dodgers acquired Skip Schumaker in 2012. And do you know what number he wore? Do you! Guess!

You know, I don’t have many regrets in life. But I definitely regret never getting an actual jersey!

—

^* Regarding the never asking for anything comment:

So, I do remember asking for one thing. My mom was going to take me to a baseball game in August of 1992 (more on that in a bit). I think I wrote months ahead of time how I was going to my first baseball game with my mom and I hoped he would pitch.

So, we went and BY SOME COINCIDENCE, HE DID! HE PITCHED THE GAME!

Over time, the memories of that game faded away and I wished I could remember what game we actually went to.

Talking to my mom, we remembered three ultra specific things: An afternoon game. Orel Hershiser started. Darryl Strawberry hit a home run.

Thanks to the wonders of Baseball Reference, that is literally all you need to find something. The game my mom and I went to? Wednesday, August 21st, 1992.

When Darryl Strawberry went up to bat with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ 9-5 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday, coach Bill Russell nudged someone in the Dodgers’ dugout.

“If I’m the pitcher, I’d intentionally walk him,” Russell said. “Give up one run instead of four.”

If only the San Diego Padres’ Ricky Bones had been listening. Three pitches later, Strawberry hit one over the left-center-field fence for a grand slam.

[…]

But before 32,864 on a warm afternoon, Strawberry did more than pad his statistics. He did more than help Orel Hershiser run his record to 5-2 in 5 2/3 innings of pain-free work.

What Strawberry did was restore flickering Dodger spirits. For the first time in weeks, the Dodgers actually looked as if they were having fun.

Ultimately, Darryl Strawberry hit two home runs (one of which was a grand slam)! Talk about an exciting and fun game.

Game 1 of the World Series, Dodgers vs. Yankees.

You couldn’t have written a more amazing ending. Freddie’s hit will live on in my dreams for the rest of my days! Just unbelievable.

(I’ve already rewatched this like 34 times today)

Finally achieving a life long dream of mine: At Dodger Stadium and watching the Dodgers play in the World Series!

Those who know me are aware of my intense love for the Dodgers. Despite living in the San Francisco Bay Area for 10 years now, it’s something that I haven’t been able to shake.

This year marks the 25th anniversary since the Dodgers last won the World Series. Because of this, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to read Miracle Men, which takes a look at the scrappy Dodgers team that ultimately went on to win the World Series in 1988.

For the most part, the book is fairly dry read, mostly rehashing play-by-plays from various games during the course of the 1988 season. I’d wager this sort of thing is less exciting than reading a game recap from the night before. That said, it was fascinating to read about so many baseball players that are tied to some of my earliest memories of baseball: Steve Sax, Orel Hershiser, Mike Scioscia, Ramon Martinez, Tim Belcher, Mikey Hatcher, and more.

The areas where this book excelled and became completely interesting were in some of the deeper stories — Hershiser’s pursuit of the consecutive scoreless innings streak, early clubhouse shenanigans during spring training that offended Kirk Gibson, interviews with players on other teams 25 years later, and of course reflections on Kirk Gibson’s incredible home run in game 1 of the World Series.

Some of my biggest takeaways were how different the game was played only 25 years ago. Managers completely abused their pitchers (130 and 140 pitch complete games were the norm, pitching on 2 or 3 days of rest were fine). It surprised me to find out how often balks were called (over 900 times in 1988). Insane!

Bottom line, you’ll probably only enjoy this book if you’re a Dodgers fan. On top of that, you’ll most likely only want to read it for some of the more interesting stories that happened in 1988. It’s a quick read and provides some interesting context on how a scrappy team wound up beating on of the most intimidating teams in baseball in the World Series.

3 stars.

One of my favorite computer games, Out of the Park Baseball, released its latest version just in time for the 2015 baseball season (one of the biggest features this year is the official MLB license — that means real team names and logos!). I’ll have to write up a more in-depth review later, but first I wanted to share this screenshot from a recent game.

The situation: I took over management of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 (sorry, Andrew Friedman, I know you just got this job and all, but it’s time for a new sheriff) and I eventually navigated them to the 2017 World Series!

In game 2, Zack Greinke is pitching for the Dodgers, and LA ends up scoring 7 runs in the first inning! Greinke hits TWO homeruns during the game and on top of all that, Texas still came back and nearly won. Crazy!

(Click screenshot for larger view.)

Anyway, the Dodgers would go on to win the 2017 World Series by sweeping Texas in 4 games. 😉

We have a webcam setup to watch him while we’re at work. Let’s see what’s going on…

HEY. IS THAT MY DODGERS HAT???!

Yes. Yes it is / was.

LOL. The Dodgers even replied to me on Twitter.

Anyway, free dog available. Inquire within.

!!!!

Straight from ESPN: “Dodgers acquire Skip Schumaker“

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired utility player Skip Schumaker from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league shortstop Jake Lemmerman, the Dodgers announced Wednesday.

Schumaker is a .288 career hitter over eight seasons, all in St. Louis. He has played all three outfield positions, as well as second base.

The move seems to have been prompted by the recommendation of new Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire, who worked with Schumaker in St. Louis.

Checking out a baseball game. Dodger Stadium and the wave. Name two things more synonymous.

This loss against the San Diego Padres last weekend was especially embarrassing. Double steal of home in the top of the 9th inning.

Of course, the blame rests solely on myself. About 10 minutes before this, I was telling some friends who are Giants fans that, “there’s a reason we’re in first place.”

Yeah, no.

I’m going to rename my fantasy baseball team the “God Damn Dodgers.”

Dodgers vs. Brewers at Dodger Stadium in 2008

Thank the gods! The Dodgers will have new ownership this spring (MAGIC JOHNSON!), ending the tumultuous, devastating, and demoralizing reign of the evil Frank McCourt.

Over at Big League Stew, Kevin Kaduk shares the 10 best things about being a Dodgers fan. Among them:

5. The uniform: Crisp, clean and classic, the Dodgers’ home whites have remained virtually unchanged for decades (notwithstanding McCourt’s poorly received decision to remove player names in 2005-2006). In a league where teams switch from purple and teal to “sedona red” in a heartbeat, the Dodgers’ sartorial consistency represents a comforting adherence to, well, looking damn good. All hail the red (number), white (polyester moisture-wicking performance mesh) and blue (Pantone 294)!

He also mentions traffic as one of the great things. I’m inclined to disagree. Anyway, it’s a new day in Los Angeles. I think I’m excited about baseball again!

[thanks to Scott for the tip]