So now that I’ve had 24 hours to process what happened last night, I’m ready to move on, a new man, ready for Game Five! How did I do it, you might ask? Well, I first read Josh Rawitch’s inspiring stats (the Dodgers have won three straight games 10 times this season, they’ve won back-to-back games on the road 17 times this season, etc.).
I then thought back to the five stages of grief that people tend to go through when experiencing something traumatic (ok, these are for dealing with death and dying, but I’ve adapted them in a more light-hearted manner for the Dodgers’ recovery after the Dodgers’ loss to the Phillies on Monday):
Denial – This cannot be happening! This is definitely how I was feeling in the top of the 8th when Wade and Brox gave up those homers to Victorino and Matt Stairs.
Anger- Why is this happening to the Dodgers?!? I’ll admit it, I had some anger and frustration collectively towards the Dodgers – Torre and his decisions to pull Lowe and Kuo, Martin’s inability to come through in the clutch, etc., but for the most part, I felt pure shock and numbness.
Bargaining- Ok, this stage doesn’t really work for me. Dodger fans are both realistic and optimistic - we don’t need to bargain with ourselves.
Depression – Yup, this and resignation summed up my post-game feelings for sure. In my head, I was already moving on to the off-season, thinking about what moves the Dodgers should make, whether Manny or the pitching staff deserved the majority of free agent dollars, etc. I considered this series a lost cause.
Acceptance - My current state of mind. I’ve accepted that the Dodgers need to win three in a row, and, hey, that’s not so bad! They’ve done it before, and they’ll do it again, right? Hell, we’re in the friggin’ NLCS for god sakes!
So I say, bring it on Phillies, and let’s see you try and rip this series from the Dodgers at the Ravine! Ok, I feel much better now, and I hope you do too. GO BLUE!
