SPORTS TALK: The Dodgers and Yankees; what more can you ask for?
By Greg Buchanan
I start this by saying I'm a huge baseball fan. I fondly remember watching the Cubs games at Wrigley Field with my 80-year-old Auntie who would be knitting while the game was on. She had season tickets two rows up on the 3rd baseline for over 20 years. I'm skipping out of classes in grade 9 at Central Collegiate in Regina to go to Footlocker at the Cornwall Centre to watch the Expos lose to the Dodgers on Blue Monday. But now, at the age of (north of 50), I sit down and watch the playoffs for 4 hours and usually closer to 5 some nights—way, way too long. I usually fall asleep for a few innings.
But as the MLB keeps contorting itself to please consumers with short attention spans, it's nice to know some traditions aren't dead just yet. The Dodgers and Yankees; what more can you ask for?
Let's all be thankful that, despite Commissioner Rob Manfred's efforts to turn baseball into an open-air video game, the sport has gotten it right in 2024.
Not only will we be treated to a Yankees-Dodgers best of seven, but it'll also be an old-fashioned squaring off of the industry's two best teams, featuring the two biggest superstars.
Go ahead, name another showcase that could come close to Aaron Judge against Shohei Ohtani. For once, the game won't need its hype machine.
It's going to be an exciting World Series with two monsters facing each other. You're talking about the most powerful guys in all of baseball, guys who you want to stop and watch hit.
Both teams had to hold up their end of the bargain to make this final battle possible. The Yankees, who caught a break not having to face the Orioles or Astros in the postseason, needed to avoid an upset by the Royals and Guardians.
That was the easy part. The Division and League Championships were the equivalent of jumping jacks for the Yankees: nothing too strenuous, just enough of a warmup to leave them in optimal shape.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, were tested during the NLCS. Give the New York Mets credit; they left a trail of broken hearts in September and October, including the Braves, Brewers and Phillies.
The Mets pushed the Dodgers close to the limit in the third round, proving they could slug with the National League's best team. There were plenty of Subway Series fanatics who were convinced the Mets could find a path through the Dodgers, too.
But no, it wasn't even close. The Dodgers ran through the Mets' defenceless pitching staff. The Yankees were home gathering intel on a lineup that scored 46 runs in six games.
Of all the teams out there, the Dodgers are the ones who should worry the Yankees the most. They can hit a ton. If you let them drag you into a slugging match, forget it. It's over. No one can keep up, not even Judge and Soto. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Luke Weaver might have something to say about that doomsday prediction. But this series promises to seduce ball fans not just because of today's stars but also because of its history.
After all, the Yankees and Dodgers have met 12 times in the World Series, including an incredible run between 1947 and 1956, during which they clashed on six different occasions.
The Yankees always seemed to finish on top, prevailing in 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1953, giving birth to the battle cry heard throughout Brooklyn every October.
Ball fans should have fun watching this one. The only thing missing would be Vin Skully calling the game. The World will be watching. I might even break out my Auntie's knitting needles.