Ben Chasen

Sports Editor

To the newly-minted Dodger fans of Milken Community High School:

Welcome to one of the best fan bases in America. You’ve arrived at a great time.

You may already know this, but, for the first time in any current Milken student’s lifetime (and some teachers’ as well), the Dodgers are back in the World Series. This comes at the end of an especially thrilling season that saw the Dodgers end the regular season with the best record in baseball. Simply put, all of us long-time fans are all really happy right now, and though you might not understand why this is so significant yet, you probably are happy too.

What comes next is the most exciting and terrifying thing of all: the World Series. Should we win, this will be one of the most spectacular moments in the over 100 year-long saga of one of the most storied franchises in baseball.

And if we lose, it will undoubtedly be one of the most heartbreaking times in the history of Dodger baseball.

To a new fan, this might seem like a silly thing to say. Shouldn’t making it to the World Series alone be enough? Let me offer a bit of my perspective on why this would be such a hard loss to take.

In October of my freshman year at Milken, I headed out to Dodger Stadium for the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series versus the New York Mets. I’d bought my ticket in the same section my brother and a close family friend (with whom we’ve shared numerous Dodger memories) were sitting, and the night before the game, I was too excited to sleep. At that time, the Dodgers were playing to advance to the National League Championship Series for the first time since I was eight. At that time, my love for baseball was only budding, and my ability to comprehend the game fully wasn’t as strong as it had become by the time I was a high school student. Needless to say, I anticipated the Dodgers would win the most important game of my life before my very eyes.

The Dodgers lost by one run, and I was crushed to the core.

So when I tell you that, as much as it’s looked amazing so far, being a Dodger fan is not always glorious, believe me.

But don’t let that discourage you. As much as being a fan hurts at times, in the end, it is worth it.

Not only is the team usually pretty good, but the experience of being a fan of Dodger baseball is something that friends share with each other. It’s something that parents pass on to their children. It isn’t just a team, it’s a family.

So welcome aboard. To us, you are a part of the family. It’s about to be a really crazy week for this family. It’s sure to be stressful. It might be glorious. It might be heartbreaking. Either way, we will all experience it together, and win or lose, we’ll be back next year to rejoice in our nation’s pastime once again.

Sincerely yours,

Ben Chasen