ROOTING FOR LAUNDRY

As far as I’m concerned, baseball people are the most superstitious on Earth. Though I’ve been told hockey people are a close second.

So in the interest of full disclosure that probably borders on Too Much Information, I feel like I should let you all know that I’ve been wearing the same underwear throughout the Dodgers playoff run.

Lest you think I’m some kind of sicko, the protracted playoff period with its off days and some convenient scheduling of my own have allowed me to do laundry a couple of times. So, yes Ma, they’re clean.

But the fact remains, the Blue Crew is 3-0 when I’m sporting these old blue boxers – of course they’re blue – and until further notice, I may just have to step up the laundry cycles.

(By the way, this isn’t my only fashion related superstition. USC football tends to lose on days that I don’t wear any item of Trojan clothing. Oregon State in 2008? Stanford in 2007? My bad. Washington 2009? Not my fault.)

What other reason is there for Andre Ethier’s October-found ability to hit left-handed pitching? How else did Vicente Padilla silence a rabid sea of St. Louis red with the kind of gem that I still don’t believe even after watching every single pitch?

And Game Two? Really? Adam Wainwright had a fantastic season, but was even better than advertised for eight innings but ends up only as a footnote in the box score. Sure, Matt Holliday has never been known for his defense, but you’re going to tell me that after finding no offense all day, the Dodgers have five straight hitters reach base with two out and no one on without a little intervention from the Baseball Gods?

But Dodger Nation has been to this party before. It ended with the Phillies stealing our dates and pouring punch on our heads. So now is the time to see if the Blue Crew has learned anything. Clayton Kershaw says they have, but the proof is in the pitching.

Will Ethier continue his stroke against the Phillies’ solid left-handers? Will Matt Kemp make consistent contact? Was Game Three in St. Louis a portent of good things to come from Manny? Which Hiroki Kuroda will show up?

In the meantime, the fan base wants to ride this train as long as we can. Even if it means being a little liberal with the laundry.

Lest we forget, however. The Freeway Series is still intact. The Angels beating the Red Sox surprised few in the Southland. The Angels sweeping the Red Sox caught everyone by surprise. Their reward…The Evil Empire.

True, the Angels have had plenty of postseason success against the Yankees in recent years, but these aren’t your big brother’s Yankees.

Okay, they kind of are. They still run out an All-Star lineup by spending more than a rich island dictator’s wife left to her own devices on Rodeo Drive. But this Yankee team has a different attitude. Along with the Jeters, Pettittes and Riveras looking to grab glory once again, you have the Sabathias, Burnetts and Teixeiras all looking to taste it for the first time. The scariest part may be that Alex Rodriguez looks to be having the finest autumn of his career. The talent has always been in New York, but there’s a hunger in the Bronx that hasn’t been seen for a long time.

I’d tell you that I have some special Help the Halos ritual, but I don’t. They have their Rally Monkey – which honestly may be more annoying than anything the Yankees can do – and that seems to be enough under the shadow of Splash Mountain. The real test will be whether they can steal a win in The House Next To The House That Ruth Built.

There’s little doubt that John Lackey can go pitch for pitch with CC Sabathia, but what about Jered Weaver? How does Joe Saunders handle the bright lights of October? Can Scott Kazmir’s experience from last year’s Rays’ run to the Series be an influence? And will the bats show up? Will Vlad still be fearful? Can Kendry Morales continue what’s been an unexpectedly amazing season?

So many questions. They’ll all be answered in a few days. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think the dryer just stopped.

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