Dirtbags 2013 Preview: The Relievers

Two more weeks until the home opener versus Arizona at Blair Field. Ten days until opening day. Zero days until we wrap up our player previews. Here's a look at the Dirtbag bullpen...

Summary – “The depth of the Dirtbag bullpen should be one of their biggest strengths in 2013.”

I actually wrote those words back in January, before the news came down that starter Ryan Strufing and closer Kyle Friedrichs would miss the season due to Tommy John surgery. Suddenly, the veteran Dirtbag bullpen will be seriously tested in 2013. The 2012 squad has its own challenges after closer Eddie Magallon struggled in the early goings before surrendering the role. Friedrichs quickly stabilized the bullpen for the rest of the year, garnering an all-big west second team selection after notching 10 saves. This year’s bullpen has enough solid arms to put together a good season, but it could be stretched thin by the end of the year and many of the questions it faces won’t be answered until the starting rotation is stabilized.

Austin Boyle, Sophomore, RHP (2012: Did not play) – Boyle hasn’t had a particularly noteworthy college career thus far. After a mediocre freshman year he failed to make the 2012 Dirtbag roster altogether. He’ll return as a sophomore in 2013 but is unlikely to be a significant contributor.

J.C. Cloney, Freshman, LHP – Scouts have called Cloney “a poor man’s Tommy Milone” but I’m not really sure what the hell that’s supposed to mean. Anyway, Cloney isn’t particularly hard throwing (tops out around 88) but has a good feel for a fastball, slider and changeup. He had a dominating high school career, but for now it appears he’ll begin his college career in the bullpen. Should southpaws Landon Hunt and Nick Sabo both find themselves in the rotation, Cloney could be relied on heavily as the team’s top lefty reliever.

Kyle Friedrichs, Junior, RHP (2012: 1.88 ERA/1.12 WHIP/39:10 K:BB in 38.1 innings) – Friedrichs nabbed a second team All-Big West selection after taking over closer duties for the Dirtbags in late March. He was set to reprise that role in 2013 before Tommy John surgery scrapped his season. He’ll be back in the bullpen, in some capacity, in 2014.

Josh Frye, Junior, RHP (2012: 2.79 ERA/1.45 WHIP/16:6 K:BB in 19.1 innings) – Frye has had a solid first two years of his college career, though his time on the mound has been sporadic, logging just 35 innings through his sophomore year. Frye did manage to toss 67.2 innings over the summer between the SCCBA and Northwoods leagues, and was rated the number two prospect out of the SCCBA by Perfect Game (behind the now departed Matt Anderson). His stats may have benefited some from a low BABIP but Frye, armed with a good slider and low-90s fastball, also managed to fan 80 batters while walking just 19 over the summer. Expect Frye to be among the most heavily used right-handed arms this season.

David Hill, Freshman, RHP – Hill enters the 2013 season as the Dirtbags most highly rated recruit (remember that draft pitching prospect list mentioned in the Starting Pitcher preview? Carle was #184, Anderson #199, Stuart #203… Hill was #40). Hill topped out at 93 mph as a senior in high school and also offers a solid slider that sits in the low 80s and is developing a changeup. At 6’2” 180 it’s possible he’ll fill out a tad more. Though Hill might one day have the makings of a Friday starter, with incumbent closer Friedrichs out for the year Hill could get a look as the team’s top fireman in 2013.

Logan Lombana, Freshman, RHP – Lombana enters his rookie year without the credentials of his fellow freshmen pitchers Cloney and Hill. Hitting only 84 MPH on the gun in high school, the soft throwing right-hander will probably play a minor role on the 2013 team.

Eddie Magallon, Senior, RHP (2012: 4.09 ERA/1.82 WHIP/14:5 K:BB in 22 innings) – After transitioning from mid-week starter to closer in his sophomore year, Magallon surrendered his closer job after a rough start to his junior season. The good news is Magallon’s struggles last year may be attributed to bad luck, having surrendered an extremely high .443 BABIP. The bad news is Magallon has always been a pitch-to-contact guy and his low strikeout rates mean he’ll probably continue to be at the mercy of the luck factor. With only average fastball velocity, Magallon relies strongly on a splitter and changeup that he drops low in the zone. To his credit, he has had some of the best control on the team throughout his career. It’s possible Magallon will get another shot at the closer role this season, but short of that he should still be one of the team’s top middle relievers.

Ty Provencher, Red Shirt Freshman, RHP – Provencher is the last of four Dirtbag freshman relievers, although Ty is of the Red Shirt variety. When he first joined Long Beach State, Provencher was hitting around 88 on his fastball, though there's no word on his current velo. He also works with a good changeup. Though he still likely won’t get many innings, Provencher may be one of the more heavily used of the second-tier of Dirtbag relievers.

Nick Rosetta, Junior, RHP (2012 stats unavailable) – A teammate of Shane Carle at Cabrillo, Rosetta enters his junior year after decent but unspectacular JuCo career. He’ll battle for innings in 2013, though he likely won't be better than the Dirtbags third or fourth right-handed relief option.

Robert Silky, Junior, RHP (2012: Did not play) – Silky joins the Dirtbags after apparently missing the 2012 season at San Mateo College. He did, however, put together a decent season playing summer ball in the PWBL. He should be a minor piece of the 2013 staff.

Nate Underwood, Red Shirt Junior, RHP (2012: Red Shirted) – Underwood is back in the fold after missing the 2012 season due to injury. Prior to that he’d put together two decent seasons in relief for the Dirtbags, though his career K:BB ratio came to an underwhelming 15:16 in 53.2 innings. He has grown some since the start of his college career, when he was throwing in the high-80s (peaking at 90), so if that can help him start racking up the K’s, he could turn himself into a useful weapon in this Dirtbag bullpen.

Projected Closer: Hill

Up Next: We've met the players, we've projected the starters, now it's time to make a wild ass guess at the lineup. Let's play Lineupology!

Dirtbags 2013 Preview: Starting Pitchers

12 more days. While you're waiting, find out just who the hell is going to be in the Dirtbag rotation this year.

Summary – The Dirtbags will have virtually an entirely new rotation in 2013 after losing two of their weekend arms (Shawn Stuart and Matt Anderson) to the professional ranks, the third (Ryan Strufing) to injury, and seeing their primary mid-week starter (Matt Johnson) graduate. Filling out this year’s staff will be a mix of JuCo transfers and players aiming to graduate from the bullpen. There are many talented arms in the mix, so pitching could remain a strength for the Dirtbags, but the weekend rotation may not be settled until several weeks into the season. We’ll get a good idea at who the best candidates are pretty quickly, since the Dirtbags will open up the season with five games in six days versus Vanderbilt and Arizona.

Shane Carle, Junior, RHP (2012: 3.21 ERA/1.10 WHIP/52:14 K:BB in 73 innings at Cabrillo College) – Just going by Aaron Fitt’s coverage, it seems Carle must’ve had one hell of a November. In late October, Fitt reported scouts “aren’t convinced (Carle) is an impact recruit.” Just three weeks later Fitt referred to Carle as the Dirtbags “likely Friday starter,” before writing an article in December claiming Carle had impressed scouts and was being clocked at 93 MPH. Perhaps Aaron’s initial assessment was just inaccurate. In any case, Carle joins the Dirtbags after two excellent seasons at Cabrillo College, where he was heralded both as a college pitcher and a professional prospect. In addition to leading Cabrillo to consecutive playoff appearances, Carle was ranked the 184^th best pitching prospect in the 2012 draft, according to Baseball America, slating him ahead of now departed Dirtbag pitchers Matt Anderson (199th) and Shawn Stuart (203th). In addition to the fastball, Carle has a very good slider, working on a changeup, and in the past has mixed in a curveball. At 6’4”, 185 pounds, Carle’s draft stock may rise as he fills out. How that will translate to his D1 career remains to be seen.

Landon Hunt, Senior, LHP (2012: 2.08 ERA/1.62 WHIP/7:6 K:BB in 8.2 innings) – Despite having his entire Dirtbag pitching career equal less than one full game, Hunt has had his share of success at the collegiate level. Hunt turned in two solid seasons in the Moorpark College rotation, and this past summer alone threw over six times as many innings in the California Collegiate League than he has with the Dirtbags. Hunt had an excellent summer with the Conejo Oaks, which included a 49:6 K:BB and 0.94 WHIP. Armed with an improving fastball, curve, and a reliably good changeup, Hunt will vie for a rotation spot this spring, but should he fall short of that he should at least see a much more expanded role in the bullpen.

Jon Maciel, Junior, RHP (2012: 1.27 ERA/1.30 WHIP/16:17 K:BB in 35.1 innings) – Only Troy Buckley and his staff know who’s throwing the best of the weekend contenders, but merely going off of past performance Jon Maciel enters 2013 with the most impressive resume of the candidates. In each of his first two seasons out of the Dirtbag bullpen Maciel managed to keep his ERA below 1.3 and last year garnered an All-Big West second team selection. Maciel also has spent the last two summers pitching in the Alaksa League, where this past season he was rated one of the league’s top pitching prospects by both Perfect Game and Baseball America. Though he only tops out around 91 mph, Maciel has a nice repertoire of pitches that includes a slider and curve which has helped him to maintain a surprisingly low BABIP across his spring and summer collegiate career. One of the few red flags with Maciel is his unappealing K:BB ratio from last year. This may have just been an aberration, as his freshman year ratio was a nice 21:6 mark, and in 46.1 innings this past summer he posted a 36:11 ratio.

Ryan Millison, Junior, RHP (2012: 2.97 ERA/1.53 WHIP/60:39 K:BB in 97 innings with Sierra College) – Millison tossed five scoreless innings as one of the handful of starting pitchers in November’s Dirt vs. Bags series; putting him right in the thick of the weekend rotation mix. Though his 2012 numbers aren’t eye-popping, the 97 innings and two complete games he logged at Sierra College were more than any Dirtbag last season, and that workhorse ability may prove vital in a now-thinned out pitching staff.  His best pitch is the changeup, and the latest reports on his fastball had him clocking around 90 MPH. Millison’s 2012 walk rate was higher than almost all other returning Dirtbag pitchers and he continued to struggle with his command during a brief stint in summer ball, but if he can maintain a halfway decent command of the strike zone this spring he’ll have an excellent chance of holding down a rotation spot.

Nick Sabo, Sophomore, LHP (2012: 7.31 ERA/2.00 WHIP/10:5 K:BB in 16 innings) – Sabo was hit hard early in 2012 as a mid-week starter, though it’s worth noting most of that was against Pac-12 competition, and he showed respectable enough control for the season. Relying mainly on his changeup and curveball, Sabo’s fastball clocks out around the high-80s. The sophomore should contend for a weekend gig after having a solid fall, which included a fine inning-one hit performance in the Dirt vs. Bags series and, of course, received the coveted accolades of Mr. Aaron Fitt. If he’s not pitching on the weekend, Sabo seems likely to receive a slot in the rotation as a mid-week starter, before making another run at a weekend spot in 2014.

Jake Stassi, Junior, LHP (2012: 3.43 ERA/1.43 WHIP/9:7 K:BB in 21 innings) – Stassi has been a fixture in the bullpen each of the last two springs before logging some time as a starter in the summer. Despite an decent college career thus far, Stassi’s K:BB rate remains somewhat troubling, although his ratio while playing summer ball is significantly better. Like Sabo, Stassi works with a change, curve, and fastball in the high-80s. With the bullpen short on southpaws, it’s hard to imagine Hunt, Sabo, and Stassi all finding a spot in the rotation, so Jake will have to outdo his left-handed teammates to become a starter. If not, he’ll be a middle reliever in the bullpen.

Ryan Strufing, Junior, LHP (2012: 2.99 ERA/1.16 WHIP/52:31 K:BB in 90.1 innings) – In the midst of last year’s regional-race I became convinced Strufing’s near-shutout against Cal State Fullerton on May 26 had secured him the Friday slot for the 2013 season. In reality, it was more likely Strufing was going to return to the Saturday spot, which he held down throughout the 2012 season, but it’s a moot point now. Strufing will be on the shelf for all of 2013 while he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Depending on how the 2013 rotation performs, Strufing should be a good bet to be one of the Dirtbags top starters in 2014.

Projected Starters:

Friday: Carle

Saturday: Maciel

Sunday: Millison

Mid-Week: Sabo

Up next: The bullpen. I'm too tired to think of a more descriptive teaser. The next post is about the bullpen. Read it.

Dirtbags 2013 Preview: Infielders

Two weeks to go. Thankfully we've managed to go five days without hearing about another Dirtbag being done for the season. Today we go around the horn and take a look at the infield. 

Summary – Though three starters return from the 2012 club, the Long Beach State infield is very much up in the air. Three newcomers (freshman Alex DeGoti and Zack Rivera and JuCo transfer Colton Vaughn) could push for playing time, two returners (Juan Avila and Jeff McNeil) could change positions, and a bench player from last year (Michael Hill) could make a big splash. The only sure thing seems to be that Ino Patron will man first base.

The shortstop position could be the big wild card. Vacant after seeing the 2012 starter Matt Duffy get drafted, there are a host of candidates to fill the position. From a historical perspective, the Dirtbags have been as prolific in producing shortstops as any program in the nation, but in recent years have struggled to find an elite player for the position. This year it appears Jeff McNeil will hold down the job, though some talented freshmen are waiting in the wings.

Finding that next great Dirtbag shortstop could be Long Beach State’s key to getting back to the regionals, and beyond.

Juan Avila, Senior (2012: .288/.364/.369 in 54 games) – In a lineup lacking any significant home run threats, Avila’s line drive hitting ability and gap power makes him one of the Dirtbags best run producers and, like last year, he’s expected to be batting in the middle of this Dirtbag lineup. The real question concerning Avila in 2013 is where he’ll be playing in the field, or rather, if he’ll be in the field at all. Avila has struggled defensively as both a third baseman (where he spent the bulk of last year) and an outfielder, and with plenty of other players vying to starting positions it’s possible Avila could move into the Designated Hitter role. For what it's worth, Avila was recently mentioned by both a LBSU press release and the Long Beach Press Telegram as a third baseman.

Alex DeGoti, Freshman – Coming all the way from Florida, DeGoti is a solid overall player with good tools at shortstop and coming off a strong high school career at the plate. He may grab the shortstop job at some point in his Dirtbag career, though it probably won't be this season… but don’t tell him that…

Michael Hill, Junior (2012: .140/.232/.180 in 27 games) – Despite a .179 career college batting average, and an unspectacular summer in the California Collegiate League, Michael Hill could find himself in the middle of the position battles in Long Beach, if not the middle of the lineup. This pretty much all comes from Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt’s assessment of Hill during fall ball, where Fitt says Hill made “consistent, hard contact” and even went as far as to say Hill could “anchor” the lineup. Given how light his bat had been as an underclassmen, it’s hard to know what to expect from Hill but if his bat has really come around it could be just what the Dirtbags need. Hill, who has solid speed and the range to play shortstop, could slide over to third base and instantly improve the Dirtbag defense at the hot corner.

Jeff McNeil, Junior (2012: .254/.333/.304 in 55 games) – The team's second baseman from a year ago, McNeil is your classic middle infielder and he returns to Long Beach after having a strong summer in the Cape. McNeil is capable of providing solid defense at third base or the outfield, but will likely end up in the middle infield once again. He played a strong shortstop during fall ball, though there are plenty of other options available for Coach Buckley and Company to choose from. Being the typical middle infielder that he is, McNeil has a strong ability to bunt that could land him a spot at the top of the lineup (I’ll reserve commentary on that for now).

Ino Patron, Junior (2012: .279/.379/.342 in 55 games) – I’ve said it before, though his numbers don’t blow you away, Ino Patron is arguably the best hitter on the Long Beach State roster. His 2012 on-base percentage is the best among the returning players, and in general he always grinds out every at-bat and makes pitchers work. The Dirtbags could badly use more of a power stroke from their incumbent first baseman, but regardless Patron will probably be batting third in 2013.

Zack Rivera, Freshman – Rivera joins the Dirtbags in 2013 where he’ll add some impressive athleticism (a common trait for many of the new Dirtbags) to the infield and perhaps some power to the lineup. A solid 5’11”, 185 pounds, Rivera has a nice combination of strength and speed, showcased while playing running back for his high school football team. Rivera played third base at the prep level, but could end up playing second base for Long Beach, which would bump McNeil to shortstop.

Jonathan Serven, Freshman – Though somewhat less heralded than some of the other incoming freshman, Serven joins the Dirtbags after starring in both baseball and basketball in high school. He’s capable of playing multiple infield positions, including shortstop where he spent last season. The 6’3”, 200 pounder will likely be a utility man his freshman year.

Colton Vaughn, Red Shirt Sophomore – Since he was red shirted last year, Vaughn is technically not new to the Dirtbag program, however 2013 will mark the third year sophomore’s first season on the field for Long Beach. Vaughn spent his freshman year with South Mountain College in Arizona, where he played shortstop, batted .344 and stole 10 bases, though he drew only 11 walks and committed 14 errors. His speed should make him a useful role player for the Dirtbags, and possibly a dark horse candidate for the starting shortstop job.

Jeff Yamaguchi, Junior (2012: .230/.352/.276 in 34 games) – Yamaguchi saw his playing time drop somewhat last year, and is coming off a disappointing summer in the Alaska League. He’ll likely continue the role he played last year, manning first base when Patron is DH’ing, and getting the occasional pinch hitting duty or filling in at the hot corner.

Projected Starters:

1B: Patron

2B: Rivera

3B: Hill

SS: McNeil

Up next: We find out who is going to be in the Dirtbags rotation, after seeing the departure of Shawn Stuart, Matt Anderson, and Matt Johnson. Oh well, at least we still have Ryan Strufing. What? No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Dirtbags 2013 Preview: Catchers and Outfielders

Let the countdown begin. With just 15 days until the opener at Vanderbilt, we kick off our Long Beach State Dirtbags 2013 season preview. Today we take a look at the team's catchers and outfielders. There'll be regular posts from now until opening day (and beyond, of course) so be sure to check back often.

Catchers

Summary – Backstop was an Achilles’ heel for the Dirtbags last season. Although anchored by senior Kellen Hoime, the position was the weakest spot in the Long Beach lineup and at times the defense was inconsistent. Junior Royce Murai, who has shared duties each of the last two years, is back but the starting position will be up for grabs.

Eric Hutting, Freshman – The younger brother of current Cal State Fullerton Titan Anthony, Hutting is one of multiple Dirtbag rookies who could be starting this year. A solid hitter in high school, with a strong batting eye, Hutting is also “very polished defensively” according to Troy Buckley. Hutting had a reputation at the prep level for being a good team leader who worked well with his pitchers, so it’ll be interesting to see how that carries over to the collegiate ranks as he handles a largely unproven starting rotation.

Zach Miller, Senior (2012: 0-for-5 in 5 games) – Miller will likely reprise his role as a backup catcher in 2013 after making only a handful of appearances last season (his first year at the Division 1 level).

Royce Murai, Junior (2012: .109/.180/.130 in 26 games) – Hats off to Murai, who was given one of the most difficult tasks a baseball player can get back in 2011; convert to the catcher position then, almost overnight, become a regular starter. Murai, a former pitcher, likely isn’t going to be the Dirtbags answer this year behind the plate. Though his defense made some big strides last season, it’s still sub par and the native Hawaiian has always had a light bat at the college level. Muari looks like he’s bulked up a little and he enters 2013 as the only player on the team with Division 1 catching experience (aside from the cup of coffee Zach Miller had last year), however, he’ll most likely be relegated to backup duties this year.

Projected Starter: Hutting

Outfielders

Summary – Center fielder and de facto team MVP from 2012, Brennan Metzger, is gone and left fielder Johnny Bekakis has been sidelined for academic reasons, but right fielder Richard Prigatano and fourth outfielder Josh Guerra are back. Senior Juan Avila has also spent time in the outfield and looks likely to be moved off his regular spot at third base, so he may also factor into the outfield equation this season.

Juan Avila, Senior (2012: .288/.364/.369 in 54 games) – I’ll have a more comprehensive look at Avila in the infield preview, but for now let’s just take a look at the impact the senior could have in the outfield. With Bekakis’ sudden ineligibility Avila could be called upon to fill a spot in the outfield, which he did for much of the 2011 season. Prior to the Bekakis issue, the Designated Hitter role seemed possible for Avila, who has struggled defensively for much of his college career. Moving him back to the outfield would open the DH spot back up with no obvious alternatives, though the coaching staff could always elect to alternate between the “hot hand” or simply use the DH spot to spell a regular starter.

Johnny Bekakis, Junior (2012: .290/.353/.355 in 49 games) – Ineligible for the 2013 season, Bekakis spent most of the 2012 campaign as the team’s primary left fielder and lead-off man, tying for second on the team in steals (seven), and had the highest batting average of the returning Dirtbags. Despite a solid on-base percentage Bekakis wasn’t the ideal lead-off man, K’ing 38 times with just 11 walks last year, so his status atop the lineup could’ve been in question anyway with the arrival of Colby Brenner. He's not a top draft prospect, so he'll presumably be back in 2014.

Zack Belanger, Red Shirt Freshman – Despite a good high school career and a solid showing in fall ball, Belanger seems unlikely to start in 2013, though if Avila remains in the infield or DH’ing, Belanger could see significant time as the team’s fourth outfielder.

Colby Brenner, Junior (2012: .272/.412/.314 in 44 games with Cosumnes River College) – Brenner joins the Dirtbags after spending two distinguished seasons at the top of the lineup for Cosumnes River. There he was the ideal center field/lead-off type, reaching base (including getting plunked by 20 pitches last year), stealing bases (29 in ’12), and playing great defense. He also struck out just 11 times in 214 plate appearances. If his skills carry over to the D1 level, Brenner could find himself at the top of the Dirtbags lineup in 2013.

Brennan Fulkerson, Junior (2012: .278/.297/.333 in 21 games) – A lefty with some occasional power, Fulkerson will likely continue to serve the pinch hitter/DH role he’s played each of his first two years for Long Beach.

Josh Guerra, Sophomore (2012: .282/.370/.380 in 31 games) – After a surprisingly solid freshman year, Guerra had a rather pedestrian summer in the Northwoods League with over double the at bats. His OPS dipped to .670 in the NWL and his strikeout to walk rate was a disconcerting 44 to 18. Despite that, Guerra’s strong rookie season and Bekakis’ absence in left field could very well result in an everyday job for the sophomore.

Richard Prigatano, Sophomore (2012: .278/.335/.329 in 47 games) – The club’s top position player prospect coming into last season, Prigatano had a decent rookie year but posted uninspiring power numbers (.329 slugging percentage and .051 isolated power).  He was also something of a free swinger with 45 strikeouts and just nine walks. However, Prigatano put together a strong summer in the Northwoods league, clubbing 15 doubles, 11 homers, stealing 21 bases, and slightly improving his pitch selection with 55 strikeouts and 27 walks. His power potential should keep him in the middle of the lineup, likely while manning right field and occasionally serving as DH.

Projected Starters:

LF: Guerra/Avila (also DH)

CF: Brenner

RF: Prigatano (also DH)/Guerra

Up next: We take a look at a Dirtbag infield that returns three-quarters of its starters but still could see some big changes in the coming year... 

Advice for the Grieving Dodger Fan

There’s no way around it, Dodger fans, the Giants have won the World Series. It sucks, I know, but I’m here to help. 

First it’s important to realize that the pain you’re feeling now isn’t something that’s unique to Dodger fans. When faced with such a painful proposition as a rival winning a championship, most fans I come across on the internets or even that strange world called real life typically just make things worse for themselves, either by making excuses, hopelessly whining, or through some other means I’d rather not hear about. No matter the sport or fan base, it seems to be the same. Maybe it’s the built-in sadomasochistic side of us sports fans. Perhaps seeing a rival win it all simply elicits the same response I observe when I tell people I use Internet Explorer; people just lose their fucking minds. Whatever the cause, you must not let it overcome you.

Anytime a fan sees either its team lose a championship or a rival win it there is a tendency to try to rationalize things (i.e. make up excuses). No doubt we’ll see some Dodger fans engage in this, but they shouldn’t, even if some of these excuses have their merits. In the end trying to explain away a Giants title will just project more of the agony Dodgertown is feeling for the world to see. In order to avoid them let’s first try to understand them. The excuses are always pretty much the same for every fan base. I’ve come to calling them “the four stages of the grieving sports fan”, although the order in which they occur varies from fan to fan:

1. Calling it luck/a fluke – In this case, there’s probably some truth to the fact that the Giants have had their share of luck. Even the media has taken notice to this. But it’s best to avoid making much out of this. In the end, luck plays a much larger role than most fans like to acknowledge, heck the Detroit Tigers had only the 7^th best record in the American League this year, but somehow that ended with them being the number three seed in the AL playoffs. So sure, the Giants had a large degree of luck this postseason, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, frankly it’s fairly common for a champion to catch a lot of breaks, how else do you think the phrase “it’s better to be lucky than good” came about?

2. Blame the Umps/Refs – This is pretty much crap for the same reason as #1; even it it’s true it’s pretty much an unavoidable fact of life, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you. But that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

3. Calling their fans “bandwagoners” – Up and down California (well, between San Luis Obispo and northern Orange County) I saw a pretty noticeable boom in the wearing of “SF” hats after the Giants won the 2010 series. I also came across a few Giants “fans” who were pretty clueless and I’m guessing had just gotten their Giant Nation membership cards. So yes, there’s some bandwagoners… and who cares? No real fans give a crap about bandwagoners and ultimately it has no bearing on the team or its championship. The only people worth pestering about this are the wagon-riders themselves and they’re already at the bottom of the totem pole in the sports world anyway.

3A. Calling their fans “gay” – This one’s pretty much exclusive to San Francisco teams, for obvious reasons. It’s also stupid, for obvious reasons. Cardinal Nation (the best fans in baseball!!!) took to twitter after the NCLS to point out the startling revelation that there’s a large homosexual population in the Bay Area (more like GAY Area LOL!!!1!) and so far I’ve seen a couple Dodger fans make the same observation. Calling someone a “bandwagon” fan can at least be perceived as an insult, using an offensive term like “fag” isn’t insulting, it’s just… retarded… no wait, that’s not right.
 
4. Saying they’ll never win again – You’re on the right track with this one, in that it focuses on future seasons which is pretty much what all the non-championship teams have to do anyway, but it doesn’t exactly exude the confidence the one making the claim would seem to be going for. Instead it sounds more desperate and childish.

So does a Dodger fan do? Well, nothing really, just don’t do any of that. Luckily, there will be some cases where a douchey Giants fan preemptively belittles all the “losers” he happens across for no apparent reason. In my book anyone sad enough to do this has opened himself up to criticism and it might be worthwhile to try and get under their skin just for the entertainment value.

I might be in the minority on this but for the life of me I’ve never understood why a fan whose team has already won all there is to win feels the need to keep trying to inflate their own ego. As a College Baseball fan, I can’t tell you how many South Carolina fans I’ve talked to constantly lament about “not getting respect”. Thank God they had that consolation prize of winning back-to-back College World Series titles or else some of them may still be on suicide watch. If you come across any Giant fans that have the gall to actually complain about this just remember this phrase which probably exists somewhere (and if it doesn’t, then I just invented it): He who requires the respect of others has no respect for himself.

 

Then there’s the curious case of the fan that actually feels the need to go out of their way to counter those aforementioned “stages of grief.” My response to these dullards is always the same: How fragile does your self-confidence have to be when you start defending a team that doesn’t need defending?

 

In the end, however, my fellow Dodger fans just need to ride this out. It might suck, but Spring Training is only four-plus away and believe it or not, things could be worse. Hell, they were worse, remember? The worst thing that could ever happen to Dodgertown was that faint chance of the Giants actually winning their first title since 1954… and then they did. Dodger fans have moved on. Nothing that ever happens again will be as bad as that. 2010 was soul-crushing, 2012 on the other hand is just kinda shitty. So stop being a bunch of wimps. We've been through News Corp, McCourt, the Giants finally winning, and James Loney. Life 'aint that bad going forward.

And if none of that isn't enough to console you just remember this: Pablo is still a lard-ass.