Dodgers: Four of the Biggest Overreactions From the Losing Streak

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Manager Dave Roberts
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 04: Manager Dave Roberts /
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The Sports Illustrated Cover Curse

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This hot take has some reasoning, but is child play to think of it being true. The Dodgers were the best team on the planet before August 24th. They were 91-36 with a .717 winning percentage and a +223 run differential. That was 12 games better than anyone else in the league.

On August 24th the Sports Illustrated Magazine dropped the latest edition with the Dodgers on the cover. The Dodgers won on August 24th and 25th, but after that is when the streak of losing series (5) and 17 game stretch started! Coincidence? Probably.

Let’s be mindful here the Dodgers were winning at a .717 wining percentage that was unsustainable. Continuing at that pace would have put the Dodgers tied for the MLB record for most wins in a season (116). The Sports Illustrated cover gave the Dodgers more publicity, but the reality is the club was due for regression at some point in the season. It just so happened to be when everybody was watching.

The Dodgers and several Dodger media outlets had fun with the thought of the jinx. Dave Roberts even poked the bear over a week ago when asked about the SI curse. There were broadcast on SportsNetLA to help “end” this curse, and I even recall hearing Roggin and Rodney bring in a psychic to the studio on AM570 to remove the curse for the Dodgers.

At the beginning of all this nonsense talk, it was all fun and jokes. But when the Dbacks pulled within ten games of the division and the Dodgers set their worst losing streak in LA history, things got serious. It just turns out the Dodgers didn’t need a psychic, or a cleanse, they just needed Clayton Kershaw.

Next: Jansen for Team MVP

As I mentioned earlier, losing suck. As a fan, you are entitled to get over emotional on the way your favorite team performs. There’s a reason why the word “fan” stands for fanatic. But at the end of the day, before bashing the team you love most, take what’s going on with perspective. Once a fan can understand the point of view of a team things become a little more clearer.