Advertisement

Dave Roberts alludes to Dodgers fans' biggest 2020 regret in post-NLCS speech

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Dodgers Way

Championship Series - New York Mets v Los Angeles Dodgers - Game 6 / Harry How/GettyImages

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been MLB's preeminent juggernaut for the past eight years, securing four World Series berths beginning with the cursed 2017 trip. Against the odds, though, their only title during the run -- the 1988 cursebreaker -- came in 2020.

It was satisfying, sure. It can never be taken away. It was also played in a secure location in Arlington, Texas, during a time marked by distanced celebrations and Justin Turner being ushered away from his teammates when all he wanted to do was embrace them.

The ring counts. The record books are official. The championship gear was printed and purchased by the masses. Clayton Kershaw got to exhale for hours (days?). But after the confetti settled in Texas, the moment disappeared. There was no group celebration. No rally at the stadium. No exaltation in the streets. Dodgers fans celebrated privately. Congregation was outlawed. It was no way to bring a city together.

Now, though, with the postseason packed and back to normal, the Dodgers have given their fans the franchise's first pennant since that title run unlike any other. Los Angeles will host Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night in front of a packed house, yearning to escape the walls of Dodger Stadium and spill out into Echo Park.

And, based on the way he addressed the crowd following the team's10-4 Game 6 dismantling of the Mets, Dave Roberts is ready, too.

"You guys want a parade in Los Angeles? Four more wins!" he bellowed.

Sounds about right to us.

Dodgers-Yankees World Series: LA four more wins from the first championship parade of the era

As Derek Jeter noted on the FOX postgame show, his dream World Series during his playing days was Yankees-Dodgers. This will mark 12 occurrences of the matchup, the second-most common title clash behind Celtics-Lakers.

MLB finally has its Larry Bird-Magic Johnson equivalent, fueled by a Shohei Ohtani vs. Giancarlo Stanton showdown in the Universal DH spot. The narratives are endless, and will be dissected plenty before Friday's clash of the titans.

Put simply, though, just like Roberts noted? Four more wins for the first parade since 1988. That's all that really matters.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard and Dodgers Way for 4 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast twice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for eight years. Previously, he was a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.