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2014 Freeway Series: More Than Wins and Losses

I hate the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Just like children hate broccoli. Just like McFly hates Tannen. It's an irrational hate, this I completely understand, but it's the type of hate that has been intertwined with sports for multiple generations. It's not "I wish you ill will" hate, it's "your misfortune gives me great enjoyment" hate.

The Los Angeles Angels (NOT "of Anaheim", please stop it.) enter this pivotal series with a 66-44 record, one game behind the best record in baseball. The Dodgers, on the other side, enter with a 63-49 record, the best in the National League. This is the best that both of these teams have been when meeting in interleague play since it began in 1997. The opportunity to stay steps ahead of their divisional rivals or stumble behind them in these crucial races are on the line in this series. Pride, bragging rights, and a great deal of respect are on the line as well.

Of course, I root against our AL West rivals, but I don't hate one more than the rest. I am more against whichever one is above the Angels in the standings or whichever one is nipping at their heels that particular season. They are all the enemy at some point. The Dodger thing is every year, every season. It is a constant. It is the little brother syndrome, I am aware of it, I accept it, and I embrace it. Dodgers, Dodgers, Dodgers! Allow me, like some of you, to just embrace the hate, and let it flow like the Force.

Despite the narratives written on the greatness of the Dodgers, it is in fact the Angels that have been the better of the two franchises head-to-head in interleague play since 1997, here are the facts:

Over the past 17 years of interleague play against the Dodgers, the Angels have won 9 total series, lost 3, and tied 5.

The Angels in those series have 56 game victories over the Dodgers with just 40 losses.

The numbers speak for themselves. That being said, winning this four game series over the Dodgers may mean more than any of the victories we've seen over the past 17 years.

There's just no argument that historically, the Dodgers are among the top five franchises in baseball. That is actually part of the fun of watching the franchise consistently fall short over the past 25+ years, with some seasons and circumstances more entertaining than others. What remains frustrating however, is watching that same franchise consistently fail upward. The "blue" always finds a way to snatch salvation from impending doom. Going from a bankrupt charlatan of an owner directly into a nameless, faceless "group" of multi-quadrillionaires? Only Dodgers, right!

It's not so much that implied violence is an issue in this rivalry. Actually, since the Stow beating in 2011, Chavez Ravine had little choice but to be a much safer place to see a game. You are infinitely more likely to be attacked verbally as an opposing fan as you are physically, nowadays. That though itself is a problem. Our fan bases, Angels and Dodgers, in very general terms are drastically different. Angel fans are well aware going into Dodger Stadium that words will be had and a game-long berating likely will be in store. For some, that's all part of the adventure of it all, behind enemy lines, proudly wearing red. Blue will always make the experience uncomfortable.

On the other hand, too many times I've witnessed Angel Stadium acquiesce to the opponent's fans, and it's both uncomfortable and disheartening. A middle-ground on both sides would be ideal but unrealistic. I've had friends from Chicago and St. Louis, not obnoxious fans at all, forego an 8 mile drive to Chavez Ravine in favor of a 125 mile drive to San Diego, after one too many uncomfortable experiences at Chavez Ravine. Dodger fans will no doubt enter Angel Stadium with flippancy and bravado on Wednesday and Thursday no matter the outcome of Monday and Tuesday's contests, and we are all aware of this. We do ourselves a disservice by allowing them to be more vocal than us in our own home. We shouldn't respond with vocal disrespect, but with vocal support of our franchise, our Angels.

Many fan bases claim "no respect" in every major sport, but this is one of the few cases that can be considered legitimate. Second best in baseball, but second story in our own region. The Angels receive far more respect and exposure nationally than they do in the area that bears their own name. Mike Trout remains a fixture in the media discussion of baseball greatness nationally, yet locally his accomplishments pale in comparison to the exploits of one Yasiel Puig. Local media provides every excuse imaginable to explain why Puig is every bit the player Trout is, plus Puig is more "exciting"! This is nonsense, and shouldn't even be a topic after the 2014 All-Star Game.

The Angels will never win the hearts and minds of the Greater Los Angeles sports media, but an honest amount of respect, when due, is very little to ask. Victory, when so much is on the line, cannot be argued with, cannot be spun to fit a predetermined narrative. Victory for the Angels this season, at this moment, cannot be overlooked. I root for an Angels series victory over the next four days as if it were October instead of August.

Two events in baseball bring me more joy than any other:

1 - An Angels win

2 - A Dodgers loss

Over the next four days, the opportunity for ecstasy or agony hang in the balance. What will it be, Halos?

This FanPost is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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