Fernando Valenzuela and the 1981 Dodgers bring back fond memories

 

By Tim Haddock

 

Tim Haddock reflects on the 1981 World Series, where Fernando Valenzuela and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees, captivating Los Angeles with "Fernandomania." Through the memories of a sixth-grade Dodgers fan, it captures the excitement of that championship season and the impact Valenzuela had on the city and its love for baseball.

 

LOS ANGELES - The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers played the New York Yankees in the World Series was in 1981. I was a sixth grader at Pinecrest Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley.

 

Fernando Valenzuela, who died on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at age 63 after a lengthy hospital stay, was the star of the Dodgers team that year. The city was caught up in Fernandomania. Every time he pitched, the city stopped to watch. He was the reason Los Angeles loved baseball that year, even though it was taken away for a few months because of a players strike.

 

But once the season resumed, and the Dodgers were headed to the World Series, baseball became the focus of the city.

 

My history teacher in sixth grade was Mrs. Dent. One of her class assignments for the year was keeping a timeline of current events in the class. She kept moments in history on note cards and posted them around the classroom. We brought in the current events and she put them on display.

 

Mrs. Dent was also a Yankees fan, and an eager and passionate one at that.

When the Yankees won the first game of the World Series that year, she made a card that read: The Yankees win the World Series.

 

I told her she was wrong. The Yankees didn’t win the World Series. They only won the first game.

 

But she insisted the World Series was over. The Yankees were champions and she refused to take down her card.

 

I made a deal with her, because I knew a team had to win four games to win the World Series. I told her if the Dodgers win the World Series, I wouldn’t have to add another card to her timeline. My last one would read, Dodgers win World Series, and my assignment would be over.

If the Yankees won, she could keep her card up and I would have to keep adding to it, too.

The next day, the Yankees won again. They were up two games to none over the Dodgers. The World Series was not over. My offer still stood. If the Dodgers won the World Series, I wouldn’t have to add to her history timeline. She accepted.

 

Fernando Valenzuela started Game 3, the first game played at Dodger Stadium. The first two games were at Yankee Stadium. Games 3, 4, and 5 were in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers won Game 3. It wasn’t Valenzuela’s best game, not even the best game the Dodgers played in that series. But as Vin Scully said after the game, it was Fernando’s finest moment.

 

The Dodgers won the next three games, winning all three in Los Angeles and closing out the series in Yankee Stadium in Game 6 in New York.

 

Not only did the whole city celebrate the Dodgers winning the World Series, I celebrated not having to do history homework for a whole year.

 

Thank you Fernando for the World Series memories, and for helping me get me out of homework in sixth grade.