2018 Dodgers Season Exit Interviews: Tim

Following the lead of Clint Evans, I am writing down my 2018 season exit interview. This was a season that had a big carry over from the 2017 World Series. In my opinion the Dodgers completely blew the 2017 series and I carried that over the winter and into the new season. There was no way I was going to a second place ring ceremony the first series of the season when they were playing the Giants. I ended up missing opening day due to being hospitalized with cellulitis. My first game of the year was game 2 which was an 8 inning masterpiece from Alex Wood but they ended up losing 1-0 on a ninth inning homer off of Kenley Jansen.

Favorite Moment

For my favorite moment I have a few candidates:

• Joe Davis talking about the sweater I gave him on TV
• Interviewing Julio Urías
• Watching and reporting on the Quakes winning the California League championship
• Being with my Dad, Mr. Gary Lee and FRG for game 4 of the NLCS for the Bellinger walk-off single.
• Game 3 of the World Series for all 18 innings

The winner is game 4 of the NLCS. It was the first game my dad could attend at Dodger Stadium for the year and running into Gary and FRG in our same seating area was great. The game featured the walk off from Bellinger but Julio Urías was also the winning pitcher. The stadium was amazing and there’s nothing like a walk-off.

Low Point

Today, the Dodgers recalled Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Oklahoma City and placed Corey Seager on the 10-day DL with a right UCL sprain. Seager will undergo Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the season.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 30, 2018

When I Knew It Was Over

Instead of going to game 4 of the World Series, I went with my family to see Bruno Mars at Staples Center. While waiting to buy merchandise I saw that Yasiel Puig had hit a three run homer to put the Dodgers ahead 4-0. They had momentum and might be able to pull the series victory off. A few minutes later I saw that the Dodgers removed Rich Hill and replaced him with Scott Alexander. I felt sick. Of course Alexander walked the next batter on four pitches. I was able to find a TV at a bar and the only thing I saw was the 3 run home run to pull the Red Sox to within 1 run. Nothing after that surprised me.

What Did I Learn About Loving/Covering The Dodgers?

I’ve been able to meet many great people this year through being at Dodger Stadium, covering some Quakes games and through interactions with Dodgers Nation. Being selected by Mr. Gary Lee to contribute has been a very pleasant surprise and it has been great starting to meet the staff in person. Meeting other reporters while reporting on the Quakes showed me about how to be a professional and gave me a lot of tips.

The biggest lesson, and continued lesson, is that it is a game and that people are what matter. The disagreements we have need to be balanced with respecting others. I’ve failed in that area sometimes and will do better. I need to show everyone the same respect I expect to get. Everyone follows the game at different levels and we can all learn from each other. We surely cannot discuss politics much anymore where there is a hint of disagreement, but maybe we can talk baseball with each other in a respectful way.

I will continue to have strong opinions about lineups, bullpen management, personnel decisions and other topics. Discussing those topics is definitely something I enjoy. It’s part of what the internet has become as the old water cooler conversations have become a lot bigger in scope. Treating those that we disagree with, with respect, is an art form I hope we all work on.