Dodgers Are Motivated to Have Another World Series Parade, Says Andrew Friedman
In case it wasn’t obvious enough in their offseason prowess, the Los Angeles Dodgers are doing everything they can to bring home another championship.
The motivation, as said by Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in a conversation with The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett, has more to do with what happened after the final pitch was thrown in Game 5 of the World Series.
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“The parade really had a profound effect on guys,” Friedman said. “Talking to them, there is a real sense that they want to do whatever is possible to have that feeling again and a real commitment to doing everything they can to make this a golden era of Dodgers baseball.”
The 2024 parade was incredibly special to the Dodgers, especially for the players who were a part of the 2020 World Series squad that did not get a parade around the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not to mention, Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela tragically passed away at 63 years old two days after Los Angeles earned a spot in the World Series.
The championship parade took place on what would have been his 64th birthday.
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The Dodgers weren’t the only L.A. team that won a championship in 2020, as the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers not only won the championship that season, but also were denied a parade due to pandemic protocols.
As Los Angeles looks to become the first repeat champions of the baseball world in a quarter-century, opposing fans and critics have attempted to cast doubt with the word ‘complacency.’
A team so dominant coming off a World Series win that has retooled their roster to look even better than the year prior can either work even harder to make history, or slump down to the hampered expectation of onlookers.
Manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe this will be a factor in the slightest, saying, “It’s not in their DNA. It’s not in my DNA,” as the manager looks to have an even better 2025.
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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