Getting Away From it All ... at Dodger Stadium

After a disappointing summer in which Dodger playoff hopes faded with each day, after one week's worth of mind-numbing court proceedings in which the Dodger owner was pitted against his wife, after the respected former Dodger owner issued some scathing remarks towards the current owner, after the venerable manager announced he would step aside and be replaced by someone whom we know little about, after the Dodgers traded away two of their brightest young talents for a 36-year-old pitcher whom they later traded away for a player to be named later, after all this, I desperately needed an escape.

So, I did what I often do in times like this:

I turned to baseball.

That's right. I went to Dodger Stadium to take in a game.

And guess what? It worked.

Sure, the Dodgers were crushed 12-2 by Colorado. But really, it was a meaningless game for Los Angeles. In fact, it might have been the unexpected spring-training feel of the entire day that made it feel like a getaway. Consider:

1) The Dodger starting lineup featured just three players who were projected to be starters at the beginning of the season. The rest of the guys were supposed to be reserves, in the minor leagues, or on other teams: Jamey Carroll, Ryan Theriot, Jay Gibbons, Russ Mitchell, A.J. Ellis, and John Ely.

2) The announced attendance was 40,191, but only a fraction of these ticket purchasers bothered even to show up. This meant getting in and out of the parking lot was a breeze and it meant short concession lines (!), despite the fact that not all concession stands were even open. The freedom to move around unimpeded made me feel like I was in a much smaller, more relaxed venue.

All of which somehow helped to rejuvenate me. Sure, none of the angst-inducing larger issues surrounding the Dodger franchise were resolved Saturday afternoon. In fact, Ely's ineffectiveness as starting pitcher only underscored just one more of the Dodger offseason concerns -- the shallow starting rotation. But that and other issues can wait until at least the offseason.

Because today, Clayton Kershaw pitches.

And today, I choose simply to enjoy the moment.