Labor of Love

With a third consecutive playoff appearance all but mathematically impossible for the Dodgers, I'm freed of the burden of rooting for wins now and can simply enjoy the rest of the season for what it does have to offer. So instead of sulking over the disappointment of 2010 this Labor Day, let's instead count our blessings, shall we?

• Vin Scully Continues to Call Games
• Scully's play-by-play transforms an ordinary baseball game into an exquisite experience, whether the Dodgers are eight games back, or eighty-eight.
• Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly and Hiroki Kuroda
• Each member of this Dodger starting quartet is capable of brilliance on any given outing.
• The Dodger Stuntmen (and Woman) -- Josh Fisher, Bill Shaikin and Molly Knight
• While the McCourt trial will go down as a black mark in Dodger history, it has brought into the limelight some outstanding reporters, particularly Fisher, Shaikin and Knight, whose analyses have been must-reads for any fan daring to glimpse into how the McCourts have carried out their stewardship of the Dodger franchise.
• Keeping Things Light Over at Dodger Talk: Ken Levine & Josh Suchon
•  Thank goodness this KABC AM 790 talk radio duo provides plenty of comic relief. We've all needed it after many a Dodger defeat this season.
• Nancy Bea Plays On
• A Dodger Stadium treasure, Bea and her timeless organ music have been fixtures at Dodger Stadium since 1988.
• Dodger Stadium: The Next-to-Next-to-Last Ballpark Standing
• This ageless wonder of a stadium is part of the magic of attending a summer evening baseball game in Los Angeles.
• The Don't Stop Believin' Lip Sync Guy
• Jameson Moss has single-handedly extended the shelf life of Dodger Stadium's 8th-inning tradition of playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
• Dodger Thoughts
• And lest I forget, no list of Dodger blessings would be complete without mention of the Dodger blog that sets the standard for the rest, Jon Weisman's Dodger Thoughts.