There’s blue stuff everywhere. Car flags, signs, license plate frames, wearing apparel, hats. I’m not even in L.A. and I’m seeing some of the stuff surface here where I work at the airport. What I wonder about though is where this stuff was back in June? We saw some of it, but nothing like now. That’s only natural, as Dodger success can get people excited and most fans don’t live and die by the Dodgers as many of us following this blog do.

Let’s face it though, the entrance of fair weather fans into the fanbase in September and October can be infuriating to die-hard fans. It would be much more acceptable if they simply accepted the fact that they are welcome, but should probably keep their opinions and expressions close to the vest. There’s nothing more irritating than a fan that attempts to show they know their stuff when they really don’t.

We call them Bandwagoners. Don’t you love ‘em? They come out of the woodwork whenever the Dodgers do well. They’re the first to complain about the team and disappear when they aren’t performing. They make knee jerk comments that make no sense with regard to strategy or roster moves. They don’t know a balk from a walk or a routine fly ball from a home run. They’re enough to drive the avid fan crazy, because many of them come with money in their pockets and gobble up the premium seats for playoff games.

You won’t find too many Bandwagoners out in the Left Field Pavilion.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Yes, Bandwagoners. They don’t know the game, but they claim they do. They couldn’t name ten guys on the roster. They’ll show up and wonder why Matt Kemp isn’t starting or they’ll rip the G.M. for letting Manny Ramirez go. They make ridiculous statements like: “We would have won that game had Torre stayed on as manager,” or “We should have got Juan Pierre at the trade deadline because the team has no true lead-off hitter.” They’ll turn on a player in an instant for making an error. They’ll be the first fan to jump over three rows of people for the privilege of swatting a beach ball coming their way. They get excited by the irritating wave and have no understanding of the nuances of the game. These are the fans that live up to the L.A. stereotype and give real Dodger fans a bad name.

So here’s my suggestions to bandwagon Dodger fans. You know who you are and most likely, if you’re reading this, you aren’t one. So I suggest that readers of this piece print this up and deliver it to those that joined the Dodger bandwagon. This is my list of rules of etiquette for the fair weather followers that insist in participating in Dodger glory this post-season.

1. If you must come to a game, arrive on time. None of this late arrival crap is acceptable. Following the Dodgers in post-season play requires proper decorum and one caveat to that is being in your seat on time. Yes, that means you deal with the parking lot issues. Hey, that’s the sacrifice you make if you’re a true fan. You plan your day to get there early so that when the first pitch is thrown, you’re in your seat.
2. Watch the outfielders on fly balls before flipping out on routine pop ups that you think are going over the fence. Gauge the distance that the ball is going by watching the outfielder and seeing how he’ll react to a ball hit his way. After you do this you’ll think, “Wow, I can judge a fly balls distance.” It’s quite an amazing thing.
3. Please understand that Magic Johnson is a minority owner serving as a figurehead and public spokesman for the team at times. He probably has about as much knowledge about baseball as you do, so it makes no sense to argue that Magic needs to do this or that, since he isn’t calling the shots. If you get close enough to him though you might want to get his take on the Lakers chances this coming season.
4. Take the time to do a little bit of research on the Dodger roster. It takes about ten minutes to get familiar with the team. Please note that Russell Martin is a Pirate now, and that guy you used to love to boo out of town, Jonathan Broxton? Well he’s a Red. Please notice that Matt Kemp is out for the season on the D.L., so don’t get excited if you spot him on the bench, because he’s not eligible to enter the game. Also on the D.L. (D.L. means – disabled list…err, sorry, the guys that are injured and can’t play), is Chad Billingsley, Josh Beckett, Scott Elbert and Shawn Tolleson. Oh, you don’t know who the last two guys are? Well never mind, then. And yes, Beckett is not on the Marlins or Red Sox anymore. Andre Ethier is hobbling from a bad ankle, which explains his absence from the lineup, (though that may change). Please don’t scream for him to pinch hit when a left handed pitcher is on the mound. Remember that Tommy Lasorda is 86 years old and he’s not coming back, so those days are over.
5. Understand that when a pitcher steps off the rubber and fakes a throw to a base that he is NOT balking. So don’t scream at the umpires over this.
6. Frank McCourt and Fox no longer own the team and Peter O’Malley sold them almost 20 years ago and now owns the Padres, so pining for the O’Malley days shouldn’t be done, but if you really long for them, there’s always that team 100 miles South that you can root for.
7. Chanting “Cardinals Suck” is downright stupid. First of all, because they don’t, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the League Championship Series. It is also offensive and lacks taste. I’m all for creative taunts of the opposition, but that one doesn’t come close to cutting it.
8. Wearing you Dodger stuff is cool. I’m glad you do it. Keep it up, just don’t get offended when you ask for an autograph from the starting pitcher as he walks to the dugout from his bullpen warm-up and he ignores you. There is a game at hand and championship to be won and your request is about the furthest thing from his mind.
9. It is okay to get upset when Mattingly calls for a sacrifice bunt with a power hitter at the plate and a runner in scoring position. Now saying that he’s dumb for electing to have his power hitter hit away in a crucial situation rather than bunt, that’s just bad baseball.
10. Don’t come to the game expecting to get an autograph. Do the numbers. There are 56,000 of you and 25 of them. Players aren’t “jerks” because they don’t sign for you. There is a time and place for autographs and post-season play isn’t that time. Go to Spring Training if you really want them. A week at Camelback Ranch will easily result in 20-30 autographs.
11. Be respectful of your team. Cheer them, never boo an error unless it’s for lack of hustle. Be respectful of the opponent. Remember that attending a Dodger game is a family event for many. Keep the language clean and the taunts G rated.
12. Stay clear of balls in play down the foul lines. Remember to stay clear when a Dodger player is making a play. Cushion their fall if the go into the stands after it. Remember that is part of the home field advantage.
13. References to the team as “we” are pretty ridiculous if you didn’t start rooting for the Dodgers until the playoffs. Steer clear of doing that. Loyalty to the team is earned and having followed the Dodgers through the lean years is part of that. Knowing who Len Matuzek, Olmedo Saenz, Alex Trevino, Zoilo Versailles, and Billy Grabarkewitz are and identifying when they played for the Dodgers is a litmus test to determine if you are a die-hard fan or bandwagoner.
14. If you insist on leaving the game early during a Dodger playoff game, please don’t bother coming.
15. If you ever rooted for the San Francisco Giants in your life… ever, simply get up and leave. You do not belong here nor are you welcome here and your presence is preventing a real Dodger fan from being here. Did you root for Darth Vadar in Star Wars? You can’t change allegiances so drastically. We don’t want you. Go back and be a bandwagon fan for those losers.
16. If a Cardinal pitcher hits a Dodger hitter, there are actually times that he didn’t do it on purpose. For example when the bases are loaded and a run is forced in or to load up the bases when Hanley Ramirez is coming up. Think before reacting and booing.

There are probably more bullets for the list, and you’re welcome to add them. What it comes down to is we’re all Dodger fans and this is a great time of year. Many fans are knowledgeable and smart fans. Others, not so much. There is baseball etiquette that needs to be followed for each and I’m hoping that the Dodger fan baseball IQ ticks up a notch during this series with the Cardinals.

Let the NLCS begin!