On a baseball-less Sunday a mere four weeks into the painfully long off-season, I began reflecting on how I, a now sixty-something die-hard Dodger fan, ended up as such. As I did so, the wonderful memories – and my smile – spread.

I was blessed, so very blessed, to have grown up in a very sports oriented family, along with my sister and two brothers. However, of the four of us, I was the only one born and raised in California (Burbank), with the rest of my entire family having done so in Chicago, Illinois. As such, it was no surprised that my father was a die-hard – and I mean to the rafters – Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, and Chicago Blackhawks fan.

Such a Chicago fan was my father that whenever the Bears came into town to play the Los Angeles Rams, my dad would bundle us kids up into the family station wagon and take us to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum so that he could watch his beloved Bears.

And then something wonderful happened.

Following the 1957 baseball season, Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley moved his beloved ‘Bums’ from an aging and rundown Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to the West Coast where they became the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During the four years that it took to build their new ballpark in Chavez Ravine, O’Malley’s LA Dodgers played the 1958, 1959, 1960, and 1961 seasons in the spacious not-made-for-baseball LA Coliseum, which required the construction of a 42-foot tall screen in left field so that it would take a ball hit the equivalent of 333 feet to clear the fence and be ruled a home run.

It was then, right then and there, that I fell in love with the Dodgers as a four-year-old and became a huge fan of Dodgers outfielder Wally Moon and his famous “Moon Shots” over said screen, and I have never lost that love, much to the disappointment of my father, of course. (Sorry, Dad, but not sorry).

My love affair with the Dodgers began here as a four-year-old. (AP Photo)

Snapping out of my daydream, I immediately began to wonder how others became die-hard and (probably) lifelong Dodgers fans … so I asked them.

Through the wonders of social media, I posted this question on Twitter:

What I did not expect was the overwhelming response to my question. The very first thing that I noticed is that regardless of age, gender, or social background, nearly every one of the more than 100 replies bore a strong resemblance to mine.

Here are several of them [sic]:

• @TaplinMichele: I’m 71 now & started following as an early teen with help of dear friends who were like grandparents. Took me to my first game at Dodger Stadium in ‘62 & I’ve been hooked ever since. My kids & grandkids are now Dodger fans too. Oh what a feeling!
• @clylealt: When the Dodgers arrived in ’58 I was in kindergarten. Can’t remember a summer without my dad’s transistor radio on in the evenings listening to Vin & Jerry Doggett. He took me to my 1st game at the Coliseum when I was 7 in ’60.
• @ska429: I was 10..1977. Garvey, Lopes, Russell, Cey, Monday, Yeager, Mota, Hooten, John and the rest of the roster
• @DEEES2SWEET: About 8 yrs old & watching games with my stepdad! I wanted Mike Scioscia to be my hubby
• @SDDodger: 8 years old. Just started Little League in Long Beach, got my first baseball cards and Andy Messersmith had gone to the same HS as my parents. The Long Beach Press Telegram had “Dodger of the Day” and that’s how it started to happen.
• @mmlew52: My dad grew up in SoCal and his family all root for the Dodgers. I grew up listening to Vin on the radio. I love the rich history of the Dodgers baseball and of course the players and coaches
• @Garvey1207: I remember the 74’ Dodgers. I watched the 77’&78’ teams closely. But, Fernando in 81’ really got me hooked. That was an amazing run and had me waiting every day for his next start to see if he could continue his dominance. Much like Hershiser and then Kershaw but more intense.
• @carollbs: 9; when the Dodgers moved to LA; Sandy Koufax was my favorite!
• @mike_d_baldwin: I was 12 in 1985 when Pedro Guerrero had that record-setting June and Bulldog didn’t lose a game at home all season.
• @lapxjp: 1981, just moved to Pomona. My dad unpacked the TV in time for Kirk Gibson. I was 7 and I was hooked
• @Tommy29gun: 8 years old. Steve Yeager cussing on the way back to the dugout.
• @FanGirlMeri1: Grew up north of LA. Started playing softball and loved the game. Went to my first @Dodger game when I was 10 and really got into the atmosphere. Walter Alston, Garvey, Lopes, Cey, and Russell. Manny Mota coaching on 1st base. Pure heaven!
• @rlyman5866: 7. I remember going to the Coliseum and going up the stairs was fortunate enough to see the Koufax perfect game
• @AnthonyLozano84: 7 or 8 And my grandpa is a huge dodgers fan so it passed down to all of us in the family
• @adamdzurilla: 8 years old. The ’88 World Series. @OrelHershiser was skinny like me and made me believe I could play baseball as hard as anyone too. I liked the Dodgers before that, but LOVED them after that year.
• @CT3fanatic: 13, Steve Sax.
• @dodgerdog1976: 5. My Grandma loved Fernando.
• @ParaJess: Since I was in the womb! Going to games as a kid with the family made me fall in love with baseball and more specifically, the Dodgers, quite easily. There was/is just something so special and magical about walking into the stadium.
• @gene_bruihl: 58, my sons in the Dodger farm system. Good enough for me
• @michelekrystal1: ‘88. Word series. I was 2 years old. I (seriously) remember my mom FREAKING out and I got scared, but she explained it was a good thing, took my hands, and we stared jumping up and down together. I love that memory and I love my Dodgers!
• @Aramtrojan1: 1968, I listened to every game on hand held transistor radio. Year of Don Drysdale.
• @WLFrederick38: 7, Hideo Nomo, and his motion caught me when I was just developing interest in the game. My dad was a diehard Mike Scioscia fan as well, perfect storm that rolled me into a Dodgers fan.
• @RennoTimmons: 1958, 7 years old, my aunt a traveling ball player during ww2 bought me a transistor radio, a fatherless boy I fell in love with Vinny, Duke,Gilliam, Moon, Roseboro, and Howard! Lived in Azusa.
• @26Jeezus: 1980 and my uncle listening to Jaime Jarrin when El Toro pitched. I was too little (5) to really understand, but by 7 I had moved on to Vin and my favorite player arrived the following year the Bull Dog.
• @pupster76: Probably 3, listening to the Dodgers on the radio with my dad and sisters. Mom was always in another room ! I learned that the Giants were the enemy and knew all the players names from both teams from my dad yelling at or cheering for them
• @EJL1984: I grew up in Bakersfield, CA and went to Bakersfield Dodgers games but it wasn’t until I was 12 years old in 1996 that I finally put it together in my head that some of the players I briefly saw at Sam Lynn were playing for the Dodgers and winning Rookie of the Year honors.
• @acornejo77: I was born in 77. Fernando came up late 1980 and for all of 1981. It was religion that all my family would meet up at grandpa’s and listen to his starts on the radio with @JaimeJarrin doing play by play. We would pray before the game would start. Our family are diehard Dodgers!
• @Frank_murrietta: 7 or 8. Grew up regaled with stories of Koufax, my dad’s favorite player. He risked court-martial listening to the ‘63 World Series on a transistor radio while on patrol in Vietnam.
• @JeffYourFriend: I don’t ever remember being able to get a Dodgers affiliate so my dad & I would listen to other teams announcers. In the early to mid 80’s God smiled on us. I had a radio that I could get Armed Forces Radio & they carried the Dodgers alot. I remember Doggett and Ross Porter w/Vin

These are but a few of the many great responses. To see them all,  click here.

Go Dodgers!!