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Opinion: I hate the Dodgers and Yankees. But I can’t wait to watch the World Series

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Opinion: I hate the Dodgers and Yankees. But I can’t wait to watch the World Series

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Like any good Arizona Diamondbacks fan, I hate the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Like any good American, I hate the New York Yankees.

I absolutely cannot wait to see them play in the World Series.

There are a lot of reasons, and none involve hate-watching. Well, maybe not none. But mostly, that’s reserved for things like games between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, which I always wish could end in a 0-0 tie and banishment of the teams from the NFL altogether.

No, since the Diamondbacks aren’t in it this year, I want to see the two best teams in baseball from the two biggest cities in the country go at it. I’m rooting for Goliath over David here. Actually, I’m not really rooting for either team. I’m rooting for seven games of great baseball and even better TV.

When does the World Series start?

Game 1 of the World Series begins at 5:08 p.m. Arizona time on Friday, Oct. 25 on Fox. Joe Davis and John Smoltz will call the games.

Yeah, yeah, who cares? Davis is OK, solid, kind of boring. Smoltz, who was a great pitcher, obviously knows his stuff and is more than happy to relay that at length. Great length. And then some.

Whatever. Turn the sound down if you want to. (I can make you a playlist!) Because the real draw here is Shohei Ohtani, the game’s greatest player. I won’t pretend I’m anybody’s baseball expert, but when I say Ohtani is in the conversation to be the greatest player ever, a title Babe Ruth was thought to have retired, know that it’s because people who are experts say the same.

He’s the only player in baseball history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season. (He finished with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.) The ball he hit for his 50th home run was recently auctioned for $4.39 million. He is must-see TV every time he comes to bat. He is just magnetic, a home run waiting to happen.

Ohtani is also a great pitcher, but injury prevented him from pitching this season. Oh, and by the way, nobody pitches and bats anymore. Except Ohtani, who does both exceptionally well.

It looked like he would be one of those players who never made it to the World Series when he was toiling with the miserable Los Angeles Angels, but he came to the Dodgers in the off-season, and here he is. It’s a real quandary, trying to balance your hate for the team — I mean, they supposedly peed in the Diamondbacks’ pool after clinching the National League West — with your admiration for the player.

If Shohei Ohtani isn’t enough, how about Aaron Judge?

If you’re still not convinced to tune in, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge isn’t a bad second reason. He hit 58 home runs this season. Impressive as that is, it was kind of a down year for Judge, who hit an American League record 62 home runs in 2023. He’s struggled in the postseason in the past — and this season. But he’s too good to continue his slump.

Probably.

Both teams have plenty of other great players — Juan Soto of the Yankees for one, Mookie Betts of the Dodgers for another. It wouldn’t be surprising if one of them came up big. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone you’ve never heard of does. That’s what’s fun about the World Series. (My mom knew nothing about sports but always watched. Maybe she liked bunting — not the baseball kind, the kind they string along the stands.)

Whatever the case, loath as I am to admit it, this is going to be great. And then we can get back to the business of hating them both.

How to watch the World Series

Game 1: 5:08 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25 on Fox.

Game 2: 5:08 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 on Fox.

Game 3: 5:08 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28 on Fox.

Game 4: 5:08 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29 on Fox.

Game 5 (if necessary): 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Game 6 (if necessary): 5:08 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

Game 7 (if necessary): 5:08 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

I went to see the Diamondbacks in the World Series and a Stephen King novel broke out

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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