All those warm, fuzzy Thanksgiving feelings are in the air, and I’ve been thinking about reasons Dodgers fans can be grateful this year. Here are a few thinks I’m thankful for after the team’s back-to-back World Series wins.
1. An ownership group that spends
The rest of the league can complain all they want, but two things are true here: The Dodgers weren’t even the top-spending team in 2025, and I’d be shocked if other teams couldn’t actually spend a little more to build their teams up and get more competitive. Since the Guggenheim
Group took over, they’ve barely balked at a high price tag for the right player, and it’s created an exciting team to watch. It’s fun to be a fan when your team is this dedicated to high performance.
2. A clubhouse with funhouse vibes…
And speaking of fun-to-watch: No other team has Miguel Rojas’ sunflower seed celebration, Kiké Hernández’s interviews, and Freddie Freeman’s dance moves. There’s something about rooting for a team made up of guys who remind us that they’re silly humans like the rest of us—just with superhuman talent. Getting along is also great for morale, and it’s a lot easier to get the job done when you actually like your coworkers.
3. …and no ego in sight.
The Dodgers protect their clubhouse culture by evaluating how players will fit in both on and off the field, and it shows. They have some of the biggest talent in the majors, and yet, there are no divas here. If anything, players seem to feed off of each others’ success, as Freddie Freeman noted when praising the starting rotation during the playoffs this year.
4. A standout stadium
Call me old-fashioned, but I adore Dodger Stadium. It’s one of the oldest ballparks in the majors, and ownership has managed to update the facility without sacrificing its characteristic 1960s charm instead of tearing the place down in favor of a modern “marvel.” Places like Nationals Park and Angel Stadium are pleasant and without many distractions, but unremarkable overall. And yes, Oracle Park is quite nice—I’m a sucker for a waterfront, and the kayakers in the bay are iconic. But of all the places I can enjoy a baseball game, Dodger Stadium’s little time machine of a park is where I enjoy them the most. (Honorable mention to Fenway Park, my stubborn home away from home that has probably not updated anything in this century of half of the last one, either. Thank you for being you.)
5. A creative crew
When something isn’t working, Dodgers players and staff aren’t afraid to innovate. Unusual exercises to maintain mobility? Yoshinobu Yamamoto says yes—and other players are taking notes. Renaming part of your body “the bowl” to trigger a pitching breakthrough? It worked for Clayton Kershaw. Time and time again, we’ve heard of the ways people across the Dodgers organization are using new techniques, both physical and mental, to continue the team’s tradition of excellence. Even decisions to move players around—Betts at shortstop, Roki Sasaki as a closer—have paid off in big ways, and I’m not sure how many other teams would have taken those risks.
No thank you to…
One of the comedy troupes at my college included a section for “thank you”s and “no thank you”s in the program for every performance, a tradition that I always loved. So, in no particular order, no thank you to:
- The yearly stress that the parade of pitching injuries brings…
- …and this year’s bullpen woes. That was rough.
- That one stretch of the season every year where the team seems to forget how to play baseball
- Dodger Stadium parking costs
- And while we’re at it, whoever decided to get rid of Farmer John hot dogs and the chocolate malts. I understand these were probably necessary financial decisions, but still. Boo.
That’s my Thanksgiving list this year. Feel free to share your own thank-you and no-thank-you lists, and enjoy the holiday if you’re celebrating. May your day be full of good food and good rest.
