As I write this on March 26, 2026, it is Major League Baseball Opening Day.

This is a great day for me because, as you may know, my view of life comes from Tom Boswell’s wonderful book “Why Time Begins on Opening Day.”

Mr. Boswell’s explanation of why time begins on Opening Day, written more than 40 years ago is still true today:

“Born to an era when horror has become commonplace, where tragedy has, by its repetition, become a parody of sorrow, we need to fence off a few parks where humans try to be fair, where skill has some hope of reward, where absurdity has a harder time than usual getting a ticket.”

Now that we have explained the importance of baseball, we must turn to the most important embodiment, the 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers.

Today, the Dodgers are Asia’s team. We know that because from this day forth, the Dodgers will be playing, not at Chavez Ravine, but at “Uniqlo (a Japanese retail behemoth) Field at Dodger Stadium.” When we watch a Dodgers game from a stadium in the midwest such as Kansas City, ads from Asian companies are prominently displayed. The television audience for Dodger games is much larger in Japan than in southern California.

And I am part of that television audience. This means that for the next six months or so, I will have something important to do – watch Dodger games and live and die with them.

It is important to note that attendance at a ball game at Dodger Stadium is not difficult. First, the tickets are very expensive. The parking costs approximately $100 for a spot in a “general” lot in which it is very difficult to find your car after dark. And due to traffic the Stadium is difficult to get into. I remember it as much more affordable and accessible when my son Nick was growing up. We could leave our home on Alta Drive and within 30 minutes be in our Box seats that cost $12 for the National Anthem. Now, it takes two hours so television is the way to go.

OK, enough of nostalgia and demographics, let’s look at the 2026 Dodgers as they try to become only the third franchise to win back to back to back World Series titles, a three-peat.

What are the chances? Well, the Dodgers are the favorites to win it all. But that means that the Dodgers have, according to the oracles at Las Vegas, a 27% chance. Of course, that means that there is a 73% chance that they won’t.

Without doubt, the Dodgers have the best 26 player roster in MLB. However, while I am hopeful that they can achieve the Three-peat, my confidence level is low.

In 2025, they had the best roster but it took a lot of luck to win it and the all-time classic Game 7 of the World Series could easily have turned out differently. The Dodgers in 2026 should be improved. particularly in the outfield (Kyle Tucker is a big upgrade) and bullpen with closer Edwin Diaz.

However, the Dodgers are an “old” team, and their core star players are old. Freddy Freeman is 36, Max Muncy is 35, Mookie Betts is 33, World Series star Miguel Rojas is 37, Teo Hernandez is 33, Kike Hernandez is 34, Blake Snell is 33; Tyler Glasnow is 32; Blake Trienen is 37; even all-time great Shohei Ohtani is 31.

Age is a problem for two reasons. First, skill levels start to deteriorate around age 30 so, on average, we cannot expect older players to perform as well as they did in earlier years. Second, older players are much more injury prone than in their earlier years.

The Dodgers have made the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons and are highly likely to make the playoffs in 2026, This will tie the record of the Atlanta Braves who were in the playoffs for 14 consecutive seasons. But, I predict (even though I should have gotten out of the prediction business long ago) that they will not three-peat. I hope I am wrong.

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I have recently expressed the view that our City government should manage projects better and demand accountability.

I should refine that advice: the City should manage projects better with the interests of the City at top of mind. Even projects that are favored by some or all of the members of the City Council must be stewarded by a person or person who is looking out for the City’s interests not just Council Members’ proclivities.

The proposed October 7 memorial is an excellent example of what not to do.

This project has been a pet project of our outgoing Mayor and one other Council Member. But no one seems to be in charge other than the “October 7th Permanent Memorial Committee” composed entirely of those two Council Members and other strong proponents of the project.

About a year ago, a Request for Proposals was transmitted to a number of artists requesting that they propose a suitable memorial that would cost no more than $500,000.

Out of more than 20 proposals the Council, at the recommendation of the Committee, selected something called “Forty Steps to the Sky.” The artist “guessed” that construction would cost $1.5 million. We were told that a proposal costing three times the RFP stricture was selected because it was so much better than anything else proposed.

But “Forty Steps to the Sky” is no more. It turns out that an estimate was sought from an “independent” consultant who concluded that currently it would cost as much as $8,700,000 to construct that design.

And fundraising has gone slowly. Cash contributions to date have totaled around $65,000 which is approximately the same amount that the City has paid in furtherance of the now abandoned “Forty Steps” design out of the City’s $500,000 commitment. Apparently the City has also incurred further expenses on that design that have not yet been paid.

A realistic budget at the outset could have prevented those expenditures.

On Tuesday March 24, the City Council “pivoted” to a new design, called “Shared Light Between Us”.

The current cost estimate is approximately $2,200,000. There is no reason to believe that estimate is any better than the others. Actually, as the design is still in flux, it is probably even less reliable.

Importantly, at the study session, the Council not only continued to express support for the concept of the memorial but also expressed three important conditions:

First, Construction of the “Shared Light Between Us” design must be demonstrably feasible;

Second, that construction not be done in phases lest we be left with an incomplete memorial; and

Third, that construction not be commenced unless and until the City has cash in hand for the full actual cost of the entire project based on a firm complete price; pledges, whether unconditional or subject to milestones or conditions, no matter who the potential donors might be, do not count toward satisfying this condition.

I recommend that:

The Council not abandon or compromise these conditions; and identify one person (not counting incoming City Manager Ryan Gohlich who is of course responsible for many things including this) who will oversee the process.

That person must be accountable to protect the City’s interests particularly against cost overruns or unanticipated liabilities.

If such a watchdog is not appointed and the City is saddled with large costs in excess of the remaining $400,000 of the City’s commitment, I don’t want to have to say: “I told you so.”

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From the campaign trail, Rebecca Pynoos and Lester Friedman have been recommended for endorsement by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Apparently, any connection with Raging Russell, the bully of the Board of Education, was the kiss of death for any other candidate who sought the endorsement.