Clashes over separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh continue

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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; There are so many reasons to dislike the Los Angeles Dodgers, but for me, there is one big reason &mdash; 1963.
				That year, the Dodgers swept my New York Yankees four games to zero, with Sandy Koufax out-dueling Whitey Ford in two of those games.
				It was awful for Yankee fans to watch.
				Just three years earlier, Bill &ldquo;bleeping&rdquo; Mazeroski ended the 1960 World Series with a walk-off homer over the left field wall at Forbes Field to give the Pirates the World Championship over the Yanks.
				Then in 1961 and 1962, the Yankees ruled, defeating the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants, before being overwhelmed by the Dodgers in 1963.
				Great pitching sure did stop great hitting that year. And the Dodgers had a bunch of singles hitters that manufactured just enough runs to win games. With that pitching staff, all they needed was a run or two.
				So yes, I am rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays to win the 2020 World Series, which was tied up at two games apiece heading into Sunday night&rsquo;s Game 5.
				I&rsquo;m not the only person who dislikes the Dodgers. Many Dodger fans never got over the move to Los Angeles. Many of them became New York Mets fans when the franchise was formed in the early 1960s.
				One of those Mets fans was my former colleague, the late Mike McGlynn. McGlynn was a brilliant guy and writer. He could spin a column that would make you laugh, get angry, laugh again, and then be glad you read it &mdash; every single time.
				For years, McGlynn would send letters to Dodger Manager Tommy Lasorda, who recently turned 93. McGlynn would take exception to Lasorda&rsquo;s managerial mishaps, shall we say, especially wh one of those affected the Mets chances in the National League East.
				This went on for years &mdash; McGlynn would send the letter, and Lasorda never responded. Heck, we never know if Lasorda even received the letters, let alone read them.
				Until this one glorious day. As I entered our newsroom, McGlynn was on the phone, holding the handset away from his ear. McGlynn was smiling &mdash; laughing actually &mdash; basking in the glory of whomever was saying whatever on the other end of the call.
				McGlynn let me know that, in fact, the caller was Tommy Lasorda &mdash; yes, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. McGlynn motioned for me to listen in on the line.
				What I head was unmistakably Lasorda and let me borrow a line from Seinfeld&rsquo;s Cosmo Kramer &mdash; the expletives were flying.
				As Lasorda bombarded McGlynn with profanity and promises of seeking him out when the Dodgers came to Philadelphia, McGlynn couldn&rsquo;t be happier.
				When it was over, McGlynn sat back and wallowed in the glory of what had just happened. His letters were received and Lasorda read them and, most importantly, they got deep under Lasorda&rsquo;s skin.
				McGlynn&rsquo;s mission had been accomplished. He had won.
				So now you will understand why I say this:
				Go Rays.

Beyond the Byline: So many reasons to say ‘Go Rays’