They were the words heard around Los Angeles: “Frank McCourt is going to sell the Dodgers.” Suddenly it feels like our luck might change; the Dodgers will be free of the imbecile’s control, and we can get back to playing ball and winning games.

Teams taunt one another during games, often through controversial extracurricular activities that result in more resentment between the teams and an act of retaliation that the governing body of the sport must address.

It was opening night at the Epicenter in Rancho Cucamonga as the Quakes played their first official home game as new minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and edged out a 5-3 win against the Lancaster Jethawks in front of 3,824 fans April 14.

In sports there are fans who the teams rely on to show support by attending games, buying merchandise and even trash-talking with the fans of rival teams. Sometimes the trash-talking can escalate to violence, like the incident that happened after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Opening Day victory against their rival the San Francisco Giants.

Before the blooming flowers of spring come the scents of fresh leather and pine tar as Major League baseball returns Thursday.