Check your attitude

The Angels had a bad week; boy did they have a bad week. They had losses that were humiliating, frustrating and even downright embarrassing. I think that about covers it right?

Now, you’re probably thinking I’m about to rant like there is no tomorrow and really let off some steam. Well if you predicted such behavior, you’d be wrong, my friend.

Now, I do enjoy a good rant every now and then and I’ve been working on a Jeff Mathis rant that will make your ears turn red, but I’m not going down that road today. I know most Angel fans are beside themselves right now and some of them are downright angry or worse, they’re ready to throw in the towel.

Not me. After all; I kind of like going against the grain every now and then anyway.

When the Angels return to the stadium tonight, I’m going to be there with a smile on my face and a positive attitude in my head. I know this is a cliché, but I’m going to say it anyway: the baseball season is a marathon.

Ever run a marathon?

I haven’t, but I know someone who has. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you might recall an interview I did with Ryan Cavinder, who is a Media Relations Representative with the Angels. In addition to his busy life with the Angels, he also happens to be an accomplished marathoner. Last weekend, he ran back to back marathons. Yes, he ran a marathon on Saturday and turned around and ran another one on Sunday.

So, what does that have to do with anything?

If you read Ryan’s blog (Escape the Ordinary) you will get a sense of some of the trials and tribulations he goes through when he’s running. I believe the stuff he goes through is almost necessary in order for him to feel the joy and sense of accomplishment he also receives when running. I imagine that if running long distances were easy, he wouldn’t find it as appealing.

Running a marathon rarely goes without some adversity along the way and if marathoners stopped running any time something didn’t go as they hoped or planned, they’d probably never finish. The important thing is to keep pushing forward.

It’s all about the journey and every journey is that much more interesting when “stuff happens.”

So, the Angels had a bad week. It was a week I’d just assume forget. It was horrendous by every stretch of the imagination and yet, I’m not worried. Sure, I may be a little annoyed, but my goal is to not let it show when they are back home this weekend.

My plan is to give the Angels my full support and to be there to cheer them on to victory. I know that sounds a little corny, but I also know that when I have a bad day or a bad week, the last thing I want to hear is more negativity. It doesn’t matter if the team deserves my positive energy or not.

I want this team to win and I want this journey through 2011 to be both interesting and fun. I’m willing to accept the good with the bad for the chance to experience the ride that is a season of baseball.

We’ve got a long road ahead of us. How will you attack the days and months ahead? I plan to attack them with a smile on my face; after all, I’ll be watching baseball and given everything else that is going on in the world today; I really can’t complain too much because my team hit a little bump or two in the road.

When you think about it - if you're going to show up at the stadium, you might as well expect the best. There's nothing worse than being around a bunch of people who act like Eeyore. Let's have some fun and let's get back to the business of doing our small part in helping this team win.

Let’s do this. Go Halos!

Programming note: Earlier in the week, Cheryl and I were invited to an Inland Empire 66ers game. I hope to have a post up about that great experience soon... so please stay tuned.