Yeah, we'll be there

For the 17^th time this season, Cheryl and I will walk into Angel Stadium to watch a game tonight and even though the Angels have struggled mightily this year, I’m excited.  I hope I never lose that feeling. 

There are people who have never had the privilege or opportunity to go to a game and I don’t ever want to take it for granted that I can basically go whenever I want and to make things even better, I get to go with my wife.  I’m blessed for sure.

Some nights are thick with anticipation; like the night Mike Trout made his major league debut.  Some nights, you go and before you know it Jered Weaver is throwing a no-hitter.  That’s the thing; you just never know what’s going to happen.  Chances are nothing spectacular will occur and yet, every game there’s the hope that you will get to watch something special; maybe even something that’s never been seen before.

For me, there’s nothing like being at the ball park. I like seeing the whole field and not just the way television presents it from behind the pitcher, looking in at the batter.  I want to see where the infielders and outfielders are positioned and I want to watch them react to every pitch.  I like being able to look into the bullpen to see whose warming up and taking a glance at the out of town scoreboard to see who’s winning and losing.

I like talking baseball with some of my friends in the stands.  Sometimes we sit around and make up names for the players like Jeff “English isn’t my favorite subject, but Math-is.”  Sometimes we speculate about trades or question a move Mike Scioscia makes or predict what Howie Kendrick is going to do with the bases loaded.  We laugh, we high-five, and we cheer.  Every now and then, we whine, and moan and scream out in agony.  On a good night, we walk away satisfied with a win and we look forward to the next game.

We talk about ex-Angels who are doing poorly and lament about those that are doing well.  We notice the loud mouths cheering for the other team and hope that in the end, the scoreboard shuts them up once and for all. 

Some nights the game is in the background.  On those occasions, it’s usually because we are celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.  Some games the mood is somber because we are mourning the loss of a loved one or even a friend from our section.  

Since we’ve been season ticket holders, we’ve had a lifetime of baseball experiences.  We’ve celebrated division titles, mourned the death of Nick Adenhart and embraced the wonderful smile of Torii Hunter.

We felt the joy of acquiring impact players at the trade deadline and the sadness of watching one of our favorites traded away. 

Being die-hard fans requires a huge investment of time, resources and even emotions.  We experience joy, sorrow, elation and even pain.  When we became invested fans and started coming to games regularly we had no idea it would be like this.  Now, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to not have baseball games to go to and enjoy.

We’re going to a game tonight.  It could be great.  Maybe you should be there too.