Checking in

The 2011 baseball season is 41 days old today and when the day is done, I will have seen 20 games (in person), including trips to Kansas City and Arlington. Cheryl has been with me for all but one of those games. We’ve already seen more games than most sane people do in a year.

I recognize that we may be a little crazy. Then again fan is short for “fanatical” and if we are anything, we are just that – fanatical.

Next week, while the Angels are away Cheryl and I will make our first ever trip to see the Inland Empire 66ers as guests of the team for a special “Bloggers night.” If you’ve never been to a minor league baseball game, you should give it a try; it’s very fan and family friendly and a ton of fun.

So, here we are on May 10, the Angels are in first place and it’s time to check in. I know I’ve written several posts, but today is all about really checking in, taking stock, reflecting and just chatting in general.

We’ve seen a lot of stuff and taken a lot of mental notes along the way. First of all, it’s absolutely awesome to see the Angels a top of the Western Division. Even though it’s early, it’s still nice just the same.

I’ve noticed quite a few things in my first 41 days of the season; including things I didn’t expect to see and things I’ve never seen before.

So far… we’ve seen Peter Bourjos hit two stand-up triples in a single game. We saw Dan Haren throw a one-hitter and Alexi Amarista and Tyler Chatwood make their major league debuts. We’ve seen more of Hank Conger than we ever thought we would (and that’s a good thing) and we’ve seen Mark Trumbo make an early case for Rookie of the Year honors. We’ve seen Jered Weaver take the next step in what is shaping up to be a tremendous career and Mike Scioscia even managed a milestone of his own with his 1,000 win as a manager (although we missed that).

We thought we’d have seen Kendrys Morales on the field by now and now we have no idea when we will have that pleasure. We didn’t expect to see Vernon Wells hit below .200 and now he’s hit the disabled list. We’ve seen more than enough of Scott Kazmir, but he’s sure to show up again at some point in time.

Along the way, we’ve celebrated our birthdays at the stadium (the Angels lost both games), eaten a few hotdogs, met Angels alums Eli Grba, Albie Pearson, Bob Lee, Roger Repoz, Moose Stubing and Scott Lewis for the first time and got reacquainted with Mark Langston, Troy Percival, Rod Carew Chuck, Finley, Bob Boone, Rex Hudler, Tim Salmon and Shigetoshi Hasegawa as well.

Sadly, we’ve lost a few 514 Fanatics this year – as some of them did not renew their tickets for one reason or another. Our section has been a little less festive and even those that returned haven’t been around as much as in years past. We seemed to be a little more spread out; however, it hasn't stopped us from making the best of the times at the ball park.

Cheryl has been busy baking and bringing cupcakes and other goodies to share with our neighbors in the stands. Other fanatics have brought goodies of their own from time to time and even though are numbers have dwindled, we are never lacking for food and fellowship in 514.

Baseball games at Angels' stadium are much more than just baseball games for us. We get to spend time with friends, family, etc. Over the years we’ve seen fanatics get married, have children, celebrate milestones, birthdays and even pass away. The experiences are not limited to what happens on the field for us and quite frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We never know what's going to happen at a game; be it on the field or off. Last night we learned that fellow fanatics Jeff and Lena are expecting their second child. Looks like their son Elijah is going to have a sibling in October. I guess there's more than one way to recruit new fanatics!

Opening Night in Anaheim

Cheryl and I love opening day and this year we were very blessed to be at two of them; first in Kansas City and then again last night in Anaheim. There’s something special; even magical about one of the best days of the year.

We started our day early with a trip to the stadium mid-day to check out the new merchandise in the team store and then stopped by to say hello to Steve Mason of ESPN 710 who was about to start a live remote from under the hats and then to AM 830’s Roger Lodge, who was doing a marathon session from 7:00 a.m. until the pregame show at 5:00 p.m. Kudos to AM 830; this is the kind of stuff that builds tradition.

After a quick trip home, Cheryl and I returned to the stadium; ready for a night of good old fashioned Angels baseball. We were greeted by the Budweiser Clydesdales and a sea of fans dressed in red.

Last night marked the beginning of the Angels 50th Anniversary Celebration and what better way to start off the festivities than to have Eli Grba, the first Angel to ever throw a real pitch, throw out the ceremonial first pitch of the opener? Grba, who is now 76, threw the first pitch to Arte Moreno.

It was a tad bit chilly (game time temperature was 54 degrees), but no where near as cold as Kansas City was on March 31. Opening night came complete with player introductions, the traditional display of the flag covering the field, a fly over and more.

I was standing close to the field snapping pictures when I sighted Hank Conger warming up in left field. I will admit, my eyes grew wide and my heart raced just a bit knowing the young man was getting an opening day start. What a thrill it must have been for him and his family.

One of my favorite moments at every game is when the pitcher and catcher emerge from the bullpen and take their slow walk to the dugout before the game. It’s sort of symbolic in some ways as two warriors prepare for battle. Santana looked like he was ready for business as usual, while Conger appeared to be soaking in the moment.

The game began and our 50th Anniversary Season was under way (again). Eli Grba even took some time during the game to sign autographs for a hundred or so lucky fans. Cheryl and I talked a bit with Tim Mead and complimented him on the night’s activities. We met some Angel fans in line including a couple of kids who were attending their first Angel games ever with their dad. How cool is that?

“Torii Town” made its debut in right field. Gotta love it when fans do something creative like that and I can’t think of a better player to celebrate than Hunter.

The game was pretty uneventful and unfortunately the Angels did not prevail. 514 Fanatics John and Linda, John and Ann, Bo and Mary, Dave and Kim, Steve and June, Dori and Vic along with our friends Jim and Paula were out to support the Halos.

The night went quickly (two hours and thirty five minutes) and the first of 81 home games was in the books.

Player highlights included two hits from both Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick (who is now hitting .429). We even had a tub of goo (Juan Rivera) sighting; he even managed a couple hits (go figure).

And so it begins…

Below are a few more photos from opening night including Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos; Vernon Wells; player introductions, and Kendrys Morales.

Baseball is finally here and we are looking forward to the 50th Anniversary Celebration and a return to post season baseball. Yes, post-season baseball. Look out Texas!