Yes, we stayed

Every time we go to a baseball game, we know that just about anything can happen.  One thing that’s pretty predictable about an Angel game is that we are usually the last game to end on any given night. It’s uncanny the way that happens, but with the out-of-town scoreboard right in front of us, I track this phenomena on most nights.

Saturday was no exception and history was even made.

Not the kind of history that you might want to participate in, but history never-the-less.  The Angels played and won (thankfully) their longest home game in actual time played in the history of the organization. 

The game last six hours and 31 minutes.  Paid attendance for the night was 41, 159.  By game’s end?  Your guess is as good as mine, but a fair amount actually stayed.  I mean, it was Saturday night….

Over the course of 19 innings 558 pitches were thrown by 18 pitches (9 for each team); 347 of them for strikes.  Of the 347 each team looked at 54 strikes each (108 total) without swinging.  I find it curious that batters looked at strikes 31% of the time they were thrown.  There were 32 strike outs, and 11 walks.  Nothing spectacular for sure.

Highlights of the evening?  Well, there is the walk-off homerun by Albert Pujols.  I believe his first as an Angel.  I was beginning to think I’d never see one of those from him.

The nice thing about the six+ hours was that we got to spend it with some former season ticket holders (John and Linda and John and Ann) who bought some tickets from us.  As the game went on (and on), I joked that the Angels were making innings up to them for all the games they missed this year.  As we passed the 18 inning mark Linda’s husband – John remarked…. “We’re going to owe James for an extra game."

It was long. It was exhausting, but it was fun.  That being said, I hope I don’t ever do it again.  Talk about the dog days of summer...

I’ve never been to a doubleheader; although, Cheryl and I have been to two games in one day.  It was May 27, 2006.  Cheryl and I had gone to Petco Park to see the Padres and Cardinals.  We made the trip specifically to see David Eckstein. When that game ended – we rushed back to Anaheim to see Jered Weaver make his major league debut. 

That was a long day, but Saturday night was much longer.  Those two games in 2006 combined for five hours and 19 minutes more than an hour and 12 minutes less than the 19 inning marathon Saturday night.

Fun facts about the date in 2006 compared to Saturday night…

Albert’s homerun was the 514^th of this career.  We happened to be sitting in section 514.  

There are three players that we saw on that day in 2006 and also happened to be a part of Saturday night… Albert Pujols (playing in SD for the Cardinals) and in the Angel game there was Erik Aybar who came in late in the game for Orlando Cabrera and Mike Napoli who was catching for the Angels.

Dale Scott (umpire) also happened to be part of the crew in Anaheim in 2006 and again Saturday night.

It’s funny how a 19 game inning game unfolds.  As the game goes longer and longer, you really feel anxious about the outcome.  When you spend that much time invested in an even – your team had better win.  I still have horrible memories of a Sunday afternoon game at Angels Stadium with the Cubs.

The Angels lost that game 6-5 in 15 innings; a 5 hour and 8 minute affair in the heat of the day back on June 13, 2004.  It was agonizing and made all the worse by the loss.

Over the course of 19 innings, you might run out of food and drink.  You fear leaving your seat for the restroom because you might miss something that could end the game.  Which probably isn’t an issue if you have run out of food and drink…

You hear the crowd boo when the Angels announce that due to city ordinances and out of “courtesy” to their neighbors, there will be no post game fireworks.  At which point you hope for in-game fireworks from your own team.

You get to sing “Take me out to the ball game” again in the 14^th inning, but thankfully - you don’t hear “Buttercup” again.

You wonder who’s going to pitch if either team runs out of pitchers and then you realize that every position player (at least for the Angels) has already been in the game.  You look down into the broadcast booth and jokingly ask out loud if Mark Gubicza or Mark Langston is going to get the call next.

You start to worry about the drive home because bad things usually happen in the wee hours of Sunday mornings after Saturday night festivities and that’s no joke.

You start to wonder if you’ll make it for the 12:35 p.m. game that starts about 12 hours after the game you’re watching ends (yes, we made it back) and question the sanity of even considering such a thing.

You wonder if it’s too late to text your wife’s cousin who is a Red Sox fan and lives in New Jersey who was unable to watch the game on television and would surely appreciate an update (no, I didn’t text cousin Larry).

You notice that many of the ushers have gone home and guess the Angels just didn’t want to pay them overtime.

As you leave the stadium – the ushers say “good morning” instead of good-night.  Yup, everyone has a sense of humor when it’s late... I mean early.

You embrace the quietness of the crowd leaving the stadium; knowing full well that if the Red Sox had won, you’d be hearing them singing (badly) “Sweet Caroline” as they stumbled to their cars.

You notice that the moon is about to be full and you say to yourself… “It all makes sense now” – strange things happen when the moon is full.

You hear Terry Smith tell us via the radio that there’s no post game Angel talk for the ride home. Which means no one is phoning in calling for Scioscia’s head for at least one night and that’s a good thing because again – the moon is full and that brings out the crazies.

Opening Day Thoughts

There were times this past off season when I thought the 2013 baseball season would never get here.  Checking baseball sites like mlbtraderumors.com every few minutes can be taxing and hunting for nuggets of baseball news can be exhausting.  I get to a certain point when the only thing that can pull me out of the dull drums of winter is real, live baseball.  That’s usually where Spring Training comes in; however, Cheryl and I didn’t get the chance to do that this year.

We managed to fit a little bit of baseball in by going to see the Nebraska Cornhuskers (coached by ex-Angel Darin Erstad) play the U.C. Irvine Anteaters and while that was fun; it made me miss baseball even more.

I got to a point where I didn’t want to read about baseball any more.  I can only read so much about how great the Dodgers are supposedly going to be and how Oakland is the favorite in the AL West.  Not that I care because I usually feel better when the experts don’t pick the Angels.  It’s just that I get annoyed with the hype.

I didn’t really even want to talk about baseball much and I didn’t even want to blog about it.  I just needed the season to start.  I’m sure a lot of you felt the same way.  There’s just no substitute for the game itself.  It's like being in a long car ride as a kid and constantly asking "Are we there yet?" 

Well, we're there!

So… we got a taste Sunday night when ESPN had the Rangers at the Astros.  I didn’t get to watch the whole game, but knowing baseball was being played was almost enough for me… almost.  The icing on the cake was in the Astros beating the Rangers, that’s for sure.

Opening Day is special, but it’s a lot more special when you can actually be at the stadium.  In a perfect world – Cheryl and I would have been in Cincinnati for the opener, but that wasn’t going to be the case.  Instead – I had to arrange my schedule to be near a TV around 1 p.m. to see a little bit of baseball and then continue to follow the game on the radio while in my office.

Opening Day should be a National Holiday.  I mean, c’mon – it would make our lives much easier if that were the case.

I’m usually pretty good at listening to a game and working at the same time – but when it comes to Opening Day – that’s a task that’s much harder than I’d like it to be.  The Angels didn’t help the situation any by playing a nail-biter.  I’m telling you, 161 more like yesterday’s game and I’ll be a basket case if I live that long.

A lot of things go through my mind during a game like yesterday’s 13 inning marathon.  At some point I started to wonder what kind of negative impact losing an extra-inning game would have on the rest of the season.  I know, I know – but I’m only human.

I tried to not second guess Mike Scioscia and the moves he made.   Okay, maybe I let myself indulge a little bit here and there – but it didn’t matter because everything worked out in the long run.

As the game wore on, I kept thinking about how happy Dodger fans must be after their big win over the Giants and how I would hate that if the Angels were to lose.  I’m perfectly fine with Dodger wins so long as I get to enjoy an Angel win at the same time.  Yeah, it’s silly – but there’s nothing worse than a gloating Dodger fan.  Just saying.

Yesterday’s game provided me with some valuable take-aways.  The bull-pen might just be good enough.  Yeah, it’s just one game – but it’s certainly nice to see them get off to a good start.  It’s also nice to know that Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton or Mark Trumbo don’t have to be heroes every game in order for the Angels to win.  It was nice to see Chris Iannetta come up big and comforting to know there are other guys on the team who can carry the load now and then.

It was great to hear Mark Langston paired up with Terry Smith.  I look forward to hearing the two of them on a regular basis.

And then there’s Jered Weaver.  Kudos to the LA Times’ Bill Shaikin for his piece on Jered’s opener.

Shaikin rightfully acknowledges how good Weaver is even when he doesn’t light up the radar gun.  Watching Weaver pitch is a thing of beauty.  He’s becoming more like Greg Maddux every day and that’s definitely a good thing.

Game one is in the books and I’m looking forward to a lot more “good things” in the games to come.  You know me, I always talk about enjoying the journey of the baseball season and thankfully; we all get to saddle up for another adventure.

Baseball is back, baby.  Go Angels.  Make me proud.

No-no? Yes!

The “thought” entered my mind in the third inning. I know it was early, but when I looked up and saw the zeros, I thought about the possibility that Jered Weaver could throw a no-hitter.

When the fifth inning rolled around, the game didn’t feel like a typical game and I began to hope.

After six innings, people in my section began to talk in code, not wanting to say the words “no hitter” – but it was clear what was on their minds. I began to contact friends via my cell phone to make sure they were watching Jered throwing a “gem.”  I don't really believe in jinxes and such, but when it comes to baseball, I play along just for the fun and tradition of it.

I began to think about how blessed Cheryl and I were to be in the stadium.

Bo, who is a die-hard Angels fan who goes way back and sits to my left one row in front of me – turned and looked at me. We didn’t say a word to one another, but we were sharing the same thought. I thought about fellow 514 Fanatics John and Linda, who sit to Bo’s left, who don’t miss a lot of games – but took last night off to celebrate their anniversary. I thought about Ann and John, who usually accommodate them to every game.

I thought about my dad and how I wished he was still alive because I wanted to call him.

I thought about a post I had written last year about Jered Weaver that I titled “You should have been there.” It was something I had written after Jered had recorded his sixth win of the season to put him at 6-0. I had written it because a mere 37,115 fans showed up that night.

Whenever Jered takes the mound – it should be must-see theatre. He’s that special and I’ve been thinking and saying that ever since he began his career with the Angels. The 27,288 fans who were lucky enough to be at Angels Stadium last night know what I’m talking about.

I still don’t understand why the stadium isn’t packed every single time Jered takes the mound. I’m not begrudging people who can’t go for whatever reason; but for those who could and choose not to, I don’t get it.

The game rolled on and Weaver continued to make magic.

I watched. I listened to Terry Smith and Mark Langston call the game beautifully on the radio. I focused. I prayed. I kept an eye on his pitch count and I shot glances at the bullpen even though I knew I wouldn’t see anyone warming up.

I was soaking it all in. Sometimes when I’m at a game, it’s all a blur. There are conversations and distractions and things that happen around me that make me miss a play or two and when the night is over, I sometimes feel like I wasn’t even there.

That wasn’t the case last night. Jered was in the zone and so was this fan.

Cheryl was wearing her “We BeWeave” shirt. I had on my 2011 Weaver all-star shirt and a Dirtbag hat. We always wear something with Weaver’s name on it when he takes the mound. It’s our tradition.

When the 8th inning rolled around I was as nervous. Could it be? Is this really happening? I had to make sure some of my buddies were watching and sent them messages again to make sure.

With every inning, the crowd got a little louder and a buzz was definitely in the air.

By the time the 9th inning came along, the crowd was ready to celebrate. Everyone wanted to see it happen. Fans stood on their feet. Fists were clinched and the air was thick with anticipation. Yes, this was really happening. It could happen. Oh yes… please, let it happen.

The crowd reacted to every pitch; cheering loudly when Jered threw a strike and booing when the umpire Mark Carlson called ball on any pitch fans were certain was a strike.

Then it happened. Jered threw his 121st pitch of the night to Alexi Casilla, who hit a line drive to right field. Torii Hunter began to run back towards the wall. I held my breath. A moment of doubt entered, but it didn’t last. After all, that was Torii Hunter running that ball down. When Hunter reached up and hauled the ball in, the stadium went nuts. I went nuts. Cheryl was snapping photos left and right – we both let out a scream. It was madness. It was pandemonium. It was awesome.

That’s what pure unbridled joy feels like. It was fun. It was magical. It was baseball.

Angel Nation’s favorite son had cemented himself in the history books and enhanced his legacy and legend as a player.

The overwhelming consensus among fans everywhere was that it couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. It was cool on so many levels. It was heart-warming to see him embrace his wife and his mom and dad. His dad never misses a home game and the whole family was treated to something that most can only dream about.

How fitting was it that Torii Hunter hauled in the last out? How wonderful that it happened in Anaheim before fans who adore Jered?

Oh boy that was fun.

Cheryl and I go to a lot of games. Yes, we’re fanatical about the Angels. We know that every time we go to the stadium the impossible is possible. Magic can happen on any given night and that’s exactly what happened last night.

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!

The 50 Greatest Angels (21-30)

We are now at the point in the Orange County Register’s (OCR) 50 greatest Angels where there shouldn’t be any real surprises. Then again, when you ask any group of people to come up with a list, there are always bound to be a few.

Today’s list reveals the following: Adam Kennedy (30), David Eckstein (29), Mark Langston (28), Chone Figgins (27), Jim Edmonds (26), Arte Moreno (25), Doug Decinces (24), Reggie Jackson (23), Chili Davis (22), and Dean Chance (21).

How appropriate is it for Kennedy and Eckstein to be next to one another? I mean, they were the 6-4 combo during the Angels greatest season ever and when you think of one, you should think of the other. They ended up higher on the list than I thought, but they’re deserving never-the-less.

Before we talk about the other players on the list, I have to ask – what was the OCR’s Mark Whicker thinking? Six of the ten players on today’s list didn’t make his at all. He did not vote for Chili Davis, Doug Decinces, Arte Moreno (neither did I), Jim Edmonds, Mark Langston, or Adam Kennedy. Other than Moreno – how in the world could he be so wrong? This is the kind of stuff I’d expect from Jeff Miller. Just saying.

So… Arte Moreno sure got a lot of love today. Four panelists had him in their top ten. Wow. Seeing how the rest of the panel thought of him definitely gave me reason to pause and wonder if I should have voted for him. I definitely considered it, but at the end of the day, I chose to only vote for one owner and he has yet to appear on this list.

As I look over the list, I have to say I have one major beef. I can’t believe Chili Davis is ranked this low. I voted for him as the 11th greatest Angel of all time. Davis ranks 6th among all Angels in homeruns (156), 5th in RBI (618), 9th in hits (973), and 8th in total bases (1,620). Quite frankly, Davis was a stud.

Another interesting player to look at on this list is Jim Edmonds. Now, I’ve heard some baseball people make a case that he’s actually a viable Hall of Fame candidate. OCR’s Sam Miller thought enough of him to rank him 12th on his list. He’s right about where I thought he should be at 26 (I had him at 25).

Kudos to Keith Sharon, Chuck Richter (AngelsWin), Mat Gleason (Halos Heaven), and Sam Miller for agreeing with me that Doug Decinces belongs in the top 20. The rest of the panelists should be put on some sort of double secret probation for not agreeing with us.

So far seven of the OCR’s top 50 weren’t on my list at all. I’m feeling pretty good about my top 20. I’ll be surprised if they’re not all on the list (two of them have already made the list – Davis and Decinces).

And… If I’m doing my math correctly, I still have 18 of my top 20 Angels who have yet to make the list and that means there are two more on my list that could make the top 20. I’m guessing one of them will be Frankie (I ranked him 35th) and the other… well; let’s just say that I ranked him “appropriately” at #26.

Two guys in my top 50 who looks like they’ll be left out include Ervin Santana (ranked him 48th) and Devon White (ranked him 43rd).

It doesn't look like Ervin Santana (ranked him 48th) or Devon White (ranked him 43rd) will make the list.

Until tomorrow…

FanFest was a Fan Feast

The All-Star Game and all the festivities associated with it have ended, but the memories and experiences will linger on for years and years. It all started on Friday – July 9, 2010 with FanFest. The event was a “fan feast” as we were able to partake in a smorgasbord of baseball related activities unlike any other.

Cheryl and I showed up early Friday and as we were walking in we ran into fellow 514 Fanatics Bob and Stephen. We had planned to meet up with the two, but it was a total coincidence that we would run into one another so early. The same thing happened a couple years ago when we were meeting up for a Spring Training Game in Surprise, Arizona.

As we walked into the convention center – the first thing we saw was Arte Moreno and Tommy Lasorda shaking hands and greeting the fans and media. Where was Frank McCourt? Just wondering…

Over the next five days, FanFest would be our home away from home. Cheryl and I spent countless hours at the event. We stood in line for autographs; which by the way were the most well organized event of its kind. Fans were required to “sign in” as they got in line to prevent people form cutting. This was most effective and made for a fair process. If you’ve ever been to a free autograph signing, you’re probably aware of all the things that can make the process frustrating.

You know the “graphers” who are out to make money from autographs? Well, they weren’t out in big numbers. Nope, not at FanFest. That made the experience all the more pleasant because some of them look like they need a shower and can be pretty obnoxious about getting as many autographs as possible.

Speaking of autographs; over the course of FanFest, we were able to get auto signatures from Jim Fregosi, Bobby Grich, Shawn, Green, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda, Mark Langston, Shigetoshi Hasagawa, Rickey Henderson, Fred Lynn and Clyde Wright. We always ask them to personalize items for us and most obliged with the exception of Cepeda and Henderson. Henderson is a strange bird. I know that’s not going to come as a surprise to most. Anyway, he wouldn’t sign baseballs and would only sign flat items. Whatever, it was fun to meet the Hall of Famer. He didn’t talk in third person, but he did talk to himself.

Other than the obvious favorite in Bobby Grich, I was also very pleased to get Jim Fregosi’s autograph. Fregosi is one of my early favorites and is part of the era when I first started going to Angel games.

Everyone was pretty friendly – some more so than others. Mark Langston had to get the award for best sport. I watched him sign and pose for a picture for every person in line. He also engaged each fan and found something to talk about with everyone. He really went above and beyond the call.

The star of FanFest had to be Tim Salmon. His line was three times longer than just about anyone else’s (with the exception of Henderson). He happened to have a signing at the same time as Steve Garvey and Salmon’s line was much longer. Angel fans really represented at the FanFest!

One observation we made early on was how some of the interactive exhibits required you to retrieve your items (like a photo for the front page of the O.C. Register) online. We assumed that in some cases this would involve a charge; something that didn’t happen in New York during their FanFest in 2008.

Never-the-less we posed for most of them. One of the more fun activities was posing for a homerun robbing pose. Doesn’t Cheryl look like a natural as she’s blowing a bubble while hauling in a homerun from say… David Ortiz? That’s right Big Pappi can’t hit one that Cheryl can’t get. That’s my girl! Torii Hunter would be proud, don’t you think?

We also enjoyed the fans themselves. Some of them had some creative shirts and I had to snap pictures of some of them. One of the better ones was an Oakland A’s shirt and even though I hate the A’s, I did like the “Get off my mound” shirt one fan was sporting. What was even funnier is that this fan wasn’t even an A’s fan – he just liked the shirt.

We also ran into a Tiger fan with a cool shirt and a die hard Dodger fan sporting a Don Drysdale stat sheet on the back of his jersey. You can check them out below. Fans from every fan base represented all week long. Cool stuff for sure.



We also got to meet John Ireland and Steve Mason from ESPN Radio 710. They were kind enough to pose for a picture with Cheryl. Cheryl's a big fan of their show, so this was quite a treat.



I know this report is late and I have much more to say, so again – please stay tuned. It may take me a while to update the blog, but I will get it done.

Meanwhile…

It’s nice to see the Angels start the second half with a 3-1 series win over the Mariners, even though a sweep would have been better. That being said, I’m not fooled by the nice start because we are talking about the Seattle Mariners, who are on pace to lose 100 games. I’m just saying.

Paul McAnulty has been designated for assignment since Maicer Izturis has been activated. I have to say seeing McAnulty and Frandsen in the lineup at the same time along with say even Reggie Willits didn’t give me much confidence.

I believe the Angels will make a move before the deadline, but it probably won’t be earth shattering. For that, I’ll wait for the off-season when they go hard after Carl Crawford. Just saying.