Monday, May 11, 2009
Both L.A. teams in one day
Longtime fans of Baseball-Related Program Activities may remember that, on August 30, 2004, Levi and I went to two baseball games in two cities in one day: White Sox vs. Phillies in Chicago, and then Brewers vs. Pirates in Milwaukee.
We finally had a chance to recreate that experience. Levi came to Los Angeles for business, and both the Dodgers and Angels were at home, and on May 9, the Dodgers were scheduled for an afternoon game, with the Angels playing at night.
The only thing that put a damper on the experience was Manny Ramirez being suspended for 50 games just three days before we were going to see him.
What Levi, I, and hanger-on Jason did end up seeing was the Dodgers defeating the Giants 8-0, followed by the Angels over the Royals, 1-0. Yes, we saw no visiting team runs. We also saw complete games by three pitchers -- Eric Stults of the Dodgers, Joe Saunders of the Angels, and Zack Greinke of the Royals. Greinke entered the game with a 0.40 ERA, which meant that his ERA went up after pitching a 1-run complete game, which is almost as rare of an event as the Dodgers and Angels both playing at home the same weekend. The Angels game finished in 2:07 -- not quite as short as the 1:56 Indians-White Sox game on our road trip, but impressive nonetheless.
(Special shout-outs to Maggie, Kimiko, and Kate for being hangers-on for the first game.)
There have already been plenty of Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium pictures on this blog over the years, so all you get here is a picture of Greinke looking intense during his warmup:
We finally had a chance to recreate that experience. Levi came to Los Angeles for business, and both the Dodgers and Angels were at home, and on May 9, the Dodgers were scheduled for an afternoon game, with the Angels playing at night.
The only thing that put a damper on the experience was Manny Ramirez being suspended for 50 games just three days before we were going to see him.
What Levi, I, and hanger-on Jason did end up seeing was the Dodgers defeating the Giants 8-0, followed by the Angels over the Royals, 1-0. Yes, we saw no visiting team runs. We also saw complete games by three pitchers -- Eric Stults of the Dodgers, Joe Saunders of the Angels, and Zack Greinke of the Royals. Greinke entered the game with a 0.40 ERA, which meant that his ERA went up after pitching a 1-run complete game, which is almost as rare of an event as the Dodgers and Angels both playing at home the same weekend. The Angels game finished in 2:07 -- not quite as short as the 1:56 Indians-White Sox game on our road trip, but impressive nonetheless.
(Special shout-outs to Maggie, Kimiko, and Kate for being hangers-on for the first game.)
There have already been plenty of Dodger Stadium and Angel Stadium pictures on this blog over the years, so all you get here is a picture of Greinke looking intense during his warmup:
Labels: angel stadium, angels, dodger stadium, dodgers, eric stults, game report, giants, joe saunders, Manny Ramirez, royals, zack greinke
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Angels made me sick!
Levi was in town on business, and so were the Angels, which meant it was time for the first official Baseball-Related Program Activities event since the 2004 road trip. The hangers-on were Jason, and Levi's co-worker Carrie.
When Edison International dropped their sponsorship of the stadium in Anaheim, their logos on the end of the seats were covered over -- but you can't stop people from scratching paint off, I guess.
Jim Leyland showed up himself to exchange lineup cards, but Mike Scoscia sent a lackey...
It had been announced earlier in the day that Anaheim would be hosting the 2010 All-Star Game...
My new camera is noticeably faster to actually take the picture once you press the shutter button than my old one was -- making it easier to get shots like this...
Early mound meeting, since Angels pitcher Joe Saunders had given up three runs in the first inning...
They kept having to reset this video display in order to fix this problem...
The Amtrak noise meter, because nothing is as noisy as a train...
The rally monkey was invoked a little late, and so the Angels lost 6-2...
The final line (not quite final at this point, but I was anticipating)...
And finally, a picture to replace the one that's been at the top of this blog since 2004, which I was sick of looking at...
No, the Angels didn't literally make me sick. There was a stomach bug involved. For you fans of Jim Ellwanger illnesses that coincide with baseball games, I also had a stomach bug right around the time I traveled to Chicago and attended Opening Day 1997 at Wrigley Field -- I spent an entire day lying on the floor of the dorm room of Levi's future wife.
When Edison International dropped their sponsorship of the stadium in Anaheim, their logos on the end of the seats were covered over -- but you can't stop people from scratching paint off, I guess.
Jim Leyland showed up himself to exchange lineup cards, but Mike Scoscia sent a lackey...
It had been announced earlier in the day that Anaheim would be hosting the 2010 All-Star Game...
My new camera is noticeably faster to actually take the picture once you press the shutter button than my old one was -- making it easier to get shots like this...
Early mound meeting, since Angels pitcher Joe Saunders had given up three runs in the first inning...
They kept having to reset this video display in order to fix this problem...
The Amtrak noise meter, because nothing is as noisy as a train...
The rally monkey was invoked a little late, and so the Angels lost 6-2...
The final line (not quite final at this point, but I was anticipating)...
And finally, a picture to replace the one that's been at the top of this blog since 2004, which I was sick of looking at...
No, the Angels didn't literally make me sick. There was a stomach bug involved. For you fans of Jim Ellwanger illnesses that coincide with baseball games, I also had a stomach bug right around the time I traveled to Chicago and attended Opening Day 1997 at Wrigley Field -- I spent an entire day lying on the floor of the dorm room of Levi's future wife.
Labels: angels, brpa, carrie adams, game report, jason kaifesh, tigers
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Baseball-related notes from today's L.A. Times
1. An article/column about Retrosheet.org and its founder David Smith.
2. Someone has finally answered the challenge thrown down by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League are now officially known as The Long Beach Armada of Los Angeles of California of the United States of North America Including Barrow, Alaska.
2. Someone has finally answered the challenge thrown down by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Long Beach Armada of the Golden Baseball League are now officially known as The Long Beach Armada of Los Angeles of California of the United States of North America Including Barrow, Alaska.
Labels: angels, long beach armada, retrosheet
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
You can't beat a pizza at the old ballpark
Nice to see television slow-motion technology being used in this manner, during the broadcast of Monday's Red Sox-Angels game.
Labels: angels, pizza, red sox
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The Wave, Redeemed?, or An Indian Invasion!
When MLB announced that they were going to reschedule the Angels' snowed-out games at Cleveland this week to Miller Park in Milwaukee, my first thought was, "Oh, if I weren't going on a trip in a couple of days, I'd love to go to that first game." Then I thought, WWJD? What, after all, would Jim do?
So, in the spirit of Baseball Related Program Activities, Stacey and I called Bob, hopped in the car, and trekked up to Milwaukee after work. Following are some notes.
1. Apparently, wherever the Indians travel, Eastern Time folllows? The game started, not at 7:05 central time, as a weeknight game in the Central Time Zone would ordinarily do, but at 6:05. Now, granted, we wouldn't have been able to get out of work in time to make a 6:05 start regardless, but had I paid more attention when I first read about the game, we wouldn't have been surprised to see that the game was in the fifth inning when we arrived.
2. We had anticipated getting to sit a few rows from the field, near home plate, which is what Luke and I were able to do at the Marlins/Expos tilt that was relocated to Comiskey Park a few years ago. It drew 4,000.
Apparently, more than 19,000 other people had the same thought. The entire lower deck sold out, even the bleachers, which the Brewers had intended to keep closed. Concession lines were very, very long. I've been to Brewers games there in April against the Cardinals where the actual attendance was under 2,000, from what I could tell, with 60% of that Cardinals fans. This attendance, on 24 hours notice, was an impressive testament to the power of $10 tickets. As my coworker Mary said, "If there's one thing Wisconsinites love, it's cheap stuff."
3. That attendance of 19,000+ was more than the paid attendance in Florida, Baltimore, Atlanta, Oakland, and Pittsburgh, let alone the actual attendance at about six other parks.
4. The majority of fans seemed to be rooting for Cleveland, though the only team they were unanimously against was the Cubs.
5. Though we didn't get to see it, the Indians' mascot, a hideous purple thing that is only excusable because a Chief Wahoo mascot would be an abomination, slid down the slide following a couple of Indians home runs. He didn't, of course, slide into a vat of beer, because the Brewers, in order to demonstrate that they hate fun, didn't move Bernie's stein to the new ballpark. I guess he only drinks the hard stuff now.
6. Late in the game, the wave started. Though I'm no purist, I'm sure you realize that I hate the wave. There is, after all, a baseball game going on, and people standing up at random moments is not as much fun as watching a ballgame. But last night, after a few trips around the stadium, the wave suddenly slowed to a crawl, then slowed down even further until it was just creeping along. Eventually, as I laughed until my sides hurt, the wave looked like slow-motion video, with people quietly and ever-so-gently lifting out of their seats and bringing their arms up. After one trip around like that, getting slower all the time, the wave snapped into an instant double-time for a few rounds before petering out. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I've learned from a couple of sources today that the slo-mo wave is common at UW-Madison games.
7. When the Indians closer came in, the PA guy played "Wild Thing," a nice reference to the last time the Indians played as the home team in Milwaukee, when the movie Major League was being shot at old County Stadium.
So, in the spirit of Baseball Related Program Activities, Stacey and I called Bob, hopped in the car, and trekked up to Milwaukee after work. Following are some notes.
1. Apparently, wherever the Indians travel, Eastern Time folllows? The game started, not at 7:05 central time, as a weeknight game in the Central Time Zone would ordinarily do, but at 6:05. Now, granted, we wouldn't have been able to get out of work in time to make a 6:05 start regardless, but had I paid more attention when I first read about the game, we wouldn't have been surprised to see that the game was in the fifth inning when we arrived.
2. We had anticipated getting to sit a few rows from the field, near home plate, which is what Luke and I were able to do at the Marlins/Expos tilt that was relocated to Comiskey Park a few years ago. It drew 4,000.
Apparently, more than 19,000 other people had the same thought. The entire lower deck sold out, even the bleachers, which the Brewers had intended to keep closed. Concession lines were very, very long. I've been to Brewers games there in April against the Cardinals where the actual attendance was under 2,000, from what I could tell, with 60% of that Cardinals fans. This attendance, on 24 hours notice, was an impressive testament to the power of $10 tickets. As my coworker Mary said, "If there's one thing Wisconsinites love, it's cheap stuff."
3. That attendance of 19,000+ was more than the paid attendance in Florida, Baltimore, Atlanta, Oakland, and Pittsburgh, let alone the actual attendance at about six other parks.
4. The majority of fans seemed to be rooting for Cleveland, though the only team they were unanimously against was the Cubs.
5. Though we didn't get to see it, the Indians' mascot, a hideous purple thing that is only excusable because a Chief Wahoo mascot would be an abomination, slid down the slide following a couple of Indians home runs. He didn't, of course, slide into a vat of beer, because the Brewers, in order to demonstrate that they hate fun, didn't move Bernie's stein to the new ballpark. I guess he only drinks the hard stuff now.
6. Late in the game, the wave started. Though I'm no purist, I'm sure you realize that I hate the wave. There is, after all, a baseball game going on, and people standing up at random moments is not as much fun as watching a ballgame. But last night, after a few trips around the stadium, the wave suddenly slowed to a crawl, then slowed down even further until it was just creeping along. Eventually, as I laughed until my sides hurt, the wave looked like slow-motion video, with people quietly and ever-so-gently lifting out of their seats and bringing their arms up. After one trip around like that, getting slower all the time, the wave snapped into an instant double-time for a few rounds before petering out. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I've learned from a couple of sources today that the slo-mo wave is common at UW-Madison games.
7. When the Indians closer came in, the PA guy played "Wild Thing," a nice reference to the last time the Indians played as the home team in Milwaukee, when the movie Major League was being shot at old County Stadium.
Labels: angels, brewers, indians, wave
Monday, April 02, 2007
Opening Day 2007: Hour 10
7:00 -- Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (FSN West)
7:01 -- Someone runs onto the field at the Metrodome. I understand why they don't show the action on TV, but the fact that they're not showing it just makes me want to watch it even more (and because all the shots of the players standing around doing nothing are really, really boring).
7:09 -- After a little trouble in the top of the 9th, the Twins win.
7:10 -- With all of the Sammy Sosa excitement, I didn't realize that Kenny Lofton was on the Rangers this year, and that he's at 599 career steals.
7:12 -- He gets number 600. There has been a noticeable amount of first-inning steals today -- managers trying to set an aggressive tone for the season, obviously.
7:17 -- Boneless Buffalo wings at Carl's Jr.? I'm going to guess that the "wings" portion of the name is not quite accurate.
7:22 -- Vladimir Guerrero's batting helmet is already filthy. How does he do it?
7:31 -- While the Angels announcers aren't paying attention because they're interviewing Troy Percival in the booth, Sammy Sosa strikes out. They don't even get a closeup of him before he bats, just as he walks back to the Rangers dugout hanging his head.
7:35 -- End of the Rangers' half of the 2nd. I've been watching baseball for over nine and a half hours now. I think that's all I can handle for today.
7:01 -- Someone runs onto the field at the Metrodome. I understand why they don't show the action on TV, but the fact that they're not showing it just makes me want to watch it even more (and because all the shots of the players standing around doing nothing are really, really boring).
7:09 -- After a little trouble in the top of the 9th, the Twins win.
7:10 -- With all of the Sammy Sosa excitement, I didn't realize that Kenny Lofton was on the Rangers this year, and that he's at 599 career steals.
7:12 -- He gets number 600. There has been a noticeable amount of first-inning steals today -- managers trying to set an aggressive tone for the season, obviously.
7:17 -- Boneless Buffalo wings at Carl's Jr.? I'm going to guess that the "wings" portion of the name is not quite accurate.
7:22 -- Vladimir Guerrero's batting helmet is already filthy. How does he do it?
7:31 -- While the Angels announcers aren't paying attention because they're interviewing Troy Percival in the booth, Sammy Sosa strikes out. They don't even get a closeup of him before he bats, just as he walks back to the Rangers dugout hanging his head.
7:35 -- End of the Rangers' half of the 2nd. I've been watching baseball for over nine and a half hours now. I think that's all I can handle for today.
Labels: angels, carl's jr., kenny lofton, rangers, sammy sosa, troy percival, twins, vladimir guerrero
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Going mobile
There's a Cardinals version and, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's the Pirates version -- but the cutest one is, of course, the one with Li'l Mister Met. (The Angels one might be the cutest if it had monkeys -- but it doesn't.)
Levi and Mrs. Levi: are you sure you don't want kids?
Levi and Mrs. Levi: are you sure you don't want kids?
Labels: angels, Cardinals, Mets, pirates
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Operation Duplicate Chili: a qualified success
Hey, look, I made chili! And there are plenty of things to put on and in it, including Farmer John brand bacon, in honor of the poor Dodgers (their longtime sponsor, one of the few "longtime" things the Dodgers still have)...
The chili would probably taste a little better if Derek Jeter weren't on TV, but that's what Fox gives us...
I call this only a "qualified success" because I've heard no reports from Levi on whether he's eating chili as well, which was the whole point of Operation Duplicate Chili. Levi's been jet-setting all about, going from apple orchards to public libraries in the Pacific Northwest. But since I have plenty of the chili left over -- and most of the makings for a second batch -- it's a safe bet that we'll be eating the same chili some night in October. Actually, not exactly the same, since I bet Levi won't be putting bacon on top of his.
The best part of the game was the tape of Joe Torre interviewing Gene Autry in the Angels' locker room in 1986; that tape's probably been shown before, but I don't remember having seen it.
The chili would probably taste a little better if Derek Jeter weren't on TV, but that's what Fox gives us...
I call this only a "qualified success" because I've heard no reports from Levi on whether he's eating chili as well, which was the whole point of Operation Duplicate Chili. Levi's been jet-setting all about, going from apple orchards to public libraries in the Pacific Northwest. But since I have plenty of the chili left over -- and most of the makings for a second batch -- it's a safe bet that we'll be eating the same chili some night in October. Actually, not exactly the same, since I bet Levi won't be putting bacon on top of his.
The best part of the game was the tape of Joe Torre interviewing Gene Autry in the Angels' locker room in 1986; that tape's probably been shown before, but I don't remember having seen it.
Labels: angels, chili, derek jeter, gene autry, joe torre, tv, yankees
Monday, August 08, 2005
Devil or angel, please say you'll be mine
(This "ticket" is a printout, courtesy of a season-ticket holder who didn't want to see this classic battle of good vs. evil represented by the Angels and the Devil Rays, although I can't imagine why someone would turn down the chance to see the Devil Rays!)
Let's get this anecdote out of the way first: as I was walking through the concourse of Angel Stadium on my way to the concession stand, proudly wearing my Devil Rays cap and Rocco Baldelli T-shirt, an Angels fan pointed at me and yelled, "Holy crap! They do exist!" I said nothing; unfortunately, it wasn't until much later that I realized my comeback should have been, "There are dozens of us! Dozens!" That has the advantage of being a reference to "Arrested Development."
Yes, at my suggestion, Jason, Rachel, Chris, and I went to Angel Stadium because my beloved Devil Rays were in town.
We were early enough to see the tail end of batting practice...
And they were showing the White Sox-Mariners game live on the giant screen...
At Angel Stadium, you can sometimes spot cameramen in their natural mountain environment...
Exchanging lineup cards; Lou Piniella looked like he was in a good mood...
Angels starting pitcher Chris Bootcheck, which I believe is also the name of a Windows XP utility...
Carl Crawford at the plate...
Devil Rays starting pitcher Mark Hendrickson, who is 6'9", but doesn't look quite as intimidating as Randy Johnson from way up here in the "view" level...
Why, these "view" level seats are high enough up that we can see Arrowhead Pond, home of the Los Angeles Mighty Ducks of Anaheim...
On the scoreboard, Jose Molina has to be "J.Molina," but Bengie Molina gets to be just plain "Molina"...
Say, here's something stupid and distracting: cell phone text messages on the scoreboard...
While we're at it, note that the Dodgers are "LAD" on the scoreboard here in Anaheim...
The Devil Rays somehow manage to light up Bootcheck, but as evening turns to night at Angel Stadium...
...the Angels have the bases loaded in the bottom of the 6th...
However, the Angels only put 3 runs across in the 6th, and so the Devil Rays are ahead 6-4 going into the bottom of the 9th with Danys Baez on the mound. After some anxious moments, Danys Baez has to call time because he's broken his belt; he has to walk over to get a new one...
And then both the umpire and catcher Toby Hall get to watch him closely as he puts the new belt on...
The "broken belt" ploy works, and, holy crap, the Devil Rays win...
Happy Rays...
Happy Jim...
After the game, we wait in the parking lot for the traffic to clear. Rachel and Jason leaning on Jason's car...
Chris and Jason...
Poor Angels, now tied with the A's for the American League West lead...
Labels: angels, chris lee, devil rays, game report, jason kaifesh, rachel morris
Thursday, February 17, 2005
More from "Faithful"
Poor Stephen King, on the West Coast while the Yankees and Red Sox are playing in late July: "With no NESN, I was reduced to the coverage in the Saturday Los Angeles Times -- which, due to their ridiculous infatuation with the Dodgers, was skimpy."
I would guess that the Los Angeles Times is less infatuated with the Dodgers than the Boston Globe is with the Red Sox, if only because there are two major league baseball teams within the Times' home delivery area, and they try to serve both constituencies. In fact, it was probably the amount of Angels coverage that kept them from putting a longer Yankees-Red Sox story in that morning's paper. They've definitely had more Angels articles than Dodgers articles this offseason, because of the name change foolishness. Speaking of which, ESPN is going to be using "LAA" in the score box on any Angels games they broadcast this year, and they don't even have the same owner as the Angels anymore!
Jason: Imagine that - a city newspaper writing a whole lot about their local baseball team.
Since the Angels are now "LAA", does this mean the Dodgers will be "LAD"?
Jim: Yes, based on "NYY" and "NYM," the Dodgers will be "LAD," unless they try to get clever and go with LAN (for "National").
Levi: I hope they abbreviate DC as "DC-(N)" as if they're a politician.
I would guess that the Los Angeles Times is less infatuated with the Dodgers than the Boston Globe is with the Red Sox, if only because there are two major league baseball teams within the Times' home delivery area, and they try to serve both constituencies. In fact, it was probably the amount of Angels coverage that kept them from putting a longer Yankees-Red Sox story in that morning's paper. They've definitely had more Angels articles than Dodgers articles this offseason, because of the name change foolishness. Speaking of which, ESPN is going to be using "LAA" in the score box on any Angels games they broadcast this year, and they don't even have the same owner as the Angels anymore!
Original comments...
Jason: Imagine that - a city newspaper writing a whole lot about their local baseball team.
Since the Angels are now "LAA", does this mean the Dodgers will be "LAD"?
Jim: Yes, based on "NYY" and "NYM," the Dodgers will be "LAD," unless they try to get clever and go with LAN (for "National").
Levi: I hope they abbreviate DC as "DC-(N)" as if they're a politician.
Labels: angels, dodgers, los angeles times, red sox, Stephen King
Monday, September 20, 2004
What? More baseball?
While we're waiting for Levi to regale us with tales of cute, furry kittens insinuating his dreams, here are some pictures from the two baseball games I went to over the past few days. Jason had some Dodgers vouchers to use up before the end of the season, so he, Cathryn, and I went to the Dodgers-Padres game last Thursday...
The colored seats at Dodger Stadium, a picture taken because who knows when they're going to decide to put in new chairs?...
This is the right-field pavilion, which I guess we could have bought all the seats in, but didn't think of it before the beginning of the season the way some people did...
Jason had a big bowl of nachos and a big drink...
The final line (the Dodgers didn't do much)...
Slightly less blurry, the final score...
An artistic shot of the Los Angeles skyline on the way out...
Sunset Boulevard: not just a movie starring Gloria Swanson, it's also a Dodger Stadium parking lot exit...
Three days later, Jason and I went to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or whatever it's really called now, to see the Angels play the Rangers.
Jason wanted to say hi to the mummified body of Gene Autry...
Then he had another big bowl of nachos (I assume that's sour cream on top and not icing)...
And a soda in a magical color-changing plastic cup (red, or at least pink, when full; clear when empty)...
During the game, a train stopped at the Anaheim station, across the parking lot. Unfortunately, the Amtrak schedule is not well-suited for taking train trips to Angels games...
Not only can you see trains from the stadium, you can also see the Matterhorn at Disneyland, which I've pointed out with the red arrow in this picture...
Yes, the Angels have some retired numbers...
They also have some fake rocks and real water...
The end of the rows of seats have an Angels logo on a raised baseball-diamond shape. They're covering what's actually molded into the seats: an Edison International logo on a baseball diamond...
Now that they're not owned by Disney anymore, the Angels are free to get some other family entertainment spots as their sponsors...
And other family-oriented sponsors...
They still make some of the ushers go out on the field for the seventh-inning stretch, but now they have to take off their straw hats for "God Bless America"...
And put their hats back on for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (which, at this game, was sung by the same woman who had just done "God Bless America," I guess because they figured as long as she was on the field with a microphone, she might as well)...
Meanwhile, during most of this, Rangers rookie pitcher Chris Young was on the mound being tall...
Which means it was time to break out, yes, the Rally Monkey!...
Didn't work, and what is probably my last game of the season ends just as my first game of the season did, with a win by the visiting Texas Rangers...
Jon Solomon: Chris Young is a friend of mine from when he played basketball (and baseball) at Princeton. I got to go to Fenway as a member of "the media" a few weeks ago to cover his first MLB win. They let me go on the field, in the locker room and everything. What were the Red Sox thinking? I've got an interview with Chris from after the game up on princetonbasketball.com. If you want a password to listen, just let me know.
Jason: I suggested stopping by the Hooters of Anaheim after the game. However, Jim declined, since he was TiVo-ing the Bucs-Seahawks game and didn't want to know the score.
But when I got home, I did drink a quart of Jack Daniels.
Jim: Hmm, what a coincidence. But in my case, I needed it to help me forget the Bucs-Seahawks game.
The colored seats at Dodger Stadium, a picture taken because who knows when they're going to decide to put in new chairs?...
This is the right-field pavilion, which I guess we could have bought all the seats in, but didn't think of it before the beginning of the season the way some people did...
Jason had a big bowl of nachos and a big drink...
The final line (the Dodgers didn't do much)...
Slightly less blurry, the final score...
An artistic shot of the Los Angeles skyline on the way out...
Sunset Boulevard: not just a movie starring Gloria Swanson, it's also a Dodger Stadium parking lot exit...
Three days later, Jason and I went to Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or whatever it's really called now, to see the Angels play the Rangers.
Jason wanted to say hi to the mummified body of Gene Autry...
Then he had another big bowl of nachos (I assume that's sour cream on top and not icing)...
And a soda in a magical color-changing plastic cup (red, or at least pink, when full; clear when empty)...
During the game, a train stopped at the Anaheim station, across the parking lot. Unfortunately, the Amtrak schedule is not well-suited for taking train trips to Angels games...
Not only can you see trains from the stadium, you can also see the Matterhorn at Disneyland, which I've pointed out with the red arrow in this picture...
Yes, the Angels have some retired numbers...
They also have some fake rocks and real water...
The end of the rows of seats have an Angels logo on a raised baseball-diamond shape. They're covering what's actually molded into the seats: an Edison International logo on a baseball diamond...
Now that they're not owned by Disney anymore, the Angels are free to get some other family entertainment spots as their sponsors...
And other family-oriented sponsors...
They still make some of the ushers go out on the field for the seventh-inning stretch, but now they have to take off their straw hats for "God Bless America"...
And put their hats back on for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (which, at this game, was sung by the same woman who had just done "God Bless America," I guess because they figured as long as she was on the field with a microphone, she might as well)...
Meanwhile, during most of this, Rangers rookie pitcher Chris Young was on the mound being tall...
Which means it was time to break out, yes, the Rally Monkey!...
Didn't work, and what is probably my last game of the season ends just as my first game of the season did, with a win by the visiting Texas Rangers...
Original comments...
Jon Solomon: Chris Young is a friend of mine from when he played basketball (and baseball) at Princeton. I got to go to Fenway as a member of "the media" a few weeks ago to cover his first MLB win. They let me go on the field, in the locker room and everything. What were the Red Sox thinking? I've got an interview with Chris from after the game up on princetonbasketball.com. If you want a password to listen, just let me know.
Jason: I suggested stopping by the Hooters of Anaheim after the game. However, Jim declined, since he was TiVo-ing the Bucs-Seahawks game and didn't want to know the score.
But when I got home, I did drink a quart of Jack Daniels.
Jim: Hmm, what a coincidence. But in my case, I needed it to help me forget the Bucs-Seahawks game.
Labels: angel stadium, angels, cathryn humphris, dodger stadium, game report, jason kaifesh, padres, photos, rally monkey, rangers
