When it comes to Baseball Road Trips, I'm usually really up front and fairly public about my travels. I feel it is important to update you on the ins-and-outs of the season whether it is through this blog, Twitter, Facebook, or FourSquare. I take great pride in the fact that through this style of communication, all of you come along on these adventures and, in a way, experience what I experience. However, this particular trip, I went against this mantra and took a trip to Southern California. It was a hastily planned trip, that came as a bit of a surprise, and was not baseball-orientated, but I managed to catch an Angels game while I was down there.
So, why was I in Southern California? Well, I have kept my reasoning confidential up until now. To be straight, I was interviewing for a job opportunity in San Bernardino. This is as specific as I want to be, but I can say that I was very excited to jump at this opportunity. What may come of it? I don't know. That is all I have to say about that.
On a much more lighter note, I did manage to catch an Angels game in Anaheim while I was down there. It actually worked out in a great fashion as the Angels were playing host to the Mariners, which meant I got to see my traditional "home team" on the road. Both the Angels and Mariners are lousy this year, but any chance to catch a baseball game, I will certainly take.
It has been three years since I have been to Angel Stadium in Anaheim, and I'm glad that I came a second time because I caught some stuff I missed the first time I went down. Angel Stadium is located right off the 57 freeway in Anaheim, about three miles from Disneyland. As you can expect in Southern California, it is located in the middle of a huge sea of a parking lot. However, there is an active rail line that is just on the other side of the parking lot that has a Metrolink/Amtrak Station, so I guess you could take the train to the game. In this particular instance, I had the luxury of a rental car, so no public transportation. I am actually surprised at how the Angels have spruced up Angel Stadium to be relatively fan-friendly. The rockpile in left-center field is a nice touch, and from the upper deck there is a distant view of some mountains.
What I really did like about the park was just how nice all the staff were to me and to the other fans. I noticed this the first time I went to the park, but this particular visit really stood out to me. Being that both teams are lousy, the fact that the neighboring Dodgers had just clinched the NL West, and that it was late September, attendance was sparse. In my traditional upper deck section, for the first three innings, I was by myself. This didn't stop the usher from coming up to me before the game after I had taken my seat and conversing with me about the Angels season, the ballpark, and baseball in general. The individual was very nice and very enthusiastic about his job, which I feel is rather infectious as I became excited about the experience myself.
For being some of the worst teams in the entire league (no offense Astros and Marlins fans), the game was actually pretty good. The Mariners and Angels struggled through a pitchers duel until the seventh inning when both teams scored two runs. The Mariners didn't threaten for the rest of the game, but the Angels had chances first in the eighth, and then in the tenth. More specifically, Josh Hamilton had his chances to give the Angels the lead. With runners in scoring position in both the eighth and tenth, Hamilton first grounded into a double play and then struck out. It makes you wonder if that expensive pick up is back-firing for the Angels...Despite this, the Angels had a walk-off win with reserve catcher Chris Ianetta hitting a game-winning single in the bottom of the eleventh to score Kole Kalhoun.
I'm sorry that I wasn't very forthcoming on this trip. It was strictly business and the nature of the stay prevented me from being more public. I'm sure all of you can understand.
The Seattle Finale trip is still a go for this upcoming weekend. I'm planning on driving up, which should be different experience as I am so used to taking the early train up. Anyways, it should be a fun trip.
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