Angels vs. Dodgers May 18th

I managed to finally get out to Angel Stadium in Anaheim on Friday, which was an ordeal unto itself. I suppose that enduring L.A. traffic is simply part of the allure that people come here for, but for some reason it didn't seem to sit well with me. To my dismay, the stadium was situated more like the Rangers and Royals Ballparks than the others, which is to say far far away from anywhere or anything interesting. Also, the stadium's big attractions, well, they seem to be a little too fitting for a stadium in the city of Disneyland.

The first attraction is the set of Angel's Baseball Helmets thay are situated at the entrance of the stadium. Aside from dwarfing every other aspect of the park, they lend to an atmosphere of being at Legoland instead of a major league ballgame. The second aspect of the park was a waterfall in left centerfield that was extremely out place and looked as if a gigantic plastic log carrying shrieking ten year olds, or perhaps a blood soaked Fabio, would come tumbling down at any minute. This all could have been avoided if they had planted grass beside the nature scene instead of green painted plywood.

As for the game itself, the Angels were opening up the Interleague Highway Series against the Dodgers, an unfortunate marketing ploy by the Major Leagues, but still a fun way to make what usually is a one sided crowd more give and take as if it were some heated college rivalry. Dodger Blue did far more than simply dot the stands, it was nearly split as to which team had more fans show up. As for the teams, only the Angels apparently showed, putting up 9 on the Dodgers and doing so without any AL styled home runs.

The crowd also proved that, like in most big cities, if you live there you probably aren't from there, the game was littered with boos, catcalls, and an all around New England attititude. For that reason, my fan of the game was stripped from the 8 beach balls I saw making their way around the stadium, and bestowed upon Bill from Newport Beach. Aside from being really friendly, Bill had two great characteristics. One is that I am almost positive he was the basis for Mike Myer's Linda Richman character in SNL, or at the very least perfect for her brother. The second reason is this. I'll give you the topic. Bill is one of the first people to admit to me that he wishes his giant tattoo (Bill, on his forearm) wasn't there. Discuss.

Hey Oh! I'll give you a topic! If I live in California, why do I have a northeastern Accent? Ba-da-bingo!