Bill's Journal Entry #10

Edison International Field

Date:  July 20, 2002

Location:  Anaheim, California

Opponent:  Seattle Mariners

Travel companion:  Matt Glover, friend

Link to my photos: http://cards.webshots.com/cp-30820525-HuEe-album/45276906UeviOQ 

Game Result:  After trailing 3-0 after half an inning, and 5-1 after three-and-a-half, the Angels made a seventh inning comeback, led by a three run Troy Glaus homer, to take a 6-5 lead.  Desi Relaford led off the eighth with a tying homer, but Scott Spiezio led off the bottom of the eighth with a homer to re-establish the one-run lead.  Darin Erstad’s warning track catch of Brett Boone’s drive for the final out finished the Angels' comeback win.

Stadium Summary:  I had visited “The Big A” back in 1987 while a high school junior, and this was my first trip back.  What an improvement!  If any city is ever wondering about whether renovating their old stadium (rather than building new) can work, this is definite proof that it can.  Sight lines were good throughout, although I don’t like the idea of putting bleachers behind the bullpens, as they’re now that much further from the on-field action.  There has to be a better option.  Concessions areas were nice and open (although I had managed to get us seats in the very nice “dugout club”, where the food comes to you rather than the other way around).  The play area in center field, with its batting cages and pitching radar guns, was nice, although a bit overpriced.  The rocks, fountains, and fireworks in center field are very sharp, and the fireworks/fountain display after an Angels homerun is one of the best homer celebrations I’ve seen.  The entrance, with its two giants Angels hats (complete with sizes listed on the inside), make a very picturesque, though slightly unorthodox and gaudy, approach.  And actually, it’s that slightly gaudy look to the whole park that is my only significant complaint about this stadium.  Even though I don’t recall seeing anything that reads “Disney” in the park, their fingerprint is all over this place. It almost feels like you should be able to get your hand stamped on your way out, hop on a monorail, and be in Disneyland without any additional charge. Baseball stadiums need to be family friendly, but they also still need to convey that sense of baseball being a metaphor for life, both the ups and the downs—and this stadium has lost a bit of that.  But despite this, I truly enjoyed this stadium.

Best Ballpark Giveaway:  Angels Duffel Bag.  During my trips, I haven’t been to any games that have given away bobbleheads.  And I’m not really that disappointed.  But I did want to get some sort of decent freebie along the way, and this was by far the best I’ve gotten so far, or am scheduled to get on any of the remainder of my trip.  At this game, the first 20,000 fans received a very nice Angels duffel bag.  Or at least, they received it eventually.  When they came through the gates, they simply got a card that they could hand in to receive a bag after the game, outside the stadium, as the bags were too large to fit within the stadiums post-9/11 security guidelines.  They should do this with more giveaways, regardless of the security concerns—the lack of a bulky handout at the gate keeps the entrances moving more freely before the game, and there’s no risk of kids fighting over them in the stands or drunks throwing freebies out on the field.  The bag definitely came in handy for me, as I did not come to California with enough luggage to take home my souvenirs, and this met that need nicely.

Best Pre-Game On-Field Activity:  Celebrity Softball.  Prior to the game, a group of “celebrities” played a softball game for charity.  I put the “celebrities” in quotes, as I had never heard of most of them, although I was told by the usher in our section that she knew most of them as being soap opera stars.  But there were some that I knew, such as Matthew Perry, Jonathan Silverman, James Van der Beek, and one team showcased the pitching prowess of Gene Simmons of Kiss.  This had a slightly humorous impact on the Major League game, as the scoreboard operator failed to notice for the first two innings of the big league game that Gene Simmons was listed as the Angels starting pitcher.

Best Parking Tip:  The guy at the front desk of our hotel told us that when he goes to a game, he makes a right turn one block before you get to the parking lot gates, on Orangewood Avenue.  A couple of blocks in on Orangewood, there is a small industrial park, with free, rather secure, on-street parking, directly across the street from the stadium parking lot, for those that get to the stadium early enough to claim it.  We were early enough, and got a great free parking spot.

Best In-Stadium Fan Enthusiasm Gimmick:  Rally Monkey.  For those of you who haven’t caught it on “SportsCenter,” when the Angels are in need of an emotional boost, and they want to get the crowd excited, it’s time for Rally Monkey—a video of a monkey, dressed in an Angels uniform, jumping up and down, holding up various signs, that appears on the scoreboard video screen.  The crowd loves it—especially the kids, who wave the stuffed replicas incessantly.  But the Monkey doesn’t just show up on its own—the fans have to earn it.  Messages such as “If you make noise, he will come” start appearing on the scoreboards.  They will also show clips of movies, edited slightly to go with the theme.  The best one, I was told by a season ticket holder, is from “Jerry McGuire”, with the voices of Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. slightly changed, so that Tom is now yelling “Show me the Monkey!” into the phone.  The whole concept is very well done, very creative, and extremely fun.  I’m certain that most parks in the country are going to try to copy it or adapt it before long.

Home team homerun streak:  As mentioned earlier, both Glaus and Spiezio hit dingers, meaning that the home team has homered in all ten games I’ve attended thus far this year.  How long can this streak last???

Stadium Grade:  B  Not among the elite of Major League parks, but right up there.  It just needs to get rid of that Disney feeling.

Overall Grade of my experience at the game:  A  This grade definitely got a boost from the sold-out crowd, and the competitive, entertaining game.

-- Bill Verkuilen  biggbill@hotmail.com

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