At The 'Ol Ball Game

The last leg of our Anaheim Adventures was to enjoy a baseball game at The Big A, now known as Angel Stadium of Anaheim, home of the Los Angeles Angels, better known from my childhood as the California Angels. The Big A comes from the former scoreboard, in the shape of a giant A complete with a halo around the tip. The A has now been moved to the parking lot and no longer functions as the scoreboard, it's still an iconic feature of the stadium environment.The halo still blinks when the Angels win!

The stadium was mainstay of my childhood. The Angels were a relatively new franchise in Southern California so in order to promote the team,  the city had a special program for kids called Jr. Angel Club. For like $2.00 a year you gained entrance into about 15 games which included all of the promotions like bat day, hat day, etc. Additionally, because my dad was a high school Athletic Director and coach, we received 4 general admission passes for every single home game. Our personal physician was also the team Dr. for the Angels and every once in awhile we'd get his seats...right behind home plate! The Stadium was a mere 3 miles from our house so going to the game was just no big deal. Again, like the Disney connections, I had no idea how special it was to go to the ball park for free any time I wanted to!

Additionally, the Stadium is where my dad played both of his championship games when he won the Southern California titles for high school football. So all in all, this site is always going to hold a pretty special place in our lives.

I grew up loving the Angels even though for the most part, they were pretty awful. Still, our loyalty to our home teams runs deep. So when I met Doug, an avowed Minnesota Twins fans, the rivalry was on. While the Twins had had more success than the Angels through the years, Doug still harbors childhood wounds of recalling how the Angels often traded with the Twins, "poaching the best players" (his words, not mine) from his beloved home town team. This means we both loved Rod Carew through the years!

Back in 2002 the Angels finally made a run for the World Series and won! The sweetest leg of that journey was the American League finals when the Twins met the Angels. We were living in Sweden and stayed up well into the night watching the games. It was sweet when the Angels secured their place in the Series. Doug became decidedly disinterested after that.

So when I suggested going to a game, he was his usual bogus self when it comes to baseball. "Why would I go to an Angel game" was his loving response. "Because they are playing the Twins" I retorted. Needless to say, that sealed the deal. Another bonus is that senior tickets prices start when someone turns 55. Thanks Doug for qualifying for reduced price tickets!

Unfortunately the Angels had beaten up on the Twins in the previous 2 games and overall the game was pretty boring with little hitting and scoring and thus the Twins emerged victorious. But it was a great fun to see the park, enjoy the field, and hang out at the 'ol ball game! 

An added bonus was seeing the game with a young woman who grew up at Immanuel and is now living in California. A baseball game is a perfect sporting event for getting caught up with someone as there is much time to chat in the midst of the action. We forgot to take a photo.

The other great thing about the day was meeting up with two others from my dad's coaching days at Foothill high school. Rob was a student at the high school when my dad started there and was quick to join the football crew as a manager and general all around great guy. From that initial encounter a deep and abiding relationship with this special young man emerged and their entire family became dear to us. Rob is also a consummate Angel fan, going to many games a year.

We were able to meet up with Rob and his sister Cindy before the game for lunch at a restaurant owned by another former player where we enjoyed American style (and sized!) burgers. Rob had come to my father's funeral but I had little time to talk with him. It was great to re-connect with this family (their parents have both died) and recall the special way that Rob changed all of our lives. He and Ted shared a truly special relationship and those ties linger even today.
So even though the Angels lost the game, the day was a big win for me.

Time Moves On

Six months ago, I was in the middle of watching my dear dad die. April 3-4, 2014 ended up being one of the longest nights of my life and finally, at 6.30 a.m. on April 4, he left us. Can't quite grasp that it was 6 months ago. Still feels like yesterday and I miss him every bit as much today as I did then. The raw grief has subsided of course, but my longing to have his company in my life has only increased.
There are catalysts for feeling this way. Our favorite baseball team the Los Angeles Angels (who in my heart will ALWAYS be called the California Angels) won the western division and are now in the play-offs. My parents were die hard fans from almost the beginning. I grew up 3 miles from Angel Stadium and so we spent a lot of time at the ball park. The stadium was nicknamed the Big A because of the fantastic scoreboard that was shaped like an A and topped with a halo! When the Angels won, the halo blinked.

This was a fun signal in the days before you could access information from your mobile phone! After my folks quit going to games so often, they watched endlessly on TV. Baseball was our constant companion during the months that my mom was really sick because it was something we could all do together without much stress. Except for the yelling at the TV! Finally in 2002 they won their first world series. I got up at 4.00 am and got on the phone with my folks so could "see" the win together. (Pre Skype). So, with the team doing well again this year, it has made me nostalgic for sharing this aspect of life together. I'm cheering hard for the halos and with any luck will be able to add Tanner to this gem of our sweet dog Lucy, celebrating with me after the last World Series!
Another unexpected grief prompter has been the start of the American Football season in the US. I have always loved football season given that it was part of my DNA as I was growing up. And in the years when I lived in another part of the US than my parents, there were frequent phone calls to dispute calls, yell at the ref, ridicule the play calling and cheer! Once in Sweden, the time change made it hard to do live check-ins but there was a part of every week that included talk of football. Now it's actually a little hard for me to watch the game because it rouses such a longing to talk with my father. I'm super disinterested in the NFL but will continue with college but it's just amazing to me what pangs of sadness emerge when I see something that I know he'd love. He would be very sad about what's going on in the NFL and the hard hitting and head injuries have long been a concern for him. He often said that the US's thirst for violence will never allow the NFL to back off. Well, maybe now they will have to or the entire game is going to implode. Anyway...I got the greatest note from the daughter of my dad's defensive coordinator who had passed on 4 years ago. Sadly, our moms both died of ovarian cancer. Our fathers were characters together and created a stunningly winning atmosphere for their players. She shared many of my feelings and it was such a great comfort to feel like there was someone in my "football" past who knew what I was talking about. I must say too, so many of the former players have been just lovely, sending a note, commenting on Facebook...classy boys those former champions are. Incidentally, he won his first championship at... The Big A!
The big news today is that I just sold my parent's house! It feels good and weird. It ends yet another place of memory for me. I will look forward to meeting the new owner when we're back in Palm Springs next and hopefully she'll let me pick some grapefruit from my dad's, um, her tree. That was a lovely dwelling for my folks in their final years and I hope whoever moves in enjoys it and keep it looking good.
Finally, in about 2 weeks I will have a birthday. The first birthday without either parent present on this earth to remember the day I was born. These are all milestones along the journey of life that we must embrace. But I'm not sure I will be able to cheer for the Angels, watch football, drive through the south end of Palm Springs or celebrate turning a year older without feeling the deep ache, both joy and sorrow, of no longer sharing these beautiful things with my folks. Peace to their memory which lives on in every corner of my heart and mind.