Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (117 page)

Kevin:
Not in these parts.

When the Big A hosted its second All-Star Game in 1989, Bo Jackson and Wade Boggs made the first inning memorable, hitting back-to-back jacks to lead off the bottom of the first inning against forty-year-old NL starter Rick Reuschel. The AL went on to win 5-3. Appropriately, Ryan, wearing a Rangers uni’, earned the W in relief, making him the oldest pitcher to win the Midsummer Classic at the age of forty-two.

The most recent Mid-Summer Classic to take place in Anaheim occurred in 2010, when the NL prevailed 3-1, a day after Boston’s David Ortiz won the Home Run Derby.

In the spring of 2006 Angel Stadium was one of the sites used by the World Baseball Classic. It hosted several second-round games that drew big crowds.

As for milestone moments, Reggie Jackson hit his five hundredth homer at the Big A in 1984, while Vladimir Guerrero hit his four hundredth at the park in 2009. Don Sutton recorded his three hundredth win in Anaheim in 1986. And two Hall of Famers joined the three-thousand-hit club in Anaheim—the Angels’ Rod Carew (1985) and the Royals’ George Brett (1992). The latter was summarily picked off first by Angel pitcher Tim Fortugno.

Kevin:
How embarrassing.

Josh:
Oops!

Despite the fact that there is plenty else to do in their neck of the woods, the Angels perennially rank among the top teams when it comes to putting fannies in the seats. Casual baseball fans in the O.C. seem to prefer the more family-friendly and more affordable experience at the Big A to the corporate and pricy experience at stodgy Dodger Stadium. That said, the Dodgers have never had trouble enticing fans to turn out at Chavez Ravine, so they simply don’t have to work as hard as the Angels have in recent years to make the game-day experience fun and to ensure that it offers something for everyone.

Be advised that Angel Stadium is a difficult place for seat-hoppers to navigate. Usually the top of the second is when we start looking for a free upgrade, but here, due to the typically laggard crowd, seat-hopping prior to the end of the third is an exercise in futility. Just as soon as you start to feel secure in your sly new vantage spot, folks holding legit tickets for your liberated seats show up to give you the boot. Yes, we know the local traffic situation is horrendous, and we know the good folks of Orange County lead important lives—what with the daily movie shoots, premiere parties, tofu tastings, and power yoga sessions to attend.

The seats right behind home plate sell as Diamond MVP, Diamond Hall of Fame or Diamond Club seats, depending on their row number. If you have the cash and opportunity to snag Diamond Clubs, by all means do. More than likely the top two tiers will be unavailable to you. But there are plenty of other fine seats on the first level.

The first level consists of Dugout and Field Boxes (100 Level seats) below the midlevel concourse and Terrace Boxes (200 Level seats) behind the concourse and beneath the overhang of the Club deck. As near as we can tell, all of the first-level seats on the infield belong to season-ticket holders and local businesses.

Josh had spent almost three innings in a primo seat in Section 124 when a preppy-boy fan showed up and started waving a ticket stub in his face.

“Umm, you’re outie,” the waiter/aspiring actor/director/producer said.

“Haven’t you ever heard of squatter’s rights?” Josh asked playfully, as he gathered his glove, binoculars, baseball card case, ball bag and other accoutrements, preparing to re-join Kevin in the cheap seats.

“What?”

“Squatter’s rights.”

“If that means what I think it does,” the pretty boy said, scanning the crowd for an usher, “you’d better find some paper towels and clean it before you leave.”

Just then, the pretty boy’s smartphone started ringing, and in a whirl he was gone. So Josh sat back down and kept the seat warm for his new friend for the rest of the game. He never came back.

The moral of the story: You’re the real fan in this situation and if you see an open seat, do your best to get your butt in it and keep it there.

The closest to the plate average fans can get on the first level is just beyond the first- and third-base bags in Sections 108 (left side) and 127 (right side). The first row is Row A and the last is Row Z. The low retaining walls separating the stands from the field allow excellent views all the way into the outfield corners.

The Field Boxes are the lower-level seats in outfield foul territory. They run from medium-depth foul territory out to the poles and just a little beyond. Avoid Sections 134 and 135 in deep right field, where the right-field Terrace juts out to block the view of center field. Plus, there is a pole obstruction. If you’re dying to relive Scott Spiezio’s dramatic Game 6 homer from the 2002 Series from the point of view of the fan in the first row of Section 135 who caught the ball, however, then this would be the place for you. Sections 101 and 102 in deep left field are slightly obstructed by the protrusion of the Angel bullpen, but are much better than their counterparts in deep right. The left-field foul pole blocks a portion of the field for those seated anywhere in Section 102 and for those in Seats 13 through 21 in Rows N through Z of Section 101.

Closer to the infield (105, 106, 131, 132) the views are better but the seats angle fans slightly toward the outfield rather than toward home plate, reminding us that this park was once meant to be easily converted for football.

The first-level seats in left field are lower to the field than the outfield seats in right, but are farther from the action because they are behind the bullpens, which run parallel to one another horizontally behind the left-field wall. As such, the first row of Left Field Pavilion seats begins some forty feet from the field. Not good. The outfield fence in left-center is also about fifteen feet farther from the plate than the fence in right-center, which makes these even worse.

Section 260 should be avoided because the visitors’ pen screens the view, and the first row of all sections should be avoided because of the railing that blocks sight lines. Section 258, in the middle portion of the bullpens, provides the clearest view of the field.

As mentioned above, the Terrace seats are behind the lower bowl’s interior walkway. For the most part, these are good seats along the baselines. The Terrace MVPs are closest to the plate, while the All Stars are out near the corner bags. To take the overhang out of the equation, stay in Rows A–D. Those fans in Row A have to contend with the aisle traffic early in the game. On the whole, these are good seats that have the benefit of a roof overhead on sunny days.

We suggest avoiding Sections 231, 232, and 233 in deep right field. The sight lines aren’t pure and there is a significant overhang. As for the rest of these seats above the midlevel walkway in outfield foul territory, the Terrace Preferred offerings are definitely a cut above the ordinary Boxes.

The Right Field MVP is in front of the Right Field Pavilion, providing a breezy porch from which to watch the game. We highly recommend these for any fan traveling on a limited budget. The first row is Row A and there’s no aisle to block the view. Tickets to the Pavilion are just a bit cheaper but are much farther from the field.

A sizeable portion of these second-level seats sell as Club MVP seats and fetch nearly $100 per game. For our money, we’d rather be in outfield foul territory. As for the more reasonably priced Club-level seats, they’re out near the foul poles and we’d rather sit in the Right Field MVP for less money.

These are the first nine rows of third-level seats behind the plate and extending to the first- and third-base bags. These are below the walkway. As far as upper box sections go, this is a rather deep one. At most parks, the upper boxes extend back about five rows, but all of these seats provide solid, if unexceptional, views of the field.

We don’t recommend these seats. Not that they’re awful, but the View MVP seats (500 Level) on the infield provide better views than these outfield seats. On the right-field side, avoid Section 435 where the foul pole blocks the view of the mound, and Section 436 where the pole blocks the plate. In left, avoid Sections 401 and 402 for the same reasons.

This is one of the best-designed upper decks in MLB. The underhang does not block the view as at most multi-level stadiums and the upper deck does not extend up too high, continuing only until Row S. That’s only nineteen rows, for non-math majors. And Row A is raised above the concourse to take the aisle traffic out of play. In all regards, the Angels hit a home run when they built this deck. Angle for seats in Sections 513–529 and enjoy an Angel’s-eye view of the infield. Sections 523–529 also provide the best view of the San Bernardino Mountains beyond the left-field wall. If it’s a smoggy day, you may not see the peaks, but trust us, they’re there.

The area immediately surrounding Angel Stadium will never be confused with a festive downtown neighborhood. Urban sprawl surrounds the complex housing the ballpark and Honda Center, where the NHL’s Mighty Ducks play. On the plus side, several highways provide easy access to the area and magical Disneyland is not far away. This is not a terribly pedestrian-friendly part of town, so once you park at the stadium plan on staying the rest of the night. Although the stadium is surrounded by tar, a number of palm trees and perennial beds create a visually appealing oasis for baseball. And the subtle beige and green of Angel Stadium’s exterior make it warm and inviting. Other teams like the Blue Jays and A’s would be wise to take a page out of the Angels’ playbook and dress up their similarly generic stadiums in the way the Angels have done.

If you’re driving up the coast after catching a game in San Diego or Lake Elsinore, follow Interstate 5 to State Route 57 north, then take the Orangewood Avenue exit, which lets off right near the park. If you’re coming from downtown Los Angeles, take Interstate 5 south to the Katella Avenue exit. Follow Katella east for a mile, then turn right onto State College Boulevard and take a left onto Gene Autry Way. From the east, follow Interstate 10 west to State Route 60 west, to State Route 91 west, to State Route 57 south, to the exit for Katella.

There are entrances to the three Angel Stadium lots on Douglass Road, State College Boulevard, and Orangewood Avenue. The lots charge $8 per car. We found a private lot on the corner of Katella and Howell Street that charged $5. Considering that Kevin ripped a hole in his new shorts hopping the fence to get to the park, though, it probably would have been better for all involved (Kevin, Josh, and Kevin’s brother Sean) if we’d each shelled out an extra buck each. Or Kevin could have walked the extra block to get around the fence like Josh and Sean did.