My son took up baseball this summer and is shockingly good, so I wanted to get him to a pro game before the season ended. He’d never been to a professional sports venue before.
I grew up in the Bay Area watching the Bash Brothers and Barry Bonds. I moved to Santa Barbara in 2010 to be with my then-girlfriend (now wife) and have been here ever since.
Because he’s still young, I didn’t want to deal with brutal traffic, nor did I have the funds to spend several hundred dollars on great seats. I wanted him as close as possible to the action. What better choice than a Sunday noon Angels game? I’ve always had a soft spot for the Angels, even when they beat the Giants in the World Series.
My first memory of the Angels was seeing a one-armed pitcher in the mid-90s take it to San Francisco, and I loved watching Troy Percival, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, and Garrett Anderson.
We got to the stadium 90 minutes early and walked right in. Grabbed Angel Dogs, wandered the park, got a picture of the trophy then settled into our seats — five rows behind the visitors dugout. I was shocked how close we were, you could really hear the ball pop in the catcher’s mitt and the crack of the bat.
I explained to my son the game wasn’t playoff-relevant, but told him to watch closely how the pros play. Mike Trout, his favorite player, homered. His first pro sports game, and a Trout home run right in front of us, with fireworks and flamethrowers to cap it off.
Even though the Angels lost, it couldn’t have been a better first experience. Thanks Anaheim for the great time and a beautiful stadium.
5 comments
Saw Trout hit a homer in some nice seats that’s the way to do a first game!
DAD
100
This is so cool. May he always remember this experience. I wish I had a dad like you.
Wow, amazing. Lucky kid, getting so close at his first game! My kids don’t know anything but the nosebleeds. LOL.
Love that. Wish they won for him. Angels were also my first pro sports event nearly 40 years ago.