Like an aging old woman, neither careful application of paint and dressing nor several facelifts can hide the old bones of Angels Stadium. Opening in 1962, the stadium was designed in an era when what mattered was the action on the field, not the ambiance of the venue. Many of the concession areas were hidden in back hallways away from views of the field, and little attempt was made to disguise ductwork and plumbing. She doesn’t have the charm of a classic old park like Wrigley or Fenway, and her closest peer in our travels, Shea Stadium, was recently replaced. Although the game itself provided some good entertainment, the highlight of the experience for us had more to do with the company… Brandy and Jack have joined us here in LA for a week of fun and baseball.
Many fans showed up early for batting practice, so each of our boys was only able to get one ball apiece (how spoiled are we??) but Carter got his autographed by Royals #54, pitcher Anthony Lerew. Strangely, it was the Royals players out there chatting up the crowd, tossing balls and signing autographs. Typical KC fan-friendly style!
A few minutes at guest services and we were fast friends with the 4 previously unoccupied workers. We discussed ballparks, vacations and kids, as well as things to see at their park. We walked out with first timer stickers, tattoos, an Angels’ calendar (year beginning in April!), and a video of the 2002 Angels vs. Giants World Series.
A couple of activities are available for the smaller kids, at no extra charge. Carter won a pair of “boppers” at ringtoss, and can pitch 34 mph!!
Our seats were on the 4th deck on the 1st base side. We had a fairly unobstructed view of the game, as well as the LA freeway system. Highlights included the Disney-inspired waterfall, fireworks for hometown homeruns, and t-shirt cannons (no, we didn’t catch one.) The Angels are very attached to their “Rally Monkey” and they put a lot of time and effort into inserting their furry friend into famous movie clips –it is LA, after all! But even the Rally Monkey couldn’t save the day for the Angels.
All in all an this was an unremarkable experience, rating it in the bottom fourth of parks we’ve seen. Beloves’ recommendation: save your money and drive the extra 90 minutes to Petco!
A couple of days of beach and Disneyland play ahead before our next stadium – Dodgers!
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