For all but one team, the baseball playoffs end with a loss.
Last night was our turn.
But even though the final score wasn’t in our favor and the bottom of the 8th inning was a sheer disaster, the season itself was far from a total loss.
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Afternoon Angel: 10 best things about last night
October 23rd, 2009, 10:21 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon Angel1. The uber-obnoxious Yankee fan who was screaming at everyone wearing red as he passed through the parking lot saying, “This is our time!” I knew we’d win the game after that.
2. Crazy, devoted Angel fans in section 510 who certainly didn’t act as of their team was on the brink of elimination.
3. John Lackey cutting through Yankees like a steak knife through butter.
4. Torii Hunter’s bat waking up.
5. Jeff Mathis’ bat staying impossibly hot.
6. The guy in the red shirt who jumped out onto the rock pile fountain having his 15 seconds of fame.
7. A line for the men’s bathroom.
8. Young Weavuh! Redeemed in the 8th
9. The Rally Monkey singing in the Aha video “Take On Me.”
10. The brand new, finally finished halo glowing for the first time.
Resilience: the ability to recover quickly from setbacks,
aka The Angels in the bottom of the 7th inning.
Let’s play two!
One more game - at least
October 22nd, 2009, 7:30 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon AngelIt’s no secret that the Angels - down three games to one - have hit the wall and their backs are firmly up against it. The Yankees have outperformed in this series, both offensively and defensively. Even a loyal fan like me can’t deny the obvious.
But we have one more game.
Sad and sleepy
October 21st, 2009, 7:15 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon Angel
Ouch.
As the game wound down to its disappointing, 10-1 conclusion last night, I started to wonder what I could possibly write about such a frustrating loss. To get a fan’s perspective, I started asking people around me what they would say if they had a fan blog to air their opinions.
Afternoon Angel: Going to the ballpark today
October 19th, 2009, 8:22 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon AngelThis isn’t what we hoped for.
Being down two games to the Yankees isn’t the way we wanted to start our set of ALCS home games. This is nervous time. The time when fans start to go into defensive mode and distance themselves for what what’s happening on the field. When we start placing blame on umpires and frigid temperatures and pitches left out over the middle of the plate.
But I don’t want to dwell on the frustration s of the last few games. That’s the job of sports writers and second-guessing baseball bloggers. They’ve had their say all weekend. Read the rest of this entry »
Gearing up for the playoffs
October 15th, 2009, 1:16 pm by Ellen Bell, Afternoon Angel
The Angels may be back in New York, warming up to face the Yankees, but here in the OC, fans are gearing up as well. The series will be a tough one, and we all need to look our best for the campaign.
I stopped by Dicks Sporting Goods in Tustin this morning to do my part and found I wasn’t alone.
Other Angels fans had the same idea and were browsing through the racks of Red Wear just like me. I met Kristine Bieber (pictured) of Laguna Hills who was buying shirts for her whole family. The Biebers are devoted fans who spent one of their first dates at an Angels game. Since they were married on Oct. 22, they’ve spent many anniversary dinners looking for a TV in the restaurant so they can check playoff scores. They’d love to celebrate their 21st anniversary next week with an American League Pennant for the Halos.
Dicks had an excellent selection, by the way. And if I were you I wouldn’t wait to long to start your shopping spree. Game 1 is just 24 hours away…
A precious moment of elation
October 12th, 2009, 11:07 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon AngelOk, so how great was that?
Like anything worth having in life, yesterday’s amazing victory over the Red Sox was an uphill battle. There were many times during the game when I was glad that I wasn’t sitting in the stands in Boston. I was grateful for the diversion of a pile of laundry and a sink of dirty dishes to distract me from the fact that the Angels were down 5-1, trailing the Red Sox once again at Fenway Park.
But as I spent the next few innings, watching from the safe distance of my kitchen, I realized that something was very different.
Afternoon Angel: Confession to make
October 9th, 2009, 10:40 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon AngelI have a confession to make.
Last night, as I settled into my seats to watch the first playoff game, I was terrified.
I know, I should have been a confident, optimistic fan, but I couldn’t help it. I really didn’t know if I would be able to stomach another playoff loss to the Red Sox.
I held my breath as Lackey took the mound. Read the rest of this entry »
Fasten your seat belts!
October 8th, 2009, 11:40 am by Ellen Bell, Afternoon AngelWell, here we are.
Today is the day that we’ve all been waiting for. The culmination of months of base hits and strike outs, of come from behind victories and blown saves. More than any other Angels’ season in recent memory, this year has been an exercise in extremes.
Remember, way back in April, when all was doom and gloom in the OC and Angels fans were ready to throw in the rally towel? I made a call to action to all Halo fans to keep the faith, and you were rewarded with a blissful summer of winning baseball. Kendry Morales made us forget What’s His Name who played first base last year. Erik Aybar became an offensive and defensive standout. And Chone Figgins was, well, truly an All Star.
But just as all was rosy for the Angels, along came September. Suddenly Bobby Abreu couldn’t buy a hit and every starting pitcher seemed to stumble. Texas refused to fade into the sunset and things got a little bit uncomfortable in Anaheim.
But that seems to be the pattern for this season. Victories have not come easy and rivals haven’t be easy to vanquish. The challenges of the 2009 campaign have made this season memorable and whatever success the Angels enjoy at the end of it all, they will have earned it.
So as I head out to the Big A tonight to see the Angels face the dreaded Red Sox, I wonder what part of the Angels Roller Coaster I’ll be on. Will it be the dizzying heights of the summer or the plummeting dive of the spring? Will we see July John Lackey or September John Lackey on the mound? And will we finally, once and for all, send those lousy Red Sox and their obnoxious fans back to Boston for an early winter break?
Fasten your seat belts and hang on.
They’re here!
September 29th, 2009, 12:29 pm by Ellen Bell, Afternoon Angel
They’re here.
They arrived on my doorstep just hours before the Angels clinched the division.
My 2009 playoff tickets.
Being superstitious, I didn’t open the special delivery envelope until the end of the ninth inning when all was official. I know the Angels were a mathematical lock, and an 11-0 lead is a pretty good sign, but I waited anyway.
Read the rest of this entry »
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