Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Raised by two baseball obsessed people, I grew up going to the Los Angeles Angels spring training in Arizona. My bedroom in California is adorned with bobble heads and signed baseballs from some of my favorite players. My dad has a signed Mike Trout ball from when he was a rookie. All this to say, my family is baseball crazy.
Being from the Los Angeles area, people always assume that I am a Dodgers fan. After their World Series win last season I must admit, I’ve been tempted to convert. Alas, the team I have always been loyal to is the Angels. Shohei Ohtani got his start on this underdog team from Anaheim, California and Mike Trout has also been a batter and right fielder on the team for several years now. Despite having so many star players throughout the years, the Angels continue to suck. And I’m beginning to be embarrassed to say that they’re my favorite team.
To put it into perspective, back in 2022, the Angels celebrated their 20th anniversary of winning the World Series. I felt like this was one of the saddest things they could’ve done. What better way to say that they’re a loser of a team than to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the last time they even went to the World Series. It breaks my heart to see that the team that I loved so much just can’t pull it together. Nowadays, if I decide to get cheap tickets to a game (because I’m not paying an arm and a leg to see them lose), it’s usually an excuse to get out of the house, hang out with family and eat food.
I have so many good memories attached to the Angels that it’s such a shame to see them in such an intense losing streak. I remember watching batting practice at Spring Training with my family, seeing so many games with my dad. I remember going to the legendary game with a friend where Mike Trout jumped over a wall to catch a rogue ball. One of my favorite memories though was when I was in sixth grade. My friend Jack and I used to debate with our math teacher, Mr. Smith, about the Angels vs. Dodgers. Anytime the Angels won a game, Jack and I would brag to Mr. Smith and he would do the same if the Dodgers won — ll in good fun of course. Jack and I were always so proud to be Angels fans, and while I haven’t discussed it with him in recent years, I highly doubt he’s still as gung-ho as he once was. I certainly am not.
So while I’d love to hope that the upcoming season of baseball will mean great things for my beloved Angels, their track record has sadly given me little reason to hope. I mean who knows, maybe I’m wrong and this is their year, but I highly doubt it.
Leave a Reply