Jen Meets LA, Part Two
Now that you've had some time to digest my last blog, here's the good stuff. Here's my game recaps and my review of Angels Stadium.
But before I begin, I forgot to mention that my dad and I got lost in the ghetto of not one but two cities. First it was Santa Ana, then it was Anaheim. It wasn't scary, but you could tell that wasn't a place you wanted to be. OK, now baseball.
Friday's Game
Final: 7-1 Angels
I told you I left a note at Nick Adenhart's memorial, so we can skip directly to me going to BP. I was hoping for some autographs, so I headed over to the right field corner. I'm glad I did. I didn't get any autographs, but about 10 feet in front of me for about 45 minutes or so was John Danks. You all know how much I adore John Danks. So to have him RIGHT THERE tossing a ball with Mark Buehrle was phenomenal for me. Honestly, I could barely breathe. I had to delete the first couple pictures off my camera of him because I was shaking so badly from sheer excitement that the pictures were RIDICULOUSLY blurry. But I stopped shaking and took some great pictures. I learned something about my favorite Sox pitcher Friday night: he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much hotter in person than on TV. I mean, he's ridiculously gorgeous in general, but he's way better in person. Watching him throw the ball around on Friday got me super stoked for Saturday since he pitched that game. And it made me hope that he comes to SoxFest this year. So since I have no idea if players actually read my blog, I'll put this out there anyway: John, please come to SoxFest this year. You're my favorite, and I really want your autograph and a picture with you. It'd make me super happy. Thanks in advance!
After watching most of the pitchers tossing the ball around, I moved over to left field when BP started. Partly because John moved over there and I wasn't done with my pictures, but partly because homers were being hit over there. And Carlos Quentin was over there too. A few homers bounced near me, but none were close enough for me to snag. It made me kinda sad. One of these days I'll snag one with my glove, and I'll tell you all about it. :)
BP ended, and I made my way over to my seats. My dad was wandering somewhere, so I had to be giddy over the seats by myself. I'm sure many of you have watched Angels games. You know in right field how they have the out-of-town scoreboard, an Angels A, and an ad for the Angels Foundation and Carl's Jr.? I was in the front row of section 237, which is RIGHT above the point in the A. It was pretty awesome. I gave my dad camera duty so I could catch a home run ball (that was never hit to me), and he only took one picture during the game. It was of Jermaine Dye since he was directly in front of us. I'm not too sad I didn't get a lot of pics during that game because 1) they lost, and 2) I'd only have good outfield pictures.
The game itself was not pretty. Gavin Floyd didn't have his stuff, and the only run the Sox scored was on a Jayson Nix solo homer to left. In five innings, Gavin gave up five runs, two walks, and six hits. DJ Carrasco came on in relief and pitched two innings, only allowing one hit. I would have preferred it if he stayed in for the eighth inning, but Ozzie put in Scott Linebrink, and I actually sunk into my seat and put my glove on my face. I always get scared when Linebrink comes in. I WANT to believe he won't blow up, but he usually does. Friday was no exception, as he came in and walked one, gave up three hits, and allowed two runs, both earned. The one walk was intentional to Kendry Morales.
The game was a little disappointing, I admit. But the atmosphere was a new experience for me. I've never been in the minority at a Sox game, as this was the first time I was seeing them away from US Cellular Field. Luckily the majority of the fan base was really nice. There were many people who are still bitter over Game Two of the 2005 ALCS where Doug Eddings awarded AJ first base on a dropped third strike call. And they made it known every time he was at bat. The boos were always loud, no matter if it was his first at-bat or his last at-bat. And that amused me to no end, so I was always laughing when he was announced at the plate. There were a few people around me who yelled to hit Pierzynski in the head, AJ's a jack*ss, and similar insults. But the one I didn't understand was one directed at me personally when my dad was gone. Some guy a few rows behind me yelled "Hey Pierzynski girl in the front. AJ deserves to die." I know this was at me, as I was the only girl in front of him that was 1) a Sox fan, and 2) wearing a Pierzynski jersey. Now, I understand you may still be angry over that call that happened four freaking years ago, but you're gonna hurl a death threat about a player at me? There was one other thing yelled at me and the Sox fans behind me that confused me: "Chicago as a city in general sucks." Really? Have you been there? I happen to like my city, thanks.
After the game, my dad and I headed over to the sports bar next to our hotel. Which by the way was across the street (more or less) from the stadium. Yay no parking charges! There were a bunch of Sox fans there, and I got a thumbs up from one of them. Good times.
Saturday's Game
Final: 4-3 White Sox in 10
Saturday's game was on Fox. I have yet to check and see if I was on TV. I might have been because I was in the row directly behind the camera well on the first base side. Good times.
We got there early again, but alas, there was no BP. But I did meet a couple of girls who were Sox fans. I talked to them for, like, an hour before the game while we were waiting to see if we could get some autographs. Dewayne Wise came out and signed, but I was too far away from him as he didn't leave the field. I know I can throw a ball and pen to him for him to sign, but I knew I'd never be able to catch them when he threw them back. However, one person asked for Brent Lillibridge's autograph. I was the second. He was really nice about it, so thank you, Brent.
I took 200 pictures during this game. The majority are either John Danks pitching, Sox players on first base, or Sox players in the dugout. They're pretty much amazing, and I love my camera. And I loved my seat. I was close enough to hear some of the players talking to fans behind the dugout. I was close enough to hear Ozzie arguing with the first base umpire. And I was close enough to hear AJ drop the F-bomb after popping out with runners in scoring position. I may be completely weird, but I loved the F-bomb. I love when my players show emotion over their plays, so I loved that AJ showed he was p*ssed.
This game was soooooooo much better than Friday's game. Gordon Beckham launched a solo shot in the first inning to get the Sox on the board. Then, in the third inning, Scott Podsednik hit an inside-the-park home run. I would have taken pictures of that, but I was too busy yelling in my seat, "PODS. PODS. OMG. Triple...no. ****. OMG. He's not gonna...OMG he is. SCOTTIE HAS WHEELS! SCOTTIE HAS WHEELS!" (OK, that's not word-for-word, but it was close. And I did in fact yell "Scottie has wheels" twice.) That was completely amazing. After that play, Beckham singled, and eventually that inning, Mark Kotsay reached first on an error by Bobby Abreu. That scored Beckham, but Kotsay was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning.
John Danks pitched six beautiful innings. He allowed six hits and two walks, but he didn't give up any runs. It was pretty awesome. Octavio Dotel came on in the seventh. Usually I'm ridiculously nervous when he comes in, but I was rather calm. He came in and only allowed one hit, which didn't score. Matt Thornton came on in the eighth, and I was pretty sure we were gonna get a shutout. But something happened to my Matty, and he gave up four hits and two earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. What was terrifying for me was Bobby Jenks coming in with only one out in the eighth. Luckily Bobby threw one pitch and it ended the inning with a double play. Bobby was back in the ninth, but he blew the save. The Sox luckily scored in the tenth, and we won. Hooray!
Oh, and this is my favorite picture I took all weekend long. I shouldn't have to explain why.
Angels Stadium
I understand why ESPN gave them the best rating of all MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL stadiums. This place is incredibly beautiful, and prices were relatively reasonable. I got a huge Pepsi on Friday night for $5.50. I have no idea how many ounces it was, but it lasted me most of the game. And if my dad was willing to go back over and over and over for bloody Marys and margaritas on Saturday, those prices have to be reasonable too.
I didn't eat anything there on Friday since I was still full from my crappy Mexican lunch. (Note: do NOT go to Taco Rosa in Irvine. Really bad food for what they're charging. And their margaritas are crap too.) And I was too excited about my seats on Saturday to actually remember to eat. So when I come back eventually with Rachel, I'll remember to try some stadium food.
Final Musings
As promised, I have links to my Facebook albums. Here's the link for general Anaheim area pics and Friday's game, and here's the link for Saturday's game. The titles are great, I know. :)
The Chicago Bears may drive me to drink more than the Sox did this season. If you didn't see that atrocious, crap-filled spectacle on Sunday Night Football, consider yourself lucky. Jay Cutler did his best Rex Grossman impression, and we lost Brian Urlacher for the season with a dislocated wrist. For those of you who have no idea how much I love Brian Urlacher, let's put it this way: for my heart, losing Brian Urlacher for the season is the football equivalent of losing AJ Pierzynski for the season. I ADORE Brian Urlacher.
But before I begin, I forgot to mention that my dad and I got lost in the ghetto of not one but two cities. First it was Santa Ana, then it was Anaheim. It wasn't scary, but you could tell that wasn't a place you wanted to be. OK, now baseball.
Friday's Game
Final: 7-1 Angels
I told you I left a note at Nick Adenhart's memorial, so we can skip directly to me going to BP. I was hoping for some autographs, so I headed over to the right field corner. I'm glad I did. I didn't get any autographs, but about 10 feet in front of me for about 45 minutes or so was John Danks. You all know how much I adore John Danks. So to have him RIGHT THERE tossing a ball with Mark Buehrle was phenomenal for me. Honestly, I could barely breathe. I had to delete the first couple pictures off my camera of him because I was shaking so badly from sheer excitement that the pictures were RIDICULOUSLY blurry. But I stopped shaking and took some great pictures. I learned something about my favorite Sox pitcher Friday night: he is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much hotter in person than on TV. I mean, he's ridiculously gorgeous in general, but he's way better in person. Watching him throw the ball around on Friday got me super stoked for Saturday since he pitched that game. And it made me hope that he comes to SoxFest this year. So since I have no idea if players actually read my blog, I'll put this out there anyway: John, please come to SoxFest this year. You're my favorite, and I really want your autograph and a picture with you. It'd make me super happy. Thanks in advance!After watching most of the pitchers tossing the ball around, I moved over to left field when BP started. Partly because John moved over there and I wasn't done with my pictures, but partly because homers were being hit over there. And Carlos Quentin was over there too. A few homers bounced near me, but none were close enough for me to snag. It made me kinda sad. One of these days I'll snag one with my glove, and I'll tell you all about it. :)
BP ended, and I made my way over to my seats. My dad was wandering somewhere, so I had to be giddy over the seats by myself. I'm sure many of you have watched Angels games. You know in right field how they have the out-of-town scoreboard, an Angels A, and an ad for the Angels Foundation and Carl's Jr.? I was in the front row of section 237, which is RIGHT above the point in the A. It was pretty awesome. I gave my dad camera duty so I could catch a home run ball (that was never hit to me), and he only took one picture during the game. It was of Jermaine Dye since he was directly in front of us. I'm not too sad I didn't get a lot of pics during that game because 1) they lost, and 2) I'd only have good outfield pictures.The game itself was not pretty. Gavin Floyd didn't have his stuff, and the only run the Sox scored was on a Jayson Nix solo homer to left. In five innings, Gavin gave up five runs, two walks, and six hits. DJ Carrasco came on in relief and pitched two innings, only allowing one hit. I would have preferred it if he stayed in for the eighth inning, but Ozzie put in Scott Linebrink, and I actually sunk into my seat and put my glove on my face. I always get scared when Linebrink comes in. I WANT to believe he won't blow up, but he usually does. Friday was no exception, as he came in and walked one, gave up three hits, and allowed two runs, both earned. The one walk was intentional to Kendry Morales.
The game was a little disappointing, I admit. But the atmosphere was a new experience for me. I've never been in the minority at a Sox game, as this was the first time I was seeing them away from US Cellular Field. Luckily the majority of the fan base was really nice. There were many people who are still bitter over Game Two of the 2005 ALCS where Doug Eddings awarded AJ first base on a dropped third strike call. And they made it known every time he was at bat. The boos were always loud, no matter if it was his first at-bat or his last at-bat. And that amused me to no end, so I was always laughing when he was announced at the plate. There were a few people around me who yelled to hit Pierzynski in the head, AJ's a jack*ss, and similar insults. But the one I didn't understand was one directed at me personally when my dad was gone. Some guy a few rows behind me yelled "Hey Pierzynski girl in the front. AJ deserves to die." I know this was at me, as I was the only girl in front of him that was 1) a Sox fan, and 2) wearing a Pierzynski jersey. Now, I understand you may still be angry over that call that happened four freaking years ago, but you're gonna hurl a death threat about a player at me? There was one other thing yelled at me and the Sox fans behind me that confused me: "Chicago as a city in general sucks." Really? Have you been there? I happen to like my city, thanks.
After the game, my dad and I headed over to the sports bar next to our hotel. Which by the way was across the street (more or less) from the stadium. Yay no parking charges! There were a bunch of Sox fans there, and I got a thumbs up from one of them. Good times.
Saturday's Game
Final: 4-3 White Sox in 10
Saturday's game was on Fox. I have yet to check and see if I was on TV. I might have been because I was in the row directly behind the camera well on the first base side. Good times.
We got there early again, but alas, there was no BP. But I did meet a couple of girls who were Sox fans. I talked to them for, like, an hour before the game while we were waiting to see if we could get some autographs. Dewayne Wise came out and signed, but I was too far away from him as he didn't leave the field. I know I can throw a ball and pen to him for him to sign, but I knew I'd never be able to catch them when he threw them back. However, one person asked for Brent Lillibridge's autograph. I was the second. He was really nice about it, so thank you, Brent.
I took 200 pictures during this game. The majority are either John Danks pitching, Sox players on first base, or Sox players in the dugout. They're pretty much amazing, and I love my camera. And I loved my seat. I was close enough to hear some of the players talking to fans behind the dugout. I was close enough to hear Ozzie arguing with the first base umpire. And I was close enough to hear AJ drop the F-bomb after popping out with runners in scoring position. I may be completely weird, but I loved the F-bomb. I love when my players show emotion over their plays, so I loved that AJ showed he was p*ssed.This game was soooooooo much better than Friday's game. Gordon Beckham launched a solo shot in the first inning to get the Sox on the board. Then, in the third inning, Scott Podsednik hit an inside-the-park home run. I would have taken pictures of that, but I was too busy yelling in my seat, "PODS. PODS. OMG. Triple...no. ****. OMG. He's not gonna...OMG he is. SCOTTIE HAS WHEELS! SCOTTIE HAS WHEELS!" (OK, that's not word-for-word, but it was close. And I did in fact yell "Scottie has wheels" twice.) That was completely amazing. After that play, Beckham singled, and eventually that inning, Mark Kotsay reached first on an error by Bobby Abreu. That scored Beckham, but Kotsay was thrown out trying to advance to second to end the inning.
John Danks pitched six beautiful innings. He allowed six hits and two walks, but he didn't give up any runs. It was pretty awesome. Octavio Dotel came on in the seventh. Usually I'm ridiculously nervous when he comes in, but I was rather calm. He came in and only allowed one hit, which didn't score. Matt Thornton came on in the eighth, and I was pretty sure we were gonna get a shutout. But something happened to my Matty, and he gave up four hits and two earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. What was terrifying for me was Bobby Jenks coming in with only one out in the eighth. Luckily Bobby threw one pitch and it ended the inning with a double play. Bobby was back in the ninth, but he blew the save. The Sox luckily scored in the tenth, and we won. Hooray!
Oh, and this is my favorite picture I took all weekend long. I shouldn't have to explain why.
Angels StadiumI understand why ESPN gave them the best rating of all MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL stadiums. This place is incredibly beautiful, and prices were relatively reasonable. I got a huge Pepsi on Friday night for $5.50. I have no idea how many ounces it was, but it lasted me most of the game. And if my dad was willing to go back over and over and over for bloody Marys and margaritas on Saturday, those prices have to be reasonable too.
I didn't eat anything there on Friday since I was still full from my crappy Mexican lunch. (Note: do NOT go to Taco Rosa in Irvine. Really bad food for what they're charging. And their margaritas are crap too.) And I was too excited about my seats on Saturday to actually remember to eat. So when I come back eventually with Rachel, I'll remember to try some stadium food.
Final Musings
As promised, I have links to my Facebook albums. Here's the link for general Anaheim area pics and Friday's game, and here's the link for Saturday's game. The titles are great, I know. :)
The Chicago Bears may drive me to drink more than the Sox did this season. If you didn't see that atrocious, crap-filled spectacle on Sunday Night Football, consider yourself lucky. Jay Cutler did his best Rex Grossman impression, and we lost Brian Urlacher for the season with a dislocated wrist. For those of you who have no idea how much I love Brian Urlacher, let's put it this way: for my heart, losing Brian Urlacher for the season is the football equivalent of losing AJ Pierzynski for the season. I ADORE Brian Urlacher.
I think that everyone should see or hear Jen's 'Scottie Pods' dance. Its pretty hilarious. I've seen it while sitting next to her on the couch or in the car. I heard it while listening to a voicemail from her while she was in LA after Scottie hit the in-the-park homer. It's pretty hilarious! I will try and get it recorded when we hit up the Halfway to St. Patrick's Day game on Friday!
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I never get fans who need to bash other teams and their fans like that. People who can only enjoy a game by swearing or belittling other teams aren't much of a fan in my opinion. Other then the idiots - I'm glad you and your dad had a great time!
Sorry about your Bears - but BOY did my Patriots pull out a great win last night - what a game!
Julia
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Wow, sounds like some crazy stuff going on :) Love the AJ picture!! That's great. He was like, who's that crazy lady screaming at me back there? Haha :) GO JAKE!!
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Rachel - if I do the Scottie Pods dance in public, I'm completely wasted. Which would also mean we're having a FABULOUS time. YAY SOX GAME TOMORROW!!!
Julia - I can understand (maybe) holding that grudge still because it wasn't a very common play, but hurling death threats at me directed at him is just unnecessary. I like when he gets booed at every at-bat cuz it's hilarious. Hopefully the Bears can pull it out on Sunday...but it's the Steelers, so I have no idea! Hahaha!
Kaybee - I had to control the squealing when I was taking the AJ picture hahahaha!
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