Winning isn’t everything…

Also, the Dodgers have a spectacular history of driving their fans crazy — there is no lead in the standings in mid-summer that they can’t blow by September. How can you top that?

Furthermore, what’s with the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim”??? Easily the dumbest team name of the planet. Why not just go with the “O.C. Angels,” or “The Mighty Winged Beings That Aren’t Ducks”?

Finally, the Angels lack Vin Scully, the Roy Hobbs of broadcasters. As long as he’s on the air, western civilization is intact. Once he retires, Armageddon will be not far away.

Kirk Gibson.
Sandy Koufax.
Drysdale.
Jackie.
Ebbets Field.
LA Coliseum.
Dodger Staduim. (not Pepsi Park, or DWP Field, or Mickey’s Happy House)
Dodger Dogs.
‘77, ‘81, ‘88.
Orel Effing Hershiser. Fear the Bulldog.
My Grampa.
The Homer. Eckersly. Arguably the greatest moment in the latter half of 20th century baseball.

Actually residing in the city that you claim in your name?

Priceless.

The Angels?

Well… they have a former Dodger great managing them. I guess that’s something. A winning record? Yawn. The Royals won a world series once, too. Doesn’t change the fact that they have no gravitas. Actually, I personally de-gravitas any ballclub that has a freaking fountain as part of their architecture. What is this, a damn yacht club? Are we playing baseball at a mall? There is no crying in baseball, and there are certainly no freaking fountains.

The Dodgers are a classic, epic ballclub. Red Sox. Yankees. Cubs. Dodgers. It just rings right. It could be another 20 years before they win a title, and it will still be so.

Angels. Devil Rays. Brewers. Twins.

Meh.

Sorry. It is what it is. :)

Also, as the California Angels, they had a fight song with a bouncy tune (I can sing it, under the proper conditions) and the following non-gravitudinous lyrics:

California Angels A-O-K!
California Angels all the way!
Hear them shout that you’re the best, clear throughout the golden west
Watch ‘em play, night and day, Keep the crowds in the clouds!

California Angels, Win that game!!
California Angels, Win that fame!!
Everybody blow your horn!
With the Halo we adorn the California Angels team!

I can safely say that the Dodgers have never stooped to this type of tin-pan alley tactics to lure fans to the park, no-sirree.
We had better fight songs at Pomona College, home of the Fighting Sagehens (who, by the way, were in the first football game ever played at the L.A. Coliseum).

That’s so cute, how you used to win baseball games.

You hate the Angels for the wrong reasons. The reason you should hate them is because they taught the league the way to build a franchise. They made the game international, scouted in countries nobody had ever heard of, and invested heavily in building the best farm system in the league. Not only do they win, they win with talent that grew up in their own system.

And that means they’ll keep winning for a long, long time. You know, like the Dodgers used to. Back when people thought pegged jeans and Cindy Lauper were cool.

Oh Mike.

Look, I get it. I’m sure David’s brothers had a hard time with it as well. Not everyone can be anointed.

Paul, I’m absolutely dying to know what the proper conditions are to get you to sing that song! We have margaritas at our house, if that helps.

This is our current fight song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAKF3_hCSNs

OAKLAND A’S… and that is enough!

Eckersly.

Oh,

Also… The Dodgers have a real organist. Gravitas.

Margaritas would be involved in any rendition of the California Angels’ fight song. This would most likely lead to some Pomona College fight songs as well, including “Swoop Down the Field,” and “When Cecil Sagehen Chirps.” Note the transgender subtext in the latter title, but that was in fact the mascot’s name.

Baseball is boring.

In a real sport, the US Open is being contested in fair SoCal at Torrey Pines. Tiger’s back from knee surgury, Phil’s playing great, as are Sergio and a few other’s that could win.

Blasphemer!

Golf on TV is good for one thing - falling asleep on Sunday afternoon.

Chad, you IM’d me last night to brag about the Dodgers tying the Cubs in the 8th. How’d that game turn out? Oh, they lost? What’s that you say? They’ve lost 8 of their last 10 games?

Well, at least they have a peppy organist.

Micheal,

Soon, baseball padawan, you will learn that true fans care not about winning or losing, but the love of the game.

We’ll see how much of a fan you are when the Angels aren’t the hottest thing around. The emotional health of my Summer constantly rides on a team that hasn’t won a title in 20 years. Why? Because I’m a baseball fan.

Hey,

Since you’re so clearly obsessed with winning and losing, I just wanted you to know that Your Los Angeles Dodgers ended up taking 2 from 3 from the Cubbies thus far.

I know you’re relieved to see your hometown team doing well.

In other news, I think the Angels are doing a double header with the Las Vegas Sandcrabs. I hear it’s 2 for 1 night on Pabst!

2 of 3 - awesome!

Raise your hand if you’ve taken 2 of 3 in your last 7 series … not so fast, Dodgers.

And, don’t get all uppity … you know if it were 2 for 1 Pabst night, you would be bumming a ride from me to get to the game.

But AAAL ball is just so… I dunno. Meh. It’d be like getting drunk at a community theater.

(ed: This commenter had a difficult time expressing their opinion due to the limited number of adjectives in their vocabulary. The Addison Road blog has graciously loaned them a few pink unicorns)

Top Reasons Why The pink unicorns Angels Blow

1. Angels “fans” didn’t exist before 2002. Terry Collins? Who the pink unicorns was that guy?

2. Scioscia, Griffin, and Hatcher. Ex 1988 Dodgers.

3. Dodgers loaned the Ravine to the Gaylos when they didn’t have a stadium.

4. Anaheim is not even in LA County.

5. Spanish literal translation of The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. “The The Angels Angels of Anaheim.” Sounds like a pink unicorns retard with a stuttering problem.

6. The Rally Monkey: Never have I witnessed people going ape pink unicorns over a pink unicorns monkey jumping up and down on a big screen.

7. And the best for last

Dodgers - 5 World Series since coming to LA 1958
Angels - 1 World Series since 1961.

When you’re sitting in your hideous blue seats, built on land stolen by the city from one of the most vibrant Mexican-American communities in post-war LA, worried that you might get mugged by other fans on the way to your car, watching your team lose night after night, it must be a great comfort to you to reflect on how good your team used to be.

We, on the other hand, have to console ourselves with watching our team win.

I have to agree with the Angels Suck guy. The Angels did not have a “fanbase” until they won the 2002 World Series. They are by far one of the biggest bandwagon teams in baseball next to the Red Sox and now the Cubs.

Most people I talked to did not care about the Angels, until they made it to the World Series. They win a World Series and all of a sudden everyone starts liking them? Please…At least the Dodgers have a history behind them and the legacy that they have in baseball is something that the Angels will never have.

And what is it with you paranoid Angel fans thinking that the Ravine is a place where you get stabbed? I have been going there for twenty-two years now and have sat with the roudiest of people. They are all there to have a good time, though inebriated. :)

Face it, the Angels may be doing good right now and they should make it to the playoffs this year, but they are eons away from being compared to the Dodgers. I feel sorry that you guys have Rex Hudler as an announcer. That guy seriously has the most ridiculous nicknames for people. He is by no means up to the caliber of the legendary Vin Scully.

Remind me again, what position does Vin Scully play?

Also, gotta love the Dodger fans who are so excited about their team that they leave anonymous fly-by comments. Who are these people?

So don’t all teams have to have a founding date? Just because one team has been around longer than another one, automatically makes it the better team?

It’s important to build a fan base, to start from somewhere. A team who can give you a reason to cheer them on, and then continue to give you reasons season after season has a good thing going. Also a team you can sit down and watch with your kids while showing real examples of sportsmanship and team work to teach them by, well, that’s okay with me.

And may I add, to my wife’s eloquent defense, you’re all dumb dumb poo poo heads.

This recent development does my heart good.

Also, the failure to grasp the greatness of Vinmie only reveals the fly by night nature of our Angelic comrades.

Gravitas comes with time, by way of legend.

Vin Scully is the greatest in the game. No doubt. Uncontested.

But he does not play baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles.

Angels have 48 wins, tied with Boston and the Cubs for the lead.

Ok. Last attempt. There is more I baseball than the standings, or the stats, or the absurd names of the teams. There is an intangible, yet very real x-factor that makes the game what it is. Vinnie is as much a part of dodger lore as anyone who’s worn the uniform. There’s more to the game than the game.

Great point, Chad. It’s called America’s Pastime for a reason. The experience is the event. The stats are for people who are interested in charts.

And now I’ll return to my hole.

Surely we can all agree that the “winning games” state is an important part of the game?

Nobody has the hardware or history of the A’s. They are one of the original MLB teams, Have a long history of success, have had great players and unlike Angels Fans their fans like them even when they don’t win. The angels have only had fans 2 times in their history with this being one of them. And the Dodgers best contribution to baseball has been Vin Scully and Sandy Colfax.

Were any of you Roadies at the no-hitter (unofficial) last night? Historic.

You cut me deep, Bobby. You cut me deep.

Hey, can someone get me a broom?

(ack! It’s less menacing when I have to apologize for being on Erica’s computer again and again…)

But still… SWEEP!

From the article on MLB.com:

“The fifth inning started when Kemp hit what Dodgers announcer Vin Scully called a “little squirt job [with] English all over it” on a 1-0 count.”

Gravitas.

Happy birthday to me, indeed!

Here is a riddle:

Dodger Fan: How many hits does it take to beat the angels?
Angel Fan: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…were still in first place

Leonard:

Here is another riddle.

‘88 World Series. Go figure.

Gravitas.

Chad, since we are living in the past… 1974 A’s in five over the dodgers…

But the reality is the Dodgers could win their division and still be under 500. Must make you folks in dodger town so proud.

You are cold, sir. I salute you.

http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/program_detail.cfm?id=1693

So, we’re going to this tonight.

They should do something cool like this for The Angels, say at like the Anaheim Convention Center, or maybe that cool little Carnation Plaza at Disneyland. I wonder if they’ll sing the fight song?

Should I say it?

I’m gonna say it.

Gravitas.

Man, who just swept the Red Sox? Only the team with the best record in Baseball, that’s all.

Oh this is Gretchen by the way, on Gretchen’s computer. Gravitas.

Nice!

I mean… I give props to you, not your weird little team. In fact, I was in OC this past weekend, reading an article about how much people in OC resent the weird little title of their team.

Oh, and also, for some reason, the moment we descended behind the Orange Curtain, the kids felt the need to start singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” over and over. At Dodger Stadium, where the actual Los Angeles team plays, we sing, “Now it’s root, root, root for the (and then then whole crowd screams) DDDOOODDD — GGGGERSSS…” which my kids did at the top of their lungs about 12,000 times while playing on the beach at Balboa island. Fearless little suckers, they are.

Gravitas.

Holy crap, now the Dodgers suck even more!

They just acquired MANNY! That’s enough to make me start to like the Red Sox …

Why would you start to like the Red Sox? They’re a team with gravitas. I’d say maybe hang your star on a team your speed, like the Royals.

See,

If Angels “fans” had suffered as the Red Sox fans had suffered, they would have bailed. That’s, ironically, why the Sox have gravitas. Talk to me about your love for the Angels when they haven’t won a series in 20 years.

you can only be a real fan if your team sucks?

No…

Sometimes I fear you miss the whole point of my protest against you. The point is love. Sustained love. Love if they win, love if they lose. I love The Dodgers if they win. I love them if they lose. The reason The Angels lack that certain something is because time has not proven that they’re a lovable team. They’ve only been a serious player since 2000ish. Baseball is an old game, with a long memory.

Rally Monkey? Pfft.

Give me something that lasts.

Michael,

I just have to say that the way you talk about the Dodgers reminds me how how Ted Haggard used to talk about homosexuals, before it became clear that he… was one.

Is there something you want to tell us? There are plenty of seats for the righteous at the ravine. Step into the light, Michael. It’s ok. Let the sweet, sweet baritone of Vinny’s voice soothe your weary soul.

Well, the Angels are now the most hated team in America. That’s a start, I guess.

There you go. That’s the spirit. So, are you a gay Dodger lover or what?

I love all of the gay dodgers. Especially Big Fanny Manny, your new clubhouse bitch.

Oh, and here I was about to say something nice about the hated, hated Angels.

I guess I’ll just have to return to being completely, utterly indifferent to them.

Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, and then Garret Anderson. Whew. All four of those guys are hitting right now, and I don’t envy any pitcher who has to throw past the middle part of our lineup.

I’m just sayin’.

Wow, that’s amazing! You guys are almost 2 full games ahead of your division! That’s only one game less than the number of wins we need to clinch our division.

Oh, and our closer is about to set the record for single-season saves.

And yet still… meh. Where’s the drama? Where’s the human struggle?

Where’s the Vin?

Go Angels!
AL West Champions, once again.

(crickets)

woo.

Now we’re playing for homefield advantage.

Oh Michael, I don’t know if playing in that place can really be called an advantage.

Well, true. We’ve proven this year that we can win anywhere.

…except in the hearts of actual Angelenos.

Like yourself….from Thousand Oaks.

oh snap.

Hey hey.

Distance from your house to That Minor League Park Where The “Los Angeles” Angels of Tustin play - 41.4 Miles.

Distance from my house to Glorious Dodger Stadium - 36.9 Miles

Santa Monica, born and raised — Represent!

Yes, but the drive to our stadium isn’t impeded by the angry ghosts of 10,000 Mexican families, upon whose bones your mighty pantheon was raised.

Oppressor.

Go Liverpool…

That’s all I have to say

Ghosts are heretical.

Heretic!

James,

Out, you Scouser.

>:<

They’ve won 12 of their last 13.

The drama! The excitement! The Vinnie!

The gravitas!

JR,
Sod off yehself, yeh daffy ol’ drag!

:)

oh ps- Liverpool over Man U, 2-1 today :D

Season’s over, with 100 wins. Best in franchise history. Let’s see, Chad, the last time the Dodgers did that was … before you were born.

Bring on Boston! And here’s to a Freeway Series in the end!

I can’t decide if I feel snarky or generous today. I’ll go sideways, instead.

Down with the CUBS!

um…

go Cubs.
(…jumps back on bandwagon)

Yar!

(There is now a complete breakdown of thread coherency. I blame the economy.)

Can we all agree… DOWN WITH THE BREWERS!

Loney, Wrigley, Grand Slam to center.

Welcome to the post season.

Gravitas.

Oh… yar.

congrats, a win. Now you know how we’ve felt all season long!

And you were so sweet and sportsmanlike in your text message.

It’s funny, ’cause now we’re in the post season. How does 1-0 feel, you ask? Great, thanks!

Uggggh.

CURSE YOU, BOSTON!

I’m such a softy. I was actually rooting for the Angels.

Now the real tension begins. Will this season end with we won? or will this season end with the not to consoling victory chant of losers…. “at least we made the play-offs.”

What kind of wagers did you Dodger and Angels fans make? Seems to me you should at least be playing for some kind of prize that would forever mark the shame of the other. Do tell.

Loser has to wear a fuzzy sweater with Sarah Palin’s face knitted into it to the Long Beach Gay Pride parade.

and the winner?

Gets to watch.

Leonard,

I have to confess that I went from, “Well… I’m just glad that they made the playoffs,” to, “I want to hear Vin Scully call a world series game so badly I can taste it,” in about .003 seconds.

Mike, I’m gonna have Erica start knitting. Do you look good in Lime Green?

If it is a freeway series, I’m going to listen to Vin call it too.

I wonder how many people in Chicago are having this exact conversation?

Doesn’t matter…you’ll all have to come to Boston for the World Series anyway.

Dodgers, Angels, Boston, someone named Vin….so all of this is something people care about? or something?

(I’m aiming for insult, degradation…and what was the other one? Oh yeah, offend.)

No idea, June. I just got on here to laugh, since there must be some really funny red herrings on the thread. But no. It’s all talk about…what is this, sports?

Yes girls, sports. Now why don’t you go run along and talk about lipstick and reenforce another misogynistic stereotype.

:)

Oh, and Eric… Manny doesn’t really seem eager to return to Boston, so and with gas prices being what they are, I think it’d really be better for the environment if we just minimized the travel for the world series.

[laughing] Dude, I’m a POST feminist. I’ve got nothing to prove. Besides, I LOVE sports. I was on the varsity soccer team in college (sounds great, doesn’t it? I still sucked). But the US doesn’t really care about futbol or rugby or any of the sports I care about. Like synchronized farting and such.

Besides, Palin’s doing all of that reinforcing for me.

When I put my hair up and wear my glasses, I’m afraid I look a little Palinish. I’m getting the top of my ear pierced this week. And purpley-red dye on the lower part of my hair asap. No joke.

(See what I did there people?! See? See? Play-offs shmay-offs. World Series Superbowl Wimbledon US Open Indy Blah blah blahblahblah…)

Man, I’m glad Cerise is back.

nice June. I’ve wanted to pierce the top of my ear for a while. Maybe I’ll join you. You can get away with the purply-red dye. You’re an artist.

Fair weather fans we are not. Our boys can pull through this and make it to the next round. How is it stressful to sit on my butt and watch someone else play a game? Crazy.

Do join me Gretchen. Hip moms are we. (HMAW?!)

For the record, I enjoy teasing. I’m all for sports…I could wax eloquent on how I think sport taps into some fundamental aspects of the best of what it is to be human. Sports, art, music and cheese. These are necessities.

Yes, necessities, like, for example.. the Dodgers current 6-0 lead in game 2.

Nice win.

Hasn’t baseball season been over for a while? We’re 1/4 of the way through the football season here in the South. Haven’t heard much baseball talk this year because the Braves were so bad.

Bobby, we’re talking about jewelry and cheese for crying out loud! Keep up man!

See, now he’s all polite, so how can I gloat with any (remaining) shred of dignity.

Curse you Michael Lee, and your kind heart and savvy social sense.

I wasn’t aware that dignity had any part in your glotation.

A shred, perhaps? Nary a dangling Chad?

A little piece of my heart broke tonight. We were so close, so close to a classic Angel comeback.

Two down, one to go…Go Sox!

I wonder how the Sox are gonna feel when Manny comes to town?

I just have to say that it would be pretty sweet to have the Red Sox paying the salary of the dude who beats them in the World Series. That would be… just awesome.