Fandom

Baseball Extravaganza 2014 has been going for a little less than two months, but I can liken the experience to a roller coaster. When you start a roller coaster, there's usually that huge hill that the coaster has to climb. All that time, you're just giddy with excitement and anticipation. The season, to this point, has been that hill. Well, now the ride really starts. I get to see my first games of the season for the 66ers and Angels.

My two new adopted teams have been playing for just over a week now, and I have done my best to keep up with the activities. Granted, it is easier to track the Angels because they're always on tv and I get score updates on my phone. However, the 66ers are closer to me and I will be going to the first of twelve games for them starting on Saturday. I'm looking forward to getting to know the players, the ballpark and the stadium personnel.

I've been to Angel Stadium twice before, so I kind of know the lay of the land there. One of the great things about my season tickets is that I have the same seat for all ten games that I go to. They may be upper deck/nosebleeds, but I love it. I'm eager to stake out my turf for, what I hope, is a long season of watching Angels successes.

As I said in an earlier post, this particular set of games will happen six separate times over the season. Saturday nights, after work, I'll drive into downtown San Bernardino for the 66ers game. I have a reserved seat along the third-base side right on the aisle. On Sunday, I will wake up, drive to the San Bernardino Metrolink station, board with my bike, get off at the Anaheim Canyon stop, and ride my bike to the Angels game. Both of these days will operate, hopefully, just like clockwork.

What I'm going to do for the blog during these weekend trips is do a match-up preview for the two games I'll be seeing.

High Desert @ Inland Empire
I don't know about this match-up as this is the first time I have seen either one of these teams. Here's what I do know. The Mavericks are the Class-A afilliate of the Mariners and have raced out to an early lead in the California League South Division standings. The 66ers, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the division with a 2-6 record.

NY Mets @ LA Angels
The Angels have righted the ship and are flirting with .500 for the first time all season. Mike Trout is still a stud, but I'm interested to see how the team deals with the loss of Josh Hamilton who has a busted up left thumb. The Mets come to the "Big A" in a weird interleague match-up of random teams. For the Mets, they picked up Curtis Granderson from the Yankees and revolve around team captain David Wright. They will prbably still be bad this year, but they should have some gains. Probable pitchers are Bartolo Colon for the Mets and CJ Wilson for the Angels.

Ahhhhh, baseball season is in full swing...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)