Sure, the college game was fun, but it's time for us to "graduate" up to the pro ranks. Before going into the game previews this week, I'd like to tell all of you about my travels this week as they are very relevant to Baseball Road Trips.
This previous Monday, we brought our after-school Teen Zone program to a 66ers game. This program, which is funded by charitable organizations and the City of Highland at the Y, is intended to provide a safe place for our community's teens to go for games, field trips, homework help, and activities. The 66ers and I worked together to bring them to the game on Sunday, and it turned out to be one of our most successful experiences as a program.
One of our participants who went to the game informed me afterwards that this was her very first baseball game. I can't tell you just how proud I was to provide the gift of baseball to someone for the first time. Sure, I've been to almost 300 games since 2006, but I still can't believe how much I love this sport and the experiences that come from it. I can only hope that going to a game for the first time, this member of a future generation will embrace this game as I have.
Ok, on to the games this weekend:
Lake Elsinore @ Inland Empire
The 66ers had a good week. Entering Friday's game, they have won three of the last four. They dodged a bullet in the last series against Rancho Cucamonga by not having to face Clayton Kershaw on a rehab start.
The 66ers are currently sitting in fourth place in the division, 6.5 games behind this Lake Elsinore team. A few wins against the Storm will whittle that difference down. For being early in the season, this could be a big series and Saturday's game could be really significant.
I'm really hoping to be to the ballpark in enough time to get a Albert Pujols blanket. I have to close the facility at 6, so if I can scoot out even five minutes early, I'm going to do it.
Texas @ LA Angels
Back down to Anaheim on the train with my bike. I'm really looking forward to the refinements I've talked about, especially taking some time to explore the town center in Orange. There are a bunch of neat little shops that look good for spelunking. After the game, I'm going to ride over to the Tilted Kilt, which is a sports bar on the bike trail and across Katella from the Big A, for some food and drinks. This will be my first restaurant in what I hope will be a post-game tradition.
As for the game, the Angels have finally broken that elusive .500 level, eclipsing it for the first time since Opening Day of 2012. Since the last time I saw them, Albert Pujols hit his 500th home run and the team was solid on a nine-game, three city road trip against the Tigers, Nationals, and Yankees. The recent success has closed the gap in the AL West as they're 3.5 games behind Oakland. For the sake of this series, however, they're only a half-game behind Texas.
The Angels will roll out Tyler Skaggs while the Rangers counter with Yu Darvish. Skaggs came over from the D-Backs this off-season and has been effective this year compiling a 2-0 record with a 3.39 ERA. Yu Darvish, is, well, Yu Darvish. Between him and Felix in Seattle, they are probably the two best pitchers in the AL. I'm looking forward to seeing him face off against Trout and Pujols.
Two big games this weekend that actually have some significance in the broad scheme of things. Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare will be buzzing, as usual. So, until Monday...
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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