Mighty Oregon

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It seems like forever since I last wrote on here! Sure, two weeks really isn't that long of a time, but considering the whirlwind of the past few months, a weekend off with no baseball makes time go on longer. Well, after a weekend off, I'm back at it with two games on Saturday and Sunday.

I spent the past weekend back home in Oregon. I spent a lot of time with my family and a bunch of friends, and it was great. I really did miss home and all the people that are there. It's been so difficult to replicate those social contacts here in California, so going back gave me a much needed emotional lift. To be honest, living down here and adjusting has been tough, and baseball is one of a few things that have made this situation tolerable. It is heartwarming to know that I have that sanctuary in Oregon.

Now that I'm back in Highland, it is time to refocus on the baseball of the weekend and the travels I'm embarking on. To start with, there aren't any Minor League games I'm going to because I am choosing to go back to campus for one final time this season. After work on Saturday, I'll jump in my car and drive to Westwood and the campus of UCLA to see the Bruins play host to my alma mater, the Oregon Ducks.

UCLA is the defending National Champions and plays at Jackie Robinson Stadium. I'm looking forward to seeing the historical elements of the stadium and the obvious competitiveness of the game. To think that after this game, I will have been to four separate college stadiums down here seeing eight different teams. With so many competitive college teams around here, it is a great way to get a jump start on the season, and if I'm still down here next season, I'll try and make it to more games.

While back in Eugene, I made sure to stop by the Duck Store and get myself a brand new shirt and hat for the game as I plan on expressing my fandom. I'm hoping that there will be other Duck fans in attendance as it will be kind of fun to have a rooting interest in one of the college games I have been to.

Sunday sees me in Anaheim for the Angels game. This time, I have figured out how to get to the beach on my bike and return on the OCTA bus to the Big A. I'm going to take the earlier IEOC train from San Bernardino, get off in Orange, and ride down to Newport. I am giving myself literally three hours from the time I get off the train to ride down to Newport, ride around the city, maybe spend some time on the beach, and hop on the bus to Anaheim. For the record, it is 15 miles from Orange to the beach on the Santa Ana River Trail, so we'll see.

The Angels will be taking on the Tampa Bay Rays. The Angels have won 6 out of their last 7 and are on a roll, threatening the first-place A's in the West Division. Their starting pitching has been solid, which has been a big reason why they have been having recent successes. As a fan, it has been fun to be caught up in the joys of winning, and being able to see them in the midst of this will be fun.

The Rays will be rolling out 2013 Cy Young winner David Price as their starting pitcher. He has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors, especially during this past off-season, but for the second straight game, I'm seeing some of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball.

It is shaping up to be an awesome weekend. It is always fun to change up the weekend routine and travel a little bit. Sure, I absolutely love the 66ers/Angels turnarounds, but a little shake-up here is no reason to complain.

Social media updates may be tough while driving to Westwood and biking to Newport, so I'll do my best to keep things current. I've found that updating FourSquare while it is synced with Facebook and Twitter is a lot easier to broadcast to larger audiences. I'll probably end up doing that more often, however all updates on Twitter on viewable on the left side of the blog.

Baseball Road Trips never slow down and always have something new waiting behind each corner...

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)