Getting World Serious at the Big A: Angels’ Fans Pack the Park

It was the annual milking contest and there were cows behind home plate, but that wasn’t what brought more than 60,000 cheering fans to Anaheim Stadium on Friday night.

What brought them was baseball. It was the surprisingly successful California Angels versus the dreaded defending American League champion Oakland Athletics.

It was the prelude to a critical three-game series, as they say in baseball, between two teams deadlocked in a virtual tie for first place.

It was a match-up of two teams with the best records in baseball.

It was also an Anaheim record attendance with 152,000 advance tickets sold for the weekend series, eclipsing the old record of 146,010 set in 1982 against the Kansas City Royals. The game Friday night drew 61,696 fans, the 21st time the Angels have drawn more than 60,000 people to a game.

It was Angels’ pennant fever.

“It’s like being at a championship playoff--both teams are really strong right now,” said a breathless Alfred Hernandez of Whittier, waiting for the game to begin. “It’s real exciting. The top two teams in the majors. It should be a great game.”

By the time the last pitch is thrown Sunday afternoon, “we could have close to 60,000 for each game easily,” Angels spokesman Larry Babcock said.

Long before the first pitch was thrown Friday night, four young men from San Bernardino had their pennant fever reduced a few degrees, but only a few. A security officer asked the avid Angel fans to douse their barbecue that was set up behind their car in the Anaheim Stadium parking lot.

“This is the best,” said an undaunted Tim Watt, 19.

“We’ll come here--this same exact spot--tomorrow,” agreed his buddy, Bobby De La Torre, 20.

It turns out that De La Torre has the enviable use of his cousin’s four season tickets right behind the first base dugout for today’s game while on Friday they were using the season tickets of another friend’s father.

Willing to Travel

“They are my dad’s season tickets,” explained Pat Arias, 17, who with his friends were more than willing to travel from San Bernardino for the games.

Not far away, as Angels and Athletics fans filed into the stadium, Richard and Leslie Urie of Anaheim were spreading a blanket on a patch of grass under a tree and setting out their picnic supper. They were also introducing their 2-year-old twins, Hannah and Sarah, and big brother Joshua, 4, to family tradition.

“It’s their first baseball game,” Richard said as he set out food for the toddlers.

“Our anniversary was yesterday,” he said, noting that taking in a baseball game is a more than acceptable way to note such occasions.

“It’s what we did on our honeymoon,” Leslie added in absolute agreement.

But even such enthusiastic baseball fans as the Uries sometimes are not moved to act until it is nearly too late. They chanced being able to get tickets on the day of the game.

“We were lucky,” Richard Urie said. “Actually we’re right in the front row . . . of general admission. In center field, of course.”

Let Friend Treat

Ross and Jan Salvato of Huntington Beach have no trouble getting tickets, even good ones. They are ticket brokers who buy and sell the ducats for a living. But Friday they decided to let a friend treat them.

“It’s amazing,” Ross Salvato said. “I think we finally got Orange County motivated enough to fill this stadium.”

“If this series were the Dodgers and the Giants in the same situation, it would have been sold out weeks ago,” he said.

But make no mistake about it, the Salvatos are fans of the Angels and the team’s owner, singing cowboy Gene Autry.

“It would be nice if they (the Angels) could do it for the cowboy,” Jan Salvato said.

Most locals root for the home team, of course. It’s no wonder then that Angels’ memorabilia was outselling Athletics’ shirts and caps at the concession stand, although stand salesclerk Joan Schott said the visiting team’s doodads were moving quite well.

But it was a little out of the ordinary for Mike Dal Porto to be rooting for the Angels.

“I came from Alameda, you know--near Oakland,” explained the 14-year-old fan. “But I’m not really for Oakland. I like the Angels.”

“We always come down for these games,” Mike said. “My dad’s kind of rich. He owns an oil company.”

Some Came Early

Not everyone came from quite as far to see Friday night’s game, although many of those who did came extra early to witness firsthand the last match-up of the year between the Angels and Athletics.

“There are more people coming early” was the judgment of Bob Patterson, who as an usher on aisles 8 to 22 is expert in such matters. “It’s going to be exciting.”

Bartender Bob Lamb, who serves drinks in the Anaheim Stadium California Saloon on the field level, noted that his patrons are talking up the team much more this season than they used to.

“This year most of the discussion is very positive,” he said. “In past years it was very negative, like: ‘Gosh, I don’t want to ever come again.’

“And this is the game of the year,” he added.

“Even if they lose,” said Chris Lappi of Santa Ana, who was at the game with his wife, “it’s nice to see them in contention. For a while.”

“Anaheim has a problem with teams choking at the end. I’d like to see them do it, but it doesn’t seem likely.”

Many fans recall close Angel encounters with championships, such as the last brush with success when the team lost a wrenching championship playoff series to the Boston Red Sox in 1986.

“I figure it (the pennant race) will go down to the wire,” self-described Angels die-hard fan Howard Skinner of Westminster predicted. “Oakland’s tough.”

But as long as the race is hot and the Angels are in it, they won’t need star first baseman Wally Joyner grabbing a cow’s udder in a milking contest or other promotional gimmicks to continue to lure the fans out to the old ballpark at a pace that exceeds last year’s attendance.

As 14-year-old Mike Dal Porto put it: “It’s a big deal.”

ANGELS LOSE, 5-0--Mike Moore gets a shutout at Anaheim Stadium, giving Oakland a one-game lead over California. Sports, Page 1.