ORANGE COUNTY SUMMER : A Peek Inside the Big A : Angels and Rams Fans Can Take an Offbeat Field Trip

An Angels cap pulled snugly over his forehead, Mark Henry slowly walked the walk his baseball heroes make each game day.

The path took him from the doors of locker rooms deep in the spartan, concrete belly of Anaheim Stadium, down the darkened tunnel and into the glaring sun of the home team’s dugout.

“This is where Dave Winfield sits,” the 8-year-old excitedly shouted as he hopped up on the bench and slid his bottom across every inch of the hallowed seat. “I didn’t want to miss the spot where Winfield sits.”

For Mark, whose bedroom is practically a shrine to the slugging California Angels outfielder, a recent tour of the Big A was essentially a trip to his field of dreams.

Minus the hype of area amusement parks, the ballpark possesses a magic all its own that fans young and old can experience for the cost of a tour--$3 for adults and $2 for children payable to the city of Anaheim.

For the money, fans may sneak a distant peek into Los Angeles Rams owner Georgia Frontiere’s luxuriously appointed, two-story suite--complete with Jacuzzi--or walk the gravel sidelines, close enough to smell the freshly cut Bermuda sod.

The offbeat Anaheim attraction is open every day of the week with four tours a day. Last year, about 1,800 people passed through the stadium gates for the pregame and off-day tours, which have become a popular stop for local day camps, the Boy Scouts, youth sports teams and school groups.

Jody Roginson, a stadium staff member, said the entry fee pays the cost of operating the 7-year-old, city-sponsored program, which maintains a staff of six tour guides.

“The dugouts are probably the most popular,” Roginson said. “Actually being able to go and walk along the field is something people really seem to enjoy. Being in an empty stadium is also a new experience--just being able to look up from down on the field.”

Starting in the mammoth football press box, tourists get a sportswriter’s view of the playing field that has also been home to football’s Rams since the fall of 1979.

Huge photographs of Ram legends Deacon Jones, Bob Waterfield, Tom Fears and Merlin Olsen greet visitors from the back wall, while a tour guide divulges intricacies about the stadium, such as the length of time it takes to dismantle the baseball pitcher’s mound (four minutes) for converting the field from a baseball diamond to a football gridiron.

Later, tour guide Donna Jones explains how the minefield of divots created by diving outfielders or churned up each football Sunday by beefy lineman and slashing running backs is maintained as an immaculate swath of deep green Santa Ana Hybrid Bermuda grass.

The secret--because of the yearly pounding from baseball, football and professional motorcycle racing, the stadium gets a new carpet of green every January, Jones said.

Moving on to the baseball press box, visitors strain to see the glass-enclosed private box of California Angels owner and erstwhile singing cowboy Gene Autry before embarking on a walk past the stadium’s 113 luxury suites.

Along the way, most everyone stops to gawk at Frontiere’s luxurious, three-bathroom enclosure. Through the outside glass, a spiral staircase disappears into the upper level where, the tour guide said, the owner or her guests can enjoy the private comforts of a sitting room or the soothing waters of a Jacuzzi.

Jones said suites start at yearly leased rates of $16,000 (not including hot dogs and drinks) and up to $55,000 annually for those more comfortably appointed.

For those who come for the sport side of the tour and are not necessarily impressed with marble-topped wet bars and finely upholstered seating smack on the 50-yard line, perhaps the biggest disappointment is that the tour does not include a walk through the Angels dressing room.

The room, hidden in the maze of concrete tunnels, has been off-limits to tourists because of its everyday use by the players.

“Some of them are here a lot of the time,” Roginson said. “We just try to stay out of their way.”

Instead, soaking up the macho locker room atmosphere involves a visit to a nearby empty locker area that Jones said is used by the Rams cheerleaders.

“Any questions?” Jones asked at one point along the way.

“You know those big moths that fly around the stadium,” young Mark begins. “I heard somebody here eats ‘em.”

“Don’t know anything about that,” Jones said.

Tours are offered every day at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., except for days designated by stadium management. Call (714) 254-3120 for information.