Angels, Padres Play to 63,500 Empty Seats

The sound coming from the Big A on Monday night wasn’t exactly a deafening roar. It was more like a smattering of applause.

In what may well be the lowest attendance ever for a professional baseball game in Anaheim Stadium, a Monday exhibition game between the California Angels and San Diego Padres drew fewer than 2,000, according to Angels officials.

Except for a game against the Dodgers in which replacement players were used, Monday’s matchup--at which all seats were half price--marked the first time the Angels have played at home since striking last August.

“It’s a little depressing when you can seat a maximum of 65,500 and only about 2,000 come out,” said the stadium’s head usher, Chuck Plumberg, who has worked at the Big A for 30 years. “We want to treat the fans that did show up as friendly and courteously as possible. We owe them something.”

On most game days, the stadium halls would be bustling with fans and vendors hawking their wares. But Monday, the stadium opened only one souvenir shop and four food stands.

“This strike really hurt everyone, and I think the fans are showing it, and I don’t really blame them,” said Sue Hess, 54, who runs the souvenir stand near Gate 1, and works partly on commission. “We might not get much of any commission this year, just base pay. It’s really put a cramp in everyone’s lifestyle.”

At a nearby food stand, feelings about the recent labor dispute weren’t much more upbeat.

The players “are a bunch of spoiled brats,” said Alice Cruz, 66, of Whittier, a Big A concession worker for 18 years. “But I’m glad they are back. It’s helping business.”

The poor attendance, however, proved a boon for fans who normally couldn’t get so close to the action.

Dave Nylen scored first-row seats behind home plate for stepdaughter Katie Ford’s 14th birthday. “This isn’t bad for $6.50,” said a smiling Nylen, 39, an auto parts salesman from Artesia. “I really hated to see the strike, but I’m glad they are back because I missed it so much. I just love baseball. I don’t care if it’s minor league, college or professional.”

But other fans weren’t as ready to forgive the major leaguers.

“I’m an unhappy fan this year,” said Verna Lawson, 76, of Orange, who has held season tickets for 18 years. “I don’t know if I’m going to enjoy this year because I’ve got a chip on my shoulder. . . . They shouldn’t have gone out on strike.”

But the strike noticeably improved players’ attitude toward fans, according to autograph hound Tony Nicholson, 22, of Garden Grove. Nicholson hung around the Big A parking lot hours before game time and snagged signatures from major leaguer Tony Gwynn, among others.

“Last year they just walked in and usually didn’t say much,” said Nicholson, who boasts having hundreds of major league autographs. “But after the strike, they are being especially nice. They even stopped to talk.”

Angel officials tried to downplay the significance of the low turnout.

“I would pretty much say this is our smallest crowd in this stadium,” Angels spokesman John Sevano said. “But we really aren’t that surprised.”

While acknowledging that fan bitterness over the recent eight-month strike contributed to the low turnout, Sevano said other factors played a more prominent role. Normally, Monday’s exhibition game would be a spring training game in Arizona where, too, a crowd of several thousand would watch the game, Sevano said.

Also, the league’s haste in throwing together a schedule after the strike settlement left teams with little time to advertise the exhibition matchups. And, Sevano said, sales for Wednesday’s home opener against the Detroit Tigers hurt exhibition attendance. The Angels, who are selling all opening-day seats for $1, are expecting more than 53,000 Wednesday night.

The Angels will play another exhibition game against the Padres at 1 p.m. today. Tickets also will be half price.