L.A. Benched / Week 2 : Plenty of Parking, Plenty of Gas, It’s Only the Angels

On Sunday they sold 1,385 gallons of gasoline at the Stadium Shell station just down the block from Anaheim Stadium. Had the Rams been playing at home--instead of the Angels--they would have sold at least twice that much gasoline, while also parking up to 60 cars at $5-10.

“Instead of parking cars I’ll be in my backyard barbecuing shish kebab, Armenian style,” said Mano Kurkjian, station manager. “Life goes on.”

Business was always good for a football game. “You don’t see a full parking lot here, no matter who plays baseball,” Kurkjian said.

While the Rams were in town, Darryl Strawberry dropped by and gave an autograph. Barbra Streisand stopped for gas. A limousine pulled up and the driver reported that Madonna was inside. “I believed him,” Kurkjian said.

But in all the time the Rams were here, they were never here. The Bullfrogs play--whatever it is they play--here in the Pond of Anaheim and they not only stop by the station, but leave their cars behind for work to be done.

“The Rams weren’t really my team,” Kurkjian said. “I like the good players. Too bad about Joe Montana. . . .”

But how about that Rams’ opener last week in Green Bay?

“I think they lost,” Kurkjian said. “I don’t really know what they did. I don’t care.”