Booted from the Big A for cheering the team on?

[Chuck]

Case and point, Sarah Colonna shares her (bad) experience at the Big A last night. Sarah is a huge Angels fan, as you'll come to find out in her story she posted on her website. Sarah is currently a writer and roundtable regular on the hit late night talk show “Chelsea Lately.” She is also a Producer and star on E!’s “After Lately.” Her first book, “Life as I Blow it,” came out February 7th, 2012, and debuted at number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller list. It’s available in stores, BN.com and on Amazon.

 

http://www.sarahcolonna.com/2013/04/angels-opening-day/

 

Angels Opening Day

I'm a huge baseball fan, my team is the Angels. They have been since I was a kid. My father was a Sports Editor at the OC Register and the LA Times; he covered the Angels. I grew up visiting him in the summer here in California, and that meant it was baseball season...so I went to many, many games with him. As an adult, I grew to love the game and my team more. I am very supportive of my team, nobody can argue that. So the Home Opener is one of my favorite days. It's exciting, it's the first time fans get to see their team play at the Big A after months of waiting. If you're a baseball fan, those months between October and April feel like forever. This year, because I am so open about my love for the Angels, I was asked to be a part of the Home Opening Day broadcast for AM 830, Angels radio...which is where I listen to any game I can't either attend or watch on TV. Yes, I listen to baseball in my car like a man; I told you I was a fan. I'll get to the point; cut to me at the game with two of my friends who are also huge Angels fans.

The bottom of the first inning and the Angels were already down by 3. Josh Hamilton stepped up to the plate for the first time as an Angel (at home), in front of the fans, at the Big A, and the bases were loaded. The entire stadium stood on its feet waiting for his grand slam, but it didn't happen. Okay, up next is Mark Trumbo. Almost everyone sat down. Why, I wonder. I get the excitement for Josh, I get the expectations for Josh. But Trumbo has been a good player, a proven player, for our team. He was in the Home Run Derby last year. Fans call his home runs "Trumbombs." Why can't we cheer for his grand slam, too? My friends and I still stood until the people behind us asked us to sit down. When they asked we did...of course we did, they asked us to. Did I give them a little shit for not standing for Trumbo and only sharing their enthusiasm for Josh? Yes. And they laughed...it was all in good sportsmanship; I've never been one to be an ass at a stadium. In fact, I hate when fans are rude or out of line. My ex-boyfriend was a Phillies fan (I know) and once when we attended a game at Dodger Stadium, with him in his Phillies gear, he was yelled at relentlessly by Dodger fans. I ended up pulling a couple aside and asking them how they'd feel if they had to live in Philadelphia for work, but couldn't go cheer on the Dodgers when they came to town without being completely bullied. Those guys ended up apologizing, my ex dubbed me "the baseball whisperer," and all was quiet.

Anyway, back to the point. Bottom of the 4th, Josh steps up with the bases loaded again, stadium is once again on their feet. He grounds into a force out and Bourjos is out at home, however now Josh is at first and the bases are loaded again. Here comes Trumbo...my friends and I continue to stand and cheer, as do some around us. The people behind us don't say anything, at this point everyone is getting along and wants the Angels to score. An usher comes over and tells us to sit down, which we're confused by. We sit, but my friend Tara, who is a long time fan and a season ticket holder, asks the usher why. She says "nobody is complaining, the bases are loaded, why can't I stand and cheer?" The usher brushes her off, which isn't something Tara is a fan of, so at the end of the inning she goes to talk to him. She asks him the question again. He informs her it's up to his discretion and that she is welcome to talk to guest relations, so she does. She comes back frustrated but laughing that she's now visited guest relations, we find it all a little ridiculous. But she said everyone in guest relations was nice and they did confirm it's up to the usher to decide if they want to tell someone to sit down and that's that. We determine our usher isn't a ton of fun and move on. At the top of the 7th inning, security comes over and asks the 3 of us to get up. We are so confused; we haven't even stood up, except to go to the bathroom, or get food or a drink, since the usher incident. But they insist we get up and everyone in the section boos security, several people yelled "they haven't even done anything." One guy yelled "these are $165 seats, are you seriously asking them to leave? They didn't so anything." These are the people in our section, nobody is complaining, because there is nothing to complain about. I'll give you that Jason, Tara's brother, can be a bit of a yeller. I think in the first inning I told him to pipe down once, but again that was nothing and I'm the one who said that to him, not anyone around us. It was a non-incident, but I don't want to leave out any facts. That fact probably doesn't even matter because security didn't even talk to him. They just harassed me and Tara. They took our licenses and wrote down our information and told us if we went back to our seats we'd be ARRESTED. WHAT? FOR WHAT? Like I said, I've been going to games since I was a kid...I know how to act. I had no idea what this guy was talking about. He didn't offer much of an explanation except that the usher who originally talked to us three innings ago wanted us gone. He didn't like that Tara went to guest relations...yet he was the one who told her to go to guest relations.

Essentially, we got kicked out of the Home Opener for a team we've both been going to see since we were kids, for cheering on Mark Trumbo. I'm not lying, exaggerating or leaving out any details. We weren't obnoxious, we got along with everyone around us. I'm not that person, I'm not obnoxious at games. All I can deduce from it is that the usher had an ego and he didn't like Tara telling the people at guest relations, who she said seemed confused by why she was there as well, how she'd been treated. He was clearly in the wrong and now that everyone knew it, his only power left was to have us kicked out. Again, our section was yelling at security, nobody understood what the problem was. When we were finally out and away from the unhelpful, rude security, Tara started to cry. She laughed at herself, "I can't believe I'm crying about this but I'm just so mad." I know what she means. At the end of the day, we're huge fans. We were taken out of one of the most exciting days in baseball because we dared to cheer for someone other than Hamilton, who I guess the usher decided was the only person people were allowed to stand for that day. Whatever, it's up to his discretion, right? I don't know what to do now. I'm an Angels fan, that won't change, it's in my blood. But I don't know how to go back to that stadium. That may sound dramatic, but it's true. How do I justify walking back in a place I was treated so poorly? I spend thousands of dollars a year at that stadium, I'm not sure I should brag about that because some may think it's ridiculous, but I do. I go to several games, I take the Amtrak from LA because that way I don't get stuck in traffic (and if I have a couple of beers, it's fine because I'm not driving. Win-win). So I'm a girl who gets on a train and travels to a stadium in Orange County to root on my team because I love them. At the pre-game broadcast, they asked me what I love most about the Angels; I said 'the fans.' Because they're real fans, not fair-weather fans or rude fans, they are just real, true fans. Unfortunately when I said that, I didn't know how big a fan you wanted to be was up to the usher's discretion...…

[HaloCory22]

That's hilarious. I mean, sucks for her but the fact that happened is mind blowing. Some people are idiots (in this case, the usher)

[Taylor]

Ushers need to STFU and just usher.

[HaloCory22]

"STFU and usher." 

[tdawg87]

STFU and Ush

[jshep]

Ya, screw this guy!

 

[yk9001]

What the heck???

 

Why is that?

[Biergott]

wow, that's ridiculous!

[TobiasFunke]

There's been multiple times at the Big A where my friends and I were standing up cheering and clapping and were asked to sit down by people behind us and ushers.

 

This has always been my biggest beef with Angel fans and the stadium. Sucks for this chick and her friends.

[robblin17]

Saw this happen. Some old guys behind her were complaining like little kids and then laughing about it when she got kicked out. It was a joke. 

[fan_since79]

Arte needs to be informed of this, and the usher should lose his job.

[Tyler]

U-S...H-E-R... R-A-..Y-M... -O-N-D

[HaloCory22]

I have no doubt this will go viral. The Angels will have to respond. 

[Blarg]

The usher obviously needs to be fired. Not reprimanded or moved to another area of the park but fired and not allowed back in the stadium as even a paying patron.

 

There is no excuse for his behavior and the Angels need to reimburse Sarah for the ticket expenses and offer her something in terms of restitution for what is obscenely rude customer service on opening day. 

[kevinb]

Wow great job Angels management. This is absurd. If this happened to me I would send a letter, call someone and if they didn't refund me my tickets and such I would tell them I would never again go to this stadium and buy any thing Angels again. Way to treat your fans.

[Brandon]

I hate that about our fans and ushers. It's also why we get the lame fan label from other teams fans or ex-players. It's like some family event or Disney attraction instead of a baseball game. People can't wait to sit back down instead of cheering on a bases loaded situation.

I get it that not everyone is hardcore and into the game, but like them demanding respect and to sit down I wish they respected people that are there for the actual game and involved.

The usher doesn't surprise me either. I've met some cool ones, but there are some real dickheads that are more interested in controlling their section and creating conflicts than just letting fans be fans.

[Chuck]

BTW, Sarah is really cool. She follows us on Twitter and is a big fan, as am I of her work. I purchased her book and it's a RIOT. I recommend picking it up as it's good, fun and hilarious read. 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Life-As-Blow-Tales-Necessarily/dp/0345528379/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305169150&sr=1-2

[Chimi]

Are we sure she wasn't chanting "CoCo Skus" during the game?

[Thomas]

Saw this happen. Some old guys behind her were complaining like little kids and then laughing about it when she got kicked out. It was a joke. 

[LBHalos17]

That sounds like total BS!  I would suggest writing a letter on your professional letterhead.  Maybe the thought of somebody speaking-out about the incident on a National talk show, will wake-up "guest relations" to make this right with you and your friends.

[JcHc3in1]

I wish I could say this was an isolated incident. We had one upset guy on the Halos Nation Facebook page last night who experienced something eerily similar. If ushers are this frustrated and pulling power trips on the first day of the regular season, how are they going to be in July when it's 95 degrees out?

[LightTheHalo]

Here's an idea: When the person in front you stands to cheer ... stand and cheer.

 

Problem solved. 

 

This event is almost as embarrassing as your team's performance last night, Angels. You're pretty much blowing it from every angle right now.

[Chuck]

What I don't get is, why is it allowed to stand and cheer for Josh Hamilton with the bases loaded, but not Mark Trumbo, with just one out, after you're down 3 runs in the first inning. 

 

If people want to sit during a potentially climatic part of a sporting event, maybe they should just stay at home and sip tea while listening to Beethoven. 

[TobiasFunke]

I hate that about our fans and ushers. It's also why we get the lame fan label from other teams fans or ex-players. It's like some family event or Disney attraction instead of a baseball game. People can't wait to sit back down instead of cheering on a bases loaded situation.

I get it that not everyone is hardcore and into the game, but like them demanding respect and to sit down I wish they respected people that are there for the actual game and involved.

 

Bingo

[SoCALkid]

It was amazing how many people left the game early yesterday, I'm talking end of the 6th about half the stadium walked out. Our fans really are lame, and as far as Ushers I've never had a problem.