an original angel fan

[shellback]

my earliest memories recall her saying "Bo Belinsky is dreamy" and not being able to figure out what the hell dreamy meant. carried me to an angel game at wrigley field when i was a wee lad. watched angel games exclusively on channel 5 and supported the team through thier decades long struggles. many crushes on angel players jim fregosi, bobby knoop, luis polonia (tried to explain about polonia but oh well).

carted my ass to little leauge, babe ruth. paid for my equipment and enjoyed my triumphs and supported me through rough spots. made supporting the angels a family tradition.

tomorrow begins the process of placing her in a nursing home in coer d' alene idaho. she is 93yrs old and suffers from stage 2 dementia.

i owe my mom alot.

i'll see to it she has the mlb package so she can watch her beloved angels.

thanks for reading this

[nate]

Best wishes to your mom, Shellback.  Very cool story.

[LBHalos17]

Goodluck, Shell... Dealing with Dementia will be tough, but deep-down she'll remember her Angels.  Glad to hear she turned you into a fan!

[Lhalo]

She sounds like quite a dedicated fan. Best wishes to you both shellback.

Coeur d'Alene is a beautiful area and I'm sure she'll be in great care.

[shellback]

thanks guys.

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Shell,  what a very special story you shared.

 

My grand-aunt was a die-hard Cubs fan.   Growing up in the 70s I counted on a package from Chicago every birthday and xmas.   While she didn't have a lot of money, she'd manage to send me a Cubs sticker and something biblical every holiday.   She too suffered from dementia, and it tore my heart out.     She went into assisted living in her mid 80s and died 2 years ago at 98.  

 

Your mom, like my Aunt, is the best kind of fan.   Undying loyalty and a passion for every player and every season, regardless of win-loss record. In the days where the majority of fans are either fantasy statistic obsessed or those who use social media to bitch about their teams, there will always be the fan like your mother.     The Angels may not be clear in her mind, but they are enormous in her heart.

 

The fact that she brought you up in that environment is awesome.    Hopefully you can decorate her room with some Angels mementos so that every once a while, the spark in her mind will fire up for the Angels.  

[shellback]

great idea on the angels memoribilia. i'm gonna do it. reminicience guided by others is really important  for the very old. professionally, i should know this but it just turns into a mess when your emotions are directly involved.

the angels are huge in her heart. and my brothers. and mine.

thank you again for your kind words.