My Give-A-Damn Done Busted Years Ago

[Eric]

I have been an Angels fan for most of my life.

 

I remember my younger brother at a "Meet The Angels" Day, grabbing and holding on to Reggie Jackson's hand.

 

I remember looking up from my seats to see Gene Autry in the owners booth cheering on his Angels.

 

I remember going to see the Angels play the Royals when George Brett was the draw.

 

I remember walking down the walkway in 1986 after the Angels beat the Red Sox to put them only one game away from the World Series.

 

I remember watching the Angels collapse in 1995 from a certain playoff birth to losing to Randy Johnson in the one game playoff.

 

I remember a comic in Mad Magazine about the Angels being perennial losers.

 

I remember most of the season having the Angels being seen by sub-10,000 crowd at Angels Stadium.

 

I remember the pain, the heartache, the "next year" talk starting in Spring Training.

 

Over the course of all of it, I still tune in, night after night, day in, day out, throughout the season because the Angels were my team.  I did not choose them, they chose me.  I had no choice in the matter.

 

I may miss a game or two here or there because, let's face it, the baseball season is a long one and it was impossible before DVR's to catch every game.

 

What I learned in that time is to accept the inevitable.  To not succumb to the pre-season hype, but to go with the flow.

 

I still boo at games when I think a player has underperformed.  I boo certain members of the opposition who I think have wronged the Angels in one way or another.

 

Likewise, I cheer Angels that are either performing, or at least, looking like they are trying to perform.  I cheer Angels who get frustrated with losing, and those who don't take winning for granted.

 

Through it all, there is surprise, acceptance, and most of all Love.  Love for the game, and more specifically, Love for the Angels.

 

To me, it wasn't the money that the Ownership put into the team, but the fire that burned within the team itself.

 

This is why I always loved Bobby Gritch.  And Darren Erstad.  And David Eckstein.  And Troy Percival.  They lived like I wish I would have been able to do so if I had the opportunity to don the uniform and take the field.  To give everything I had, every night, because I could.  Win or lose, there would be nothing to stop me from leaving it all on the field.

 

Unfortunately, few players play with such enthusiasm.  As such, over the years, I came to recognize those that do, and those that don't.

 

It has also braced me for teams like the Angels are fielding this season.

 

The Angels do not seem too concerned with their performance this year, or, more specifically, their lack of performance.

 

Other people can break down the numbers, they can surgically slice and dice with a scalpel all of the statistics they want, but there's more to the game than that.

 

And that "more" is heart.  It's something you can't put a number to.  It's one of those many intangibles that baseball is made of.

 

So, despite there being a notable absence of heart by this Angels team, I will continue to watch.  Not because I love winning.  Not because I love losing.

 

I do it because I am addicted to Angels baseball.  Not losing.  Not pain.  Not suffering.  I am addicted to baseball, and more specifically Angels Baseball.

 

I am sick, I know it.  But there's nothing that can be done.  I'm an addict.

 

As a result, I cannot give up watching this team.  No amount of losing, or disinterested play, or strike outs, or failed expectations can change that.

 

My Name Is Eric, And I'm An Addict.... 

[DropOfAnaheim]

Nicely done. I was an addict, but decided my wife and and my kids were more important then living every pitch, hit, and disappointment. I spent years letting this team dictate my mood depending on their win and loss cycle. I truly care, but I learned after 2008, that this team loves to let you down. Hoping for a management change sooner rather than later to instill some new blood.Halo for life, but it's in the background where it needs to be win or lose.