CHILD'S CHOICE? ANGELS.Byline: KEVIN MODESTI The summer is interrupted by a jarring thought about the changing Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, baseball climate. When I was 10, 11, 12 years old and discovering baseball, a kid growing up in the ``market'' shared by the Dodgers and Angels faced no decision at all about which team to root for. The Dodgers had cornered the market on history and optimism. The Angels were so pathetic they actually tried to win Freeway Series The term Freeway Series refers to a series of baseball games played between Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League. exhibitions. Thinking of classmates Classmates can refer to either:
Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , I can't remember any Angels fans. That was then. It occurs to me that if I were 10, 11, 12 years old right now, I not only would be surrounded by Angels fans. I'd be one. Why was the choice so obvious in the early 1970s? If you have to ask, you weren't there. --History: It wasn't merely that the Dodgers' history stretched back 90 years while the Angels' went back a decade. The Dodgers had just come through the greatest chapter in their history, with Sandy Koufax In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. their first division championship or back-to-back winning seasons. Edge: Dodgers. --Personalities: Come back with me to 1972-73. Look at the Dodgers. Steve Garvey
William Felton Russell, Russell and Ron Cey were joining the lineup, where they'd form an eight-year infield; Bill Buckner, like them a Dodgers farm product, was breaking in; Andy Messersmith was arriving - from the Angels; Don Sutton was in his prime. Look at the Angels. In '73 they fielded seven players who would not be regulars with the team the next season; the lone reason for optimism was Nolan Ryan. Edge: Dodgers. --Exposure: The Dodgers were the ones with the big headlines, the magazine covers, the books. The Angels had Dick Enberg in the booth, which was wonderful, alongside Drysdale - a Dodgers hand-me-down. Edge: Dodgers. --Uniforms: Dodgers - a lively blue and impossibly crisp white in a combination that never changed. Angels - a dull blue, red trim, caps that went through four designs from 1965 to 1973. You care about that stuff as a kid. Edge: Dodgers. --Ballparks: Dodger Stadium vs. a Dodger Stadium knockoff knock·off n. Informal An unauthorized copy or imitation, as of designer clothing: "the place to go for quality knockoffs" Women's Wear Daily. Noun 1. . Edge: Dodgers. ``It wasn't even a contest back then,'' says Jon Weisman, the brains behind the Dodger Thoughts Web site (dodgerthoughts.baseballtoaster.com). ``The Angels might as well have been an out-of-town team.'' And now? Most of what nudged a child's unconscious choice toward the Dodgers in the early 1970s points toward the Angels in the mid-2000s. --History: The Angels have a World Series championship to point to, as recent now as Koufax was for the Dodgers then. The Dodgers haven't won so much as a pennant in the lifetime of anybody beneath driving age. --Personalities: Angels Vladimir Guerrero, Francisco Rodriguez and Ervin Santana are spectacular players who figure to be here for a while. Is there a flashy Dodger with a definite future here? OK, Cesar Izturis. That's one. --Exposure: The Dodgers and Angels are side by side on the cable dial, just as big on the radio, equally available by Internet. --Uniforms: The Dodgers' only change has been a bad one, removing the players' names. The Angels' has been all positive, the bright red and white that started with the World Series year. --Ballparks: Without denying Dodger Stadium the reverence it deserves, let's just say Angel Stadium, with its arcades and eye candy, is more of a kid's playground. Just me talking here. I haven't interviewed any 12-year-olds. I haven't called any child psychologists. But if I'm correct, and the Angels are the more kid-friendly of the L.A. ballclubs, then the Dodgers face an unfamiliar challenge in the years ahead. Weisman, who subtitles his Web site the ``outlet for dealing psychologically with the Los Angeles Dodgers "Dodgers" and "Brooklyn Dodgers" redirect here. For the American football team, see Brooklyn Dodgers (football). For the Eastern Basketball Association team, see Brooklyn Dodgers (basketball). and baseball,'' is younger than me but grew up in the L.A. area with similar baseball sensibilities. He's optimistic about the Dodgers' immediate future. ``I don't think they are going to be abandoned. What we're going to have is a choice,'' Weisman said. ``But right now, you're right. You probably would choose the Angels.'' |
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