When Hornets Become Angels

I joined about 2,000 people associated with my college last night at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. The crowd included faculty, staff, students, administrators, trustees, alumni—just about anyone who has a connection to the college. The occasion was the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (what a long name for a baseball team) hosting a night in honor of our college. Tickets to the game were just $25, and as a part of that price, you received a commemorative baseball cap with both the Angels logo and the college’s logo as well as the college’s mascot (Buzzy the Hornet) under the bill. Some of us went for the game, others for the cap, but most seemed to be there to share an experience with other Hornets.

The idea for the night came from a student. She’s the president of the Sociology Club, a student in my Introduction to Film Studies class this semester, and a long-time Angels fan. In fact, she missed her first exam in my class because she was going to Opening Night at the stadium. It was her 48^th consecutive Opening Night, and I told her to go. I’m not going to interfere with a tradition of almost half a century just for an exam.

Before the game began, a group mostly comprised of English faculty members and their spouses and partners (and a few kids) stopped by Noble Ale Works in Anaheim. We had a choice to make. We could have paid $10 to park at the stadium and then pay for beer there, or we could pay $10 for two beers at Noble and park for free. We just had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the stadium. A simple choice, really, when you consider it.

I had the Wrong Side of the Road, and The Boyfriend had a Drink Yrself Clean. Both were quite tasty, and I highly recommend this microbrewery. It has quite an assortment of beers, and we were treated to a tour of the facilities thanks to one of our colleagues being the wife of the owner. It helps to know people in the right places.

The Boyfriend and I walked to Angel Stadium so that I could support the students and staff members who were responsible for University Village. This event was the first time that a community college had the opportunity to present itself to the game-goers. The place was crowded and lively with lots of picture-taking going on. It’s also where you stopped to pick up your commemorative cap. The Boyfriend and I chose not to wear ours in order to preserve a piece of history. Besides, we were already wearing baseball caps, thankfully not our Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Dodgers ones.

Even though almost 2,000 people had purchased the special tickets to the game, we were able to sit with other faculty from my department and division. In fact, those closest to us were especially close friends with whom I’ve shared many wonderful memories over the years. I did move for an inning to sit with the student leaders, who were all having a great time too. They do seem to enjoy each other’s company, and I’ve really liked working with them this past year. I also bumped into several former students of mine, several of whom I’d not seen in years. In fact, I apparently taught the college president’s mother-in-law in the past!

As part of the tradition of attending a baseball game, we had a hot dog. Well, we had an Angels Dog. It was quite tasty. I would have ordered another one, but socializing with other people and watching the game interfered with that. Needless to say, the Boyfriend and I had to have something to eat when we got home at about 10:30 p.m.

Overall, the night was quite a success. Not only did everyone have a good time, we also helped to raise an estimated $12,000 for the food bank on campus. That money will help to feed a lot of hungry students.

Oh, the game itself? Meh. The Angels lost 4-1 to the Texas Rangers. The highlight, other than being with so many friends and colleagues, was watching the college president throw out the first pitch. He did a spectacular job; it was an expert throw. The threat of rain hovered over us for most of the day, and there were a few sprinkles at the start of the game. However, the skies cleared up, and everyone had a great time. Except, of course, for the diehard Angels fans.