Pump up the volume

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If you thought those noise sticks created thunderous decibel levels in Angel Stadium during the 2002 playoffs and World Series, wait until you see -- and hear -- what the Angels have in store this October.

For the division series opener against the Red Sox on Wednesday, the Angels will pass out what they are calling ‘fan clappers.’ They are fans made of a hard plastic material, 9 to 10 inches long, that when opened up and whacked against your other hand or forearm create a loud ‘thwack!’

A team marketing employee demonstrated the fan clapper for me in a stadium elevator the other day, and just one of them had my ears ringing. I can only imagine what 43,000 of them are going to sound like Wednesday ... and what kind of fan clapper-related, repetitive stress injuries might occur because of them.

-- Mike DiGiovanna