Any kind of baseball is very good to me

STEVE SMITH

While killing time at the T.J. Maxx on Harbor Boulevard waiting for

Nick’s Pizza to open, I came across an Angels jersey that was about

half price. I knew it was half price because I’d been shopping for

one for weeks but needed a good excuse to make the purchase.

The low price was the permission I needed.

The jersey had the old logo on it, that is, it didn’t have the

words “Los Angeles” on it, which is fine by me. I no more want to be

associated with Los Angeles than Los Angeles wants to be associated

with riots, failing schools and gridlock.

So, I bought it, and I wore it the next night at the first game of

the freeway series with the Dodgers, a close game that the Angels won

but only because the Dodgers handed it to them. The highlight of the

game was watching Vladimir Guerrero drop an easy, one-out fly ball in

right field. That error gave me the opportunity to tell my son, a

Little Leaguer, that even the pros can’t take the easy hits for

granted.

Maybe that had an effect, maybe not, but he made a spectacular

defensive play in his next game.

If my son is playing, I’d rather go to a Little League game than

an Angels game. It’s not just that my son is playing; it’s also

because it’s less of a hassle and in many ways more exciting. When

you see a great play in the pros, there is the understanding that

they are being paid the big bucks to make those kinds of plays day in

and day out.

But when you see a 12-year-old do something out of the ordinary,

it’s very special.

There’s all that, plus the very tasty Polish dogs at Costa Mesa

National Little League’s snack bar. All that’s missing is a beer, and

I don’t miss it that much.

There’s no beer at Anteater Ballpark on the campus of UC Irvine,

either. That’s OK too because the games are good, and there isn’t a

bad seat in the house.

I’m sorry to report that until a couple weeks ago, I had never

been to an Anteaters baseball game. Part of the reason is that they

did not have a baseball team for many years, part of it is because I

did not figure that the level of baseball would be as exciting as the

pros.

Maybe it’s not, but there is a lot more to the Anteater experience

than what is happening on the field.

That night, there were a lot of kids who were paying less

attention to the game than they were to each other and to getting

grass stains on their pants by rolling down the hill in the general

admission section in right field, where we were.

Before and after the game and in-between the innings, the

Anteaters players and their opponent, the USC Trojans, signed

baseballs for the kids. My son Roy’s ball had 10 signatures by the

time he was through. Try getting that at Angel Stadium

To him, the ball was no less valuable than one signed by a big

leaguer.

I’m adding Anteaters baseball to the list of things we have to

appreciate here in Newport-Mesa. Watching or playing baseball is good

for kids because the slower tempo counteracts the hectic pace of

their other stimulation, but Anteaters baseball is good for adults

too. That night, I found myself remembering that professional

baseball is only one division of a sport that is played by men and

women of all ages throughout the country. Most of them play not

because they’re making money but because they love the game.

Oh, parking is free, and the night games start at 6 p.m., not 7 or

7:30, so fans get home at a better time.

UCI plays No. 13 Long Beach State tonight at 6 p.m. and Sunday at

1 p.m. Seats are $7 for a real seat and $4 to sit on the grass behind

the first base dugout. I prefer the grass so I can stretch out.

I’m sure I’ll go to several more Angels games this season, but

more and more, I’ll be measuring the experience against the Little

League and Anteaters games.

And I’ll just have to wait until I get home to have the beer.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to onthetown2005@aol.com.