It’s time to play ball

The Angels made their first 2006 appearance at the Los Angeles Stadium of Anaheim ? or is it the other way around? ? on Saturday, and I was there to watch them stomp the disgusting Dodgers. That didn’t happen. As a matter of fact, not much of anything happened.

My daughter, Patt, and I departed after eight scoreless innings that went on for another hour before the game was mercifully abandoned by mutual consent of the two teams. I can only hope this wasn’t a preview of the season that opened formally on Monday.

But the Angels’ performance brought to mind their feeble bats in last year’s playoff against the White Sox ? and a failure to add a slugger in the off-season. Most of the Dodgers’ pitchers Saturday were packed off to the minor leagues the following day, but the Angels made them look like Sandy Koufax in his prime.

Vlady Guerrero ? who seldom sees a pitch he doesn’t like ? flailed his way to two strikeouts and a dribbler to the pitcher (OK, he made up for that on Monday). Various other Angels hit into three rally-killing double plays, and it didn’t occur to us at the time that Chone Figgins steal of second base after he was hit by a pitch in the first inning was going to be the highlight of the evening.

Oh, well, despite a threat of rain, the stadium was packed, the grass was resplendently green, the price of parking and beer didn’t go up, the old-timers in our one-sixth of a season ticket section embraced the usher-lady, and everyone seemed relieved to abandon taxes and Iraq for the promise the night offered of six months of relief ahead.

In recognition of the new season, my old friend and fellow freelancer, Arnold Hano, appeared in the Los Angeles Times Book Review to celebrate the reissue of his half-century-old book, “A Day In the Bleachers.” It recounts his passionate love affair with the New York Giants of Willie Mays’ day and is the best baseball book I’ve ever read. As Hano put it Sunday, “The season of sustenance is upon us again, and we who are fans respond.”

I’ll raise a small draft $4.50 beer to that.