Fairgoers catch some time with two Angels

The Orange County Fair was a little redder than usual Thursday when thousands of Angels fans showed up in jerseys to meet catchers Jeff Matthis Mathis and Mike Napoli, who were signing autographs from noon to 1 p.m.

“It was great,” said 11-year-old Dillon Murphy of Newport Beach. “As a baseball player myself, it was nice to meet them.”

Matthis and Napoli greeted about 500 fans, officials estimate. The line ? stretched dozens of yards, then looped back again. Yet the eager fans braved the heat to meet the catchers of the number one ranked first-place Angels.

“I told Mike Napoli he did a great job last night when he made the play of the game,” said Santos Salinas of Montclair. “And I told Matthis to keep up the great work. They are a couple of the best catchers in baseball — thanks to their coach, who was a former catcher himself.”

Salinas was referring to the Angels-Twins game on Thursday.

Napoli’s winning hit seemed to be on the minds of many fans.

The Angels were trailing, 5-3, at the bottom of the ninth, but rallied to tie the game and send it into a tenth extra innings.

Napoli finished off the comeback with a double to right-center field, sending Chone Figgins to home plate. The Angels won, 6-5.

“It was cool to see [Napoli] right after he won the game,” said Amanda Wiley, who watched the game on televelvision last night.

Laura Madison Riotoll came from Palm Springs to see the event.

“I was happy that the players came out to interact with the community,” she said.

Fans were grateful for the opportunity to speak to hang out with Matthis and Napoli.

“It was fun,” said Brandon Riottoll. “I told them I was excited to meet them.”

According to most fans, the players were happy to be out signing autographs.

“They were very nice and friendly,” said Tedd Pratt. “I took a picture with them.”

But due to the high volume of people, each fan had a very limited time with the players. “[My meeting with them] was pretty quick,” said Barry Loren.

However, Loren wasn’t discouraged.

“It’s always fun,” he said contentedly.

Things To Do:

Pastry Contest

Got a sweet tooth? Come learn how to make your favorite sweets. There will be a pies-pastries contest at noon in the Promenade of the Main Mall.

Tap-Dancing Duo

Come see these tap dancers bring their urban twist to the dance floor at 6:45 p.m. at the Meadows Stage , located in the Fair Square.

Farm Animals

Don’t forget, see the animals before you leave! There will be goats, oxen, rabbits, sheep, and more — all at the Livestock quarters of the fair. They are on display all day near Green Gate.