In Surf City, it’s city of Angels

Brevyn Mettler finds it easier to be an Angels fan now than he did growing up.

In part, that’s because the team had a history of terrible luck before it came from behind to win the 2002 World Series.

Furthermore, it’s because Mettler now lives within appreciable distance of his heroes. The Huntington Beach resident grew up in Bakersfield, and even though the Los Angeles Dodgers were much closer, he insisted that his parents drive him to Angels games instead — even if that meant passing Dodger Stadium on the freeway en route to Anaheim Stadium.

“They thought, ‘Why did I have to be an Angel fan instead of a Dodger fan?’” Mettler said Monday as he sat in Sharkeez and watched the Angels take on the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Mettler, who works for the city, took Monday off work to see the action. He was far from the only one, as restaurants downtown broadcast the game and fans filled tables in Angels caps and jackets. It wasn’t the only excitement in town, either; the Dodgers made the playoffs as well, and if both teams come out on top, Southern California will play host to the whole World Series for the first time in history. (The Dodgers, one loss away from elimination, were scheduled to play after press time Wednesday.)

Angels, Dodgers or both, local teams in the postseason spell one sure thing for restaurant and bar owners: solid business.

Kris Martin, the general manager of the Huntington Beach Beer Co., said he was keeping an eye on both playoff series in hopes that the Angels and Dodgers would finish on top.

“Any time a local team makes the playoffs, it’s great for us,” he said. “It’s rare that both teams are in.”

The Dodgers, who date back more than a century, have had their share of triumphs over the years, but until the last decade, the Angels were known mostly for their history of agonizing defeats.

The franchise — originally named the Los Angeles Angels, then the California Angels, Anaheim Angels and now Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — won the American League West title in 1979, 1982 and 1986, but missed the World Series each time.

The last two losses were among baseball’s most painful. In 1982, the team won the first two games of the playoffs only to lose the next three, while four years later, the team came within one strike of the pennant before the Boston Red Sox rallied from behind to win. And then there was 1995, when the Angels built a 10 1/2-game lead with less than two months to go, then lost 29 of their last 43 games and finished second.

Since the team’s World Series victory in 2002, the Angels have been regular contenders in the postseason.

Greg Ramsey, a Westminster resident who left work early to watch Monday’s game at the Longboard Restaurant & Pub in Huntington Beach, said it was hard to remember a time when the Angels were the butt of fans’ jokes.

“We get spoiled,” he said. “You know, it’s like we need to win the World Series. If we lose in the Championship Series, it’s a disappointment.”

The 2002 victory, he added, had been “one of the greatest moments of my life.” He had his fingers crossed for a repeat this year.

“We’ll be partying for a week if they win it,” Ramsey said.

Angels In The Playoffs

The Angels have flown high at times in their 49-year history — but they’ve had their share of falls, too. Here’s how the team has fared in the postseason:

1979: Lost in playoffs to Baltimore Orioles

1982: Lost in playoffs to Milwaukee Brewers

1986: Lost in playoffs to Boston Red Sox

2002: Won World Series

2004: Lost in first round to Boston Red Sox

2005: Lost in second round to Chicago White Sox

2007: Lost in first round to Boston Red Sox

2008: Lost in first round to Boston Red Sox