Welcome to part 2 of the “Catching up with Rosey.”
As I mentioned last week Chris Rosenbaum was kind enough to respond to my email about what he’s been up to since his last blog “And so it ends.”
Some of what you are about to read actually took place before his last blog and it’s included to fill in the gaps.
After being released by the Angels, Chris went back to his part time job with H&R Block in Tempe, Arizona. Meanwhile his girlfriend was finishing up an internship at Athletes Performance in Phoenix. When tax season ended Chris got in touch with Jaime Cevallos of The Swing Mechanic who is noted for his work with Tampa Bay Rays Ben Zobrist before his monster 2009 season.
Chris went to go work out with Cevallos for a week in Dallas. He had been trading video assessments with him. Cevallos is known for helping hitters get the most power out their swing (which was one of the knocks against Chris’s hitting).
He was hoping to hook up with an Independent League team. While there, he signed a contract with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League.
Chris went to their spring training for two weeks and during the process he decided his time was probably going to be better spent elsewhere focusing on what he called his “real career” which would either be in business or possibly in the front office side of baseball.
Being from up-state New York, Chris returned to Albany, New York to begin his quest. Armed with an under-grad degree in Finance and an MBA he decided to focus on investment banking. He looked at the field as the “professional baseball of the finance world.” As he would soon learn, it would be just as hard to break into as baseball.
He started from ground zero, cold calling and emailing banks; mostly small to mid-level sized banks. He knew the competition at the bigger institutions would be steep and those armed with Ivy League degrees and internships would have an advantage.
While searching for a job, Chris taught himself about “modeling” through an on-line course. He learned different ways to value companies; something that wasn’t one of his strengths. Just like in baseball, he realized he had to work on his weaknesses in the business world as well.
He spent a lot of time talking to people; looking for “someone who knows someone.” According to Chris, networking is very important part of breaking into the industry. Chris put in the effort, but the results weren’t coming along as he had hoped.
While Chris has had some luck talking to people, the interviews weren’t as plentiful. His most promising opportunity came at a full service investment firm in Tampa, Florida.
It all happened right around the third week of August. Chris flew down to Tampa with his family to help his sister, who was going to be a sophomore at the University of Tampa move back into school. Afterwards, he ended up flying back to California to help his girlfriend drive cross country to take her new job as an athletic trainer in Mobile, Alabama working with the baseball team at the University of South Alabama.
Along the way while traveling to Tempe, Alabama and back to Albany, Chris learned the bank was no longer interested in discussing a position with him.
Chris noted that his lack of experience in modeling and in working in the industry in general didn’t help his cause. Even though he has an MBA he lacks relevant work experience; something that’s hard to gain when you’re playing baseball. Chris said, that when push comes to shove, experience was “trumping education.”
That’s the finance side of the career search.
On the other hand, a few weeks back Chris started sending our “blind emails” to major league baseball front offices. He contacted somewhere between 15-20 teams. He’s now trying to network with this group to find out how they got involved in professional baseball.
Chris has discovered the best way in to a front office job is probably through an internship. Some are paid and some are not. His focus is on a paid internship, realizing that teams that put an emphasis on hiring from within are more likely to pay to get good quality people that they can retain if things pan out.
He believes his best shot is an internship with a Scouting Department. Chris may have found his best career path. As his girlfriend pointed out to him – he might not stand out when applying for a job in the finance world, but in baseball he’s unique because he not only has playing experience (“playing three years at a high level in a well-respected organization;” the Angels) he also carries an MBA with him.
So, that’s basically where he stands right now.
He also mentioned that he may do an internship with a AA team in Mobile, Alabama near his girlfriend. He hasn’t ruled out an internship in the business world. He’s basically looking to do anything to get some more relevant experience on his resume for either career path.
And that’s where our friend is today. Not the story book ending we might have hoped for, but then again – Chris’ journey is far from over.
We'll be sure to check back with Chris in the near future to see if there are any new developments.
If you're finding us for the first time - be sure to read Part 1 of this post as well.
Showing posts with label Angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Angels. Show all posts
October 20, 2010
October 14, 2010
Catching up with "Rosey"
When I first started writing True Grich I hadn’t really read a lot of other blogs. If I did, I probably didn’t even realize they were blogs.
All that changed in the past year as I went looking to find the best baseball blogs on the internet. Turns out there are quite a few of them. Some are written by professional writers like Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski and many of them are written by every day folks just like me.
And then there are those that are actually written by professional baseball players. You might be surprised by who actually blogs (I have a list of some of them on the left).
I recently found a real gem called “Looking through the Mask” written by Chris Rosenbaum (Rosey), a former minor league baseball player from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim farm system.
Chris does an amazing job of telling his audience what it’s like to be a professional baseball player who is trying to achieve the ultimate goal of making it to the major leagues.
He had this to say in 2008:
For the lay baseball fan, it often goes overlooked that we are really baseball players in training, and that the final product on the field every night is not always going to be well polished. The time put in everyday working on hitting, fielding and pitching mechanics often goes unnoticed during days that usually begin five to seven hours prior to game time. Playing at the Class A level, we still have four more rungs to climb to get to the Majors (A-Advanced, AA, AAA, MLB). While we go out every night trying to win a baseball game, our primary objective is to develop as a player so that we are better players at the last day of the season than we were when we arrived in Cedar Rapids.
As you read through all his blog entries, you get a sense of what it must be like working your way through the minor leagues. He talks about his interactions with the fans, his relationships with teammates, the struggles of making it on a meager salary, the long days and so much more.
I found this piece regarding his relationships with teammates interesting:
Everyone in this business is trying to make it to the top. It is paradoxical that while no one can get to the Major Leagues by themselves, there is not enough room for everyone to make it. This is a team game played by individuals. While everyone is striving for the team to win, players are looking out for their individual success along the way. This balance is often strained and is a major reason why the relationships you develop with people should be kept professional with minimal vested emotion. There is only so much of the pie to go around, and no one around you is afraid to take your share.
Since Chris was a catcher and more importantly a catcher in the Angels organization that has Mike Scioscia’s thumb print all over it – it was a natural for Chris to talk about what it meant to be an Angels catcher.
He said this:
If there is a common thread throughout all of the teachings throughout the organization as it pertains to catchers, it is the strong emphasis on the pitcher and catcher relationship. When a pitcher is comfortable with his catcher, he is confident and will perform at his highest level. For this reason, fostering and maintaining these relationships is crucial for a catcher’s success in the Angels organization. These working relationships are so strongly valued that they are viewed at the same level of any other stats kept track of by the organization and can be enough reason to keep a mediocre performing offensive catcher around for several years.
Chris’s love for baseball was evident throughout his posts.
Several people have questioned why I put myself through this lifestyle when it appears that I could take my Bachelor’s and almost Master’s Degrees and go get a lucrative job in corporate America. I stick around because I love to play the game. I love the challenge that every day presents and how you never know what the next baseball discovery you will uncover. I stay in the game to experience the moment I did when we defeated Clinton in the divisional semifinals Thursday night. The excitement that our team shared that night with each other and with our devoted fans that made the trip is something I will never forget. This was the first playoff series Cedar Rapids had won since 2000, and it was amazing to see the energy of the team and the fans after winning that series.
More revealing tidbits from his blog:
The hardest part about minor league baseball is that there are no guarantees. What I mean by this, is that tomorrow is never guaranteed; you never know if you will have a job tomorrow, nor can you even be certain where you will be and who will be around you….
It is unfathomably hard to invest so much time and energy into something that can be gone without warning. Playing baseball is such a fickle profession where knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time can be just as important as performing well on the field. However, the love of the game keeps most going during the long bus rides, minimal pay, unjust personnel decisions, and time away from home. It is the dream that most of us have had since we were young of playing in the Big Leagues that gets us through the setbacks to face another day.
Chris’s blog is all about his journey through baseball and like all journeys they eventually come to an end.
His final post “And so it ends” was posted on July 3, 2010. In this post Chris says good-bye to baseball. This post was actually the first post I read by Chris. It was so compelling, that I foun myself going back to read all of his previous posts. When I was done, I decided to reach out to Chris to find out what happened to him.
So I emailed him and much to my surprise he replied. We exchanged a few emails and Chris gave me an update on what he’s been up to. That will be the subject of my next post (coming soon). So… stay tuned.
In the mean time, I encouage you to visit his blog. If you really love baseball, you will probably enjoy learning about "Rosey." I encourage you to read all of his posts. Trust me, it will be like reading a good book.
All that changed in the past year as I went looking to find the best baseball blogs on the internet. Turns out there are quite a few of them. Some are written by professional writers like Sports Illustrated’s Joe Posnanski and many of them are written by every day folks just like me.
And then there are those that are actually written by professional baseball players. You might be surprised by who actually blogs (I have a list of some of them on the left).
I recently found a real gem called “Looking through the Mask” written by Chris Rosenbaum (Rosey), a former minor league baseball player from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim farm system.
Chris does an amazing job of telling his audience what it’s like to be a professional baseball player who is trying to achieve the ultimate goal of making it to the major leagues.
He had this to say in 2008:
For the lay baseball fan, it often goes overlooked that we are really baseball players in training, and that the final product on the field every night is not always going to be well polished. The time put in everyday working on hitting, fielding and pitching mechanics often goes unnoticed during days that usually begin five to seven hours prior to game time. Playing at the Class A level, we still have four more rungs to climb to get to the Majors (A-Advanced, AA, AAA, MLB). While we go out every night trying to win a baseball game, our primary objective is to develop as a player so that we are better players at the last day of the season than we were when we arrived in Cedar Rapids.
As you read through all his blog entries, you get a sense of what it must be like working your way through the minor leagues. He talks about his interactions with the fans, his relationships with teammates, the struggles of making it on a meager salary, the long days and so much more.
I found this piece regarding his relationships with teammates interesting:
Everyone in this business is trying to make it to the top. It is paradoxical that while no one can get to the Major Leagues by themselves, there is not enough room for everyone to make it. This is a team game played by individuals. While everyone is striving for the team to win, players are looking out for their individual success along the way. This balance is often strained and is a major reason why the relationships you develop with people should be kept professional with minimal vested emotion. There is only so much of the pie to go around, and no one around you is afraid to take your share.
Since Chris was a catcher and more importantly a catcher in the Angels organization that has Mike Scioscia’s thumb print all over it – it was a natural for Chris to talk about what it meant to be an Angels catcher.
He said this:
If there is a common thread throughout all of the teachings throughout the organization as it pertains to catchers, it is the strong emphasis on the pitcher and catcher relationship. When a pitcher is comfortable with his catcher, he is confident and will perform at his highest level. For this reason, fostering and maintaining these relationships is crucial for a catcher’s success in the Angels organization. These working relationships are so strongly valued that they are viewed at the same level of any other stats kept track of by the organization and can be enough reason to keep a mediocre performing offensive catcher around for several years.
Chris’s love for baseball was evident throughout his posts.
Several people have questioned why I put myself through this lifestyle when it appears that I could take my Bachelor’s and almost Master’s Degrees and go get a lucrative job in corporate America. I stick around because I love to play the game. I love the challenge that every day presents and how you never know what the next baseball discovery you will uncover. I stay in the game to experience the moment I did when we defeated Clinton in the divisional semifinals Thursday night. The excitement that our team shared that night with each other and with our devoted fans that made the trip is something I will never forget. This was the first playoff series Cedar Rapids had won since 2000, and it was amazing to see the energy of the team and the fans after winning that series.
More revealing tidbits from his blog:
The hardest part about minor league baseball is that there are no guarantees. What I mean by this, is that tomorrow is never guaranteed; you never know if you will have a job tomorrow, nor can you even be certain where you will be and who will be around you….
It is unfathomably hard to invest so much time and energy into something that can be gone without warning. Playing baseball is such a fickle profession where knowing the right people and being in the right place at the right time can be just as important as performing well on the field. However, the love of the game keeps most going during the long bus rides, minimal pay, unjust personnel decisions, and time away from home. It is the dream that most of us have had since we were young of playing in the Big Leagues that gets us through the setbacks to face another day.
Chris’s blog is all about his journey through baseball and like all journeys they eventually come to an end.
His final post “And so it ends” was posted on July 3, 2010. In this post Chris says good-bye to baseball. This post was actually the first post I read by Chris. It was so compelling, that I foun myself going back to read all of his previous posts. When I was done, I decided to reach out to Chris to find out what happened to him.
So I emailed him and much to my surprise he replied. We exchanged a few emails and Chris gave me an update on what he’s been up to. That will be the subject of my next post (coming soon). So… stay tuned.
In the mean time, I encouage you to visit his blog. If you really love baseball, you will probably enjoy learning about "Rosey." I encourage you to read all of his posts. Trust me, it will be like reading a good book.
October 8, 2010
Baseball is always with us
The latest entry to the question Why do you love baseball? comes to us from a transplanted Cardinals fan.
It's simple, really. Baseball has always been with me, everywhere I go.
A little history: I come from a family of fans. My mom made me a fan, too. Born in 1937, she was just old enough to know who Jackie Robinson was when he made his major league debut ten years later and why he was so important.
She remembers the family sitting around the radio (Cardinal games were broadcast on KMOX then; the mighty St. Louis station could be heard all the way to Nebraska on clear nights), listening to the announcer call the Brooklyn Dodgers-Cardinals games. She remembers; as she grew up, the sense of pride that she felt in Robinson's accomplishments, the way he held himself, and the way he performed on the field.
She wept when he died. That, I remember vividly.
My own love affair with baseball has been a slow-burning one. As a kid growing up in St. Louis; listening to baseball or thinking about it, was just something you did: throw some catch in the backyard, play pick-up games in the park down the street, do homework while listening to Jack Buck call Cardinals games on the radio ("And that's a winner!").
My favorite player was Lou Brock; I used to hold my breath, wondering if he would steal home this time or catch that line drive down the line. My fondest memory; in fact, is the day he WAVED TO ME because I kept screaming his name from the bleachers during warm-ups. I don't remember who won that day, but man... Lou Brock waved to me! How ya like me NOW??
Sure, St. Louis had the football Cardinals (at least temporarily) and the NBA's Hawks (at least temporarily) and they still have the NHL's Blues, but none of them had a hold on our city the way the Redbirds did. Still don't. In fact, if you referred to "Redbirds" in the 1970s and 1980s, it was pretty much understood that you were talking about the baseball team. You didn't have to clarify.
My mom went to the World Series in 1967 and 1968 and her favorite player was Bob Gibson... that is until Willie McGee showed up and then she "adopted" him.
Another story: I was in Air Force basic training in 1982, the year the Redbirds played the Brewers in the World Series. After the Cardinals beat the Brewers in seven games, my terminally dyspeptic drill instructor called me into his office and yelled at me because he'd bet on the Brewers and it was somehow my fault that they'd lost. All I could do was apologize for my team winning the Series. Go figure.
Even now, having lived in Los Angeles for almost thirty years, I'm still a Cardinals fan. I'm also a fan of the Angels for sure, but man, the Cardinals? That's where it's at.
Submitted by
Terry Dickerson
Redondo Beach, CA
The idea that baseball has always been with Terry reminds me of a James Taylor song for some reason...
I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baseball
I just want to stop and thank you baby (woah, yeah)
How sweet it is to be loved by you (it's just like sugar sometimes)
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I guess his post reminds me of that song because baseball is game that when you love, it actually loves you back. Thanks Terry. That song is going to be in my head all day now.
It's simple, really. Baseball has always been with me, everywhere I go.
A little history: I come from a family of fans. My mom made me a fan, too. Born in 1937, she was just old enough to know who Jackie Robinson was when he made his major league debut ten years later and why he was so important.
She remembers the family sitting around the radio (Cardinal games were broadcast on KMOX then; the mighty St. Louis station could be heard all the way to Nebraska on clear nights), listening to the announcer call the Brooklyn Dodgers-Cardinals games. She remembers; as she grew up, the sense of pride that she felt in Robinson's accomplishments, the way he held himself, and the way he performed on the field.
She wept when he died. That, I remember vividly.
My own love affair with baseball has been a slow-burning one. As a kid growing up in St. Louis; listening to baseball or thinking about it, was just something you did: throw some catch in the backyard, play pick-up games in the park down the street, do homework while listening to Jack Buck call Cardinals games on the radio ("And that's a winner!").
My favorite player was Lou Brock; I used to hold my breath, wondering if he would steal home this time or catch that line drive down the line. My fondest memory; in fact, is the day he WAVED TO ME because I kept screaming his name from the bleachers during warm-ups. I don't remember who won that day, but man... Lou Brock waved to me! How ya like me NOW??
Sure, St. Louis had the football Cardinals (at least temporarily) and the NBA's Hawks (at least temporarily) and they still have the NHL's Blues, but none of them had a hold on our city the way the Redbirds did. Still don't. In fact, if you referred to "Redbirds" in the 1970s and 1980s, it was pretty much understood that you were talking about the baseball team. You didn't have to clarify.
My mom went to the World Series in 1967 and 1968 and her favorite player was Bob Gibson... that is until Willie McGee showed up and then she "adopted" him.
Another story: I was in Air Force basic training in 1982, the year the Redbirds played the Brewers in the World Series. After the Cardinals beat the Brewers in seven games, my terminally dyspeptic drill instructor called me into his office and yelled at me because he'd bet on the Brewers and it was somehow my fault that they'd lost. All I could do was apologize for my team winning the Series. Go figure.
Even now, having lived in Los Angeles for almost thirty years, I'm still a Cardinals fan. I'm also a fan of the Angels for sure, but man, the Cardinals? That's where it's at.
Submitted by
Terry Dickerson
Redondo Beach, CA
The idea that baseball has always been with Terry reminds me of a James Taylor song for some reason...
I close my eyes at night
Wondering where would I be without you in my life
Everything I did was just a bore
Everywhere I went it seems I'd been there before
But you brighten up for me all of my days
With a love so sweet in so many ways
I want to stop and thank you baseball
I just want to stop and thank you baby (woah, yeah)
How sweet it is to be loved by you (it's just like sugar sometimes)
How sweet it is to be loved by you
I guess his post reminds me of that song because baseball is game that when you love, it actually loves you back. Thanks Terry. That song is going to be in my head all day now.
Baseball reminds us that anything can happen
The latest story about why we love baseball comes to us courtesy of a previous blog from the Orange County Register. This was posted on April 12, 2010 and is being reposted with permission from the author.
October 26, 2002
Most Angels fans can tell you exactly where they were that night. Just the mention of the date brings back a flood of memories. This date has significance to me for more than one reason. It was the 6th wedding anniversary for my husband John and I. We didn’t have tickets to the game, but, being the devoted fans that we are, we parked ourselves in a local restaurant/bar and watched the game with a few hundred other OC Angels fans.
By the time the bottom of the 7th inning came around, I was quite devastated. Believing it was over, I basically threw in the towel and started grumbling. “I can’t believe they got this far and are going to lose”, I said. “They’re done. I need some more nachos. This game is so over.”
John had a different take on the situation. “Come on, Jen”, he said. “The game isn’t over yet. They still have a chance here. It’s not over until the last out, right? You need to start believing in the power of the Rally Monkey.”
Ah yes, the Rally Monkey. The Angels had pulled off many come-from-behind wins that season with the supposed help of their furry mascot. Clever concept, but since I’m pretty sure the players are the ones who deliver the dramatic comeback, I was not one of those who bought into the whole “power of the Rally Monkey” thing.
Being the eternal optimist he is, John didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t rally and do it again. And being the realist that I am, I figured there was no way they were going to win that night.
I looked at him, almost glaring; shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. All my mind could picture was the years of crushing disappointment. He knew the history too, but he was truly confident, almost with the excitement of a kid.
And then, the game took its defining turn.
The Rally Monkey came out and the fans went crazy, pounding the life out of their thunder sticks. What we witnessed next, as a lifelong Angels fans, were moments for the ages. Spiezio. Erstad. Glaus. With every run that crossed home plate, my body got more tense. I kept my hands over my eyes as if that would some how shield me from potential disaster. But I spread my fingers apart just enough so as to not miss what happened.
Celebrating the win like that in a restaurant setting was as unique a sports experience as I have ever had. We were surrounded by all these people, strangers basically, but bound together by our love for the Angels.
I had no doubt they would win Game 7. It became merely a formality. And on October 27, 2002, the Angels won their first World Series Championship. As a fan that had witnessed so much disappointment over the years with this team, I felt pure elation. The home team, my team, finally won it all.
You don’t soon get over a comeback moment like that. It stays with you. In the days to follow, while getting very used to the term “World Champion Angels”, it occurred to me, that for this fan, there was something bigger behind the use of the Rally Monkey. It was more than just trying to get the fans out of their seats and onto their feet to cheer on the players.
I think it reminds us of why we are fans of the sport we love.
It reminds us that part of the wonder of the game is that anything can happen. This is why we follow sports. This is why we turn on our TVs, and show up to the ballpark or stadium or arena. It’s because we believe that on any given night, our team has a chance to win, all the way up until the whistle blows, the buzzer sounds, or the final out is recorded. And every once in awhile, we get to witness amazing moments that solidify our love for the game.
After all, this is why we watch, isn’t it?
I’m proud to say that I’ve been an Angels fan my entire life. I began watching them as a young girl, during the rough years, when, but for a couple of seasons, wins were hard to come by. I remember the epic collapse that was the 1986 postseason. And I rejoiced during the 2009 postseason when the team took that 86-pound weight off their backs and hurled it at the Green Monster. I cheered for Rod Carew’s 3000th hit and I cried at the news of the death of Nick Adenhart.
And I am a believer in the power of the Rally Monkey.
Every year as October 26 approaches, John and I reminisce about the game and our unique experience that night. “I knew all along they would win”, he reminds me. And he’s right. There’s nothing like a little good old-fashioned child-like optimism to bring the fun back to the game. I know it had that effect on me.
Do you believe?
Submitted by:
Jenelyn Russo
Rally Monkey Mom
"Rally Monkey Mom" is a frequent contributor to the OC Register's Angels Blog
October 26, 2002
Most Angels fans can tell you exactly where they were that night. Just the mention of the date brings back a flood of memories. This date has significance to me for more than one reason. It was the 6th wedding anniversary for my husband John and I. We didn’t have tickets to the game, but, being the devoted fans that we are, we parked ourselves in a local restaurant/bar and watched the game with a few hundred other OC Angels fans.
By the time the bottom of the 7th inning came around, I was quite devastated. Believing it was over, I basically threw in the towel and started grumbling. “I can’t believe they got this far and are going to lose”, I said. “They’re done. I need some more nachos. This game is so over.”
John had a different take on the situation. “Come on, Jen”, he said. “The game isn’t over yet. They still have a chance here. It’s not over until the last out, right? You need to start believing in the power of the Rally Monkey.”
Ah yes, the Rally Monkey. The Angels had pulled off many come-from-behind wins that season with the supposed help of their furry mascot. Clever concept, but since I’m pretty sure the players are the ones who deliver the dramatic comeback, I was not one of those who bought into the whole “power of the Rally Monkey” thing.
Being the eternal optimist he is, John didn’t see any reason why they couldn’t rally and do it again. And being the realist that I am, I figured there was no way they were going to win that night.
I looked at him, almost glaring; shocked that he would even suggest such a thing. All my mind could picture was the years of crushing disappointment. He knew the history too, but he was truly confident, almost with the excitement of a kid.
And then, the game took its defining turn.
The Rally Monkey came out and the fans went crazy, pounding the life out of their thunder sticks. What we witnessed next, as a lifelong Angels fans, were moments for the ages. Spiezio. Erstad. Glaus. With every run that crossed home plate, my body got more tense. I kept my hands over my eyes as if that would some how shield me from potential disaster. But I spread my fingers apart just enough so as to not miss what happened.
Celebrating the win like that in a restaurant setting was as unique a sports experience as I have ever had. We were surrounded by all these people, strangers basically, but bound together by our love for the Angels.
I had no doubt they would win Game 7. It became merely a formality. And on October 27, 2002, the Angels won their first World Series Championship. As a fan that had witnessed so much disappointment over the years with this team, I felt pure elation. The home team, my team, finally won it all.
You don’t soon get over a comeback moment like that. It stays with you. In the days to follow, while getting very used to the term “World Champion Angels”, it occurred to me, that for this fan, there was something bigger behind the use of the Rally Monkey. It was more than just trying to get the fans out of their seats and onto their feet to cheer on the players.
I think it reminds us of why we are fans of the sport we love.
It reminds us that part of the wonder of the game is that anything can happen. This is why we follow sports. This is why we turn on our TVs, and show up to the ballpark or stadium or arena. It’s because we believe that on any given night, our team has a chance to win, all the way up until the whistle blows, the buzzer sounds, or the final out is recorded. And every once in awhile, we get to witness amazing moments that solidify our love for the game.
After all, this is why we watch, isn’t it?
I’m proud to say that I’ve been an Angels fan my entire life. I began watching them as a young girl, during the rough years, when, but for a couple of seasons, wins were hard to come by. I remember the epic collapse that was the 1986 postseason. And I rejoiced during the 2009 postseason when the team took that 86-pound weight off their backs and hurled it at the Green Monster. I cheered for Rod Carew’s 3000th hit and I cried at the news of the death of Nick Adenhart.
And I am a believer in the power of the Rally Monkey.
Every year as October 26 approaches, John and I reminisce about the game and our unique experience that night. “I knew all along they would win”, he reminds me. And he’s right. There’s nothing like a little good old-fashioned child-like optimism to bring the fun back to the game. I know it had that effect on me.
Do you believe?
Submitted by:
Jenelyn Russo
Rally Monkey Mom
"Rally Monkey Mom" is a frequent contributor to the OC Register's Angels Blog
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