Advice from long-distance halofans?

by cardinalwraith on Jan 31, 2008 12:10 AM PST

So I'm in a bit of a quandry. I've been accepted to a pretty good law school located in the greater Boston area, and I'm leaning towards making the journey out to New England.

"That's not a problem, Wraith," you must be thinking. "You should be happy! What a wonderful opportunity to sell your soul! Don't be an asshole!" Well, I am happy and grateful, but my problem is this: I have never really spent long amount of time far from Halo Nation. I went to Stanford for undergrad, but (as we've discussed before) that part of the Bay Area is so split between Giants territory and a mere handful of A's fans that I may well have been patrolling the Neutral Zone looking for errant Romulans.

What is so personally frightening is that I may be going from that relatively calm to the heart of the monster, the very center of Red Sox Nation.

My question for those of you who live far from Angel Stadium is how best to deal with the distance from our beloved team. How do you watch the broadcasts (please tell me there's some other way besides MLB.tv)? If you live in an area nearby one of the other 29 major league clubs, what is the most effective way to deal with the sometimes-hostile fans of other teams? Perhaps more importantly, how do you cope with the emotional pain imposed by the sad separation (perhaps I may be exaggerating)?

If any of you live in the greater Boston area, your help would be greatly appreciated.

This Fan-Post is authored by an independent fan. Tell us what you think and how you feel.

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Comments

I live in NJ for

the first month and a half of the season, and the last month.

Playoff gets are all I really get to see...if I don't go to a sports bar.

That's your answer for Angels games from Boston:

Sports bars.

by Caseys Kiss of Death on Jan 31, 2008 1:04 AM PST reply actions

Bottom Line

XM Radio - don't be watching television while you do your homework young man.

Red Sox Fans in Bahstin are gonna make Oakland Fans look like Angels Nation.

My advice is to like the Celtics or PAtriots or NHL Bruins enough to wear their gear and avoid discussing baseball with those know-nothing bandwagoneer chowds UNTIL the day we crush them in the playoffs and then break out the Halo paraphenalia and gloat with violent glee for all of us.

Seriously - XM, and find out which computer works best with MLB TV and get that kind of computer - or wait until 2009 when the MLB network premieres.

by Rev Halofan on Jan 31, 2008 1:07 AM PST reply actions

isnt there a

direct tv package called extra innings or something like that? im not sure but i think that gives you all games from whatever team you want

"Water DiSar's Garden"

by Sorbo182 on Jan 31, 2008 1:44 AM PST reply actions

I heard...

That they have these things called "sling boxes" now... If you have someone in SoCal that has cable, it slings it on to your computer and you can watch the local broadcast from anywhere in the world... I have a friend here in Romania who has it and says that it works wonderfully... I hear that they are pretty cheap too.... Might wanna look into it...

Show 'em your a panther, Show 'em what you can do...

by the OC angels on Jan 31, 2008 1:55 AM PST reply actions

I Have an unused one

that I'm willing to sell.

The Cube and his Pops say it works great. Crap, Pops' name has slipped my mind.

You'll need someone with a DVR, or digible cable, to hook it up too.

by eyespy on Jan 31, 2008 8:34 AM PST up reply actions

the cube and his pops

sounds like a porn movie....

Crap, Pops' name has slipped my mind....

Stirrups

by ladybug on Jan 31, 2008 1:56 PM PST up reply actions

Boston's a great baseball town

Sure, there are some douches there but there are some in every city. No one pays attention to them. If you were a Yankee fan, maybe, but the only thing you'll get from most people is condescension.

DirecTV is probably your best option to SEE games.

Captain, there are doubt's...

by Match Day 5 on Jan 31, 2008 5:49 AM PST reply actions

I lived

in Boston for 7 years. Like one of the above people mentioned, you'll only get looked down upon, not outright hostility unless you're a Yankee fan. As for watching games; MLBtv gets better every year. Other than the package deal, it's about the best your going to get.

Lamest poster of all-time.

by ineptituderunsamok on Jan 31, 2008 6:06 AM PST reply actions

Boston University Grad

I lived in Boston for 7 years while attending BU undergrad and grad school. I lived only 4 blocks from Fenway Park. While Red Sox fans can be annoying at times, they are knowledgeable fans and only hate Yankee Fans. If you trash talk the Red Sox, they will trash talk the Angels. If you respect the Red Sox, they will respect the Angels. You can get most of the Angels games on MLBtv, or MLB Extra Innings on Direct TV or cable. The most annoying thing I found was watching night games that started at 10PM and didn't end till 2AM only to have to get up 4 hours later!

by AngelsFanInMinnesota on Jan 31, 2008 6:17 AM PST reply actions

CABLE

I'M In Austin , Tejas and watch all the games thru the mlb package thats on the local cable network. It makes for a late night but most nights u can go to bed happy with them winning.
The times they loose may be harder, if u keep replaying it in your head on what they might have done to change the out come.

by MOJOJAZZ72 on Jan 31, 2008 7:59 AM PST reply actions

You said "all the games".

Does that include the 30-50 that were locally broadcast on Channel 13 KCOP?

When I travel outside southern California, I cannot find the Channel 13 games in sports bars or casinos.

by wumbug on Jan 31, 2008 9:44 AM PST up reply actions

CASINOS

I recall scheduling Vegas trips around games that would NOT be on KCAL-9 so that I could watch the game in the comfort of the Venetian Sports Book (I don't stay at the Venetian, I just watch Sports there)...

by Rev Halofan on Jan 31, 2008 11:38 AM PST up reply actions

ALL THE GAMES

There where only 4 games I did not get 2 where on ESPN Sun.night baseball and 2 where just not shown on the mlb package-But every other game was and that was the same no matter what time they came on(day or night)
The package did run a bill and a half but that is for everygame

by MOJOJAZZ72 on Jan 31, 2008 10:59 AM PST reply actions

I don't have any experience

with the MLB package. That may be the way to go.

I have spent many evenings in AZ & NV casinos asking the bartenders for the Angels games that were on KCOP, not FOX Sports Net. They looked, hard. They were not to be found. Any FOX Sports Net game can always be found.

Logically, if the game is broadcast on KCOP, there is a TV feed that can be had somewhere. However, the sports bars and casino sports book lounges I've visited can't get them.

by wumbug on Jan 31, 2008 12:21 PM PST up reply actions

KCOP DOESN'T HAVE A SATELLITE

LOCAL means "Locals Only"

by Rev Halofan on Jan 31, 2008 4:18 PM PST up reply actions

But do they have their own

cameras and production crew?

My point is that if there is a telecast on KCOP,..... somewhere, somehow, somebody has a telecast available........that is not being broadcast on FOX SPORTS NET, which is what most bars have for their satellite games.

I'm just trying to figure out how MOJOJAZZ72 got almost all the games that probably were not on FOX SPORTS NET. If you recall many of the articles in recent years told of the Angels attempts to get ALL of their games on TV. It would be reported (as an example) that 120 games were going to be broadcast by FOX SPORTS NET, 35 by KCOP, and 7 by ESPN.

by wumbug on Jan 31, 2008 5:28 PM PST up reply actions

MLB PACKAGE

I get the mlb extra innings package as stated in the column below thru.my local cable provider. All the games are shown because I am not in a blackout area.I"m to far away from Dallas(300 mls)
and to far away from Houston(240 mls).Now I don't allways get the Hudster but I do get the games. When they are brodcasted on fox for the Angels I get the In-n-Out commercials from so.CAL and when they r out of town I get those commercials from what ever city there in. It is the extra innings package that they tryied only to let the dish network have but at the last minute the cable comp.where able to extend it two more years, until they review it again.

by MOJOJAZZ72 on Jan 31, 2008 6:25 PM PST up reply actions

wumbug

where do u live?
soCAL?
It may not b offered but I bet u can get the mlb package and see all the games from other clubs not in your area.

by MOJOJAZZ72 on Jan 31, 2008 6:28 PM PST up reply actions

If the game

is on KCOP in CA, it may be on the package from the other team's broadcast.

Lamest poster of all-time.

by ineptituderunsamok on Feb 1, 2008 9:27 AM PST up reply actions

True.

But somehow, the casinos can't get it unless it's on YES or NESN. Of course, there doesn't seem to be a problem with getting YANKEES & RED SOX games anyway.

by wumbug on Feb 1, 2008 10:02 AM PST up reply actions

locals only

it's not the only camera in the stadium and they can and do brodcast thru other stations.
check into it if u don't belive me

by MOJOJAZZ72 on Jan 31, 2008 6:32 PM PST up reply actions

MLB Extra Innings

If you're in a housing situation where you can get DirecTV (i.e. You're not in a university-affiliated dorm/apartment), then the Extra Innings package is the way to go. For around $1/game, you'll get (almost) all of them. And you won't have to watch in a loud bar surrounded by obnoxious Chowds. Keep in mind that with the time difference, most Halos games are on after 10:00 on the East Coast, so that'll be prime drunken-Chowd-bellowing time in the bars. The beer & snacks are cheaper at home, too.

Local team game are usually blacked out (meaning you won't get Rory Markus/Phys/Hud when we're playing against Bahston -- you'll have to watch the NESN Homers. On the plus side, you'll probably get Vin Scully when we're playing the Dodgers.), but you can also catch up on division rivals, out of town teams, etc. I get Extra Innings primarily to watch the Brewers in addition to the Angels, so I get about 5-6 hours of baseball/day for six months straight. Bliss.

by Brew Angel on Jan 31, 2008 1:58 PM PST reply actions

my advice is...

jab an ice pick into your ears. it might hurt and will most likely lose your hearing but in the long run it will be less painful than listening sox fans.

by thejd on Jan 31, 2008 4:07 PM PST reply actions

Angel fan in Maryland

I've only been in Southern California for 3 days of my life (made it to 2 Angel games) so I don't know anything else.

But its gotten much easier thanks to the web and cable TV. I did extra innings for a few years, but I kept getting bad signal feeds at random times and no matter how many times comcast came out to my house they could never fix it. I switched to MLB.com 2 years ago and have been very happy with it. Sure, its not as great a picture as TV, but invest in a high quality widescreen monitor and its acceptable. A big bonus is if you miss a game you can watch it any time during the season. The archive is great.

Back in the old days it was tough. No internet, and I think for awhile we didn't have cable. Unless they were playing in game of the week, I got my Angels news from the morning paper, often one day behind schedule.

I remember the 1984 team, a pretty fun team but not a great one. The contended for awhile but going into the last day had been eliminated. But at least they had a shot at .500

I eagerly awaited the next morning's paper, and imagine my joy when not only did they win, but Mike Witt threw a perfect game.

Reagins on a return to Fenway: "Mr. Henry, tear down this wall!"

by RallyMonkey5 on Jan 31, 2008 8:16 PM PST reply actions

Seattle since '94

Redundancy is the KEY! This may be tough for a college student to afford.

I have had DirecTv Extra Innings for years as well as MLB.TV & radio. Those condensed games are cool when you don't have much time, but want to see the "whole game" or most of it anyway!

This past year I added the Verizon Wireless package for audio when I am in the car or away from home. It is imperfect and needs some work, but I will probably get it again. You can choose the broadcast you wish to listen to for every game!

The MLB.TV/Radio is cool cuz you don't need to be at home...you can be on any computer. The KCOP games are sometimes on the mlb.tv. They have not been on Extra Innings. Most of the time the opposing team has the broadcast and you can watch their video and listen to the slightly delayed mlb.com for Angel broadcasters.

You should know this, you may miss the local announcers when you listen to the other team's broadcast, but it can also be fun to hear the other perspective! Frankly, many of the other announcers rave about the Angel teams! It is always fun to hear!

Stop swinging at balls out of the zone!

by K3YEROUT on Jan 31, 2008 10:51 PM PST reply actions