On Being a Fan

I for one will be just as passionate about this team whether we lose 100 games or win 100 games. I guess I can’t help it. It is just who I am. From the second I first stepped foot into the Big A until the day I die I’ll be reveling in every victory and be agonized over every defeat.

(Sorry, I had to say that. It was in the contract with the devil that I signed to get my scholarship to the U.)

This isn’t therapy. Lone Star Ball is -—————————→

At some point in my 20’s I realized it’s really stupid to get so emotionally invested in sports that it can ruin your day. It sucks when your team sucks (and especially if you think they’re giving a half-assed effort) but it really has nothing to do with me. The team isn’t a reflection of me. I have nothing to do with how the team does. When they’re good, it’s not because I’m a good/smart baseball fan, and when they’re bad it’s not because of me either. This is why the whole idea of people wasting time talking smack to each other on the internet makes no sense to me.

When the team sucks, it makes sense to spend less time/money watching them. Invest that time and money on your family. And don’t worry so much about the team whose success or failure has nothing to do with you. These next couple months should be rough, but I’ll still be pumped for spring training.

This whole pro sports thing is entertainment. It exists to be fun.

i have been following the angels and dodgers, as i grew older i followed the former more intently than the latter. unless this team moves out of state, ill always watch them regardless of their ups and downs.

   There are many types of fans . . . I mean heck, I am not a Braves fan, but growing up with TBS and WGN, I watched a lot of Braves games, and was happy when they succeeded. (I like the tomahawk chop btw), When the Kings got Gretzky I became a Kings fan, not so much anymore. Ducks are cool, . . . but yah, it sucks when the team is playing like they are. I don;‘t bother to listen as much, but it doesn’t mean I am any less a fan. Like you said, I got my life to live. After driving 6 hours to Oaktown to watch the team suck balls and get hammered 15-1, and then play like shit and lose 5-2, I am not as stoked (and now even less). I don;t like old rich farts that lollygag. They don’t deserve my time.

The Angels suck, so it is time for you to become a Yankee fan.

See you next season.

I’m a lifelong Angels fan. I’m from Virginia and have no ties to southern California. Clearly, I have a mental illness.

with this Fan Post.

I would actually hazard a guess that he is not the only person here that feels that way. He may just be the only one to put it into words.

I think everybody has a certain level of frustration with the way we have played this year. And yes, I used “we” as I’m sure most of us have done at some point when talking about the Angels.

If the Angels continue to struggle and do not get back into the division race, I will probally start to shift my focus to the start of the college and NFL seasons and rooting for my Buckeyes and Browns, earlier then I have the past few seasons when we knew that we were going to the playoffs.

I think it’s a big reality check. You can’t let your love for a team, any team, become so obsessive that it encroaches upon ‘real life’, that is, your family, your work, your friends, and all the other important parts of your life. As I write this I am sitting at my desk at work, supposedly "working’, communicating via the internet to people I don’t even know. Have I crossed that line of fandom? Maybe. I think it makes a big difference if you love baseball first, because it allows you to continue following a team even when they are doing poorly.

For me, I do love baseball, and following the Angels makes me feel like I am keeping up a connection with my dad, who passed away 2 years ago, and that means so much more to me than any championship could.

always have been an Angels fan (I’m 23) – and was a fan before the movie (hate being asked that question whenever i tell someone that). probably because the first game i remembered going to was an angels – orioles game and my dad and brother were orioles fans, so I wanted to be a dick and root against their team. and guess what, i was a huge fan then, going to card stores and buying any angels cards i could find (or even an angel in the picture, for instance a card of a random second basemen, but with an angel sliding into the base). i gobbled up anything with the Angels logo I could get my hands on – calling them and begging them for anything, fake wanting tickets so i could get something.

well guess what, i grew up, realized that being that type of fan was ridiculous and started being rational (okay somewhat). when the angels were losing it was like a badge of honor, people looked at you and sympathized. since they started winning, it has been really fantastic, but not like before. granted it probably has more to do with maturing and realizing that i didn’t have to be “that” guy – ironically i remember it happening in 2002 (i didn’t bounce off the walls when they won – but i was still really happy).

do i still want to work for the Angels, yes – which will be my retirement job when my future wife kicks me out of the house, lol.

when I moved from Anaheim to San Francisco I was extremely homesick and I hated this foggy city. I also could no longer go to games regularly or even watch them on TV.

For first few years I watched every single game I could on espn gamecast on a small computer screen. I could almost feel the summer heat of the big A while watching those damn yellow dots move around the diamond. It was in a way, my connection to home.

Nevertheless, my emotional connection to this organization was forever forged those bleak couple of years and I’ve never looked back, I also still live here in SF.

I hope all the people that get to attend games and watch them live never take it for granted because some of us out there would love that privilege. Even if we lose the rest of our games I’m going to continue to tune in and root for my guys. I’m happy to be a Halos fan and will take the good with the bad and always be proud to rock my red hat throughout the bay area. It’s unfortunate some ‘fans’ don’t share the same sentiment.

… Who’s the next team gonna be? Yanks? Rays? Phillies? The Rangers would be a good one. They look awesome this year. They have a blog too, its called Lone Star Ball. You should go join in the fun that is the 2010 season. Take this fanpost with you and share with all the hicks how you became a Rangers fan. See what they think… Hell you they could win the world series this year! How exciting would that be for you?!?!

I’m a life long Angels fan, but I have no problem with bandwagon or fair weather fans. They’re just a part of the game. That being said, I also recognize that some people are more loyal to their teams than they are their spouses. I don’t get that. They’d never leave their team, but their spouse? Sure… Whatever. Just for the record, I’m not leaving either.

I can’t get too worked up over someone who has lost interest in the team. That’s their pergoative. There’s plenty of things to keep a baseball fan interested in a team that goes beyond just winning – but you would reall have to love baseball to understand that.

BTW… I’m constantly telling friends/co-workers who are Dodger fans that they should switch… Could anyone really blame them given everything McCourt has put them through? Just saying.

I have a picture of me in an angels uniform when I was 2. I have been going to games since I was born in 1982 and I have never considered another team my own.

I remember the horrible collapse that was 1995… sitting with my dad and grandpa watching the games and how frustrated we were with the team.

I remember the awful teams that were on the field for the late 80s and 90’s and the hope I had when mo vaughn came to anaheim… and the disappointment when I watched his tub-o-lard self fall into the dugout.

I remember Tim Salmon- Rookie of the Year, greatest angel ever and genuinely nice guy.

I remember taking a van full of friends to the stadium in high school and walking up on friday night to buy tickets and getting to choose seats anywhere we wanted because the stadium was always empty.

I remember the 2002 season, and the 2002 playoffs, it was magical. That team simply would not quit.

We have been very lucky to have such a good run over the last 10 years. I get that some people will stop following the team if they dont win the division each year, that’s okay. You can never have the same pride when the team does win that a true fan has.

You can fly a banner when they are winning and wear a jersey when times are good, but until the team is really a part of your family- a place where you teach your kids about sportsmanship and other life lessons, a place that is like a second home, and a place your familiy can identify with- you can never really understand what the team means to real fans.

Real fans exist when a team is losing.

We need an un-rec button

Wow!

I have no plans to become a fan of any new team. If you read my post your would realize that it wasn’t just winning that made me a fan of the Angels and I don’t see another team catching my interest the way the Angeles did. I will never be a Yankee fan but I doubt I will watch every Angeles’ game the rest of the year like I have for the past eight years.

It’s like I joined your church and now that I don’t want to come every Sunday you are calling me to repentance. I am still interested in what the team does. I am particularly interested in what the young home grown talent does and that will not change. I didn’t abandon the team in 2003 or 2006 and even if they don’t win this year, if they start playing like they give a damn I will stick with them. It’s just right now I get disgusted watching them.

At any rate, to those of you who are angry because of the way I feel, I don’t get it. But so be it. I really don’t care that much. I think I said what most people, maybe not those who post here, but most other people think.

but I think I’m a lamp

If you were, you would have no idea what the Angels are up to right now because they are only playing .500 ball. Fair weather fans only root for teams that are in the lead and usually only know the names of a handful of players. This is clearly not the case with you.

Drop the “fair weather” verbiage and just call yourself a fan. That way, you will have more credibility when you argue that we are playing like a bunch of tools right now and that we jus don’t seem to be trying all that hard.

I’m not one to judge, that just isn’t the type of guy I am, but declaring one’s self a “fair weather fan”, should not be displayed like a badge of honor. While my entire life doesn’t revolve around the Halos and their win/loss record, they are the team i’ve grown up with, suffered with and celebrated with. And if a person’s allegiance can change so easily, what’s the point of being a fan in the first place?

I don’t mind fair-weather fans or bandwagon fans or die-hards.It takes all that to fill up Angel Stadium. (And opposing fans as well) And nothing matches the excitement, the buzz in the air when that place is full. Just ask an A’s fan about the buzz in (lack) in Oakland.

So I’m down with however anybody wants to be. It’s a game. Full of primarily big ego babies. But I love the game and I love the Angels. And it’s as simple as that for me.

I totally get it. This Angels team isn’t interesting. I’m not going to switch team allegiances either, but there’s no longer a reason to watch every day.

I still come to the blog, but the days are over of staying up late to watch every game. I like, Halo84653 live in Utah…so the games are an hour later. A 7 p.m. PST start means games are ending 11:00 or 11:30 p.m. MST. I have to get up for work at 5:30 a.m. With everything going on in my life, it’s hard to stay up to watch every game or any game- of a team that plays without purpose.

It’s not just about being competitive. It’s about players like Juan Rivera, who look like they could care less about playing.

Giving up two-run doubles on routine fly balls to blow Jered Weaver’s shut-out and win. That’s the kind of attitude I don’t need to tune in for. GIve me Reggie Willits. He’s barely a replacement player, but at least he cares and he tries. I’ll take that any day over Juan Rivera. I’d tune in to see that. Until this team plays like it cares, why should I have to tune in every day? I’m still a fan and I still care about the team.

I get you Halo84653, and I feel the same way. You don’t feel the need to be so invested when the team isn’t. I get that, even if some other guys on here don’t.

you’re not that special.

I think that we all go through ups and downs as a fans. Just part of being human. We all have favorite players whose departure, we inevitably mourn. In that respect, I totally understand where he is coming from.

Moreover, if you’re an Angel fan, how can you not be disappointed and discouraged this year. Its not just the losses, but the way that we’ve been losing. We used to be the kind of aggressive and smart team that would ruthlessly take advantage of our opponents mental errors and lack of hustle. We had clutch players who played clutch, and who would kick the rears of those who fell behind. Now, it seems that those players are gone from our team and it seems that teams like the Rangers are taking advantage of us. It totally sucks.

But, all is not lost! Ultimately, we have a great organization. You see a crummy year like this one and its easy to see the cup as half empty, but in our favor. . .

1) We have some great baseball people.

2) We have a great owner, who is as much of a fan as any of us, and probably is as disgusted as us.

3) Having a suck year can also be an opportunity. It can be an opportunity to turn over the roster, take out the garbage and get rid of the people in the organization who are not hungry.

But it’s one I gladly incubate. For those of us who waited and rooted through the 70’s,80’s and 90’s, theses are the salad days. You think this team suck’s?…..
 Being a " fan of the game" and not having a team that you live and die for is a pointless exersise is my opinion. When things are going badly and I’m cussing and raving at the TV, my wife tells me to calm down and try to enjoy the game. And I have to sit her down,again, and instruct her that " I am enjoying the game". Railing and swearing and nashing my teeth are as much of the experience of “enjoying the game” as whooping and hollering when they win!
 I am able to relate to the poor Cub’s fan ( While concurrently pointing and laughing at them). They, like us, are waiting for the heaven’s to finally hear they’re plea’s. And the long suffering part is what will make it great when it happen’s.

Many fans who cheer for losing teams are not clinically depressed nor have mental illnesses as you describe.

I laugh every time I see my Oakland A’s lineup, what does that make me?