Luck Be A Lady

It's been all over the Angels home page for over a month:  Register for the post season ticket lottery!  The only way to get tickets for the post season!  Separate drawings for the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series!  So, naturally, I entered.

And my number was called.

I couldn't believe it, but you're actually looking at a JPEG of my ticket for the first Angels home game of the ALDS (left).  Naturally, I used a bit of Photoshop to delete the more important parts of the ticket, mainly the bar code and ticket number, as I know some ******* out there will copy it, print it out, and be sitting in my seat.

I've never been to an MLB post season game before.  OK, let's face it, until recently the Angels really haven't BEEN to the post season, so in my youth and young adulthood there weren't many chances.  Sure, I could have gone to one or two NLDS games at Dodger Stadium, but I've never really been a huge Dodgers fan, at least not enough to pony up the dough for playoff tickets.

And, truth be told, I didn't expect to be going this year.  I have little faith in "ticket lotteries" and such.  And besides, the first person I'd want to go to these games with is my dad, and it ain't easy getting wheelchair seats.

You have no idea what a pain in the butt it is, as a matter of fact.

If you've ever bought tickets over the internet (which is the only way you can purchase these, by the way), you know what a pain it is.  Compound that with the fact that, to get wheelchair seats, you have to fill out a form, submit it, hope and pray someone gets back to you, then hope and pray that they're the seats you want, otherwise you have to do the process all over again.

It took me six hours to get these tickets yesterday.

If my dad wouldn't have wanted to go, it would have taken about two minutes on the ticketmaster site.  Of course, I would be sitting in the 500 section past either foul pole instead of great seats in left field...

Here's hoping my luck (and the Angels luck as well) holds.  One of my dreams has always been to see a World Series game with my dad.

If the Angels get there, you better believe I'm going to work my tail off to get us a ticket.

OK, on to actual Angels news.

Well, there isn't any.  To tell you the truth, the last two days since the clinch have been very anticlimactic.  In a way, it's been like watching Spring Training.  Mike Scioscia has been resting his stars, getting a few at-bats and more playing time to those who need it, stretching his pitching rotation (there will be six different starters in the last six games) and basically using this time to rest.  I can't say I blame him.  Is it worth having the best record in baseball if, when you get to the playoffs, you're too exhausted to take advantage?  Boston is going to find out, as they're in a tight race for the American League East (and have looked exhausted for the last month).

Ervin Santana pitched himself right out of the playoff roster last night.  I didn't watch much of the game, as Ken Burns' "The War" is on PBS and that has been eating most of my evenings this week.  But I did see Santana give up four runs early, the Angels come back with a 5-run 5th, then Santana give the lead right back to Texas in the bottom of the inning.  So, by all appearances, I'll have better seats for Game 1 than he will.

And tonight was proof that Scioscia is just giving the youngsters some work.  Dustin Moseley started, and was pulled before the 5th inning for Darren Oliver...  even though he hadn't given up a single run.  That's good, though.  These guys will be the long relief in October; you gotta get 'em some innings.

It's kind of hard to believe that there are only four games left in the season.  It hit me tonight, when Hudler and Physioc were talking about the Texas starting pitcher, a kid named A.J. Murray, who was making his first Major League start tonight.

Hudler:  I want to wish Murray a lot of luck tonight
Physioc:  Why would you want to do that, Rex?  He's pitching for the other team! (Because wishing player NOT on the Angels well goes against every broadcasting "principle" these two useless laugh-tracks know.)
Hudler:  Because he's gonna get shelled out there tonight against these Halos!

Murray went 5 innings, gave up 5 hits, 4 K's, 1 walk, and a single earned run, earning the victory.

As Hudler and Physioc were blathering on about that, making a team that may well be the best in the Majors this year look bush league simply through their idiocy and one-sided "announcing," I didn't get mad tonight.  I thought Well, they only have four more games until the playoffs, then I don't have to hear them anymore.

I startled myself.  Only four more games until the playoffs!  ONLY FOUR MORE GAMES OF HUDLER AND PHYSIOC!

You know it's bad when you can't wait for the networks to start broadcasting your games, and you look forward to Joe Buck and Tim McCarver...

My, oh my, has this season gone by QUICKLY...