First off, I want to apologize for the lack of articles during the 2011 season. The passion to write for the team that we love is still there, but sometimes, life gets in the way and forces us to focus on the things that we have to do and not the things that we’d like to do. The head and the heart are there, but currently, the time is not. And while this may sound like a wordy, ambiguous excuse, I’d still like to apologize to all of our supporters who have made GoHalos what it is today.

Now, please allow me to explain the bold title. This past Saturday, the GoHalos crew rounded up 20 of our friends to cheer on our boys at Angels Stadium as they took on the New York Yankees. We went to Throwbacks Sports Bar and Grill and took their complimentary shuttle to the game. The ride over was filled with rowdy, excited Angel fans. During the game, we got down early, but were able to tie things up in the 4th inning. Then A-Rod jacked a 2-run homer to put them up in the 6th. We’re down in the bottom of the 8th, and Abreu hit a single to left after Aybar flied out to center. Torii popped out, but Callaspo came up with a clutch hit to move Bobby to second. Callaspo’s hit got me on my feet, and I stood up, cheering like crazy. I was standing and cheering for Howie (welcome back) when I first felt it…someone had thrown something at me. I didn’t turn around, thinking it was probably just a Yankee fan. Then another one…and another. Suddenly, I felt a continuous flurry of debris hitting me in the back. A concerned friend told me to sit down, and then, at that moment, I made the decision that nothing was going to make me take my seat. I was going to continue standing up until the inning was over or someone made me sit down. And then…someone did.

That’s right…someone came and told me to sit down. But it wasn’t an enforcing, authoritative figure like I would have guessed. It was a fan wearing an Angels jersey. She told me to sit down because I was disrupting the game…in the 8th inning…when we’re down by 2…with 2 outs…and runners in scoring position. Then, a security guard came over and told me to sit down and that we had been warned. At this point, I was in shock. Maybe people were confused because I wore a black Angels hat and a grey hoodie, covering my all-red Angels shirt. I guess I’ll have to rethink what I wear in order to not have people throw things at me.

The top of the 9th went quick (Good work, Rich Thompson: 2 innings, 0 hits, 3 strikeouts). Bottom of the 9th and we’re down by 2, and every Angel fan in the stadium knows what’s coming…The Rally Monkey. My friends and I stand up and begin cheering, and that’s when it happened. We were told that we needed to leave. We were being kicked out, and wouldn’t get to see the end of the game. When we asked the security supervisor why were being kicked out, she told us it was because “We had received multiple complaints, and didn’t sit down after repeatedly being asked.” We were “purposely causing a disturbance” and I was one of the troublemakers that people had reported. I just had my friends kicked out of a ballgame…for cheering.

Please take my word that article is not designed to bash the security team at Angels’ stadium. The supervisor actually informed me that security was to be on high alert during Yankee games, and any complaints are dealt with very seriously. I understand, especially because of the Dodgers/Giants incident earlier this year. But the hatred of anything Yankee should not come at the cost of breaking up the Angel alliance. However, the Angels Stadium security team is not the reason I wouldn’t attend another home game.

There is no doubt in my mind that there were some peanut-pelting Yankee fans. Heck, some of our friends that came with us are Yankee fans, and they were playfully joking and jeering us the entire time. The Yankee loyal had a strong showing that night. In fact, the bus ride back to Throwbacks was filled with happy New York fans supporting their team. There were absolutely no altercations; just generic baseball bragging, chanting “Let’s Go, Yankees”. But Yankee fans are not the reason I wouldn’t attend another home game.

I wasn’t upset that we lost the game. I was upset that I didn’t get to see the end of it. I wasn’t upset that we got kicked out. I was upset that Angel “fans” kicked us out. Never in my life have I been so embarrassed to cheer for my team. The Halo family is just that…a family. And for the first time, I felt like I got kicked out of my own house, rooting for my older brother Howie Kendrick and my favorite little Rally Monkey. It wasn’t just a Yankee victory in the win-loss column; it was a moral victory for New York fans. After Saturday, they’ll be able to say that they saw Angel fans kick out 20 of their own because they were standing up and “purposely disrupting the game.” And this is what makes us at GoHalos so upset.

I’ve seen us close games before. I’ve been to major playoffs games and seen us lose series. I’ve even seen us lose championships. But I have to say, this is the lowest point of my Angel career. Never did I think I would be disowned by my Angel family. At that moment, I was ashamed to share the title “Angel fan” with a woman in a jersey telling me to cheer for my team only when I’m sitting down. Apparently, I had ruined the game for an entire section of people because I was standing up. And the worst part of this short story is that bad behavior was rewarded. People used me as peanut target practice and I was kicked out of a home game by Angel fans who only stood up in order to complain about me standing up…and CHEERING.

What make this scenario worse is that this is not the first time it’s happened. When we told people about our situation, some confirmed that it happened to them! Why in the great and wonderful world of baseball are Angel fans being kicked out for cheering…for the Angels…at Angel stadium? Is that the reputation we want to have and the message we want to send? “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” should have an asterisk after the phrase “Root, root, root for the home team” that reads…”But only when it’s convenient for the people that paid less than you…”

The title of this article obviously stems from a frustrated experience, and to be completely honest, there’s nothing that could keep me away from Angels stadium. I’d take a million peanuts to the back just to make sure Howie Kendrick knew that, when his team was down, one fan with a nosebleed seat still believed in him. But this is my call-to-action to every person that claims to be an Angel fan. In the words of that catchy Train song, I am indeed “Calling all Angels.” We need to seriously take a deep, hard look at the reason we all became Angel fans in the first place and why we go to home games. I didn’t pay hard earned money doing the things I need to do just to be kicked out the thing I like to do. It has never been more imperative that we shed this reputation and change the attitude and atmosphere in Angel Stadium. Don’t throw on a jersey and claim to be a fan; show people why you’re wearing that jersey in the first place. I ask that if you really are an Angel fan, tell me your true feelings. (Train reference #2) “I need a sign to let me know you’re here.” Tell me what you would do if someone in front of you was cheering for your team when you had a chance to score in late innings. Would you throw things at them and have them kicked out? Would you get up just to tell them to sit down? Do you think Yankee fans would ever kick out their own for cheering in the bottom of the 8th inning with a runner on second? What does this say about the Angel “faithful?!”

I’m grateful that readers have given me a platform to vent on a public level, and it’s sad to think that a few of them know exactly what I’m going through because they’ve been here before. I know that all of our readers know the true definition of a “fan,” and in no way am I lumping you in with this group of imitation supporters. And I would apologize in a heartbeat if I had done or said anything offensive or inappropriate. But standing up in the bottom of the 8th to yell “HOOOWWWWIIIIEEEEE” hardly seems like a reason to apologize. I want so badly to go back to Angel stadium with my friends and family and cheer for my team. But I want to be there with true fans, knowing that the moment we have a chance to win the game, everyone is in the same seat.

-Kevin H.

Click here to listen.

Pitching Matchup:

Jarrod Washburn(8-7 3.18 era) v. John Lackey(8-6 4.00 era)

Both the Angels and John Lackey look to bounce back tonight after previous difficult losses. Both, however, showed some promise. John was great in his last outing until some bad luck late in the game, and the Angels nearly came back from a 10-0 deficit. Another great game to watch.

Team Matchup:

It was seven months ago, Christmas was right around the corner and the Angels were in the midst of an off-season in flux. General manager Tony Reagins was too busy to be sitting around drinking egg nog in a Christmas sweater with family and friends. It had only been eight weeks since the Angels were bounced from the post-season by the playoff nemesis Red Sox. This off-season posed big questions about the roster and his A job required him to tighten up his GM chinstrap and come up with answers.

After setting the single-season saves record in 2008, Francisco Rodriguez took his violent delivery to the Mets bullpen in the Big Apple. Two days before Christmas, the Angels other marquee free agent, Mark Teixeira, joined Rodriguez in New York, signing an eight-year, $180 million contract with deep-pocketed Yankees. Missing out on two premium free agents, Reagins began piecing together answers.

He started by deciding to let life-long Angel Garret Anderson seek employment elsewhere for the first time in his career. Reagins quickly filled the void by inking then platoon outfielder Juan Rivera to a three-year extension. A week and a half later, he replaced the electric Rodriquez with mild-mannered three-time All Star, Brian Fuentes.

Reagins and the Angels’ brass felt confident moving forward with Kendry Morales as the everyday first baseman. The opportunity for Morales was much anticipated, as the buzz of his pure ability had been swirling ever since the Cuban defector’s signing with the Angels in 2004.

The final piece was added shortly before spring training would begin. Making perhaps the best bang-for-your-buck signing of the off-season, Reagins added the disciplined Bobby Abreu with a $5 million, one year deal. Abreu’s professional, consistent approach at the plate has been instrumentally infectious in the Angels’ lineup in 2009.

Losing Teixeira to free agency essentially altered the direction of the organization for the next decade. By allowing the Yankees to outbid him, Reagins was able to use the money allotted for Teixeira to improve the club in several areas, while maintaining much more financial flexibility in the coming years. That flexibility will likely prove to be extremely valuable come November and December, as the Angels are faced with the free agency of a number of their core players (Chone Figgins and John Lackey among them). It’s also worth mentioning that the financial flexibility will also be a factor in possibly acquiring a front-line player via trade – ala Halladay.

Essentially, the Angels added Morales, Abreu, and Rivera to the everyday lineup in exchange for letting Teixeira sign the more lucrative deal with New York. The way all three players have performed thus far, seeing Tex head east has been much easier on Angel fans than expected. Morales’ ceiling is sky high and has established himself as the team’s first baseman for years to come, as he has posted 20 HR’s and 60 RBI’s before August. Rivera has provided a steady power source in the middle of the order. And there’s no question that Abreu’s professionalism has rubbed off on the entire team, resulting in the team scoring the second most runs in baseball.

For an organization that has seemingly done little wrong over the last decade, it appears the trend will continue. Tony Reagins found the answers he was looking for. This 2009 Angel team has fans throughout Southern California saying, “Mark who?”

By: Blake Warren