Students Head West For World Series Fun

Breanne Cooley ’04 might not be studying for midterms this semester. Instead, she’s waiting to see whether her team needs her.

She may be taking off to California to cheer on the Anaheim Angels as they face the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

“If they go to Games 6 and 7, I’ll go,” she said. “I’m a die-hard Angels fan. I grew up rooting for them.”

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where the Angels get to the World Series,” she said. “You have to jump at the opportunity and let other stuff get done.”

Just because the Series is being played three time zones away doesn’t mean that postseason fever isn’t creeping onto campus.

While it’s not surprising that the Red Sox aren’t in the series this year, this year marks only the second time since 1996 that the Yankees have not appeared in the World Series.

“The interest in this year’s final should be higher because people are interested to see what’s going to happen,” Cooley said. “They’re kind of surprised by the Angels because they’re underdogs.”

And Cooley isn’t the only one flying across the country to display her support. Austin S. Guest ’04 took off to the West Coast on Monday to root for the Giants.

“There are four of us in the room but only three of us have an interest in [the Series],” said his roommate, Mike S. Press ’04. “Austin and Chris are constantly at odds over games. I’d take the side of Anaheim over San Francisco but I’m not as vocal in my support or negative feelings.”

Additionally, local bars are still filling with baseball fans who aren’t quite die hard enough to fly across the continent.

Eric Barry, a host at John Harvard’s Brewhouse, said quite a few people have been asking about watching the game.

“It’s disappointing that there are no East Coast teams, but it will probably still be pretty crowded here tonight since we have a big TV,” Pizzeria Uno bartender Charlie P. Blumenthal said yesterday. “It won’t be as big as if it was a Patriots game or even a Red Sox.”