A FAN FOR SALE FINALE: This Fan is Sold

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Having returned home on Sunday, I’ve had downtime to now consider my baseball future. I’ve read over all my posts and reviewed all my video footage and still photos. Since I view this decision as an investment (with ramifications that will last for however many years I’m out there), I’ve even considered some of the bigger picture issues—team history, team future, etc.—that might have a bearing on my decision.

So without further ado, here are my results in reverse order:



5. LOS ANGELES DODGERS

In Los Angeles, the feeling about the Dodgers is you either love ’em or you hate ’em. Seeing as I certainly did not love my Dodger experience, I suppose I have no other choice but to hate them. And it’s really a shame too. The team itself is phenomenal and will likely go far this post season, if not all the way. But the fans that turn out for Dodgers games do not deserve such a good team. They’re always too distracted by beachballs or fights or heckling Manny. I love the team, but I hate the stadium and fanbase.

4. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

I know I wrote a glowing review of my Giants experience and I still stand by everything I wrote. The Giants are good, the stadium is great, and the fans are all right. Also, as my mom pointed out to me after the game, the game I had gone to marked the 50th anniversary of Willie McCovey’s first major league home run. I feel like that should have been a sign, but sadly it’s not. Thinking back to that game, I realize I had no idea what happened in the actual baseball game. That’s because I was too distracted by all the trappings AT&T Park has to offer. In fact, it was the only game that I left before the end of the ninth because I was too interested in the surrounding scenery. Well that and the fact that the woman sitting next to me in the stands was wearing a mask. Swine flu? No thank you.

3. OAKLAND ATHLETICS

I really had a hard time deciding between the Padres and the A’s for the numbers 2 and 3 spots. One thing I do like about the A’s is the characters they bring in. As my dad reminded me, before the Birmingham Barons were the White Sox AAs affiliate, they were the Birmingham A’s of the Kansas City A’s farm system. During that time the likes of Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue, “Campy” Campaneris, and Rollie Fingers rolled through my hometown. And with Billy Beane’s managerial approach of recruiting based on qualified stats as opposed to quantified stats, the characters are likely to keep coming. But what it ultimately came down to was the fact that the A’s future in Oakland is uncertain. As “Super A” the banjo man told me, the front office is just waiting to move the team to Fremont. And though Fremont isn’t too far from Oakland, I’m still uncertain about uncertainty. But fidelity is something I value in a team; I like to root for a team that won’t just pick up and go.

2. SAN DIEGO PADRES

There’s something kind of liberating about cheering for a bottom-dweller team. The late-’80s Braves were at the bottom of their then NL-West division, before making their turnaround in ’91. Perhaps the “aughts” are the ’80s for the Padres and they’ll be turning the ship around in the teens. They certainly have the young talent to do that. Guys like Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Chase Headley provide some pop in the lineup, assuming the Padres can hold onto them. Tony Gwynn, Jr. sure is a chip off the old block, maintaining a formidable average, but only boasting one homerun. The pitching needs a boost, especially with Jake Peavy gone, but Ivy-grad Chris Young is a class act and Heath Bell in closer role will finish games strong. But that’s still a long way off, and there’s no telling if that will pan out. It’s enough of a gamble for me to move all the way out west. I don’t know if I can take another risk investing my baseball fandom in something tentative.

1. LOS ANGELES ANGELS

I really couldn’t find any faults with my Angels experience. Sure, the random rock fountain behind the left center field wall was a let down and the rally monkey is annoying. But those reasons do little to negate the fact that the Angels are a terrific team to watch. And continuing my “Angels-now-equate-to-the-Braves-of-the-’90s” analogy from the earlier post, Mike Scioscia, the manager of the Angels, is a seasoned coach not unlike the Braves’ Bobby Cox. I feel confident rooting for a team that’s in safe hands. One thing I discovered on this “personal journey” was just how much I love the Braves. Watching the Braves beat the National League-leading Dodgers twice in extra innings on back-to-back nights was mesmerizing. And so it only seems natural that I adopt the American League version of the Braves as my West Coast team. The Angels will very rarely play the Braves, so my allegiances will never be tested.

There you have it, the conclusion of a four-week, five-park journey into introspection and self-discovery. The decision did not come easily, and just when I thought I could safely discard one team, I suddenly remembered a fond memory from my experience. But in the end, I had to make up my mind. Leo Durocher once said, “Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.” I was a diligent attendee—partook of the stadium chow, greeted my fellow parishioners, and thanked the baseball gods for good weather—and through it all I gained a deeper understanding of the game, myself, and the fan I want to be.

Dixon McPhillips '10, a Crimson sports chair, is a visual and environmental studies concentrator in Kirkland House.