Last week, I was on the west coast for business (ABF Freight) in the city of the Angels – Anaheim, California. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, as they are officially known as, play in Anaheim at what locals and many baseball fans call “The Big A.” It’s funny, there must be a sign or structure or huge piece of metal to symbolize that nickname somewhere on the grounds of the stadium. Let’s see, would this be it???

With work done for the day on Monday, I took the short walk from my hotel over to the Big A. It was a bright, sunny, Southern California day and a relatively easy, flat walk over to the stadium. My lack of directions took me to a dead end alley next to a hotel or condo called “The George.” After navigating myself into the parking lot by mountaineering over a brick wall, I soon realized there was an actual entrance about 50 yards up the road on E Orangewood Avenue. Funny story that ended well. Then, I took the long walk from my entry point over to the front gate of Angels Stadium.

If we are speaking in baseball metaphors, the Anaheim Angels season was over before it started. Star players can be found on every MLB roster. It is more rare to have a generational player on your roster. It is even more rare to have two generational players on your roster. It is unfathomable when a team with a generational player does not win consistently. What is even more unfathomable is when a team with two generational stars does not win consistently or even make the postseason consistently. The Anaheim Angels would fall into the more unfathomable category for their lack of winning with generational talents like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the same lineup for nearly 6 years. Their highest finish in the AL West – 3rd. Wow, explain that one to me.

If we are speaking in baseball reality, the Anaheim Angels season was in fact finished when I arrived on Monday. No playoffs again in 2024, so the parking lot was empty except for a few staffers’ cars in the back lot. I walked up to the gate and feasted my eyes on the two giant metal baseball caps and even walked inside one to get a very interesting view.

As was expected, all of the gates and entries into the stadium were locked. So, I just made my way around the front of the stadium, stopping to read signs on the front of the gates, inside the park, and around the perimeter. Luckily, you could walk around the entire stadium via the parking lot. I saw a few people parking their cars and jogging around the stadium as well. When I got to the back parking lot area, there was an Angels media van and what looked like their media offices. And of course, that big A in the back parking lot was now in full view.

Despite the stadium being closed, it was still a fun experience walking around Angels Stadium. You can see the stadium and the Big A from multiple points in the city of Anaheim. In fact, when my team members and I went to lunch, I could see the Big A as we were driving around looking for a good place to eat. The parking lot was empty, so I got to take my time walking around and snapping photos of the perimeter of Angels Stadium. I really liked the two big caps in the front gate area. And have to say, as a baseball fan, it is pretty sad that the Angels have been so bad for so long. I hope they can find some path to the postseason while Trout is still on their roster. Time is ticking for Trout. He only has a few more good years left of an illustrious career and is most likely a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. Overall, it was an awesome Anaheim baseball experience at the Big A. I’ll leave you with this message, which spans the exit of Angels Stadium…