Hope this finds you well. Arrived safely in Los Angeles courtesy of American Airlines yesterday (Monday) at 1800 hours local time. My friend Don Sands picked met my flight. After negotiating LA rush hour traffic for about an hour, got to his house on the Orange/Anaheim line. Got settled, then went out for a nice dinner.

Today we ventured over to Edison International Field, home of the Anaheim Angels. We were able to catch the day game against the (almost) local rival, the San Diego Padres. The stadium is formerly known as Anaheim Stadium. The game itself turned out to be a good one. The Angels rallied with 3 runs in the 8th inning to tie the score 7 to 7. In the top of the ninth the Padres were only able to manage one hit. The Angels came to bat and quickly acquired 2 outs. (This is where I started to complain about the possibility of extra innings) Fortunately, the baseball gods were listening. The Angels then managed to load the bases, and get a 3-1 count on the designated hitter. The Padres closer (sorry don't know the name) then walked in the winning run. About as good as baseball drama gets.

The history of the stadium is also interesting. It was originally built in 1966 as a baseball only facility. It is modern in every respect. 3 levels, good sight lines, etc. In 1980 the city of Anaheim spent 30 Million dollars enclosing it in a successful attempt to lure the then, Los Angeles Rams. The Rams played there from 1980 until they moved to Saint Louis in 1994. After the Rams left, the city then spent another 100 Million in converting it back to baseball only. The remnants of the old lower deck in the outfield remain. You can still circle the stadium on the concourse of the lower level. The remainder of the upper deck is now demolished beyond the foul poles. Part of the old club section is now the outfield bleachers in right field. The huge scoreboard is new. The stadium is now painted a tan color with dark green seats. They have added a fake rock fountain to center field. The entire facility is immaculate. Very impressive.

Edison (naming rights) is one of the local electric power companies. Kind of ironic that most of this part of the state is now in a "power shortage."

Disney owns the Angels as well as the Ducks. You would think that a corporation with such deep pockets would be able to field better teams. Even with today's win, the Angels are under .500. With such a modern facility, and such a large market as the LA area, the performance is pitiful. The Ducks (the hockey team) are in a similar situation.