Those of you who read this column know that I am a huge sports fan. When it comes to baseball, I bleed Angels red. It came as a wonderful surprise when my own angels, 3-year-old Josh and 3-month-old Andrew, promised to take me to an Angels game for my birthday. The real brain behind this operation was my wife, Yael, who had the challenging task of making a trip to a baseball game into a family-friendly experience. As much as I loved baseball, I was not sure how much fun it would be to take two very young boys.

After a lot of research, Yael selected the perfect hotel and a game with a fireworks show and we headed off to Angel Stadium. We left our house early, so that we would be able to make the necessary bathroom, nursing and food stops along the way. After arriving at the Ayres Hotel, literally steps from the stadium entrance, and after a swim in the hotel pool and some snacks, we got dressed up in our Angels gear and headed for the stadium.

We entered through the main gates, where I knew that Josh would be mesmerized by the three story high posters of our favorite Angels players and two larger than life red Angels helmets. Making our way down to the field level to see the team warming up, Josh immediately picked out his favorite player “Big Daddy Vladdy” Guerrero and called out to him.

After taking pictures, we headed to our seats. We were fortunate that one of my co-workers was able to get us club-level seats that were close to the action but out of range of being hit by a foul ball. We particularly enjoyed this seating section because there was food service, which meant that we didn’t have to drag the little ones to stand in a long food line.
The game was one of the best of the season as the Angels came back from an early deficit to beat the Tigers 11-6. Each time the Angels scored a run, Josh got out of his seat and did his “Big Daddy” celebration dance. Andrew cooed the entire game and filled in as the Angels good luck Rally Monkey. We made it through to the end of the game and were even able to enjoy the “Big Bang Friday” fireworks.

Thanks to my wife’s wonderful planning, the family friendly atmosphere of Angel Stadium and a little luck, we all had a memorable night. Our pictures show that I had a smile plastered from ear to ear for the entire game as I was able to share such a special experience with all of my Angels.

Daniel R. Brennan, MD, CLC, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician at the Sansum Clinic. Contact him at 563-6211 or visit www.SBPediatrics.com

Courtesy Photo

Caption: Andrew, 3 months, and Josh, 3, join parents Daniel and Yael Brennan at Angel Stadium.