Dodgers and Angels fans’ rivalry takes turn for worse

Katie Filbeck
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kfilbeck@media.ucla.edu  

My roommate and I are barely speaking.

Best friends since kindergarten, we had the ideal living
situation until a sports rivalry took over. It is strong enough to
have us at each other’s throats six months out of the
year. I am not talking about UCLA vs. USC, but the rivalry
between the Anaheim Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

For those of us raised in Southern California, this rivalry can
pose quite a problem. We are torn between two local teams and
staying neutral is simply not acceptable. The rivalry has
become incendiary because it no longer only revolves around
geographical closeness ““ the two teams now actually play each
other regularly.

Three years ago the Angels’ and Dodgers’ only
meetings were limited to the Freeway Series before regular-season
play began. With the introduction of interleague play in 1999,
the teams face each other six times annually.

My roommate, Ryan Lewis, is a fourth-year political science
student. He and I both grew up in Anaheim, and despite his
love for the Dodgers, we attended Angels games together. 

Two years ago our paths split when he moved to Los Angeles and
started wearing a lot of blue, while I got a job at Edison
Field. We are two diehards with unquestionable loyalties.
Until now we had set rules to help us deal with this conflict of
interest. 

While he respected the
“keep-all-Dodgers-broadcasts-on-the-radio-to-a-minimum-volume”
rule, I limited the amount of times “Angels in the
Outfield” played on our TV. He stays away from my Angels
drinking glass as I likewise stay away from his Dodgers glass.

Until recently.

June 14: The Angels-Dodgers three-game series begins at Dodger
Stadium. The Angels started off strong, beating the Dodgers
8-4 in the first game. Then the Dodgers gained the upper hand,
winning the next two games 10-5 and 5-4. If you like crazy
baseball games, these were worth attending.

The next three-game series at Edison Field sold out every
game. While the Dodgers kept their winning streak up, beating
the Angels 7-5 on June 28, the Angels came back and won the next
two 7-0 and 5-1. 

The security and event manager at Edison Field, Rodney Jackson,
dealt with six fights in those three games at Edison, the most of
any three-game stretch so far this season. Each one was
started by a Dodgers fan. Two Dodgers fans were sent to jail
while four other lucky ones were released after an Angels fan
decided not to press charges.

Earlier this year, Daily Bruin “Stat Geek” Gilbert
Quinonez wrote in a column of the unfortunate experience of having
nachos thrown at him while wearing an Angels T-shirt at a Dodgers
game. 

There is just no mercy when it comes to this rivalry.

UCLA students with no preference should feel safe choosing
either team to root for ““ both the Dodgers and the Angels
field UCLA alumni. Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros, who has hit
more home runs than any active player in Dodgers franchise
history, has endowed a baseball scholarship at UCLA since
1994.

Angels third baseman Troy Glaus led the Bruins to the 1997
College World Series and as a junior broke the Pac-10 Conference
record for home runs in a single season, originally held by Trojan
Mark McGwire. He also set UCLA’s single-season record
for runs scored.

Sadly, an attack came from my roommate as I was writing this
story: “How can you be a fan of a team owned by
Disney? They are used for the sole purpose of making money,
not upholding the noble tradition of baseball. The rally
monkey is a disgrace ““ there are no monkeys in
baseball!”

The Dodgers are currently third in the National League West with
56 wins and 43 losses while the Angels are second in the American
League West with 58 wins and 39 loses. With standings that
close you can be sure the heat will only keep rising.

Until then, roommates will continue to fight as both teams
fight for playoff spots.