By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
What makes a place a home rather than a destination? On the
internet, that’s a tricky question to answer when it comes to the internet. We may all visit some websites on
a regular basis to get information or to buy products. And, we may interact with
people on the internet to get help with a technical issue or for customer
service. But even if we have frequent and regular interaction like that, it’s
not enough to call a website like Amazon a “home.”
AngelsWin.com, though, is different. We are a home for
Angels fans. A big reason for that is our Fanfests where we interact in person
with the people we know behind the keyboard. We care about each other. We help
each other. We may not always agree about things, but we all are passionate
about the Angels. Through good years and tough years, we are all connected
through our love on the team.
Starting with our 2012 Summer Fanfest, AngelsWin.com wanted
to be more than just an internet home. We recognized that we are a community.
And, as a community, we need to take on the responsibility for helping those
that we can. In 2012, AngelsWin.com adopted the Orange County Miracle League as
a charity that we could support. As we will hear from its founder, Steel
Morris, the Orange County Miracle League fits into our home as it helps
children with disabilities play baseball.
As a website, AngelsWin.com is always trying to improve on
all aspects of our delivery. We strive to deliver top-notch content for our
fans. We strive to deliver quality discussion on our message boards and chats (remember,
strive is the operative word). And, in our Fanfests, we strive to always do
better than the year before.
So, for the 2013 Summer Fanfest we wanted to raise more
money for the Orange County Miracle League than we did in 2012. To do that, we
had to add more events. Instead of a one-day event, we added a second day. And
by the time it was all done, we even added a third!
The AngelsWin.com 2013 Summer Fanfest got off to a start on
Friday, August 16, 2013 with the 1st annual AngelsWin.com Golf
Tournament. Created and organized by Adam Dodge and Bruce Nye, the Golf
Tournament was a big success. It raised over $1,000.00 for the Orange County
Miracle League. Held at the San Juan Hills Golf Club, 32 golfers from our
website turned out to have fun and raise money. Click here for brief look at
the day’s events.
Next, on Saturday, August 17, 2013, the AngelsWin.com
community turned out in force for the 7th annual Softball
Tournament. Four teams were drafted, with a playoff format in place to determine
the winner. Click here to listen to Bruce Nye and Chuck Richter talk about the
importance of the AngelsWin.com Summer Fanfest and raising money for the Orange
County Miracle League.
If there has been one constant about the AngelsWin.com
Softball Tournament, it’s been that Adam Dodge’s teams have never lost a game.
With an impressive winning streak in the books, the first game looked good for
his team on paper. In the end, though, the mighty did fall, and Adam will have
to wait until next year to earn another win. Click here for highlights of the
first game.
One of the Angels celebrities who turned out for the
Softball Tournament was Angels TV Broadcaster Victor Rojas. Click here to
listen to why he supports the Orange County Miracle League.
After a quick break, it was onto game two of the Softball Tournament. Representing the Orange County Miracle League was Cael Studebaker who threw out the opening pitch. It was very inspirational for the crowd to see one of the people who would benefit with the charity. Click here for highlights of game two.
Another celebrity Angels fan who turned out for the Softball
Tournament was Riley Beckenridge, the drummer for the band Thrice. Click here
to learn about his first Angels game and why he supports the Orange County
Miracle League.
For those not familiar with Orange County Miracle League,
here’s an explanation from Steel Morris, the founder of the Orange County
Miracle League about the charity. Every community needs people like this who do
amazing things out of the goodness of their heart. The world is a better place
because of people like this. Click here for an interview with Steel Morris.
And this is why we play the game and raise the funds. The smiles tell you everything you need to know.
One person who cares passionately about the Orange County Miracle League, and has helped to get the story out there is Jenelyn Russo from the Orange County Register Family. Click here to listen to her explain about how important this charity is to our community.
After the games were done, there was just one more thing to
do: PARTY! The AngelsWin.com crowd met under the Big A in the parking lot,
cooked up tons of food and relaxed amongst friends. Over 150 fans showed up throughout
the afternoon to renew connections, talk with friends, and give the website the
true meaning of an internet home. We raffled off items donated by fans,
celebrities, and the Angels team. A few in particular were Sarah Colonna,
Chelsea Handler, and Chris Iannetta. Tim Mead came out to speak with the crowd
and to remind us that what we do together as a community of fans is an
important part of getting through the tough years for the team. Click here for
a montage from the Tailgate Party.
In the end, the AngelsWin.com community raised $3,072.00 for
the Orange County Miracle League. But, we were not done. One of our website’s
favorite Angels player, Jerome Williams, and his family generously doubled the
amount we raised for the Orange County Miracle League to $6,144.00!!!! On
behalf of everyone at AngelsWin.com, THANK YOU PINK PUKA! It’s generosity like
that that makes you truly an Angel.
On Sunday, August 18 the AngelsWin.com crowd still needed
more time with each other. They gathered again at Bootlegger’s Brewery in Fullerton to enjoy some
suds and watch the game. The fun continued late as the AngelsWin.com crowd
enjoyed one another’s company.
And, there you have it: a wrap-up of the AngelsWin.com 2013
Summer Fanfest. Once again, the people showed why AngelsWin.com is more than
just an internet destination—it is the internet home for Angels fans
everywhere.
