A Letter to the Editor

I wanted to share with everyone a letter to the sports editor that was printed in this morning's Salt Lake Tribune. I do not know the letter's author but it is nice to see another fan that is as passionate about the Salt Lake Bees and the players that have played here as me.

ANGELS UTAH'S TEAM, NOT ROCKIES
So the Colorado Rockies think they can win new fans from Utah by showing games on FSN Utah. Not this baseball fan. I'm a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan, and I cheer on the Arizona Diamondbacks, since I spent 11 years in Arizona. But what team do I look for in the sports section every day without fail? The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Utah has the privilege of being home to the AAA-Pacific Coast League team of the Angels, the Salt Lake Bees, and of the Pioneer League Orem Owlz. What better way to get behind a major league team than to watch the players as they are making their way up to The Show?

I comb the box scores to see how Chone Figgins, Mike Napoli, Jeff Mathis, Howie Kendrick, Casey Kotchman, former Buzz Torii Hunter and others did the night before. Who pitched? Joe Saunders? John Lackey? Did Francisco Rodriguez get another league-leading save? I remember his pitching during the Stingers' 2002 playoff run, after which he went to the Angels and helped them win the World Series.

Major League Baseball, and first-place teams to follow, are right at our fingertips. Go watch a Bees game at Franklin Covey Field in person. Check out SLBees.com. Get involved in your local team first, and see where that leads you. Probably not to the Rockies, even if they are on TV.

LISA BROTHMAN, Cottonwood Heights

Unlike Lisa, I enjoy watching the Colorado Rockies on the local FSN network. But Lisa does bring up an interesting question, why can't FSN Utah broadcast the Angels? The answer is Major League Baseball's complicated and convoluted territorial rights and black out policies. That topic will be a subject of a future blog entry.

Lisa is not alone in her dedication and passion for the Salt Lake Bees. Utah is fortunate to have two teams affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels, one of the best organizations in Major League Baseball.