These Angels fans are buying in to the Albert Pujols Era

David Edwards, a 42-year-old from Anaheim, and David Contreras, a 25-year-old from Huntington Beach, stood together Thursday morning proudly holding up their new purchases.

For $121, each had purchased an Albert Pujols No. 5 Angels replica jersey, the eighth and ninth that had been quickly put together.

And they were lucky.

At 2 p.m., Chris Uhlmansiek, a medical equipment salesman from Brea who was wearing purple scrubs, rushed into the souvenir store at Angel Stadium, but he came out empty-handed.

Uhlmansiek wanted to buy four jerseys, but they were sold out.

“They said I should come back Saturday,” Uhlmansiek said, adding that he would.

The Angels said information about sales Thursday was not immediately available, but it was clear that more than jerseys were being sold after fans became aware the team had signed top free agents Pujols and pitcher C.J. Wilson.

Long lines at the counters indicated tickets were going fast as well.

Matthew Woods, a 21-year-old from Yorba Linda who said he saw the news about the acquisitions on Facebook, was in line with his mother and his girlfriend to purchase season tickets.

Woods, who works at the ESPN Zone restaurant in Anaheim, had always wanted Angels season tickets. When he heard the news Thursday, he figured it was the right time.

“I had heard rumors,” Woods said, “but I honestly didn’t believe [Angels owner] Arte Moreno would pull the trigger on Pujols. Just, wow.”

Jason Godina, a 32-year-old from Yorba Linda, carried 21/2 -year-old son Evan on his shoulders and said he had watched MLB Network until 2 a.m. and awoke at 5 to check his Twitter account. That’s when he got the word.

“We got Pujols? I still can’t believe it,” said Godina, who was eagerly tearing the plastic wrap off his newly purchased Pujols jersey. “I see no downside. He’ll be there in the field until he can’t play in the field and then he’ll DH for us, just like Edgar Martinez did for the Mariners. It’s beautiful.”

Joseph Perez, 27, a middle school teacher in Placentia, said he heard the news on the radio.

“I pretty much went crazy in my car and drove over here,” said Perez, who happily modeled his jersey.

Annbelle Winters, who works for a small, family-owned company in Anaheim, Westel Communication Services, said she had been dispatched to Angel Stadium to purchase four season tickets. The business had given up season tickets last year.

“My brother sent me right to the stadium this morning,” Winters said. Then she dialed her phone and got her 52-year-old brother, Tom Winters, on the line.

“Finally, we’ve gotten a big free agent who’s in his prime,” Tom Winters said. “To me, I felt if the Angels were willing to do that, then I’m willing to invest in the tickets again.”

Tony Chavez, a 38-year-old business owner from Huntington Beach, said he went to his first Angels game in 1976 and when he woke up Thursday the first thing he did was check his Angels iPad app.

When he saw the news, he drove to the stadium and got his Pujols jersey.

Is there an app for that yet?

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