ANAHEIM — A day like this only comes around once every 42 years.

The sky may have been gray for game one of the 2002 World Series, but that did not stop Angels fans from coming out of the woodwork to celebrate the first time their home team had made it to the show.

The atmosphere was electric on the corner of State College Avenue and Gene Autry Way where the first of the Rally Monkey vendors set up shop in a gas station parking lot with dozens of stuffed monkies hanging off of each arm.

Fans lined up by the thousands on Oct. 19, forming a long red and blue snake winding its way around Edison International Field. At the mouth of the enterance to the stadium hundreds of people milled around waiting for the gates to open, while others held up makeshift signs begging for a ticket to what would be a milestone in Angels’ history.

Older fans of the team wore caps from the early days when the team was the California Angels.

Still there were a few brave fans donning the tradtional black and orange of the San Fransisco Giants.

Their endurance of the persecution from the Anahiem crowd eventually paid off, because the Giants won the first game 4-3, proving that all of the CheerStix that China can make still can’t stop Barry Bonds from hitting a home run.