Angels have their own 'Iron Man' in press box
This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
ANAHEIM -- While Cal Ripken Jr. is baseball’s Iron Man with his legendary consecutive games played streak, the Angels have an iron man of their own in their press box at Angel Stadium.
Kurt Loe first wrote for the club’s in-house magazine in 1986 and has covered more than 3,150 Angels games in person, including a one-time streak of more than 10 years without missing a home game. Ripken even acknowledged Loe reaching 1,000 straight games by signing a copy of the Angels game notes that celebrated Loe’s feat in 1997, and it hangs above Loe’s bed at his longtime Fullerton apartment.
“Kurt, the first 1,000 is the hardest!” the signed note from Ripken reads.
And Loe has done it all while being born with cerebral palsy, a condition that has him in a motorized wheelchair and has restricted him to the use of three fingers on his right hand. Loe, though, is not one to complain and is an inspiration for everyone he interacts with at the ballpark, from the fellow reporters to ushers, front office staff, coaches and players. Loe, 65, said he wasn’t given much of a chance of a normal life by doctors, but he showed cognitive ability at an early age and has defied the odds, with Angel Stadium serving as his sanctuary.
“It means just about everything,” Loe said about being at the ballpark. “I can’t imagine not being able to do it. The ballpark saves me from the reality of my life.”
Loe was born in 1959 to parents, Gerry (a Marine) and Muriel, and grew up in Vista, Calif., outside of San Diego, along with his sister, Aileen. Loe surprised doctors and his family with his mental acumen and even invented ways to play baseball in his living room and driveway despite his physical limitations.
“I was at a disadvantage from the standpoint of not being able to do the things that a normal child could do, but then again, what really is normal?” Loe said. “Normal is what you make of it.”
After attending Vista High School, he enrolled at Cal State Fullerton, where he majored in communications and graduated in 1983. He credited great professors for helping him get through college and landed at a weekly newspaper covering the nearby communities of Yorba Linda and Brea. It was in 1985 when he caught his first big break, covering his first Angels game that April.
He remembers his first profile for Angel Magazine in 1986, a feature on the club’s outfielders leading up to the postseason. It later led to a steady gig with the Angels, writing countless articles about all the club’s biggest stars and unheralded heroes.
“I got really lucky,” Loe said. “I’ve had a good group of people over there who have supported me. And liked me, for some reason.”
Loe, always one for a quip or deadpanned joke with his quick wit, developed lifelong friendships along the way with many players and coaches, such as Chuck Finley, Torii Hunter, Troy Glaus, Bob Boone, Gary DiSarcina, Mo Vaughn, Albert Pujols, Joe Maddon, Joe Smith, Mike Trout and more. Trout goes out of his way to interact with Loe whenever he’s in the clubhouse and makes sure Loe always has a fresh pair of Trout’s white signature Nikes to wear.
Angels senior director of communications Adam Chodzko said Loe has earned the respect of everyone at the stadium because of the professional way he handles himself and how much he knows about the game.
“Kurt is a welcome sight to everyone that sees him at Angel Stadium, players, staff and media alike,” Chodzko said. “Personally, he’s been a steadying presence spanning back to my days as a game night intern and someone that I have so much respect and admiration for. After watching over 3,000 games in the press box, it won’t come as a surprise that his knowledge of the Angels franchise is second to none, but perhaps what stands out the most is the love and passion he has for this organization.”
Loe, however, has found it more difficult to attend as many games as he once did for various reasons, but he credits his live-in caretaker of 20 years, John Martinez, for his unwavering support and for his ability to ensure Loe gets to and from Angel Stadium. Martinez said it’s hard to describe how much Loe means to him.
“He's been the most impactful person on my life,” said Martinez. “He’s always set me on the right path and been there for me. I’m just glad I can help him. I still look at him and I’m just amazed. I don’t think people realize all the amazing things he’s seen.”
Loe also said he wouldn’t be able to do it without his mother, now 95, and his sister and her family. The offseason is always the toughest time of the year for him because there’s no baseball to keep him occupied. But Loe is already looking forward to 2025 and being back at his home away from home.