How this lifelong Dodgers fan was surprised with a World Series ticket from friends

Pacheco High athletic director and softball coach Charlie Pikas watched as the price for World Series tickets surged last week. Eventually, the lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fan decided the tickets had exceeded his price range.

Little did he know his friends and co-workers had other ideas.

Pacheco High English teacher Ila Nelson started a Gofundme account on Friday with a goal to raise $1,200 to send Pikas to the World Series in Los Angeles. It took just 4 hours to reach the goal, and by Monday, 39 people had combined to donate $1,550.

Pikas will be at Dodger Stadium in the right-field bleachers on Wednesday night for Game 2 of the World Series.

“At first I was a little embarrassed,” Pikas said. “As I got to see this thing going it was a neat feeling. I was joking with Ila, when one thinks ahead you wonder if I’ll have people show up to my funeral. This reaffirms I may have a few people show up.”

Pikas grew up a Dodger fan. He remembers as a kid visiting his grandparents. His grandfather would turn on the Dodger game on TV and sit in his recliner to watch the game. He also turned on the radio at the same time to listen to announcer Vin Scully call the game.

“I just grew up around it,” Pikas said.

Every year the Pikas family will make a couple trips to Los Angeles from Los Banos to attend games. They went as a family to a National League Championship Series game against the Chicago Cubs.

“The price for the World Series games went up about $300 to $350 in two days,” Pikas said. “It got to be a little excessive. It’s a shame that a lot of the tickets end up in the hand of third-party brokers. It drives up the price for Dodger fans who have been waiting for this for 30 years.

“The cost for us to go to an NLCS game as a family was about half the price of one World Series ticket.”

Nelson created the Gofundme account on Friday and quickly donations of $25, $50 and $100 started coming in.

Nelson created the account and went about her day teaching. She was shocked when she checked the site a few hours later to see all the donations that had come in.

“Charlie is the kind of guy everyone wishes they had on their campus,” Nelson said. “He pretty much eats, sleeps, drinks and lives being a Panther. He’s the first one to step up to do anything for our kids. He’s wearing a lot of hats here. He’s done a lot for our kids and he does it with a passion.”

Many of the people who donated are San Francisco Giants fans like Nelson. As a true Giants fan, Nelson is rooting against the Dodgers in the World Series even though she helped send Pikas to the game.

“I’m not rooting for the Dodgers,” she said. “Just in Game 2. I’d love to see Charlie watch them win.”

Pikas has been humbled by the gesture of his co-workers and friends.

“That means there are a lot of amazing people and I’m thankful they are out there,” Pikas said. “For people to put up that kind of support, it leaves you speechless. Wednesday can’t get here soon enough. This is one of those bucket list items and fortunately I get to cross that one off.”

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 4:05 PM with the headline "How this lifelong Dodgers fan was surprised with a World Series ticket from friends."