#
30 - Sept. 29, 2004: Pride and Glaus Stun Francisco
Cordero
By
Eric Denton, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
In
2004, the Angels won their first division title
in eighteen years. And while the championship
wasn't officially clinched until the Halos played
Oakland two days later, this was the game that
saved their season.
With
the Angels trailing Texas, 6-5, in the ninth,
and Rangers closer Francisco Cordero looking
to extend his club record to 49 saves, would-be
American League MVP Vladimir Guerrero singled
with two outs to keep the Angels hopes alive.
Up
stepped seldom used veteran outfielder Curtis
Pride, and the match up on paper was not favorable.
Pride,
a perennial 26th man on various MLB rosters over
twelve seasons is one of the best feel good stories
in baseball. Born with 95 percent hearing loss,
Pride showed fans, especially young ones, that
if you worked hard and remained focused, you
can accomplish anything - including hitting a
game tying double off one of the best closers
in the game and saving the season for your team.
Pride
drilled a fastball from Cordero that nearly went
out of the Ballpark at Arlington, scoring Guerrero
from first base and sending the game into extra
innings.
"It's
a good feeling to be able to come in and help
the team," Pride said. "It's a big
win for us. It's probably the biggest hit of
my career."
In
the top of the 11th inning, with Cordero still
on the mound, Darin Erstad singled with one out.
At the conclusion of a 10-pitch at-bat, Troy
Glaus got a hanging slider and crushed it deep
onto the grass hitter's backdrop in center field,
giving the Angels an 8-6 lead. It was the only
home run Cordero allowed all season.
"I
don't think you'll see a much better at-bat," Angels
manager Mike Scioscia said. "There was a
battler on the mound and a battler at the plate.
He made a mistake and Troy didn't miss it."
The
home run ended up being the last of Glaus' Angels
career and he made it memorable.
Troy
Percival notched his 32nd save of the season
and the Angels went on to defeat the Oakland
Athletics the next two nights to secure the 2004
AL West Championship.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX200409290.shtml
#29
- Oct. 1-27, 2002: K-Rod dominates like no
other rookie
By
Victor Varadi, Angelswin.com Contributor
Darin
Erstad settled under a deep fly ball to center
field and closed his glove around the last out
of the 2002 World Series. Pandemonium ensued.
The Angels were Champions of baseball. Tim Salmon
paraded around the stadium with gene Autry's
famous Stetson and Troy Glaus hoisted the MVP
trophy. But none of that would have been possible
had it not been for a young pitching phenom from
Venezuela.
Francisco
Rodriguez, nicknamed K-Rod that same October
for striking out more than a batter an inning,
was a mid-September call-up to an Angels bullpen
riddled with injuries. Rodriguez gave the Angels
a glimpse of what he would soon do on the world
stage. In fewer than 6 innings of regular season
play, Rodriguez gave up 2 hits and struck out
13.
The
Angels faced the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
In Game 2 in New York, Rodriguez earned his first
career win as a Major League pitcher. While he
was also credited with the blown save, he'd pitched
two effective innings for a much needed victory
that tied the short series at one game a piece.
The Angels would win the next two games and take
the series. "Franky" officially became
K-Rod. In 3.2 innings, Rodriguez struck out seven,
and in the crucial third game, he got the win
by holding a powerful Yankees line-up down while
the Angels recovered from an early five run deficit.
After
the Angels blew through the Minnesota Twins in
the ALCS, they would meet the San Francisco Giants,
led by Barry Bonds, in the World Series. In almost
nine innings of work, Rodriguez was downright
electric; he fanned 13 and walked one. In a crucial
Game 2, Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings
and struck out four. The Giants batters were
simply over matched by K-Rod's fastball-slider
combo and the Angels would win that seesaw battle,
11-10. It was the Angels first World Series game
victory, and Rodriguez was credited with the
win.
Rodriguez
piled up 28 strikeouts in just more than 18 innings
of playoff work; he was the youngest pitcher
in 32 years to pitch in a World Series game and
at 20 years old was the youngest ever to win
one.
The
young Venezuelan entered the playoffs as nondescript
Francisco Rodriguez and emerged from them a bona-fide
star known as K-Rod.
#28
- April 11, 1990: Langston and Witt combine
on no-no
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin Senior Editor
The
1989-90 Major League baseball offseason began
with a bang for the California Angels and their
fans. On Dec. 1, 1989, the team signed free agent
lefthander Mark Langston to a five year, $16
million contract, outbidding the Yankees and
Dodgers. It briefly made Langston the highest
paid player in baseball.
The
signing gave the Angels a formidable rotation,
with Langston joining Chuck Finley, Jim Abbott,
Kirk McCaskill and Bert Blyleven - and pushed
Mike Witt, at that time the franchise's second-winningest
pitcher, to the bullpen. Though he'd won 109
games in nine seasons with the Angels, Witt slumped
to 9-15 with a 4.54 ERA in 1989.
As
February neared, however, hopeful exuberance
from fans turned to frustration as rumors of
another work stoppage became reality. The players,
concerned that the owners were talking about
a salary cap, threatened a strike. The owners,
concerned about a strike, instead locked out
the players, putting spring training on indefinite
hold.
After
32 days, the second longest work stoppage in
MLB history, an agreement was reached on March
19 and an abbreviated spring training was begun.
Opening Day was pushed back one week to April
9, but starting pitchers did not work as many
innings as they would have during a normal spring.
For their first regular season starts, most were
placed on a strict pitch count.
Langston
made his Angels debut in the season's third game,
a Wednesday night tilt at home against the Seattle
Mariners, his former team.
Langston
walked two Mariners in the first inning, but
helped himself out by inducing a double play
ball between them. He issued another walk in
the third, but another double play erased that
threat. The Mariners went down in order in the
fourth and Langston worked around a fourth walk
in the fifth to hold Seattle scoreless and, as
most of the 25,632 fans in attendance were starting
to realize, hitless, as well.
Mariners
starter Erik Hanson, meanwhile, was pitching
his own shutout against the Angels, but running
up a high pitch count by working in and out of
jams. After five innings, Hanson had already
thrown 89 pitches and his night was done.
Langston
retired the Mariners in order in both the sixth
and seventh and walked off the mound locked up
in a scoreless tie, already over his pitch count
at 99 pitches thrown. There was as much question
as to whether he'd come out for the eighth as
to if he'd even win a game in which he'd thrown
seven hitless innings.
The
Angels offense, finally, answered one of those
questions, literally pushing across one run on
Dante Bichette's bases loaded walk to score Johnny
Ray. The inning ended with the Angels leading,
1-0.
Much
to the disappointment of the fans at Anaheim
Stadium, Langston's night was finished. He was
replaced by none other than the man he'd relegated
to the bullpen, Witt, the last Angel to throw
a no-hitter. (1984 perfect game against Texas.)
The
big righty, who would soon be traded to the Yankees
for outfielder Dave Winfield, was on his game,
retiring Edgar Martinez and Greg Briley on groundouts
and striking out Dave Valle. The Angels went
1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth and Witt, not
closer Bryan Harvey, took the mound for the ninth.
#27
- 1979: Baylor wins A.L. MVP
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin Senior Editor
At
some point during the 1979 Angels season, a new
statistic was born. Though the abbreviation RBI
has traditionally stood for "runs batted
in," Angels cleanup hitter Don Baylor redefined
it to mean "runs Baylored in."
The
outfielder/DH, acquired as a free agent prior
to the 1977 season, was so adept at producing
in the clutch during the Angels first division
championship season that radio play-by-play man
Dick Enberg coined the new phrase. And he used
it a lot.
Baylor
batted .296 with 36 home runs and a still franchise
best 139 RBI, netting him 20 of a possible 28
first place votes for the American League MVP
award. For good measure, Baylor also scored 120
runs, which like his RBI total also led the league.
Baylor
got off to blazing start, driving in a then league
record 28 runs in April, and never cooled off.
On April 21, he belted a grand slam during the
Angels 13-1 victory over the Athletics. On May
15, Baylor beat the Brewers with a leadoff home
run in the bottom of the ninth to break a 1-1
tie.
On
August 8, Baylor was already sitting at 98 RBI
and hit the century mark in style, connecting
in the third inning off the Athletics' Matt Keough
for a two-run shot for Nos. 99 and 100. Baylor
went 4-for-5 with that home run, a double and
later added an RBI-single for RBI No. 101.
But
the man they called Groove was hardly satisfied
with that. On Aug. 25, Baylor had one of the
best single days in Angels history against Toronto,
as the Angels blistered the Blue Jays, 24-2.
Baylor belted two home runs and drove in a career-high
eight runs.
It
was simply one of those seasons where everything
fell into place.
"Everyday
I went to the park, I knew I'd get two or three
hits and some RBI," Baylor recalled. "In
mid-December, I started jogging 2 1/2 to 3 miles
a day, so I'd be in the best shape ever. In 1978
I hit 34 home runs and 99 RBI, and I was really
longing for that 100th. After April, I had (nearly)
30, and I knew I was on a roll."
In
addition to leading the league in RBI and runs
scored, Baylor also led (or tied for the lead)
the Angels in home runs, triples (5), doubles
(33) and stolen bases (22). He played in all
162 games and, perhaps most amazingly, struck
out only 51 times in 628 at-bats.
For
the Angels in 1979, Baylor was without question
their MVP: Most Valuable Producer.
#26
- 1964: Chance wins Cy Young Award
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Senior Editor
Of
all the compliments one could pay to Dean Chance's
incredible 1964 season and subsequent awarding
of the Cy Young Award, perhaps the highest praise
is this: he beat Sandy Koufax.
The
Dodgers Hall of Fame lefthander, during arguably
the most dominant four-season stretch in Major
League history, took home three Cy Young Awards.
Chance's brilliance in 1964, however, prevented
Koufax from winning four. (Only one winner was
named for all of MLB prior to the 1967 season.)
And he did so pitching half his games from the
same Chavez Ravine mound as Koufax.
Wilmer
Dean Chance came to the Angels in the 1960 expansion
draft after spending two seasons in the Baltimore
Orioles organization, and made his major league
debut late in the 1961 season. Following a strong
rookie season in 1962 (14-10, 2.96 ERA), Chance
had a sophomore slump, slipping to 13-18 in 1963,
despite a respectable 3.19 ERA.
At
the All-Star break in 1964, Chance was again
a victim of awful run support and sported a mediocre
5-5 record. His 2.19 ERA, however, was good enough
to earn him the All-Star Game start, during which
he pitched three scoreless innings.
The
honor seemed to inspire Chance and the 23 year
old took matters into his own hands in the second
half. He won nine straight games from July 11
through Aug. 18 - six of them shutouts, and four
of those by a 1-0 score. During the streak, Chance
allowed only seven earned runs in 79 innings
(0.80 ERA).
His
brilliance was perhaps best illustrated by his
complete and utter dominance of the New York
Yankees. Chance pitched five games against the
Bronx Bombers, posting a 4-0 record. But here's
where things just get silly: In 50 innings of
work against New York, Chance allowed one run.
And it came on a solo home run by Mickey Mantle,
who called Chance the toughest pitcher he ever
faced.
When
all was said and done, Chance was 20-9 with a
1.65 ERA, the 70th lowest ERA in Major League
history and No. 7 all-time in the modern era.
He threw 11 shutouts, five of them by a 1-0 score.
(He also lost four games, 1-0.)
Of
the 278 1/3 innings Chance pitched in 1964, opponents
crossed the plate in only 35 of them. The other
243 1/3 were scoreless.
In
47 years of franchise history, the Angels have
had many pitchers carry the label of staff ace
- some even legitimately deserving. But only
one can claim a season as the best pitcher in
all of baseball. That man is Dean Chance in 1964.
#25
- May 4, 2007: Scioscia passes Rigney
By
Adam Dodge, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
It
was a seemingly meaningless early season game
for the Angels, who did as they had done so often
under manager Mike Scioscia - won in front of
their home fans at Angel Stadium.
In game No. 30 of the 2007 season, the Angels
beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-1, to improve
to 17-13 and maintain their one game lead
in the American League
West. Most of the 44,126 in attendance that night stayed for the fireworks
show, which had become and remain a Friday night tradition at the Big A.
But on this night, the brightly lit sky
and deafening explosions were more fitting
than arbitrary as the Angels, their fans and their field general celebrated
a great feat: Mike Scioscia had become the winningest manager in franchise
history, passing the team's first skipper, Bill Rigney, with his 626th regular
season victory.
Rigney managed the team for its first 1,333 games, spanning nearly the
entire decade of the '60s (1961-1969) and compiling a 625-707 (.469) record
during
his tenure. While his steadying influence was a good match for the freewheeling
Angels teams of his decade, the best Rigney could manage was the surprising
third place finish of 1962. They never got higher than fifth in his subsequent
seasons.
On the other bookend of Angels history stands
Scioscia, manager for the entire decade
of the '00s. During the first 1,296 games
of Scioscia's reign, the
Angels have posted a 703-593 (.542) record, including four of the top-5
regular season
victory totals in franchise history. The former all-star catcher has guided
the Angels to three division titles, one wild card and, of course, the
only World Championship in franchise history.
Ultimately, this one early season victory from 2007 will seem like little
more than a footnote in Scioscia's career, as it's a safe bet he'll win
more than
1,000 games in an Angels uniform. But what victory No. 626 said in the
midst of the greatest era in Angels history needs no further explanation
than this:
Mike Scioscia is the best to ever manage the Angels.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALA/ALA200705040.shtml
#24
- May 5, 1962: Bo Belinsky tosses first no-hitter
in Angels history
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Senior Editor
"This
crowd about to explode. Ball one, strike one
the count. Can he do it? ... There's two men
away ... Belinsky now looks out toward center
field ... turns, walks back on the hill ... and
the 1-1 pitch ... is swung on, it's popped up
into shallow left field ... into foul territory
goes Torres ... it's going to be a no-hitter
... IT'S A NO-HITTER FOR BELINSKY! (Radio partner
exclaims "Whooo hoooo!") Belinsky a
no-hitter! How about that one? Belinsky, in his
fourth Major League start, has startled 15,000
fans here tonight. His teammates mob him. And
I have (pause) seen my third no-hitter."
It's hard to blame announcer Buddy Blattner for getting so wrapped up in the
excitement of Belinsky's no-hitter that he felt compelled to drop in that personal
detail at the end of his call. After all, nobody expected the former pool hustler
from Trenton, N.J., to pitch a no-hitter in his fourth major league start.
Not even Belinsky himself.
"If I'd known I was gonna pitch a no-hitter today, I would have gotten a
haircut," he said after the game.
And that, in a nutshell, was Bo Belinsky in 1962 - always conscious of his
image, even when his on-field successes were actually keeping up with his off-field
ones. No starting pitcher likely got more mileage out of 28 career victories
than Robert "Bo" Belinsky.
"Bo had more fun off the field than he did on the field," said former
big league first baseman Mike Hegan. For an amazing couple of months of the Angels
second season, however, Belinksy meant good times whatever he was doing.
Freed from minor league purgatory in the Orioles organization the previous
November when the Angels selected him in the Rule 5 draft, Belinsky immediately
felt right at home in Los Angeles, where both the baseball and society writers
ate up his antics. Despite having spent five years in the minor leagues with
the Pirates and Orioles, Belinsky held out for an additional $2,000 on his
rookie contract.
And then an amazing thing happened: Belinsky actually appeared to be worth
it. He won his first start, April 18, 3-2 over the Kansas City Athletics. Then
he beat the Indians, 6-2, on April 25 at home, and again on May 1, 8-6, at
Cleveland.
Back at Chavez Ravine and starting on three-day's rest, Belinsky found himself
flirting with something other than a Hollywood starlet.
He struck out the first two Orioles during a 1-2-3 first, but a walk and hit
batter put him in a jam in the second. Belinsky escaped, however, thanks to
a groundout and another strikeout. In the fourth, the Orioles loaded the bases
with one out following two walks and an error by third baseman Felix Torres.
But Belinsky struck out Dave Nicholson and Ron Hansen flew out to deep center
field to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the Angels pushed across single runs in the first and second, but
were held to only three hits of their own for the next six innings. Didn't
matter. Belinsky got stronger and retired 12 of 13 Orioles heading into the
ninth.
Jackie Brandt struck out to start the inning, Belinsky's ninth and final strikeout
of the game. Then Gus Triandos grounded out to Joe Koppe at short, setting
up the final showdown with Nicholson, who'd struck out twice. Nicholson popped
out to Torres in foul territory and Belinsky made history, throwing not only
the first no-hitter in Angels history, but the first at newly-built Dodger
Stadium.
Belinsky won his next start to begin his career 5-0, and on June 21 the 25-year-old
lefty was 7-2 with a remarkable 2.90 ERA.
Unfortunately, Belinsky's story doesn't stop there, though, as the promising
rookie's drinking and carousing finally started to catch up with him. He lost
9 of his final 12 starts and finished what once seemed like a dream season
a mediocre 10-11.
1963 got worse as he slumped to 2-9, making just 13 big league starts and seeing
his ERA swell to 5.75. 1964 was better (9-8, 2.86), but an August hotel room
fight with Los Angeles Times writer Braven Dyer was the last straw for the
Angels, who suspended Belinsky for the remainder of the season and shipped
him off to Philadelphia for Rudy May and Costen Shockley later that winter.
Belinsky's star burned bright and fast in Los Angeles, but for an expansion
team with no previous sense of identity, for a couple of years he was the face
of the franchise. And though his pitching didn't always match, Belinsky made
sure that face looked good.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAA/LAA196205050.shtml
#23
- Oct. 1, 1970: Alex Johnson wins Angels first
batting title
By
Adam Dodge, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Alex
Johnson knew exactly what he needed to do to
wrestle the batting title away from Boston Red
Sox outfielder Carl Yastrzemski when the California
Angels took the field against the Chicago White
Sox at Anaheim Stadium for the final game of
the 1970 season.
A 2-for-3 night for the Angels' moody outfielder and Johnson would edge Yaz
by mere percentage points to become the franchise's first batting champion.
A difficult task became improbable when Johnson grounded out in his first plate
appearance.
But a single to right in the third inning set the stage for Johnson when he
stepped up to the plate in the fifth.
"I didn't feel any pressure," he'd later claim. "I knew I had
a big job to do."
One of the game's greatest hitters, Tony Gwynn often quipped that it's the
infield singles and Texas-leaguers that determine the batting title. It certainly
rang true for Johnson, who chopped a high bouncer to White Sox third baseman,
Bill Melton. Despite a nifty backhanded stop, Melton was unable to throw a
hustling Johnson out at first. When manager Lefty Phillips sent in Jay Johnstone
to pinch run, Johnson and the Angels had their first batting title.
Ironic that it was a hustle play that earned him his "biggest achievement." Johnson,
along with being a great hitter, was viewed by many fans as a lazy player.
Some say he refused to jog between innings, oftentimes barely making it to
the dugout before the next half inning would begin.
Johnson finished the 1970 season with a batting average of .3289 to edge Yastrzemski,
who hit .3286.
"Winning the batting title is the biggest achievement of my life," Johnson
said after the game.
But there would be no more great achievements for Johnson in an Angels uniform.
The very next year was a tumultuous one, as it seemed that Johnson's baggage
had finally caught up with him. A lack of hustle, discontentment and a heavy
temper ultimately wore thin with his teammates, the organization and beat writers.
After a series of suspensions in 1971, the Angels traded him in the off-season
to the Cleveland Indians, where Johnson would only hit .239 in 1972.
In fact, Johnson would never approach .300 again, finishing his career with
unspectacular stints in Texas, New York (AL) and Detroit.
For the Angels and their fans though, he will always be remembered as the man
toting the "silver bat" signifying his great achievement in 1970.
Johnson remains the only Angels hitter to win the batting title.
#22
- Sept. 21, 1982: Downing and Lynn crash and
catch
By
Kurt Swanson and Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Contributors
There
have been many outstanding catches made over
the years in Major League baseball. Willie Mays'
over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series.
Ozzie Smith's barehanded diving stop. Jim Edmonds'
outstretched layout in Kansas City. Each among
the best.
Another great catch in Angels history came down the stretch of the 1982 American
League West pennant chase. Four days earlier, the Angels title hopes were looking
grim, as a three-game losing streak dropped them two games behind the Kansas
City Royals with 15 games remaining in the season.
But the Angels won the next two games of their series in Toronto and returned
home to begin a critical three game series against the Royals, with the two
teams now tied atop the division with identical 84-65 records.
The Angels took the opener, 3-2, behind Geoff Zahn's eight strong innings and
Reggie Jackson's seventh inning RBI double.
Game two was another pitchers' duel, this time between Ken Forsch and the Royals'
Dennis Leonard. In the fourth inning of a scoreless tie, Amos Otis drove a
ball to the left center field gap, sending Angels left fielder Brian Downing
and center fielder Fred Lynn on a collision course at the wall. The two fielders
reached the fence at the exact same time, both leaping for the ball with no
regard for their own welfare or each other. The impact was so powerful that
the fence gave way, with Downing landing on the warning track and Lynn tumbling
through the opening the collision had created.
For a moment, it was unclear which, if either, of the players had caught the
ball. Then Lynn emerged from behind the fence, displaying the ball. The umpires
conferred and ruled Otis out, reasoning that in effect the outcome was the
same as if Lynn had made the catch and fallen into the stands.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the fifth, but Kansas City scratched across a
tying run in the eighth.
In the bottom of the ninth, however, Bobby Grich and Bob Boone singled with
one out off Royals closer Dan Quisenberry. Daryl Sconiers, who'd begun his
sophomore season 0-for-8, slapped a 3-2 pitch into center field to score pinch
runner Gary Pettis, giving the Angels a 2-1 victory and a two-game division
lead they would not relinquish en route to their second division title.
If not for Lynn's remarkable catch, it might have been an entirely different
story.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL198209210.shtml
#21
- May 15, 2003: Arte Moreno purchases the Angels
Craig
Malone, Angelswin.com Contributor
May
15, 2003, is a memorable day for many people,
but few likely more so than Arturo "Arte" Moreno,
who that day officially acquired ownership of
the Anaheim Angels from the Disney Corporation.
In completing the purchase, Moreno became the
first Latino owner of a major sports franchise
in the United States.
Moreno, who was born in 1946, is the oldest of 11 children. He grew up in a
two-bedroom house in Tucson, Ariz. Upon graduating high school, Moreno enlisted
in the U.S. Army and went on to serve in Vietnam. In 1968, having completed
his tour of duty, Moreno enrolled at the University of Arizona, where he graduated
with a degree in marketing. After college, he was hired by Eller Outdoor, a
move that would prove pivotal in his life. Moreno eventually joined Outdoor
Systems, where he rose within the company to become its president and CEO.
Under Moreno's watchful eye, the company's profits rose from $500,000 to $90
million in less than 10 years. In 1998, Moreno sold the company for $8 billion.
The Angels were not Moreno's first foray into baseball ownership. In 1986,
Moreno with 17 other investors purchased the Salt Lake Trappers of the Pacific
Coast League. His ownership group would sell the trappers in 1992. More recently,
Moreno was a minor partner in the group that owned the Arizona Diamondbacks,
a team he tried to purchase in 2001, and a minor owner of the Phoenix Suns.
As owner of the Angels, Moreno's first major move was to slash prices on both
beer and tickets, a marketing bonanza that still earns him publicity almost
five years later. In addition, he showed a willingness to sign - in their prime
- superstars that included Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar.
Moreno has also been known to leave the owner's box during games and mingle
with fans throughout the stadium, and he is always willing to pause for a photo,
or in many cases, sit down with a child and talk baseball or whatever else
comes to mind. Moreno has shown that he is a fan's owner.
For all the positives, there have been a few sticking points, including the
most controversial: Prior to the 2005 season, seeking to increase the team's
revenue and marketability, Moreno changed the name of the club from the Anaheim
Angels to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The move brought about a lawsuit
from Anaheim's city leaders and cries of outrage from many fans. But the results,
like most things Moreno has touched, have been incredible. Recent sponsors
have included the San Diego Zoo and the Los Angeles Times. In addition, Moreno
was able to sign a very lucrative contract with Fox Sports Network.
As recently as April of 2006, Forbes Magazine estimated the team's worth to
be $368 million, which is more than double what Moreno paid for the club.
In a 2005 Time Magazine article, Moreno was quoted as saying: It's one thing
to have the means to buy a baseball team, but more important, do you really
respect the opportunity?"
I believe in Moreno's short tenure as owner of this franchise, he has show
that he truly respects the opportunity and wants to bring another World Series
title to Southern California and the fans of this great ball club.
