Jim Fregosi Suffers Stroke - Taken Off Life Support

[IEAngelsfan]

RIP

[mancini79]

One minute you're living the life in the Carribean and the next minute you're gone. Never take life for granted. I briefly met Jim at the Allstar Fanfest signing table. Very nice guy and genuinely seemed happy to be there. He will be missed.

[Lhalo]

Crazy how we were talking about retired Angels numbers and then this happens. He was a hell of a ballplayer. RIP

[Spencer]

RIP

He was my mom's all-time favorite Angel

[Sherlock31]

RIP

[nate]

RIP

[fan_since79]

A sad day for the Angels.

 

RIP, and prayers for his family.

[Blarg]

Mitch Williams was on MLB this morning saying Fregosi gave him his career showing faith in him when in today's game a manager would be quick to pull him. They were friends off the field since.

I first started watching Fregosi play in 66 when the Angels moved to Anaheim. He is one of those guys that probably would be able to translate his game to today and play at the same level. I was pissed when the Angels traded him for some pitcher, what's his name from the Mets. It was the worst trade ever, or at least at 12 years old I was sure of it.

The reunion of Fregosi and the Angels in 79 was ironic. Here was one of my childhood heroes that returns to manage the guy he was traded for. And the Angels make the playoffs for the first time, it couldn't get much better.

Then the next season it got much worse, Ryan is gone and the Angels have their worst losing season in franchise history. I don't think there were enough cuss words to describe Bavasi back then and probably invented a couple when he fired Fregosi for a grey haired guy that tinkered with lineups and couldn't manage a bullpen.

Yeah, some sarcasm but at the time I saw the franchise floundering with big contract guys and no pitching support along with a farm system that wasn't helping. It puts these days in perspective.

Fregosi was part of my childhood and early adult Angels fandom. I always felt he was a class guy even though I never got the chance to meet and talk with him but those that have seem to have nothing but respect for the man. You could can only wish for as well in passing that is what your family hears.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Eric Notti

[Brent Maguire]

RIP Jim.

The Angels family will miss you.

[Diaz15]

A baseball and Angels legend. 

 

RIP #11

[tomsred]

A very special player and manager to the Angels organization - RIP Jim Fregosi.

[Kenny]

I wasn't alive when he played or when he was the Manager for the Angels, but after he retired it seemed like he was at every event with Angels alumni in attendance.

 

Rest In Peace

[LBHalos17]

RIP Jimmy; you've left us too soon.

Thanks for all your heart and soul that you poured into Angels baseball over the years.  I'm excited for your reunion with The Cowboy, and hopefully you two will shine some of your light down onto the boys this season..

 

As far as the media-fail, I'd say it's pretty typical of this day and age of "breaking news."  Everybody is rushing to be the first to report something and beat the rest.  That's why I laugh at the knee-jerk reactions to some volatile videos that are posted on the web; they usually only show the conclusion of an incident and not what led-up to it.

[DowningRules]

I was a kid when Fregosi, et al took the Angels to the playoffs in 1979.  But even at a young age, I was aware of the impact the manager was having with the team and the rest of MLB. 

 

The Angels were no longer a laughing stock or easily dismissed in Doyyer town SoCal or with many of the sports writers who were eventually forced to reckon with the Angels' strength.

 

Alot of that was because of the swagger and pedigree of Fregosi.  He had a bit of a chip on his shoulder which represented lifers like my dad (and probably myself) very nicely.

 

My dad didn't speak well of very many Angel players from the 1960s or '70s.  But he liked Fregosi.   In the words of James Brown, he didn't "take no mess."

 

RIP Mr. Fregosi and thank you for 1979 and for giving this Angels fan his first pennant.  Yes you did.

[disarcina]

R.I.P. Number 11 -- All Time Halos great SS.

 

He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and wound up as a Halos draft pick in the expansion draft thanks to Bill Rigney who got some scouting help on the expansion draft from someone, I think, in the Giants organization who liked Rigney personally, were upset that the Giants fired him or something -- and Rigney wound up with a much better draft than the other expansion team.

 

Jim Fregosi was far and away acknowledged as the 'steal' of the draft. The surprising Angels did well for an expansion team. Fregosi, teamed with the defensively gifted 2B Bobby Knoop made for a great MIF double-play combination......Dean Chance's Cy Young Award can likely be attributed in part to the DP combo behind him.

[brianvargo]

Mr. Fregosi was one of my grandpa's favorite Angels.  I never got to meet my grandpa, but he was a hardcore baseball fan who was thrilled when the Angels were launched.  He passed away before Mr. Fregosi was traded, so he never had to say goodbye, as it were.

 

I have always had the deepest respect for Jim Fregosi.  As a lifelong Angel fan, I know precisely what he meant to this organization and how important he was to so many people.  From what I understand, he was also a genuinely good person, and I'm sorry to those whose lives will be profoundly affected by his loss.

 

May he rest in peace.

[Jimmag]

RIP Jim Fregosi you are now and always will be an Angel.

[FabulousFabregas]

RIP Jim, just saw some nice stories about him on MLB Network.  Mitch Williams, who is usually pretty dry, got pretty emotional talking about him.  He said when Jim managed him he was like a 2nd father to him.

[itsKnoppUitsme]

Jim Fregosi was my FIRST baseball (Angels) hero.

I used to put # 11 on the back of all my white T's and 

wear my Angel hat with my hair in front of my ears so that 

I could have sideburns ( when I had hair) just like him.

I was crushed when he was traded (getting to watch Nolan Ryan as a kid helped me get over that tho) 

RIP #11 Thanks for all the memories!

[Agalloch]

RIP Jim Fregosi, you will always be an Angel in our hearts.

[Mauch Won]

During the 1993 World Series, the camera showed Jimmy near the clubhouse door.  His left arm, away from the camera, was hanging slack.  My dad looked at me and said "He's smoking".  I argued but Dad insisted and if you look closely, you can see a wisp of smoke rise past Jimmy's arm.  Turns out my Dad had inside information. When Fregosi was playing for the Angels, he would go to mass at St. Anthony Claret on La Palma.  My Dad was an usher and Jimmy would sit in the back row or two. During the homily when the priest was reflecting on the readings, Jimmy would slip out for a smoke.  Dad said that Fregosi was a great guy.  May he rest in peace.

[Ohtaniland]

Very sad news.

[disarcina]

Mauch Won -- hey, great story!! It's little stuff like that, that makes Angelswin.com so great.

 

Fregosi, the first true Angels franchise player is gone, may he rest in peace.

 

Those MLB Alumni cruises can be tough -- a friend of mine reminded me that Earl Weaver also was on one those alumni cruises when he died suddenly a few years back.

 

The thing about the post-playing days and even post-managing days of Fregosi is that he's one the last of the breed of a Old Time Baseball man scout.......the vet who's seen it and done it all in baseball and can evaluate player talent the old-fashioned way, by going to the ball-yard and observing the player in action, both in fielding practice, BP and actual game situations........these days things are done differently..........less observation and personal inter-action, more computer and stat crunching stuff.

 

As the stories and coverage of Fregosi's death show, he was beloved throughout the baseball world.......lot of connections, lot of time spent in the stands throughout all ballparks, spring training, minor league parks, major league parks etc.......watching baseball -- seeing stuff in players the techy type scouts miss........