45 Years a Fan

[fan_since79]

One great high point, the 2002 World Series.

Other than that, a ton of disappointment interspersed with some exciting moments. I was actually at Game 4 of the ALCS in 1986 where we finally got to Clemens in the 9th, then won it in the 11th. My brother gave me a couple hundred dollars the next day to go to the stadium and get in line for possible Series tickets. The rest is unmentionable.

Anyway, I'll remain a fan and hope this franchise gets a complete overhaul soon. 

/Rant over

 

 

[DMVol]

52 years for me…It is frustrating but 79-86 and 02-14 were pretty good runs…95 still sticks in my craw the most…that  was a fun team that deserved better…maybe they could have picked up Jay Bell from the Pirates after Disarcina was hurt (seem to remember that being discussed at the time)…who knows….part of being a true fan is staying with your team when times are bad….I hate front runners who just latch on to a good team….

 

[Taylor]

1979 is 44 years ago. 

[Revad]

5 minutes ago, Taylor said:

1979 is 44 years ago. 

What part of 1979 are you referring to?

[Halo in Chicago]

First team I remember is 82. I was 10. Being up 2-0 on the Brewers and losing should have let me know what I was in for . 

[greginpsca]

I still remember reading the newspaper article saying Gene Autry was awarded the new franchise.

[fan_since79]

11 minutes ago, Taylor said:

1979 is 44 years ago. 

Yes, but this is my 45th year as a fan, starting with that year.

[REDneck]

5 minutes ago, Halo in Chicago said:

First team I remember is 82. I was 10. Being up 2-0 on the Brewers and losing should have let me know what I was in for . 

I was 8, and at some kind of family event.

I started balling when they lost...everyone thought the family dog had bit me.

[Second Base]

I've been a fan since 2023.

[fan_since79]

2 minutes ago, REDneck said:

I was 8, and at some kind of family event.

I started balling when they lost...everyone thought the family dog had bit me.

The only time I ever cried over a baseball game was Game 7 of the 1986 ALCS when Boston opened up that big lead. I turned the set off, went in my room, laid down on the bed and the tears came. It was 16 more years before we made the postseason again. 

[Angelsjunky]

I've been a fan only a few years less. I don't know if I've ever found the team so disheartening.

The 80s teams were pretty good, though while I was a fan from about 1981 on, I didn't really start following them closely until 1987. That began a dark era through 2001, with 1995 being the high and low point. But they were just consistently mediocre, so while the last couple months of 95 sucked, I was used to mediocrity the whole way through. Plus there was a certain joy to finally having a solid group of home-grow guys in Salmon, Edmonds, Anderson, and a bit later, Erstad and Glaus.

2002-09 was the Golden Age, and while they didn't fare well in the playoffs after 02, at least they were there - and some exciting series'.

After that, though, shit went down hill. The team was actually fairly good through 2015, but since 2016 has been dogshit. What makes it especially painful is a combination of A) Trout and Ohtani, the franchise's two greatest players ever, and B) tantalizing hints that next year things will get better.

And it is always next year, or has been. What I find so distressing about this season is that they're actually fairly talented on paper. They've got a stacked lineup, a solid rotation, and a better bullpen than the last few years. This "should" be a 90-win team, imo. But they can't build momentum, Rendon is hurt again, and Trout may have dropped a level, and it looks like Ward's 2022 was a fluke. 

So yeah, I find myself less forgiving of their mediocrity this year. Enough is enough. At this point, if they don't make the postseason this year, I'd rather they just go the route of fire-sale, and basically get rid of anyone they can over about the age of 25-26. I'd much rather go through a few year period of rebuilding from almost nothing, then more seasons like the Eppler-Minasian Era.

 

[fan_since79]

Baltimore has been rebuilding for several years now and the results appear to be paying off.

Same thing with Houston after some dreadful years. Top draft picks became stars. 

[Taylor]

29 minutes ago, Revad said:

What part of 1979 are you referring to?

All of it. 

[Stradling]

11 minutes ago, fan_since79 said:

Baltimore has been rebuilding for several years now and the results appear to be paying off.

Same thing with Houston after some dreadful years. Top draft picks became stars. 

They both tanked.  If you think you are miserable now, imagine losing 100 games a season for 3-5 years.  You can’t handle this team which has a winning record. 

[Angels 1961]

December 6, 1960 became a fan. December 14, 1960 expansion draft. Everyone knows first player picked in that expansion draft. Who knows last player picked. He became a good player for Angels. He actually called Angels and wanted halos to pick him. In the expansion draft 2 players drafted ended up becoming Angel managers. One pitcher drafted by halos became a Cy Young winner for them. The good ole days my first team to really follow. 

[gurn67]

1 hour ago, fan_since79 said:

One great high point, the 2002 World Series.

Other than that, a ton of disappointment interspersed with some exciting moments. I was actually at Game 4 of the ALCS in 1986 where we finally got to Clemens in the 9th, then won it in the 11th. My brother gave me a couple hundred dollars the next day to go to the stadium and get in line for possible Series tickets. The rest is unmentionable.

Anyway, I'll remain a fan and hope this franchise gets a complete overhaul soon. 

/Rant over

 

 

I was at games 3,4 & 5. I was 100% going to go down to the Big A to get World Series tickets, but then I was sure I would jinx them if I did. So, at the last minute, I changed my mind. It didn't work.

[Stradling]

I’ve been a fan for 45 years as well although I can honestly say that until more of the games were on TV (late 90’s) I don’t remember in detail a lot of what happened outside of some of the bigger events. I can remember virtually every home grown player in the last 45 years.  But if you ask me details about 1984 the best I could do is say, “Detroit started 35-5 and the Angels weren’t as good”.  

This team was interesting to really good starting in 1995 and stayed interesting or good through 2014. I think that what happens today, for my personality, is whatever, because I will always have 2002. I also appreciate the fact we have an inner circle HOFer on our team that will more than likely play his entire career as an Angel.  I don’t let the Angels cause me to be an emotional mess like some of the younger social media fans, because I have experienced really bad teams that didn’t have any real bright spots. When I hear some rants, I just laugh because your hobby is supposed to bring you joy and for some, they refuse to even look for that joy. The over reaction of a loss or even the sweep of a series in May just makes me smirk.  I think blaming everything on one entity is lazy and laughable, because we don’t do that in other aspects of life. 

 

[DMVol]

48 minutes ago, Angels 1961 said:

December 6, 1960 became a fan. December 14, 1960 expansion draft. Everyone knows first player picked in that expansion draft. Who knows last player picked. He became a good player for Angels. He actually called Angels and wanted halos to pick him. In the expansion draft 2 players drafted ended up becoming Angel managers. One pitcher drafted by halos became a Cy Young winner for them. The good ole days my first team to really follow. 

Dean Chance was the pitcher? Managers were Buck Rogers and Del Rice?

[Angels 1961]

Del Rice did manage Angels and played on the 1961 halos. Del Rice was not in the expansion draft of Dec 14, 1960. He was signed by Angels as a free agent Dec 12 as a free agent. No one other player in expansion draft went on to manage Angels Bob Rodgers and 1 more. This player was traded by Angels for a future HOF pitcher.

[fan_since79]

1 hour ago, Stradling said:

They both tanked.  If you think you are miserable now, imagine losing 100 games a season for 3-5 years.  You can’t handle this team which has a winning record. 

I was merely remarking that a total rebuild (if that's to happen) eventually brings good results. I'm a patient man after all these seasons. 

I don't want endless seasons of barely .500 ball and missing the playoffs. If it takes starting over then maybe that's the way to go. Whatever we're doing now isn't working.

[Erstad Grit]

Since 1986 for me. 

[Duren, Duren]

I was a young kid when they started. And loved the halo on the hat. I traded some baseball cards with a friend to get that hat. But I was too young to really follow them. I tried deciphering box scores and Sporting News and magazine stories. And would see them on TV a few times. 

My fascination also came from baseball cards. Big Klu with his sleeveless jersey, and intimidating biceps. Wild man Duren with his coke bottle glasses. 'playboy' Bo Belinsky with his no hitter and buxom blondes! His pal Dean Chance. Arguably still with some of the best Angel seasons as a pitcher. Little Bobby Knoop. Who Dizzy Dean couldn't pronounce. Ken Aspromonte, the excellent Jim Fregosi. 'Daddy Wags' Leon Wagner another colorful guy. 

As a kid thousands of miles away it was hard to not get caught up with the teams shown more on local TV. I became a huge Mantle fan during the last part of his career. Partly because he was always playing hurt but still pounded out homers. When the Expos came along I automatically became a fan. I was at their first game, and watched on TV, listened on radio  or attended maybe 90% of their history till the mid eighties when I moved from Montreal. 

But that was the National League.There was no inter league play yet.  I always retained the Angels as my A.L. team. Changing names, locations, uniforms and all. Some great teams and players, but not quite enough or with that extra luck to go all the way. 

Since moving to the West coast I've vacationed a lot in Orange County and have gone to quite a few games. But time marches on, and the world has changed a lot in recent years. So I'm not sure when I'll venture back down. 

But thanks to the internet and MLB Extra Innings I can watch maybe 70% of their games. And it's been a lot of fun once again following a team on a daily basis. 

[greginpsca]

1 hour ago, Angels 1961 said:

Del Rice did manage Angels and played on the 1961 halos. Del Rice was not in the expansion draft of Dec 14, 1960. He was signed by Angels as a free agent Dec 12 as a free agent. No one other player in expansion draft went on to manage Angels Bob Rodgers and 1 more. This player was traded by Angels for a future HOF pitcher.

Fregosi

[DMVol]

14 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

Fregosi

Has to be…big mistake by Red Sox to let him go in the Expansion Draft…..

[T.G.]

46 minutes ago, T.G. said:

Fan since '67.  How the Angels do doesn't impact my life at all. When I was younger it mattered more, but it's just something to do now. It's all about perspective.  I'm glad to have seen the Angels win it all once.  I won't be broken hearted if they never do it again. It would be great see them win it all again, but I know winning is hard and winning it all is super difficult.  I'll be a fan regardless. 

 

Posted this in the game day thread by mistake... posting on my phone messes me up sometimes.