AngelsWin Today: AngelsWin.com Turns 20

[AngelsWin.com]

By Geoff Stoddart, AngelsWin.com Chief Operating Officer

20 years! AngelsWin.com turned 20 years old in 2024! For many of us that joined Chuck Richter on this adventure back at the beginning, it hardly seems possible.  It’s truly one of those, “wait … how old am I?” moments.

Many of the everyday staples of modern life, things that feel like they’ve been around forever, actually came to be after AngelsWin. Things like: the iPhone, Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok, SnapChat, Instagram, Smashburger, Barstool Sports internet platform, even Taylor Swift albums.

After relocating from Orange County to the Pacific Northwest (now in Tennessee), Chuck launched the website as a way for Angels fans around the country and around the world to stay connected to the team and sport they loved, and to discuss topics that related to both. As the AngelsWin membership numbers grew, so did the sense that something special was happening. It became a real community. Maybe not quite a family, but it often has felt that way.

We’ve seen both the best and hardest parts of life and have experienced it all together. Marriages, divorces, births of children, deaths of friends and family, the excitement of new career advancements and the pain of job losses. For 20 years, we’ve gone through it all … together.

But the throughline, the connected tissue, for it all has always been the team in red. The boys of summer. It’s always been about the Angels.

What started out as a simple Angels message board & blog page grew into a news and reporting outlet. We were one of the first independent fansites to be awarded a Major League Baseball media credential by the Angels. Correspondences from AngelsWin have participated in team events and press conferences such as the introduction of Albert Pujols, the contract extension for Mike Trout and the welcoming Shohei Ohtani. Over the years, the site has been recognized by Forbes, Fox Sports, ESPN, CNN, MLB Network, Japan Times, Washington Post, MLB Trade Rumors, the Orange County Register, LA Times and the Angels tv and radio broadcasts for our reporting and insights. Members of the AngelsWin writing staff were also instrumental in, and recognized for, providing content for the organization’s  “Under the Halo: The Official History of Angels Baseball” book.

We’ve hosted many fan events, including Spring and Summer Fanfests where we’ve welcomed such guests as Arte Moreno, Tim Salmon, Don Baylor, Wally Joyner, Kole Calhoun, Matt Shoemaker, Hector Santiago, Randal Grichuk, Jerome Williams, ex-GM Jerry Dipoto, Dennis Kuhl, Victor Rojas, Jose Mota, Terry Smith, Rex Hudler, Steve Physioc and Tim Mead.

In 2023, Chuck and Geoff Stoddart relaunched the AngelsWin Podcast. This time around, they were joined by former Angels broadcaster, Victor Rojas. 27 episodes in (as of the writing of this piece), the podcast has enjoyed wild success, with tens of thousands of views on YouTube and tens of thousands more downloads on platforms like Spotify, iTunes and iHeart.  

It has been, and continues to be, a wild journey. Whether you’ve been with us for 20 years or 20 minutes, we thank you! In the end, we are a sum of our part. The sum of our people. 

AngelsWin.com is “The internet home for Angels fans worldwide” – where fans can cheer, boo, argue, laugh, complain and discuss the team and sport they love.

Here’s to 20 great years and the hope of another 20 more.  Go Angels!

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[Stradling]

Congratulations on 20 years of being THE home for us Angels fans @Chuck.  I believe I got here shortly after the Vlad signing. You sent me an email through AOL I believe, inviting me over. I loved the simplicity of it back then, with one board, that had baseball topics and off baseball topics. The most active  members of the day were @Victorious Ghost, @Adam @Glen @nate Jeff, who was on of the “LTH” names, @Tank, @Spirit who had a different name, @Brandon, @Lou, @Lifetime, who didn’t say that, @Blarg,  @Angel Oracle, @Docwaukee, @Inside Pitch and a handful of others. 

[Chuck]

Big shoutout to @TroutBaseball, @rossleigber & @Spirit's son Chase for their help on the graphics. 

Here's all them if you wish to share them on social media or elsewhere. We are definitely going to do t-shirts too! 

 

 

 

[Spirit]

34 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Big shoutout to @TroutBaseball, @rossleigber & @Spirit's son Chase for their help on the graphics. 

Here's all them if you wish to share them on social media or elsewhere. We are definitely going to do t-shirts too!

 

My son doing some of these graphics kind of speaks to the life moments everyone has shared together on this website.  Chase is 15, so we were only 5 year into the AW journey when he was born.  That he's now contributing to the AngelsWin by doing graphics with the other guys is just crazy to me ... but I love it!

 

[tdawg87]

I'd like to thank cals. 

[Stradling]

31 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I'd like to thank cals. 

You’ve also been here about as long as I have been here.  Or another way to put it is I don’t remember this place without you. The last way to put it is:

[Angelsjunky]

Wow, 20 years. I think I came over from Big Del's little corner a year or so after Chuck started up. I suppose I was a bit faithful to Del and was just comfortable there, but then it fizzled and I remember being dragged over the coals here for awhile, in the usual "manly phasing" ritual. IIRC, I was the main stat guy for a bit...not sure when @Inside Pitch and @Docwaukee started up, and of course now its cool to be a nerd.

[Angelsjunky]

33 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I'd like to thank cals. 

 

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

You’ve also been here about as long as I have been here.  Or another way to put it is I don’t remember this place without you. The last way to put it is:

Gey

[Stradling]

Just now, Angelsjunky said:

 

Gey

I know you are, but what am I?  

[Chuck]

39 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

Wow, 20 years. I think I came over from Big Del's little corner a year or so after Chuck started up. I suppose I was a bit faithful to Del and was just comfortable there, but then it fizzled and I remember being dragged over the coals here for awhile, in the usual "manly phasing" ritual. IIRC, I was the main stat guy for a bit...not sure when @Inside Pitch and @Docwaukee started up, and of course now its cool to be a nerd.

Chicks dig the nerds nowadays, @Angelsjunky!!  You’re good.  

[daygloman]

Quite an achievement!

Kudos!

Go Halos!

[tdawg87]

16 minutes ago, Stradling said:

You’ve also been here about as long as I have been here.  Or another way to put it is I don’t remember this place without you. The last way to put it is:

[Amazing Larry]

Much better than the ESPN boards were. Thanks for everything Chuck!

[Chuck]

1 hour ago, Lhalo said:

Much better than the ESPN boards were. Thanks for everything Chuck!

You're welcome, @Lhalo!! The ESPN Boards inspired me to doing something much better, so they get some credit. 

[Duren, Duren]

Keep up the good work! Nice to see continuity and cutting edge commitment. 

[Slegnaac]

In 2006 I was working on a project in Dallas.  Fortunately there was another guy on the project that was an Angels fan.  When he found out I was also a fan he asked if I spent any time on the Angelswin site.  I had never heard of it.  I am very thankful that he told me about AW.

I recall that one of the topics he and I discussed was the future of Howie Kendrick. 

2006 doesn't seem that long ago.

Edited January 3, 2024 by Slegnaac

[Spirit]

18 hours ago, Lhalo said:

Much better than the ESPN boards were.

 

Or the OMB.  Anyone remember _____? 

 

[Chuck]

27 minutes ago, Spirit said:

Or the OMB.  Anyone remember _____? 

Who could forget Lee and other weirdos on the Angels OMB.

Wait... I could.  

[Spirit]

16 minutes ago, Chuck said:

Who could forget Lee and other weirdos on the Angels OMB.

Wait... I could.  

 

Glad I could rekindle that memory for you!

 

[ELEVEN]

This has to be on a hat. Make this happen for ST!

[Chuck]

5 hours ago, ELEVEN said:

This has to be on a hat. Make this happen for ST!

Sweet. We can totally do that @ELEVEN!!

These are our current hats that are available. We'll get this on all three of these cap types very soon! 

 

[disarcina]

CHUCK and everyone involved with the creation, initiation , development, maintenance, expansion of ANGELSWiN.COM a huge   CONGRATULATIONS .

In addition to a great site -- that has become a 'community' over the years -- ANGELSWIN.COM has now achieved a level of longevity that few (sports) sites like this manage to achieve.

As someone who has been here since the inception (but  has done NONE of the heavy lifting of CHUCK  those who do the. day in, day. out, year after year work to maintain and improve the site) my hearty congratulations and appreciation!

And thank you for putting up with my IT deficient skills that result in many typos and mistakes over the years -  that aspect of my posting comments  has not changed much over 20 years --  

[disarcina]

22 hours ago, Slegnaac said:

In 2006 I was working on a project in Dallas.  Fortunately there was another guy on the project that was an Angels fan.  When he found out I was also a fan he asked if I spent any time on the Angelswin site.  I had never heard of it.  I am very thankful that he told me about AW.

I recall that one of the topics he and I discussed was the future of Howie Kendrick. 

2006 doesn't seem that long ago.

2006 doesn't seem that long ago --  GEEZ -  how true. -  TIME FLIES.  And Howie Kendrick !!  Always liked the way he played.   An All Time Halo. 

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

On 1/2/2024 at 11:53 AM, Stradling said:

You’ve also been here about as long as I have been here.  Or another way to put it is I don’t remember this place without you. The last way to put it is:

Very brokeback mountain of you.  

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

On 1/3/2024 at 2:22 PM, ELEVEN said:

This has to be on a hat. Make this happen for ST!

Would actually look sick as the player number on a jersey with “angelswin.com” as the player name.   @Chuck

wesr that around the stadium and bring in some new blood.