How do you define the Angels?

[Stradling]

It is hard to define the entire thing. They have been horrible, hopeless, great, mediocre, good, frustrating, fun, boring, exciting, miserable, exaserbating, exhilerating, entertaining and everything in between.

And that was just last year.

[Brent Maguire]

Man I sure hope he can repeat that, but it was built in the 1st half.

1st half: 267/314/578-892

2nd half: 203/295/345-640

Trumbo has had 2 straight years of a great first half followed by an abysmal 2nd half.

2.75 mil for Ibanez is nothing. Worst case scenario is he's a nice power bat off the bench. If he posts a .750-.800 OPS, I'll be satisfied.

[nikkachez]

Frustrating 

[Docwaukee]

The Angels are a veritable appendage that i've never wanted to need but can't live without.

 

For awhile it seemed their only purpose was to get trapped under my body while sleeping leaving it numb and useless. 

 

After a painful period of awakening filled with pins and needles, they have provided some joy is occassionally feeding me bacon and giving me better access to itch my butt.   

 

Then one day the appendage pulled the mighty sword from the stone and made me king.  My rule lasted for several years giving me royal entitlement. As a punishment, the vestigal arm has turned on me regularly attempting to stab me in the back and putting me on constant guard. 

 

So now I just use it to pet my Trout.   

[Tank]

They are a team with historically lots of unfulfilled potential, save for one magical season.

[ettin]

Players to me who define the team: Nolan Ryan, Brian Downing, Bobby Grich, Dick Schofield, Mike Witt, Mark Langston, Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, Chili Davis, Vladimir Guerrero, and Jered Weaver to name a few. More recent players would include Trumbo, Bourjos, and Trout.

 

Angels baseball is putting the work in. It's "salt-of-the-Earth", down and dirty playstyle. It's an enjoyable grind of hustle, grit, and diving for every ball. It's trying to play baseball the right way, every day. It's the arrival of Summer. It's keeping your eye on the ball. It's going for broke and taking the extra base. It's turning the routine double play. It's making the play at the plate. It's the crack of the bat as the ball hits off the barrel. It's a beautiful curve ball. It's watching yet another no-hitter by Nolan Ryan. It's a grand slam from Dicky Schofield. It's a perfect game from Mike Witt. It's a late inning rally capped by a Guerrero single that sucks the air out of the Fenway fans. It's a World Series Ring we weren't sure we'd ever get. It's watching a young man who loves to play baseball turning into possibly one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

 

Angels baseball is family. You love them to death and live or die with every second of the game.

Edited January 3, 2014 by ettin

[Capital_Dave]

I'm an Angels fan because your character is best defined when you're cheering through adversity.  I was ecstatic -- then rather uncomfortable -- when the Angels won the World Series.  The prospect of winning another championship by turns thrills and terrifies me.  (I'll be uncomfortable again if the Angels are world champions.)  I define the Angels as a team that's fun to cheer for, through good times and bad... and for whom bad times seem to come easier than good times.  I couldn't live with myself if I was a fan of a team that always wins... that just seems too easy.  I'm happy and comfortable rooting for a team for whom winning is an aspiration; one that is within grasp, and one that will be sweeter to savor when it finally comes to pass.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Ibanez got a 1 year/2.75 million dollar contract. Nobody is putting any "hopes" on him.

cron probably hopes he breaks his hip. If that counts.

[ten ocho recon scout]

I view this year's team as a team that's in a "win now" mode or start rebuilding. There are three guys in Scioscia, Dipoto and Butcher that will be walking the plank if they don't make the playoffs again.

meh, we all thought that this year.

But the problem wasn't them. It was piccolo.

[Mattyball1212]

The Angels of this century have been a competitive team that expectations are high and understandably so. Other years in past only if you were a homer did you think the Angels can win. For me I am grateful that Mr. Moreno does attempt to put a winning product out there and ticket prices are still reasonable even at the team payroll being at the all time high. Most owners would have increased ticket prices through the roof. Going through the 80's and 90's was hard being Angels fan. That made 2002 that much better. Beating the Red Sox and sweeping them in the playoffs was my second favorite Angels moment. Finally getting the monkey of the Angels back. 1986 was the hardest year. Most fans blame Moore but Dave Henderson hit a very good pitch. I blame DeCinces for popping up with runner on third and less than 2 outs where a simple sac fly would have got the Angels and the cowboy to the World Series. The Angels still had 2 games that they could have won after that so it was really a team loss when you look at it. It just wasn't meant to be that year.

[maximus p]

Whether or not Ibanez is a good comp. for Trumbo, the OP was how I define this team:  As a team that signs too many players that don't have much left in the tank.

 

1961 Ted Kluszewski         279 homers, 15 w/ Angels; 32.2 WAR, 0.3 w/ Angels
1966 Joe Adcock                336 HRs,        53 w/ LAA;     33.3 WAR, 4.5 LAA
1967 Moose Skowron        211/1 HRs,                               27.0/-0.9 WAR
1969 Dick Stuart                 228/1 HRs,                                7.8/-0.5 WAR
1974 Mike Epstein             130/12 HRs,                             12.7/0.3 WAR
1989 Tony Armas               251/27 HRs,                             15.7/-0.1 WAR
1991 Mike Marshall           148/0 HRs,                               10.0/-0.2 WAR
1992 Alvin Davis                 160/0 HRs,                               19.9/-0.1 WAR
1994 Bo Jackson                 141/13 HRs,                              8.3/0.6 WAR
2001 Glenallen Hill           186/1 HRs,                                 9.7/-1.1 WAR
2004 Andres Galarraga    399/1 HRs,                               31.4/0.1 WAR
2011 Russell Branyan        194/4 HRs,                               11.5/0.1 WAR

1998 Cecil Fielder                319/17 HRs,                             17.1/-0.3 WAR

1997 Eddie Murray              504/3 HRs,                              68/-1 WAR

2004 Raul Mondesi            319/1 HRs,                                29.5/-0.3 WAR

1991 Dave Parker                 339/11 HRs,                             40/-1.2  WAR

2000 Ron Gant                    321/6 HRs,                               33.8/0.7  WAR

Mark Trumbo 2nd half 2013...  .218/.268/425 - .693

 

 

[stormngt]

I agree with that. They will always be the California Angels to me.

As the California Angels. Always and forever for me.

[stormngt]

Couldn't you say the same thing about Trumbo?

Man I sure hope he can repeat that, but it was built in the 1st half.

1st half: 267/314/578-892

2nd half: 203/295/345-640

[Stradling]

Players to me who define the team: Nolan Ryan, Brian Downing, Bobby Grich, Dick Schofield, Mike Witt, Mark Langston, Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, Chili Davis, Vladimir Guerrero, and Jered Weaver to name a few. More recent players would include Trumbo, Bourjos, and Trout.

Angels baseball is putting the work in. It's "salt-of-the-Earth", down and dirty playstyle. It's an enjoyable grind of hustle, grit, and diving for every ball. It's trying to play baseball the right way, every day. It's the arrival of Summer. It's keeping your eye on the ball. It's going for broke and taking the extra base. It's turning the routine double play. It's making the play at the plate. It's the crack of the bat as the ball hits off the barrel. It's a beautiful curve ball. It's watching yet another no-hitter by Nolan Ryan. It's a grand slam from Dicky Schofield. It's a perfect game from Mike Witt. It's a late inning rally capped by a Guerrero single that sucks the air out of the Fenway fans. It's a World Series Ring we weren't sure we'd ever get. It's watching a young man who loves to play baseball turning into possibly one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Angels baseball is family. You love them to death and live or die with every second of the game.

ettin, you have done a lot of writing for this site, but nothing as good as these two paragraphs. This is perfect and deserved some recognition.

[ettin]

ettin, you have done a lot of writing for this site, but nothing as good as these two paragraphs. This is perfect and deserved some recognition.

 

Thanks Strad!