brianvargo

"Did the Japanese go and sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?"
"What is the name of that river? The San Antonio River runs right through the heart of downtown Los Angeles!"
"Manuel Boat!"

Who goofed? I've got to know.

I miss Jim Healy.  I used to love listening to his show before the Angels' pre-game as a kid.
 
"A-wunnerful, a-wunnderful."

I miss Jim Healy.  I used to love listening to his show before the Angels' pre-game as a kid.
 
"A-wunnerful, a-wunnderful."

I miss Jim Healy.  I used to love listening to his show before the Angels' pre-game as a kid.
 
"A-wunnerful, a-wunnderful."

I miss Jim Healy.  I used to love listening to his show before the Angels' pre-game as a kid.
 
"A-wunnerful, a-wunnderful."

Following this link down the rabbit hole, I was surprised and impressed to discover that Brian Downing had an OPS of .835 in his age-41 season with the Texas Rangers.  That's in 391 plate appearances.  The previous season he was at .831 in 476 plate appearances.  I do wish the Angels hadn't let him walk.  It still bothers me that he retired a Ranger.
 
But I digress.  Was it Bob Starr who called Mike Witt's phenomenal 12-to-6 curve ball "the yakker"?  I'm glad that The Witter is in.
 
As for Dean Chance, he's a bit before my time, but even if he gained entrance to the Angels' Hall of Fame on the basis of only one season, at least it was a genuinely great season: eleven shutouts, a 1.65 ERA over 278 innings, a WHIP of 1.006 - not for nothing was he the youngest pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award up to that point.  I think that we have to consider his achievement in the context of the club's history, too.  At the time, the Angels were just in their fourth year of existence and they were very much in the shadow of the Dodgers. And the Dodgers had the two most dominant pitchers in the game in Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. For a 23-year-old kid to come along and steal a little of their thunder by winning the Cy Young at a time when only one was awarded for *both* leagues is an accomplishment of near Trout-like proportions.
 
I guess what I'm trying to express, in my long-winded manner, is that I don't begrudge Chance his spot in the Angels' Hall, either.
 
As for Sammy?  About time, I say!  At his best, he was about as reliable a hitter as I can recall watching.  There were few hitters I'd rather have up at the plate in a clutch situation than Salmon in his prime.  His bat speed was incredible, and he could absolutely punish the ball to all fields.  What a joy he was to watch.

Following this link down the rabbit hole, I was surprised and impressed to discover that Brian Downing had an OPS of .835 in his age-41 season with the Texas Rangers.  That's in 391 plate appearances.  The previous season he was at .831 in 476 plate appearances.  I do wish the Angels hadn't let him walk.  It still bothers me that he retired a Ranger.
 
But I digress.  Was it Bob Starr who called Mike Witt's phenomenal 12-to-6 curve ball "the yakker"?  I'm glad that The Witter is in.
 
As for Dean Chance, he's a bit before my time, but even if he gained entrance to the Angels' Hall of Fame on the basis of only one season, at least it was a genuinely great season: eleven shutouts, a 1.65 ERA over 278 innings, a WHIP of 1.006 - not for nothing was he the youngest pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award up to that point.  I think that we have to consider his achievement in the context of the club's history, too.  At the time, the Angels were just in their fourth year of existence and they were very much in the shadow of the Dodgers. And the Dodgers had the two most dominant pitchers in the game in Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. For a 23-year-old kid to come along and steal a little of their thunder by winning the Cy Young at a time when only one was awarded for *both* leagues is an accomplishment of near Trout-like proportions.
 
I guess what I'm trying to express, in my long-winded manner, is that I don't begrudge Chance his spot in the Angels' Hall, either.
 
As for Sammy?  About time, I say!  At his best, he was about as reliable a hitter as I can recall watching.  There were few hitters I'd rather have up at the plate in a clutch situation than Salmon in his prime.  His bat speed was incredible, and he could absolutely punish the ball to all fields.  What a joy he was to watch.

It's an honest hobby!
 

These are meaningful games but so far you haven't presented anything in the way of facts that say his future performance will be a problem.
 
The last true playoff team the Angels had was 2009 where Kendrick, in the "meaningful games" of a playoff hunt batted July .387 August .328 Sept .339. 
 
The Red Sox were a blowout sweep but in the playoffs against the Yankees, true crunch time for the Pennant, he hit .286/.333/.643/.976.
 
I gave you a chance to prove yourself right and all you did was back peddle and provide nothing in the way of facts.
 
Next time please come prepared.

That was one of the guttiest wins I've seen in my 33 years of pulling for the Halos.  I've never been prouder to be an Angel fan.
 
How sweet it is!

Hey Guys.  This is David, Matt's Dad.  Thank you for the kind words and the laughs.  I have been on the board for quite some time, but do not write too many comments. Just to clear a couple of things up.  My wife, Karen, Matt's Mom does not have a beard.  HaHa  I do not have a full beard now but did a few years ago. Just a mustache and goatee now.  Thanks for supporting Matt.  He is a great young man who has worked his butt off to get to where he is at.  I am so glad he was finally given the chance to help this team.  We are so blessed that he has performed the way he has.  He will give you every thing he has each time he pitches.  I hope it continues. GO ANGELS!

I don't know if you have an account here, but I know you at least read this board. I just wanted to say thank you for having Matt. He is awesome.
 
Also, I'm assuming you have a beard, or have at least had one at some point in your life, but thank you for giving him his genes so we can stare at that bush of holiness while your son pitches.
 
Again, thank you for Matt. We appreciate it.

Cause this team keeps showing people they have it...
 
Talk about rising to the occasion on a bleak day.   F people who don't appreciate this team.

1st Place at last!
And it feels sooooooo good!
Now let's keep it going Halos and claim sole possession of first place atop the AL West.

Shut up, cracker.

The Angels hat is the biggest racist ever. Angels are generally seen as "white". "A" stands for Angels but it also stands for Aryan. "Arte" also starts with the letter A. Arte removed the city from the jersey as it had no association with the Aryan race. When people talk about the team's offense they refer to "Angels Hitters". Notice I capitalized both words there? The offense is the team's overall strength this year. A and H? Who's initials are AH? That's right, Adolf Hitler is the team's biggest strength.
Wake. Up. Sheeple.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150420388059984.1073742007.15425909983&type=1
 

I mean seriously, our bullpen is pretty sick whether you thought we gave up too much to get Street or not. Let's keep focused on that in this thread (not the prospects we gave up).
For the first time since the days of Percival, K-Rod, Shields, Donkey and Weber we can boast one of the best bullpens in the big leagues.
Street, Smith, Grilli, Jepsen, Morin, Thatcher (loogy) and Rasmus (or Salas) for mop up duty. #SICK
One of our biggest voids has been filled, already boasting a top offense and top 10 starting rotation.

Who out there is enjoying this?
 
Trolls and Haters, feel free to embrace the team. I know it's like holy water on a demon, but...
 
I'm loving every minute of this! 

Not trying to pick a fight, or an argument here, and it isn't just Brandon, but I am surprised by the tone of contempt or disdain that many posters here have for newspapers.
 
Hey, they don't have to be everybody's thing.  But please just remember, we have very few, if any, government watch dogs. 
 
The Bell scandal was brought to light by the LA Times.  That complete boondoggle of a school district - Centinela Valley, in Hawthorne area - was uncovered by the Daily Breeze.  Now the FBI is involved in that one.
 
Stomp on the graves of newspapers, and do it with glee, if you like.  But they serve a real purpose that nobody else is doing.

By Toby Hunt, AngelsWin.com Staff Writer -
Ahh, baseball season. 7 months out of the year we get to watch the greatest game on earth and cheer on our favorite players and teams. There's ups, there's downs, there's just a lot of fun to be had. Will we get to see our team in the playoffs again? Will any of our pitchers throw a no-hitter? Will a cosmetically-challenged Hispanic shortstop get hit in the balls? So many possibilities can arise during the long season, it's no wonder so many of us are hooked until the last out.
As Angels fans we love our team, but we don't always agree on everything. We argue over the lineup cards, we argue over the bullpen management, and sometimes we even argue over whether Mike Trout is fat or not.
Does this batting average make my butt look big?
We have certainly had our share of disputes over the years, and with the playoff drought in recent years, tensions are high. But In spite of all the bickering regarding the team and Trout's girth, I think we can all agree that we love the Angels and will do so until the day we die, or at least until they miss the playoffs again. But there is another thing that holds us all together as fans, that keeps us sticking together through the hardest times and gives us something we can all stand united on, something that bonds us and makes us all the same, no matter what race, religion, or Costco we adhere to: Our hatred of the Boston Red Sox.
Just in case you needed a reminder.
Why do we hate the Red Sox? Because **** them, that's why. We hear about them every day. We see them in the papers, on the news, on every sports network. "How will the Red Sox do this year?". It's sickening. For years we have had to endure the endless babble about how the Red Sox are this great underdog trying to overthrow the evil empire (New York) and how we should root for them to overcome the odds and save the day. It's like watching Star Wars every day for 7 months, except all of the rebels have been digitally replaced by Jar-Jar Binks and voiced by Ben Afleck.
Don't think for a second I'm doing a caption for that.
They aren't "underdogs", nor are they a team we can relate or connect to in any way. They are irreparable douches who have committed all the same sins the "evil empire" has, and we are supposed to believe they are the good guys?
But seriously though, as Angels fans why do we hate a team we only see 9 times a year at most? A team that plays 3,000 miles away? I suppose a lot of it has to do with the 1986 LDS. Obviously the Dave Henderson homerun still has some shards left over in many an Angel fan's heart. But there have been a lot of heartbreaking moments in this team's history. Do we have the same hatred for Seattle after the 1995 season? Or Jeff Mathis for being Jeff Mathis? Why is it that no matter who wears that uniform, us Angels fans look at them in disgust?
It's everything, really. The obnoxious fans who crowd Angels' Stadium whenever they ooze into town, the overblown media coverage, 1986, and of course it hasn't helped that the Angels have basically been Boston's female dog for 20 years running. Just the sight of those uniforms gives me nightmares and intestinal bleeding. Most of my worst baseball memories involve the Red Sox. Be it from watching the Angels get brutally pounded in Fenway, or seeing Mo Vaughn walkoff on Troy Percival. I also have a running nightmare where I get turned into a piece of cheese and Dustin Pedroia slowly gnaws away at my coagulated body before dragging me under the oven........But a funny thought occurred to me this evening when I saw Boston lose their 10th straight game: I really love when the Red Sox lose. I mean, nothing beats an Angels' win don't get me wrong, but if there is one thing that is right up there, it's seeing the Red Sox play like absolute crap. It can always be a silver lining in an otherwise dreary day.
This is borderline pornographic for me.
Now, you may think it to be a bit ridiculous to find so much pleasure in seeing another team's misery, but you gotta understand where I come from: I live smack dab in the middle of Red Sox Nation. Hell I'm only a 2 hour drive from the capital. It's like being an Atheist with an irrational fear of cardboard signs living next to the Westboro Baptist Church. During election season. It isn't fun, and it's especially not fun when the Red Sox do well. Their fans are annoying and obnoxious, and winning brings that out of them tenfold. Being an open fan of another team during those trying times is not the most enlightening experience. On the flipside, when the Red Sox are not doing well, I get to walk around with a shit-eating grin on my face. It literally makes my life better when Boston is losing. I'm certainly not the only one. 
As Angels fans, we love seeing our team win more than anything else. It makes us happy. It makes our day just a little bit better. You can't honestly say the last couple weeks of success hasn't put you in a better mood, if only slightly. For me, seeing the success of my favorite team and the deficiency of my least favorite team at the same time has been a euphoric experience. Will it last? Maybe, maybe not. But for now I'm going to enjoy it. Oh am I ever going to enjoy it. View the full article