Eric

Just as a personal aside, and when Mike reads this he may start to feel uncomfortable, but at this point, I don't care.  I have seen the way that Mike speaks of this online community.  He absolutely beams when the name Angelswin comes up.  This place, and the people that inhabit it, mean the world to him.  Every time we talk, and I mean every time we talk, the subject of Angelswin comes up.  Mike is a diehard Angels fan, as I am, and Mike was the one that introduced me to this website and the community, and I thank him for it.
 
Thank you, everyone, for your support of Mike throughout the years.  Yes, we all know that Mike is a bit of an odd-bird, but one who is, despite any rough exterior he may have, one of the kindest, gentlest most giving people that I have ever known in my life and someone who I am proud to have been able to call a true friend throughout the years.
 
Thank you all, Angelswin.  Thank you all once again for bringing joy into Mike's life, and by proxy, into my own.

Why? Is Morin coming in already?

Wow, Iannetta runs like a piano falling down the stairs.

Other than maybe MLB itself. I live in a six team blackout area, and I am 250 miles from the nearest MLB park. Tell me how that makes sense, and how anyone benefits from me not being able to see the games I want.
 
If I were deliberately trying to kill interest in the game, I would implement a system like the one that MLB has now.

Josh Hamilton is the name
And I served on the Angels Team
'Till Cocaine's calling came
And I tore up some tracks again
 
In the winter of ’14 nigh,
We were loaded, totally high
By May the 10th, MLB had ruledl
It's a time I remember, not so well
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Back with my wife in Texas we
Fell silent until you see
I could say to thee,
“Hey, it’s all about me!"
 
Now, I don't mind burning bridges wood
And I don't care cause the money's good
I took what I needed
And I left the rest
But I could never
Have given my very best
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singingThey went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Like Mo Vaughn before me
I just worked a tan
And like Gary Mathews before me
Who took the money and ran
 
He just sucked, and just yelped
The pre-contract roids no longer helped
I swear by the trade I helped create
You can't raise a junkie back up
When he wants the street
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Josh Hamilton is the name
And I served on the Angels Team
'Till Cocaine's calling came
And I tore up some tracks again
 
In the winter of ’14 nigh,
We were loaded, totally high
By May the 10th, MLB had ruledl
It's a time I remember, not so well
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Back with my wife in Texas we
Fell silent until you see
I could say to thee,
“Hey, it’s all about me!"
 
Now, I don't mind burning bridges wood
And I don't care cause the money's good
I took what I needed
And I left the rest
But I could never
Have given my very best
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singingThey went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Like Mo Vaughn before me
I just worked a tan
And like Gary Mathews before me
Who took the money and ran
 
He just sucked, and just yelped
The pre-contract roids no longer helped
I swear by the trade I helped create
You can't raise a junkie back up
When he wants the street
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Josh Hamilton is the name
And I served on the Angels Team
'Till Cocaine's calling came
And I tore up some tracks again
 
In the winter of ’14 nigh,
We were loaded, totally high
By May the 10th, MLB had ruledl
It's a time I remember, not so well
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Back with my wife in Texas we
Fell silent until you see
I could say to thee,
“Hey, it’s all about me!"
 
Now, I don't mind burning bridges wood
And I don't care cause the money's good
I took what I needed
And I left the rest
But I could never
Have given my very best
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singingThey went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
Like Mo Vaughn before me
I just worked a tan
And like Gary Mathews before me
Who took the money and ran
 
He just sucked, and just yelped
The pre-contract roids no longer helped
I swear by the trade I helped create
You can't raise a junkie back up
When he wants the street
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"
 
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the phones were ringing
The night I drove old Arte mad
And the front office was singing
They went, "Na, na, la, na, na, la"

Maybe so, but with his catlike reflexes he denied the Cubs an extra base hit!

That may have been the most spring training play ever.

While it may not be "best Christmas gift ever", what I got this year ranks right up there, especially for someone living out of state who couldn't attend a single game all season long.
 
I was given a big ass box.  When I opened it it was filled with every single Angels Stadium giveaway from the 2014 year.
 
Yes, I know a bunch of them were crap, but the idea that my parents (who have season tickets) took the time to save every giveaway all season long and give it as a gift was pure awesomeness.
 
My Halo shelves (which are already filled with years of Angels Stadium giveaways dating back to the early 80's) just added an entire wing onto the setup.

While it may not be "best Christmas gift ever", what I got this year ranks right up there, especially for someone living out of state who couldn't attend a single game all season long.
 
I was given a big ass box.  When I opened it it was filled with every single Angels Stadium giveaway from the 2014 year.
 
Yes, I know a bunch of them were crap, but the idea that my parents (who have season tickets) took the time to save every giveaway all season long and give it as a gift was pure awesomeness.
 
My Halo shelves (which are already filled with years of Angels Stadium giveaways dating back to the early 80's) just added an entire wing onto the setup.

The top of the list is Eckstein.  Not only was he just kicked to the curb, they passive aggressively pissed on him and told him it was raining when they replaced him with Cabrera (who was almost stat for stat the same as Eck) for a ton of money more. He was always dismissed as "over-achieving" for (insert adjective denigrating him here). In the end, no one ever really gave David the credit he truly deserved.  Bottom line, if Eck isn't on the 2002 Angels, they never make the playoffs, let alone win the Series. While you could say that about each of the players on the 25 man roster, and all of the coaches, it was truly Eck and Erstad that set the tone of the work ethic of the club that year. The Angels have never been the same since he left. 2002 was a "working class" team who got it done.  The Angels have become a Prima-Donna clubhouse with bloated contracts.  Sure, the 2001-4 team players were still making tons of money themselves compared to their fans, but you never got the sense that they took any of that for granted. If anyone slacked off, the rest of the team kicked them in the ass to pick it up.  Now, when someone slacks off or seems lackadaisical, meh, they'll eventually turn it around, there's no need to pressure them.
 
Sorry for the vent, but you asked!

As a player, Howie frustrated me at the plate in clutch situations, but made me happy when he led off an inning. He was a table setter. He got the ball rolling. In the field, he was about as solid a player as they come.
 
As a person, Howie has always been a class act, and those words are just further proof. I'm sure the #Angelswin hashtag was no accident and was a shout out.

I like Howie but its a good deal long term for the club. Thanks for being a fan friendly player Howie!!! Best of luck against all teams but the Halos.

It is shocking to me how many deals like this Dipoto has made, when I cannot recall a single one made by Reagins.

Lookie what I found on the interwebitubes!
 
http://youtu.be/i_qeQkV2KIU?t=53m17s

Today has been a struggle for me. It's hard to believe that I will no longer be able to pick up the phone and call Mike. He was a good friend, and anyone that knows me knows, those words don't come lightly.
 
Thank you all for the kind words about Mike.
 
I'm just thankful that he was able to get many kind words and support from this place before he passed so that he knew as he ventured into the great unknown how truly loved and appreciated he was.
 
To say that he will be missed would be a great understatement of Epic proportion.
 
I was there the first time he was introduced to Angelswin.com in spring training years ago by a couple that sat next to us at the game. Who knew at the time that it would turn out to be a pivitol moment in his life as he found a group of people with just as much passion for the Angels as he had.
 
Thank you, Angelswin, for bringing joy into the life of a man that I am proud to be able to call a true friend.
 
Thank you.

Just as a personal aside, and when Mike reads this he may start to feel uncomfortable, but at this point, I don't care.  I have seen the way that Mike speaks of this online community.  He absolutely beams when the name Angelswin comes up.  This place, and the people that inhabit it, mean the world to him.  Every time we talk, and I mean every time we talk, the subject of Angelswin comes up.  Mike is a diehard Angels fan, as I am, and Mike was the one that introduced me to this website and the community, and I thank him for it.
 
Thank you, everyone, for your support of Mike throughout the years.  Yes, we all know that Mike is a bit of an odd-bird, but one who is, despite any rough exterior he may have, one of the kindest, gentlest most giving people that I have ever known in my life and someone who I am proud to have been able to call a true friend throughout the years.
 
Thank you all, Angelswin.  Thank you all once again for bringing joy into Mike's life, and by proxy, into my own.

Nice. I will try to swing by while I'm out there, but I probably won't get the chance to play since I need to be back in Vegas in the AM. But who knows?

Mike, myself, and HALOMVP (Jimmy) at a Spring Training game a couple of years ago.

Mike, myself, and HALOMVP (Jimmy) at a Spring Training game a couple of years ago.

Today has been a struggle for me. It's hard to believe that I will no longer be able to pick up the phone and call Mike. He was a good friend, and anyone that knows me knows, those words don't come lightly.
 
Thank you all for the kind words about Mike.
 
I'm just thankful that he was able to get many kind words and support from this place before he passed so that he knew as he ventured into the great unknown how truly loved and appreciated he was.
 
To say that he will be missed would be a great understatement of Epic proportion.
 
I was there the first time he was introduced to Angelswin.com in spring training years ago by a couple that sat next to us at the game. Who knew at the time that it would turn out to be a pivitol moment in his life as he found a group of people with just as much passion for the Angels as he had.
 
Thank you, Angelswin, for bringing joy into the life of a man that I am proud to be able to call a true friend.
 
Thank you.

Mike, myself, and HALOMVP (Jimmy) at a Spring Training game a couple of years ago.

This is a hall of fame worthy thread.