Do You Recall These Angels?

When you hit 3 home runs in a playoff game, you will be forever endeared by that fan base. Great performance that day!!!

Kelvim Escobar signed with the Angels following the 2003 season after playing in the land only known as “Toronto” (but no one can confirm it exists). Like many free agent signings, Mr. Escobar became injury prone (see Mo Vaughn) as the Angels once again threw a lot of money at a mediocre player. This led to a string of injuries, until during the middle of the 2009 season he started a few games and everyone wondered “wait he still is on the Angels roster.”

The definition of a glass cannon. A badass with a heart of gold who isnt afraid to make a myspace and post in all caps. While he isnt living his own version of boats and hoes he can be found either dominating on the mound or in the trainers room getting his arm stitched on. He drives a solid gold ferrari and does not care what you think, because he is that awesome.

who is “we”?

Adam Kennedy was always seemingly the forgotten Angel when recalling the teams of bygone years, but despite not posting the flashiest numbers, he was always there to make the play when called upon. The Angels always saw him as more of a stopgap type of player, holding on to him until they could get somebody better, but Kennedy would never allow himself to drift into oblivion. The defining moment of his Angel career was in the ALCS against the Twins in 2002, when after hitting two home runs he was called upon to lay down a sac bunt. After fouling off the first one, he got the signal to swing away and blasted the very next pitch into the bleachers for his third of the game, sending the Angels into their first World Series. Despite nearly always being a side note, Kennedy always made sure he would never be forgotten.
Yeah its more than 50 words, edit/do with it as you please

I will always remember game 5 of the ALCS against the Twins in ’02. The pure joy you brought me and all halos fans when you hit those three homers will be something I never forget. It brought us back from 5 runs down and gave the Angels big time momentum heading to the World Series. Also, the brawl with Scott Feldman in ’05 I believe was pretty epic as well!

My mom was on the local Little League board as a fundraiser. When she initiated contact with the recently arrived and nearby California Angels, Bobby Knoop was the MAIN guy who responded to the call. He always went way out of his way to help promote baseball in Orange County.

My first target for childhood Hero Worship. Spending my youth seeing some 30 – 40 games behind home dugout when maybe 8,000 would attend, we became familiar fans to him. Unheard of today, he actually would play a little catch with my brothers and I over the dugout during warm-ups.

AK…We screamed when you would swing for the fences, smiled when you hit a homerun. Screamed when you looked lazy, smiled when you punched gerald laird. Always average, but the best At beating the odds. You will always be an angel. Thank you for those 3 bombs against Minnesota.

I remember seeing him on the sand in Huntington Beach during his last injury prone year with the Angels. He was on the DL at the time, which is not a surprise. I don’t remember if he ever played that year. But what I do remember is that Kelvim was chucking a Nerf football about 50 yards to his buddies on the sand repeatedly, all while he was on the DL with a SHOULDER INJURY. Now we all know the reason as to why Kelvim never could get healthy. It wasn’t because of the missing muscle in his throwing shoulder. It was him throwing Nerf footballs with reckless abandon while nursing the injury.

True story.

Lou was just the kind of utility player the Angels needed when they signed him. A player who would be appreciated for showing up everyday ready to play, and then not know what to do when summoned upon by skipper Mike Scioscia.

Chili Davis is the hero of one of my earliest Angels memories. It was a game against the Indians sometime in the mid-90s—when the Indians were absolutely loaded with talent—and we had to go up against El Presidente, Dennis Martinez. Chili came up with the bases jacked in the middle innings and hit an absolute bomb over the right field foul pole. I didn’t really know who he was at the time—or why he was named after delicious meat-beans concoction—but he was my favorite player from that day forward.

Jarrod Washburn debuted with the Angels in 1998 and went 75-57 with a 3.93 ERA in his time with the California, Anaheim and Los Angeles Angels. His crowning achievement was a 4th place Cy Young Award finish in the World Series 2002 year, going 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA.

I loved the way he hit with no batting gloves. Well, now that I looked back on it, I realize that “hit” is a strong word, since he didn’t do much of it. But he was fun to watch out there at short, he played hard all the time, doing all the little things, playing fundamental baseball. I will never forget being at the game in 1995 when he tore the ligament in his hand. He was having a career year and was the heart and soul of that team.

When he came up he was supposed to be big the next BIG thing and it didn’t take him long to show big league stuff. I remember him throwing a shutout his first year at Jack Murphy Stadium against the Padres the first year. Most of all Jarrod Washburn was a hell of nice guy. Easy smile, easy quote, easy handshake and a journalist’s dream. His locker was right next to Shigetoshi Hasegawa’s, which must have made for some interesting conversations.

Was the first major league second basemen I ever saw in action, and probably still one of the best I ever saw play. Knoop and Fregosi turned the DP like Trammell and Whitaker in their prime. The odd thing was in the later years when Knoop was coaching third base for the team. It was so weird to see him coaching the bases instead of flashing that incredible leather of his. Only second basemen I’ve ever seen closer to Knoop with the glove were Ryne Sandberg and Roberto Alomar, but I’m sure Knoop deserves 75pct of the credit of all the DPs Fregosi turned.

Became controversial (perhaps unfairly) because he went to the Dodgers after being one of the anchors of the Angels rotation. Was a heck of a serviceable pitcher though, in particular I can remember him shutting out the Seattle Pilots (I think) and my Dad telling me was a shut out meant. And when I as a youngster I got into building model World War II airplanes, and my Dad had a good laugh buying a Messersmith. He couldn’t have as much fun with the Spitfire because Nolan Ryan was already gone.

I remember prior to the 2002 MLB Post Season, working in the Warehouse for a prominent retail outlet, I’d have my own little hot stove conversation with a delivery driver. Both of us were huge Angel fans. And I was already to talk about how good Washburn was and how he could really define his career this season. It was then I was stunned to hear that Washburn was being investigated for rape allegations. Washburn would never be arrested. But I don’t know if Washburn was ever the same after the allegations.

To combat the onset of cabin-fever during harsh Montana winters, I used to play 162 games of Stat-O-Matic baseball (yes, THE dice game) using the roster of the ’89 Angels. Chili was my clean-up hitter, blasting 41 homers before the faux All-Star break, finishing the season with a modern-day record 93 round-trippers. In the postseason, he smashed 11 home runs (including SIX grand slams), and lead the 123-39 Angels in a lopsided Freeway World Series, sweeping the cross-town Dodgers in three games (they forfeited the deciding fourth game). Needless to say, Chili was named the American League MVP, before penning a multi-billion dollar deal with the Angels…

…and Nintendo.

Did I happen to say that I played Strat ALL BY MYSELF, in my basement bedroom? My Dad was always out in the missle fields, and my younger brother wouldn’t play because… well, it’s kinda dorky. I even had mock trade deadlines and winter meetings where I skillfully orchestrated a blockbuster deal for Wade Boggs and Mike Greenwell. Don’t worry, we only had to give up Jack Howell, Tony Armas, and Bert Blyleven, which allowed us to bring up John Smoltz from SLC (secured in an earlier trade). Ahhh, the growing pains of teenage life in Militarytown, USA. Don’t worry, eight years in the Infantry straightened me out pretty quick, and most would say I am now a well-adjusted a-dult.

Fat Ass. Saw in person him hit a triple. I was not in my seat because the guy next to me puked all over the person in front and next to him. Was wearing an Expo’s hat and crewed tobacco. Torri Hunter went back on the ball and crashed into the wall and got knocked out and was on the ball. Bengie made it to third 3 minutes later and needed to be pulled out because he could not breath.

I have never seen someone work so hard in my time as an Angels fan. He was a great hitter and a tremendous fielder that never gave anything less than 110 percent. If the team was struggling you could count on Erstad to fire the team up. He is my favorite Angel and always will be.

that Carl Crawford will never be included among the Angels

I realize Weaver is a player both new and old Angel fans will be familiar with; however, I had the opportunity to watch him pitch a lot of games at Blair Field in Long Beach. As most (if not all) of you know, Mr. Weaver was a Dirtbag at Long Beach State. He pitched on an excellent team which included fellow major league players Jason Vargas and Troy Tulowitzki. I remember the first time I saw him pitch and was shocked at how good his stuff was and remember talking about him being an MLB pitcher one day. We often sat behind home plate at the field just to watch the movement of pitches and Weaver was far and away the best we saw the entire season.

Blair Field is the place where I played my high school baseball games for Lakewood High School. One of my teammates, Chris Gomez, went on the play for the LB State Dirtbags and then had a 14 year career in the bigs. I have a lot of fond memories playing in high school and watching some great baseball at Blair Field.

In addition to Jared Weaver, a number of major MLB stars went through the Dirtbags program – Tulowitzki (previously mentioned), Evan Longoria and Jason Giambi are probably the biggest stars. Lot’s of fun.. I am glad the tall, lanky right-hander ended up with us…

There was another Chris (Chris Miller) who pitched at Lakewood HS and then went to Loyola Marymount. Maybe you were thinking of him?

As an Angel fan since their beginning in 1961, I remember Dean Chance very well. His two claims to fame were 1) as tag-along party pal with team mate playboy Bo Belinsky, and 2) having perhaps the greatest season of any Angel in history in 1964. What makes his 20-9, 1.65 ERA season most amazing is that at the All Star break he was only 5-4. He racked up almost all his 11 shutouts in the second half and was almost unhittable. One commentator at the time remarked that Chance and Tony Oliva, MVP from the Twins in 64, belonged in a league of their own where Oliva would have to face Chance for every AB. Sadly, Chance never matched those glory days of ’64 again.

Steve Bilko was a crowd-pleasing LA celebrity even before the Angels began in 1961. He was a notorious power hitter for the old LA Angels of the PCL, hitting over 50 home runs twice in the little bandbox of Wrigley Field. But he could never hit big league pitching consistently. When he came up with the Angels in 1961, playing in the same Wrigley Field, our hopes were high. Bilko had his best MLB year that year (20 homers), but then the Angels moved to Chavez Ravine, and Bilko soon vanished into history. Reminds me of a couple of guys named Dallas and Brandon.