Angels Uniform #50

1972 - 94: Angel coach Jimmie Reese

This is a strange case. Longtime Angels coach Jimmie Reese had his jersey number posthumously retired by the Angels. Prior to his hiring, no Angel player or Manager had ever worn #50.

TRIVIA TIME: Jimmie Reese is not the only person in baseball history with a retired jersey # that no player ever wore in their club's history. Name the other four (the answer is in the comments section).

Blogger Bill Shaikin managed to get a few comments from Arte Moreno on his "Fabulous Forum"  blog:

LINK - to - BLOG

Some Highlights:

• Can only afford one of John Lackey and Chone Figgins
• Nope to Matt Holliday
• Maybe to Jason Bay
• Vladimir Guerrero? Loves Vlad, no answer yet.
• Five and Six Year contracts are for suckahs!
  

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

3 months ago: Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Justin Speier, right, reacts after giving up a solo home run to Texas Rangers' Taylor Teagarden during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Friday, Aug. 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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November 19, 2006, 3 years ago today, the Angels signed former Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Justin Speier as a free agent. It was a Bill Stoneman signing.

The 4-year deal (yes we will be paying him next season) was a precursor to trading Scot Shields and a prospect to the Atlanta Braves for Andruw Jones - whoops wait a minute, was that my analysis? Oh dear. And then in the comments, Welch says "no way" in the comments and I say "way" and am actually persuasive about it.

Funny thing - nobody in the comments was upset about this signing, especially relative to the vitriol that Speier managed to "just inspire" among Angels fans.

Read the NOVEMBER 19,2006 Halos Heaven Post.

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

DEREK LOWE: Ugly as John Lackey, sweats like Kevin Appier ... what is not to like (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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A National League baseball team known as the Atlanta Braves are looking to dump pitcher Derek Lowe and his $45 Million over the next three seasons, according to The Fanhouse Blog. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are looking to trade Gary Matthews Jr. and $23 Million over the next 2 seasons.

If the Angels fail to re-sign John Lackey, could this deal be a backup plan for a veteran starting pitcher to round out our rotation and jettison the Matthews abomination of a contract from the Big A once and for all?

If the Angels fail to re-sign their beloved Chone Figgins, could Lowe + salary relief be packaged in a trade to the Detroit Tigers for, ummmm, maybe Curtis Granderson?

Angels Uniform #51

1974: Orlando Pena
1986: Terry Forster
2002: Mickey Callaway
2003: Mickey Callaway and Chris Bootcheck
2005: Zach Sorensen
2007 - 09: Joe Saunders

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Angels Uniform #52 ... Highest Jersey # on the 1974 and '76 Angels

1974: Don Kirkwood
1976: Gary Wheelock
1986: Willie Fraser
1995, 96: Jim Abbott
1999: Mike Magnante
2001, 03: Bart Miadich
2004: Matt Hensley
2007 - 09: Jason Bulger

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Believe it or not, Halos Heaven isn't the only place to get Angels news.  There are fans that are so passionate about the Angels that they've created their own space on the internet in order to voice their passion.  Each has their own particular spin on stories, a history to share, and other relevant ways to talk about the team.

"I'm just a guy who loves his daughter and wife, baseball, collecting baseball cards and trying to bring them all together whenever I can" is the concept behind "ihearthalos", an Angels blog written by Ryan H. since the beginning of 2009.  When you visit "ihearthalos", you get a unique point of view of an Angels fan through baseball cards.  "I started this blog, mainly out of my love for baseball cards.  Over the last few years there has been a proliferation of baseball card related blogs, but none that ever dealt with my favorite team.  After kicking around the idea for a while I decided to give it a shot.  I've always been a little annoyed at what seemed like other fans snubbing the Angels, so it seemed like a great way to spread the word of the Halos and also discuss my hobby.  On top of that, I was an English major in need of a creative outlet.  I became hooked when I started to discover other Angels fans out there who shared my love of cards and the Angels."

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Angels Uniform #53 ... a Prime Number

1993: Chris Turner
1994 - 96: Manager Marcel Lachemann
2000: Brett Hinchliffe
2002 - 06: Brendan Donnelly
2008: Darren O`Day
2009: Bobby Abreu

More photos » by M. Spencer Green - AP

Del Ninja (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

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General Manager Tony Reagins commented on all the trade rumors out there in the LA TIMES - just like me and many here he said that a lot of these rumors don't make sense.

In a bitch-slap to Scott Boras, the Angels GM specifically said the Angels are not pursuing Boras client Matt Holliday. Reagins said his priorities are RE-signing John Lackey and Chone Figgins and that Vladimir Guerrero and Darren Oliver are definitely on the team's radar as well.

Conclusion from these comments: Tony Reagins seems to understand that you don't blow up a 97-win team.

The Times' Mike DiGiovanna hinted at the tension surrounding the shakeup in the Angels front office when he noted that despite the current shakeups in management, payroll would not be affected.

Though the Angels are in the midst of a front-office reorganization that resulted in the loss of positions in the media relations and community relations department last week, Reagins doesn't expect the team's payroll -- about $113 million in 2008 -- to be reduced significantly.

Why would the Times bring up the team's on-field payroll in mentioning a shakeup involving a community affairs director and a media contact person whose combined salary is half of the major league minimum of a rookie player? Would it maybe be from an independent blog waking them up? Stay tuned.