Halos Heaven, a Los Angeles Angels community

Quote:Bert Blyleven about the Angels’ current hitting coach: "I remember one incident in particular at spring training in Orlando in 1986. It was St. Patrick’s Day and Mickey went into the maintenance room next to the dugout and found some green paint that was being used on the outfield walls. "He decided to cover himself in that paint. He painted his face green, his arms green, everything that showed under his uniform was green. "So he comes out all green, and he didn’t realize that the paint was enamel. It was a hot March day and everyone was laughing. Well the game started, and Mickey was sitting next to me on the bench, and all of a sudden he told me ‘Bert, I’m having trouble breathing.’ "His pores had closed and the paint was going into his system."

Just because everyone thinks he is a free swinging hacker. "What Teixeira has done, according to Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, is change the culture of hitting in Los Angeles. He's taught teammates to be more patient, to take walks if the perfect pitch to hit isn't there. "He definitely adds a lot to our lineup with that on-base percentage; a guy that works the count," Hatcher said. "It's good for some of my players to watch that. He's brought that into our lineup. Ever since we got him he's had a lot of big hits for us. He gets on base to help us create more runs. He plays unbelievable defense, and I think that makes our pitching staff that more confident. He's just fun to watch."