Meet the Halos Heaven staff: Jeff Joiner

Back in 2011, our old supreme leader, Rev Halofan, brought a handful of us Halos Heaven ruffians up from the realm of the comments and the Fanposts, and into the world of official, front page posting. Yep, he had given us the keys to the Halos Heaven muscle car and was now allowing us to take it for a spin whenever and wherever we’d like.

In a couple months, I’ll have been in my site manager/editor-in-chief role for two years, and one of the things I’m most proud of in that time is curating a new group of amazing and talented writers to grace the front page of our esteemed site. I have tried to do the same thing for the new blood I’ve brought on as Rev did for me all those years ago, giving them the outlet, the tools and all the audience one could ever need to broadcast their Angels-related opinions.

As a community, it’s also crucial to know these writers, to feel familiar and friendly with them, because that’s what makes the Halos Heaven vibe so special. So, once again, I’m doing just as Rev did back in 2011, and I’m posting some Q&As that I did for each of the new staff writers that we’ve seen come on in the past year. Heck, I even used Rev’s same questions!

So, without further ado, let’s meet the Halos Heaven staff, shall we?

First up, Jeff Joiner! Jeff has been around for a long time, but he recently came on board to help me out with some stuff. Primarily, he’s focused on stadium reports and handy field guides...first, for the Cactus League (which you all probably saw a couple months ago). Next up, he wants to go over other parks in Major League Baseball, which is quite the undertaking for someone who already has a busy schedule. I’m sure he’ll crush it.

When he has other free time, he likes to write about goings on in the Angels world...of course, he rarely has free time. Such is life! Get to know yer boi, Jeff Joiner!

WHO WAS THE FIRST ANGELS PLAYER YOU DECIDED WAS "YOUR GUY"?

Wally Joyner. I was a 10 year old kid in a small town in the middle of nowhere. One day I heard what I thought was my last name on the radio and it was the greatest thing ever. A couple of weeks later we made the 30 minute drive to the nearest mall to do some shopping and I bought the Wally Joyner poster that hung on my wall long after Wally left the Angels.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CURRENT ANGEL AND WHY?

The easy answer is Mike Trout, the greatest player I’ve ever seen. But beyond that, I have to say Calhoun. I love the way he’s worked himself from non-prospect to legit MLB starter. Same reason I tend to root a little harder for Shoemaker.

WHICH SIDE OF THE "STATS VS CHEMISTRY" DEBATE ARE YOU ON AND WHY?

I’m more on the stats side. I work in sales and we are judged by our numbers. Yes, it is more enjoyable to work around good people but everybody is happier when you’re winning and/or making money.

PICK A SONG FOR THE ANGELS TO REPLACE BUTTERCUP WITH?

California Girls. This is OC, home of the greatest beaches in the world. Let the ladies of all ages dance and get on the video board for a few minutes.

IF YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE ANGELS SUMMER CONCERT SERIES, NAME THE PERFORMER YOU BREAK THE BANK TO GET...

Tame Impala would be my pick. I absolutely love their music, haven’t seen them, and would break the bank to have them play at the Big A.

SAY SOMETHING BALLSY / CONTROVERSIAL FOR US TO REMEMBER YOU BY...

I think the threat of a fastball to the ear hole kept players in line back in the day. You didn’t see bat flips against Nolan Ryan, you didn’t call time between every pitch against Don Drysdale. Guys stayed in line because there were consequences to acting like ass hats. However, you didn’t see many bench clearing brawls back then, either, because justice was meted swiftly by said fastball.

I wish players nowadays would bean obvious cheats like Ortiz, Bautista, and Cruz on a fairly consistent basis; enough to let the young guys know there are physical consequences to cheating.