Not a good thing

Yesterday, I was extremely disappointed to hear that Rex Hudler would not be back in the Angels broadcast booth for 2010. I first read about this on the LA Times Blog.

I blogged about Rex last month and asked fans to "Embrace the Wonder Dog."

I wrote then that Rex is one of us. I meant what I said then and I still believe that today. He is an Angels fan through and through. I feel like I just lost a member of my family – my Angels family. What makes this even sadder is that we didn’t even get a chance to say thank you or good bye.

I know most people either love Rex or hate him. There usually isn’t any middle ground. Personally, I loved his unbridled enthusiasm and always positive outlook. Quite frankly, we could all use a little more of those things. I believe he was a great ambassador for the Angels and baseball as a whole. He’s the kind of guy who gets kids hooked on baseball because he gives them his time and shows them how much fun the game is. Kids flock to a guy like Rex for a reason. He’s simply a joy and isn’t baseball supposed to be all about having a good time?

Did he offer up the best analysis and insight? No, not really. He did bring a certain perspective and I appreciated what he had to say. He was spontaneous and never scripted and in this day and age, I find that refreshing.

Rex was known to venture out of the broadcast booth and into the stands from time to time to deliver a baseball to a kid or to hug to a fan. There were no walls with Rex. He was an open book and what you saw, is what you got. He was an original, one-of-a-kind personality.

Steve Physioc will also not be back. I can’t say that I’ll miss him much. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Physioc per say; I could take him or leave him.

Next year Rory Markas and Mark Gubicza will team up to do the television broadcasts and Terry Smith will team with Jose Mota on the radio. Ugh. I’m not a fan of Mota. I know he’s a nice man and I’ve heard he’s a great individual. I just don’t care much for his style and find him hard to listen to. I’m someone who brings a radio to the games and with this change, I’m afraid my fan experience isn’t going to be the same next year.

I’m going to miss Rex. I’m going to miss running into him outside of the stadium and seeing him pump up the crowd. Rex always left fans feeling great about Angels baseball. He had that kind of impact.

I’m sure Rex will land on his feet some where; never-the-less, I’ll miss him just the same.

God bless you Rex Hudler. You enhanced my experience as a fan and I appreciate that more than you will ever know.