E-8... Fred Lynn drops the ball

Fred Lynn must think he’s something special. Every now and then a baseball player will do something that will leave me shaking my head and that’s exactly what happened Saturday night.

As part of the Angels’ 50th Anniversary celebration, they’ve had various alumni from the past 50 years come out to the stadium for a ceremonial first pitch. They then come out to a designated area after the second inning to sign autographs for a hundred fans. Every now and then – someone has to cancel or they can’t fulfill the autograph portion of the evening because they’re working in the broadcast booth or in the dugout of the opposing team or some other logical reason.

There have been some notable players participating in this event and a list is available on the Angels’ web site.

Fred Lynn’s turn came this past Saturday and I would say it was an event of more than moderate expectations. Even though Lynn is not a Hall of Famer, he’s a player of note and one a great many Angel fans were looking forward to seeing and possibly meeting.

The game was scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start and the gates opened at 4:00 p.m. A lot of fans who wanted Lynn’s autograph arrived at the stadium prior to 4:00 p.m. to get in line and then make their way to the autograph area to get a wrist band – which is handed out to the first 100 fans. Cheryl and I arrived around 4:20 p.m. and made our way to the staging area and we received our wrist bands.

Then the waiting began. The wait can be a good 2.5 hours on some nights give or take. Fans pass the time talking Angels baseball, showing what they might have the alumnus sign, etc. As the time gets closer, the anticipation of the meeting grows and a buzz kind of hovers over the group of people who paid their dues to get the autograph.

Well, Saturday night – the fun was sucked out of the air.

Sometime between the start of the game and the time Lynn was to arrive – the news started to circulate that Fred Lynn would not sign any “personal items.” That meant no balls, bats, photos, cards, etc.

What?

We were told he would provide an item that he would sign. Okay… What item? The ushers were instructed to not tell us (although it was clear some fans were being told never-the-less). When Lynn arrived we were told he would be signing a hat being provided by the Angels.

Turns out the hat, was one of the left-over give-a-ways; the “flash back hat.” Yes sir, sponsorship logo and all.

Now, some of you might not think that’s a big deal, but consider this. A lot of fans showed up a few hours early for the opportunity to get an autograph on the item of their choice. There is a sign that clearly articulates the process and the rules. Fans arrive with certain expectations and those expectations were not met. We weren’t given any notice what-so-ever and were basically held captive until the session started.

Sure, we could have walked away at that point, but most decided that getting something was better than nothing. In retrospect, that was probably a reach.

Some people purchased items specifically for the session. Some had items that they had been saving for years in hopes of having this opportunity.

Fred Lynn didn’t care.

Word is Lynn usually gets paid for his autograph and wasn’t going to sign any personal items that he normally would be paid to sign. I have no way to verify this, but it is believable.

Funny – Rod Carew is a Hall of Famer and he had no such restrictions. Tim Salmon is as beloved as any player to ever wear an Angels uniform and he had no such restrictions. Neither did Brian Downing or Doug DeCinces or Bengie Molina or Garret Anderson and a host of others.

Most people never get a chance to interact with a baseball player; past or present. Most encounters are brief, but the memory of such occasions can be long lasting.

Fred Lynn was nice. He was cordial. He reached out to shake the hand of every fan. He smiled. He did everything, but the one thing fans wanted most.

It was very disappointing and not the kind of memory any of us were hoping for.

Now, I know not everyone who comes to these things is collecting autographs for their own personal collection; but I would venture to guess that the overwhelming majority do. I will even acknowledge that within the group of fans that show up – there are certain ones who try to take advantage of the situation, push for things they know they’re not supposed to and try to bend the rules and ignore common courtesy and etiquette. Never-the-less, the majority of fans who come want to create a memory for themselves and Fred Lynn dropped the ball (he's a former center fielder, thus the E-8 in the title).

He could have made a 100 fans happy, but I guess that was simply too much to ask.

The 50th Anniversary Celebration has been awesome. The alums who have taken the time to sign autographs have been tremendous; with a special note to Clyde Wright, who has filled in more than his share of times when someone was unable to fulfill their obligation.

The process; while at times a little bumpy has for the most part been fair and well organized. It is something we have enjoyed and continue to look forward to participating in. We even hope it becomes an annual tradition.

I just thought that Fred Lynn spoiled a good thing on this particular night and it bothered me enough to blog about it.

End of story. Take it for what it’s worth.

Other things to check out (good reads):

From SB Nation: Mark Trumbo on pace to join fairly exclusive group of sluggers

From Yahoo Sports: Road to discovery

In case you haven't heard; Angels pitching prospect Garrett Richards will make his major league debut today. For more on Richards, check out AngelsWin: Garrett Richards gets the call

Even more about Richards from Halos Heaven: Garrett Richards Pitching Debut Wednesday

The 50 Greatest Angels (31-40)

Today’s list in the Orange County Register (OCR) of the greatest Angels (31-40) is very revealing. As I said yesterday, my list isn’t perfect and today’s list reveals some holes in my selections.

From the Register: Fred Lynn (40), Jered Weaver (39), Clyde Wright (38), Bryan Harvey (37), Scot Shields (36), Bob Boone (35), Bobby Knoop (34), Jim Abbott (33), Bengie Molina (32), and Torii Hunter (31).

You might be asking yourself how in the world did James leave Torii Hunter off his list? That’s a good question. How did I? When I was developing my list a couple months back, I had a reason for leaving him off the list; however, I can’t remember why now for the life of me. This is easily the biggest regret I have with my 50 greatest.

Hunter is easily my favorite current baseball player on the planet. It’s not even close. I goofed. What else can I say? At least I wasn’t alone. The OC Register’s Jeff Miller also left Hunter off my list. Then again, I’m not a fan of Miller’s at all, and being of the same mind set in this case is more than a little disturbing to me. Just saying.

Two others who didn’t make my list include Bryan Harvey and Fred Lynn. Both are probably deserving.

Enough about me… let me focus on the “blunders” of others!

Scot Shields was recognized as the set up man of the decade (2000-2009) and yet the OC Register’s Earl Bloom, Bill Plunkett and Mark Whicker left him off their list. So did AngelsWin’s Chuck Richter and Ellen Bell. Shame on all of you!

Then again, I should talk right? Hey, well it’s not about me. Let’s continue….

Keith Sharon of the OC Register left Jim Abbott off his list. Wow. Come on Keith, Jim Abbott? I’m trying to imagine Keith telling Jeff Miller (who ranked Abbott 11th) why he left Abbott off his list. I think we should be launching a full scale investigation into this (anything that will take the focus off my leaving Hunter off my list). By the way he’s #21 on my list.

Then there’s the case of Bengie Molina. Keith and Sam Miller (also of the OC Register) left Molina off their lists. Molina is one of my all-time favorites (yes, I have many) and I can’t imagine leaving him off this list. He might be the greatest catcher in Angels’ history (just a tick ahead of Bob Boone). The OCR’s Dan Woike ranked him 18th.

Speaking of Boone; Bloom and the OCR’s Dan Woike managed to leave him off their lists.

Highest ranked player on the list by our panelists? Jered Weaver was ranked 13th by Sam Miller. I’m betting Miller has a sabermetrics argument that will knock our socks off to justify this high ranking. Perhaps he should share it with Jenelyn Russo, Bill Plunkett and Jeff Miller all of whom left him off their lists. Go get ‘em Sam!

Kudos to Tim Mead and Randy Youngman who managed to have all of today’s players on their lists.

I’m afraid one of my 50 isn’t going to make the cut and that would be Joe Saunders. I admit he was a sentimental choice on my part (ranked him #49). If he’s not on the list by now, I doubt he’ll be on it at all. I am curious about Rudy May, who I ranked 47th. He has yet to appear and I would be surprised if he cracked the top 30. May is 9th all time in career strike outs by an Angels pitcher, among the top ten in complete games, and 7th in shut outs. It will be a shame if he’s not on the list.

Until tomorrow…

Welcome to Anaheim Mr. Wells!

When I said I was all in on Vernon Wells, I meant it. I also knew that being “all in” also meant that I had to get to the press conference at the stadium today and I did exactly that.

I have to tell you, this is the kind of stuff I love to blog about because when it comes right down to it, I’m a fan first and I love writing about this stuff from the fan’s perspective.

It was a gorgeous day and it felt good to be at the stadium. It felt good to be around baseball players, Angel fans and baseball people in general. It just energizes me in a big way. Spring is here and we all know what’s coming… spring training, baby.

Today, the Angels ‘royalty” was out in force; Bobby Grich, Chuck Finley and Clyde Wright were on hand to welcome Vernon Wells to the Angels family. Also on hand for the festivities was none other than Torii Hunter. Hunter flew in just to be there for his new teammate. Who does that? Torii Hunter does that. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he’s my favorite player and I love having him on my favorite team.

Hunter was joined by all the usual suspects - Arte Moreno, Tony Reagins, Mike Scioscia, etc., etc. Victor Rojas was the MC and the media was out in force.

The funny thing is the media missed the scoop of the day.

While they were all focused on Wells, the biggest news of the day came in a True Grich exclusive. That’s right – I’ve got the inside information you’re not going to get any where else, in true; True Grich style.

Let me ask you - are you ready for a new look in center field?

No, I’m not talking about Vernon Wells and I’m not talking about a Torii Hunter return there either. I’m talking about a brand new “look.”

Let’s go to the video for details…



That was vintage Torii. I came to see Wells, but what happened always happens when Hunter is in the house. Hunter always finds a way to steal the show. He’s just a great personality and he loves mixing it up with the fans. You can’t help but feel better about the Angels whenever you spend time with Mr. Hunter.

And let's not forget, that if by chance Peter Bourjos shows up with a shaved head, you'll have this blog and Torii Hunter to to thank or blame, depending on your point of view.

Back to the reason for the press conference…

What can I say? Vernon Wells said all the right things. All the Angels brass said the right things. It was one big love fest. The OC Register covered the press conference in grand style and has a ton of material for you to read on their site.

Some interesting take a ways... Vernon Wells said this is the healthiest he’s been going into an off season in quite some time. He’s ready to play any position in the outfield to help the team win. He genuinely seems glad to be in Anaheim and called this place “paradise.” He talked about his appreciation for Angels’ organization and his friend Torii Hunter. He acknowledged the contract… you know that thing everyone seems to be focused on. He talked about giving back and talked about joining forces with Hunter both on and off the field.

He also talked about winning and doing the things that need to get the Angels back to the post season. He was looking forward to not going home in October.

Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it’s because spring is in the air. Regardless, I loved hearing everything he had to say and I want to believe he’s going to help this team in a big way. Like I keep saying, I’m a fan first and today was a good day to be a fan.

In some other interesting news - Tony Reagins let the folks know that the Angels may not be done with their roster and more moves could take place in the next three weeks.

Three weeks… that’s about all the time that’s left in this off – season before pitchers and Molinas report. Just saying.

FanFest was a Fan Feast

The All-Star Game and all the festivities associated with it have ended, but the memories and experiences will linger on for years and years. It all started on Friday – July 9, 2010 with FanFest. The event was a “fan feast” as we were able to partake in a smorgasbord of baseball related activities unlike any other.

Cheryl and I showed up early Friday and as we were walking in we ran into fellow 514 Fanatics Bob and Stephen. We had planned to meet up with the two, but it was a total coincidence that we would run into one another so early. The same thing happened a couple years ago when we were meeting up for a Spring Training Game in Surprise, Arizona.

As we walked into the convention center – the first thing we saw was Arte Moreno and Tommy Lasorda shaking hands and greeting the fans and media. Where was Frank McCourt? Just wondering…

Over the next five days, FanFest would be our home away from home. Cheryl and I spent countless hours at the event. We stood in line for autographs; which by the way were the most well organized event of its kind. Fans were required to “sign in” as they got in line to prevent people form cutting. This was most effective and made for a fair process. If you’ve ever been to a free autograph signing, you’re probably aware of all the things that can make the process frustrating.

You know the “graphers” who are out to make money from autographs? Well, they weren’t out in big numbers. Nope, not at FanFest. That made the experience all the more pleasant because some of them look like they need a shower and can be pretty obnoxious about getting as many autographs as possible.

Speaking of autographs; over the course of FanFest, we were able to get auto signatures from Jim Fregosi, Bobby Grich, Shawn, Green, Gaylord Perry, Orlando Cepeda, Mark Langston, Shigetoshi Hasagawa, Rickey Henderson, Fred Lynn and Clyde Wright. We always ask them to personalize items for us and most obliged with the exception of Cepeda and Henderson. Henderson is a strange bird. I know that’s not going to come as a surprise to most. Anyway, he wouldn’t sign baseballs and would only sign flat items. Whatever, it was fun to meet the Hall of Famer. He didn’t talk in third person, but he did talk to himself.

Other than the obvious favorite in Bobby Grich, I was also very pleased to get Jim Fregosi’s autograph. Fregosi is one of my early favorites and is part of the era when I first started going to Angel games.

Everyone was pretty friendly – some more so than others. Mark Langston had to get the award for best sport. I watched him sign and pose for a picture for every person in line. He also engaged each fan and found something to talk about with everyone. He really went above and beyond the call.

The star of FanFest had to be Tim Salmon. His line was three times longer than just about anyone else’s (with the exception of Henderson). He happened to have a signing at the same time as Steve Garvey and Salmon’s line was much longer. Angel fans really represented at the FanFest!

One observation we made early on was how some of the interactive exhibits required you to retrieve your items (like a photo for the front page of the O.C. Register) online. We assumed that in some cases this would involve a charge; something that didn’t happen in New York during their FanFest in 2008.

Never-the-less we posed for most of them. One of the more fun activities was posing for a homerun robbing pose. Doesn’t Cheryl look like a natural as she’s blowing a bubble while hauling in a homerun from say… David Ortiz? That’s right Big Pappi can’t hit one that Cheryl can’t get. That’s my girl! Torii Hunter would be proud, don’t you think?

We also enjoyed the fans themselves. Some of them had some creative shirts and I had to snap pictures of some of them. One of the better ones was an Oakland A’s shirt and even though I hate the A’s, I did like the “Get off my mound” shirt one fan was sporting. What was even funnier is that this fan wasn’t even an A’s fan – he just liked the shirt.

We also ran into a Tiger fan with a cool shirt and a die hard Dodger fan sporting a Don Drysdale stat sheet on the back of his jersey. You can check them out below. Fans from every fan base represented all week long. Cool stuff for sure.



We also got to meet John Ireland and Steve Mason from ESPN Radio 710. They were kind enough to pose for a picture with Cheryl. Cheryl's a big fan of their show, so this was quite a treat.



I know this report is late and I have much more to say, so again – please stay tuned. It may take me a while to update the blog, but I will get it done.

Meanwhile…

It’s nice to see the Angels start the second half with a 3-1 series win over the Mariners, even though a sweep would have been better. That being said, I’m not fooled by the nice start because we are talking about the Seattle Mariners, who are on pace to lose 100 games. I’m just saying.

Paul McAnulty has been designated for assignment since Maicer Izturis has been activated. I have to say seeing McAnulty and Frandsen in the lineup at the same time along with say even Reggie Willits didn’t give me much confidence.

I believe the Angels will make a move before the deadline, but it probably won’t be earth shattering. For that, I’ll wait for the off-season when they go hard after Carl Crawford. Just saying.