Loyalty

We heard it over and over again. Shohei Ohtani wants to win.  No kidding.  Every player wants to win.  Mike Trout wants to win. The difference between Trout and Ohtani is that Trout wants to win as an Angel. Ohtani just wants to win, period.

There’s a difference.

Trout wants to be a part of building a winner.  Ohtani wants to join one.

We also heard over and over again that Ohtani isn’t necessarily about the money.  Well, I see about 700 million reasons to think that isn’t necessarily true.  I’m not judging Ohtani for taking the biggest contract in the history of professional sports.  Heck, no.  More power to him. 

But… in the words of Jered Weaver, “how much do you really need?”

Loyalty. 

Weaver will always be beloved for it.

When Tim Salmon approached free agency for the first time, he told his agent to take the first offer from the Angels.  Salmon was rewarded for his loyalty with a 2002 World Series championship and became the most beloved player in franchise history.

Trout showed his loyalty when he also resigned with the Angels. He could have left.  Most around baseball thought he would.  He didn’t. 

Loyalty.

Salmon, Weaver and Trout’s loyalty isn’t lost on me.  I don’t think it’s lost on most fans.  There’s something special about players who come up through the organization and stay with the organization throughout most, if not all of their career.

Ohtani leaving, makes me appreciate Trout’s loyalty more than ever. 

I have enjoyed every moment of Ohtani’s time with the Angels. I believe he will go down in history as the greatest player of all time.  Losing him is disappointing.

I can now understand what Cardinal fans must have felt like when Albert Pujols left to sign with the Angels.  I understand how disappointed Twins fans must have been to see Torii Hunter leave as well. 

Then again – at least those two guys didn’t leave for a division or cross-time rival.

That’s the thing.  It isn’t so much that Ohtani left the Angels. It’s that he left the Angels for the Dodgers.  The stinking Dodgers.  It’s kind of a slap in the face to Angel fans. The same fans that loved and supported him through his first six years in major league baseball.  The same fans who have lived in the shadow of Dodger fans for years.

It also stings to know he asked not to be traded during this past season because he wanted to try and win with the Angels, only to turn around and head up the 5 freeway to Chavez Ravine when it didn’t work out. 

No loyalty there.

That's also not lost on me.  

Again, the main take away for me isn't so much about Ohtani.  It's about an increased appreciation for Mike Trout and his loyalty to the Angels and their fans.  It's a rare thing this day and age, especially in professional sports.

This is Painfully All Too Familiar

Not again, Oh no, please - not again.

Tyler Skaggs is gone.  Unfortunately for Angels fans, this is an all-too-familiar place.  We’ve been here before.  It’s not a comfortable place.  It’s a very sad and very confusing place and we will never, ever get used to it.

We Angels fans, like every other fan base often use terms like “us” and “we” when discussing our favorite team.  That speaks to the level of connection we have with our team.  We experience the emotional highs and lows that go along with winning and losing.  Even though it may be a bit silly, we feel that the team’s victories are also our victories.  

We all lost Tyler Skaggs,  but… this loss is not about us.

This time is about Tyler’s family and those that were close to him.  Our thoughts and our prayers go out to them as they try to manage their grief, their sorrow and their pain.

I don’t know how the Angels move forward from this.  I really don’t.  Baseball is hard enough as it is. 

Perhaps we fans can play a role in helping the team move forward by simply showing up.  It’s time to show how much we care and that when we say “we” and “us” we really mean it.  

It is my hope that on July 12 when the Angels return home for their first home game since Tyler's passing, Angels fans show up in huge numbers. We need to show up even if it's hard. We need to show up even if we don't want to because again, it's not about us and showing up matters.

We also "show up" by telling stories.  It’s important to tell the stories that speak to a time when we might have had an interaction with Tyler that meant something special to us.  We share the good things we’ve read or heard about Tyler too. We recount those stories to others and in doing so we all remember. 

We remember that Tyler Skaggs was one of us. We remember that Tyler Skaggs competed at the highest level and he sought out victories so that we could experience joy.   

We are also thankful for having had the opportunity to be connected to him in some small way.  He may not have known our names, but he definitely felt our presence every time he stepped on a baseball field. Tyler showed up for us and now it's time for us to do the same.

We will all miss Tyler Skaggs, but more importantly – we will never forget him.

Worth the Wait

The Angels haven’t had a history of iconic players who they could call their very own.  There isn’t a guy out there, whose storied career and great accomplishments are tied solely to the Angels.

Of the players whose numbers have been retired by the Angels - Rod Carew is better known as a Twin and Nolan Ryan, an Astro and a Ranger.  There are even members of the team’s own Hall of Fame who are better known for being a part of other franchises. 

Until Vladimir Guerrero was inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame, they didn’t have anyone representing the team in Cooperstown and Vlad put up most of his Hall of Famer numbers in Montreal.

Tim Salmon is the closest thing the Angels have to an iconic figure who played his entire career in Anaheim and although he is very much beloved by the Anaheim faithful, he’s not a Hall of Famer or an all-time baseball great by any means.  Salmon never even made an all-star game, unfortunately.

That all changed with the news that Mike Trout will be Angel for his entire career.  For the first time in the franchise’s 58 year history – they have a player who can be mentioned in the same breath as Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson and other greats, who they can also call their very own.

It’s been a long time coming and quite frankly, it’s been worth the wait.

If you’re going to wait 50+ years to find such a player – might as well have that player the greatest player in the history of baseball.  Yes, I said greatest ever.  If you want to debate that fine – but he’s at least in that very limited conversation.

The Trout extension is quite possibly, the most significant event in the history of the franchise (outside of the 2002 World Series). 

Just up the road – the Dodgers can claim ownership of names like Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax and Duke Snider.  Down south – the Padres can boast about Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. 

As great as those names are – Trout’s overall statistical career is going to better than all of them.

Name a team and who comes to mind?  Cardinals – Stan Musial and Bob Gibson.  Cubs – Ernie Banks.  Reds – Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan.  Pirates – Roberto Clemente.  And now whenever anyone mentions the Angels – the one name that will always be associated with the franchise is Mike Trout.

It’s a beautiful thing.

What’s even more beautiful about all of this is that Mike Trout is even a better human being than he is a baseball player.  He does amazing things out of the public eye and away from the spotlight.  I’m quite certain we don’t even have anywhere near an idea of just how much he does for others.

I can’t think of another baseball player I would rather have my favorite team be associated with.

He may be the most humble superstar on the face of the planet.  His humbleness is even greater than his talent.  He doesn’t seek the spotlight.  He doesn’t seek accolades. He lets his play do all of his talking and his talent screams at us every time he steps on a baseball field. 

All he wants to do is play baseball.  I am beyond thankful – that he’ll be doing just that in Anaheim for the next 12 years.