The love affair continues

We don’t really know Jered Weaver all that well. I mean, as fans – we get a glimpse of his personality every now and then and his character is often on full display in game situations, but when all is said and done – we don’t know Jered.

But we do know things about Jered and over the years, he’s given us an idea of who he really is. It’s all we have, but it’s enough for us to paint a picture of the man.

We know he’s emotional and his family is very important to him. How do we know this?

We saw him write his grandparents initials into the dirt behind the mound the first time he stepped on a diamond; a tradition he continued every time he stepped on the mound for several years. He has spoken often about how much they meant to him.

We saw him at the 2006 World Series, dressed in full Cardinals gear cheering for his brother Jeff as the Cardinals went on to win a championship. Jered Weaver, the major league pitcher played the role of "little brother" proudly.

Weaver began his career wearing #56, but he now wears his brother's #36.

We saw him carry the pain of losing his friend and teammate Nick Adenhart in 2009. He and Nick were to be roommates that year and the agony of losing him was evident all year long. We saw him honor his fallen teammate by writing his initials into the mound every time he stepped on the field. By the way - tomorrow would have been Nick Adenhart's 25th birthday and guess who will be on the mound?

I watched him intently the day he faced off against his brother Jeff, who was pitching for the Dodgers (June 20, 2009). I noticed that he kept looking over at his brother, hoping to make eye contact – only to be ignored. Jered and the Angels would lose that game and Jered would give up an uncharacteristic six runs. I speculated that competing against his own flesh and blood was too much for him and that his brother had psyched him out by not interacting with him before the game.

We saw him carry Adenhart’s jersey onto the field after the Angels clinched the American League West pennant.

We’ve seen him deflect the spotlight from himself and turn around and give all the credit to his teammates time after time.

We saw him step into the role of the “lead dog” when John Lackey departed. He didn’t seek the role of being the ace of the team – he was simply born for it and he earned it with his play on the field.

Yes, we even some him implode when he felt he was being disrespected in Detroit. I even called him “selfish” and although I do believe he was on that particular occasion; I would have to say he is anything but “selfish” when all is said and done.

Like I said, Jered Weaver wears his emotions on his sleeve.

Over the years, we’ve also seen him taking time for autographs and pictures at spring training. He’s as approachable as any player in the game.

Now that he’s signed for the next five years – Weaver has cemented his relationship with Angels fans for life. He’s one of us. In a day and age when loyalty is fleeting, Weaver demonstrated something that Angel fans will never forget.

His loyalty was evident today at his press conference – which I was able to listen to on-line and once again – we got a glimpse into just who he is.

Weaver said it best when he simply said, “I couldn’t see myself anywhere else but here.” Yes, Angel fans – this is a glorious day.

Weaver’s emotions were on display yet again during the press conference. He referenced the alumni in attendance (Bobby Grich and Chuck Finley) and said he wanted to be a part of that “brotherhood.”

He broke up when he thanked his mom and dad, who have played a huge role in his life.

When asked about leaving money on the table, he replied;”How much more can you possibly need?” He went on to say that he doesn’t play this game for money; he plays it “for love and for championships.”

He also said “Loyalty is very important to me.” It’s important to us fans too Jered and we thank you for your dedication to this organization and the fans that support it. Angel fans love Jered Weaver (we've loved him from the beginning) and it's clear he loves us back.

Rock on Jered Weaver, rock on.

Checking in

The 2011 baseball season is 41 days old today and when the day is done, I will have seen 20 games (in person), including trips to Kansas City and Arlington. Cheryl has been with me for all but one of those games. We’ve already seen more games than most sane people do in a year.

I recognize that we may be a little crazy. Then again fan is short for “fanatical” and if we are anything, we are just that – fanatical.

Next week, while the Angels are away Cheryl and I will make our first ever trip to see the Inland Empire 66ers as guests of the team for a special “Bloggers night.” If you’ve never been to a minor league baseball game, you should give it a try; it’s very fan and family friendly and a ton of fun.

So, here we are on May 10, the Angels are in first place and it’s time to check in. I know I’ve written several posts, but today is all about really checking in, taking stock, reflecting and just chatting in general.

We’ve seen a lot of stuff and taken a lot of mental notes along the way. First of all, it’s absolutely awesome to see the Angels a top of the Western Division. Even though it’s early, it’s still nice just the same.

I’ve noticed quite a few things in my first 41 days of the season; including things I didn’t expect to see and things I’ve never seen before.

So far… we’ve seen Peter Bourjos hit two stand-up triples in a single game. We saw Dan Haren throw a one-hitter and Alexi Amarista and Tyler Chatwood make their major league debuts. We’ve seen more of Hank Conger than we ever thought we would (and that’s a good thing) and we’ve seen Mark Trumbo make an early case for Rookie of the Year honors. We’ve seen Jered Weaver take the next step in what is shaping up to be a tremendous career and Mike Scioscia even managed a milestone of his own with his 1,000 win as a manager (although we missed that).

We thought we’d have seen Kendrys Morales on the field by now and now we have no idea when we will have that pleasure. We didn’t expect to see Vernon Wells hit below .200 and now he’s hit the disabled list. We’ve seen more than enough of Scott Kazmir, but he’s sure to show up again at some point in time.

Along the way, we’ve celebrated our birthdays at the stadium (the Angels lost both games), eaten a few hotdogs, met Angels alums Eli Grba, Albie Pearson, Bob Lee, Roger Repoz, Moose Stubing and Scott Lewis for the first time and got reacquainted with Mark Langston, Troy Percival, Rod Carew Chuck, Finley, Bob Boone, Rex Hudler, Tim Salmon and Shigetoshi Hasegawa as well.

Sadly, we’ve lost a few 514 Fanatics this year – as some of them did not renew their tickets for one reason or another. Our section has been a little less festive and even those that returned haven’t been around as much as in years past. We seemed to be a little more spread out; however, it hasn't stopped us from making the best of the times at the ball park.

Cheryl has been busy baking and bringing cupcakes and other goodies to share with our neighbors in the stands. Other fanatics have brought goodies of their own from time to time and even though are numbers have dwindled, we are never lacking for food and fellowship in 514.

Baseball games at Angels' stadium are much more than just baseball games for us. We get to spend time with friends, family, etc. Over the years we’ve seen fanatics get married, have children, celebrate milestones, birthdays and even pass away. The experiences are not limited to what happens on the field for us and quite frankly, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

We never know what's going to happen at a game; be it on the field or off. Last night we learned that fellow fanatics Jeff and Lena are expecting their second child. Looks like their son Elijah is going to have a sibling in October. I guess there's more than one way to recruit new fanatics!

The ten greatest Angels of all time

The ten greatest Angels were revealed today as part of the Orange County Register’s (OCR) 50 greatest Angels survey of various panelists including writers from the OCR, administrators from Angel fan sites like AngelsWin and Halos Heaven, Jeff Biggs (radio personality), Tim Mead (Vice President of Communications) and yours truly.

The top ten include: Troy Percival and Rod Carew (tied for 9th), Brian Downing (8), Bobby Grich (7), Chuck Finley (6), Garret Anderson (5), Vladimir Guerrero (4), Jim Fregosi (3), Tim Salmon (2), and the greatest Angel of all – Nolan Ryan.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that Ryan won out and I can certainly see how anyone would have that opinion, but in the case of this poll, Tim Salmon was robbed. Despite receiving more first place votes than any other Angel (5), Tim Salmon came up short due in large part to the voting of the OCR’s Mark Whicker and Bill Plunkett. Whicker’s votes have been all over the place and today’s top ten reveals a lot about his mind set. He voted Salmon 12th. Not only that, he left Brian Downing completely off his list. Hello? Whicker left five of the top ten off his own top ten.

I could go on and on about Whicker, but I’ll save that for another day.

Overall, I really can’t find fault with the top ten and even the top five. My own voting went like this for the top ten: Tim Salmon (1), Nolan Ryan (2), Garret Anderson (3), Chuck Finley (4), Bobby Grich (5), Jim Fregosi (6), Brian Downing (7), Troy Percival (8), Vladimir Guerrero (9) and Frank Tanana (10).

Why Tim Salmon? Ask most Angel fans who they consider “Mr. Angel” and they’ll say Tim Salmon without hesitation. During his time in Anaheim he emerged as the face of the franchise. He was drafted and developed by the Angels and spent his entire career in one uniform. He is among the all-time leaders in most offensive categories and his relationship with the fans was second to none.

In my opinion any of my top three could have been number one. Yes, even Garret Anderson because it is he who owns most of the Angels all-time offensive records. Had he finished his career as an Angel, I would have had to give him even more consideration for that top spot. The one drawback with Anderson is the relationship he had with the fans which was never what it could have been.

For whatever reason and whether you believe it to be true or just perceived, Anderson was never fully embraced. I can tell you from my own personal experience that he never seemed approachable or friendly whenever he was around fans. At spring training he would walk past fans hoping for a signature or photograph without as much as a wave. On photo days at the stadium, he would stand as far away as possible. He just never took the time to interact with fans.

Salmon was the polar opposite. He almost always made time for the fans and the media. He took less money to play for the organization that gave him his shot. He was highly involved in the community and was just an excellent all-around role model.

I feel really proud of my top ten. Two of us – myself and Jenelyn Russo, who is a contributor to the OCR’s Angel blog, had nine of the top ten on our ballots.

Some other interesting things about the list show that I voted higher for Troy Percival than anyone else (8) and my bias as a Grich fan was also evident. Russo and myself voted him 5th, higher than the rest of the panelists.

I also placed Finley higher than all but Halos Heaven’s Mat Gleason by ranking him 4th. Finley has won more games than any pitcher in Angels' history (165), is second in strike outs (2,151), has pitched more innings than any other Angel (2,675), and ranks 4th in complete games (57).

All in all, it was a fun exercise and one that I was honored to be a part of. I’d like to thank Keith Sharon of the OCR for inviting me to participate.

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.

Johnny has issues, but enough about Lackey - let's get back to the future

There was a time when John Lackey was easily rattled on the mound. He could be cruising along and then lose his control and his concentration because of a bad play, a missed cal, a fly buzzing around his head (speculation on my part) or whatever. Over the years, he managed to get better at managing his emotions, but every now and then – that old character trait would rear its ugly head and get the best of him.

Well this week it appeared to me that Lackey still has some issues. Here’s a guy who didn’t just leave town, he basically gave Angel fans the finger on his way out with comments about our supposed lack of passion. Well, John got a taste of some good old fashioned Angel passion Tuesday night when the boos got loud and profound.

Lackey was quoted in the LA Times Fabulous Forum blog as saying, “That won't be forgotten," he said. "That's for sure."

What did Lackey expect? Did he expect us to forget? He went on to say “Nobody wants to get booed like that.” I have this picture of what Lackey must have been like in high school. He must have been the big man on campus who got away with doing and saying whatever he wanted. He probably wasn’t held accountable for his actions.

Well, that act doesn’t play so well in the real world Johnny.

Enough about John. Besides, his team swept the Angels and he got the last laugh. That’s tough for me to swallow, but it is what it is. So be it. There’s always next time.

Since today is an off day, I’d like to take you back to a happier time. A time in the not-so-distant past. I’m talking about All-Star Sunday when the Future’s Game and Celebrity/Legends Softball game took place at Angels Stadium.

I promised you that I would recap the All-Star festivities and even though I’m behind, I still intend to do exactly that. Next up...

The Future’s game had to give Angel fans a lot of hope as two of the stars of that game were Angel prospects Mike Trout (left) and Hank Conger (below right). Conger won the MVP award for the game, but Trout made a huge impression.

Here’s what Keith Law of ESPN had to say:

Hank Conger (Angels) might have won the MVP award for the Futures Game because he hit the home run, but Mike Trout (Angels) was by far the most impressive player and had a better case for the accolade (as did Eric Hosmer). Trout ran the fastest time from home to first that I've ever had from a right-handed hitter (3.94 seconds) and had one of the most impressive hustle doubles I've ever seen. He's a ridiculously good athlete who has great makeup where it counts: on the field, where his instincts and feel are those of a player 10 years older. He played excellent defense in center all day and, given this newfound speed, I don't see any doubts about his ability to remain there, especially because he could add 20 pounds of muscle and still have plenty of speed to maintain above-average range. Currently, he's not the best prospect in the minors, but once the Phillies call up the next guy in this article, he will be.

I’d say the future looks bright, we'd better wear shades.

If you’re interested in seeing Trout – you should know that he’s at Rancho Cucamonga playing for the Quakes after his recent promotion.

As good as the Futures game was; the most entertaining part of the night was clearly the Celebrity/Legends Softball game. It was a special night and served as sort of a Tim Salmon Reunion night as the beloved “Timmy” made the most of the evening.

Salmon embraced the evening and the fans showed their appreciation in grand style, applauding and cheering his every move. Salmon didn’t disappoint as he led his team to victory and even managed a few homeruns to boot. When interviewed on the field, he asked the crowd, if his first homerun of the game could count as #300 (Salmon finished his career with 299 homeruns) to which the crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.

It was a fun night and a great night to thank Salmon once again for his years as Mr. Angel.

Former Angel “legends” Fred Lynn and Chuck Finley were also on hand, along with a host of former players and celebrities. Perhaps I’d be better off, just letting the pictures do the talking… Below are Bo Jackson, Rickey Henderson, Fred Lynn, and M.C. Hammer.



Followed by Rollie Fingers, Chuck Finley, Ozzie Smith and Jenny Finch



And last, but not least Natasha Watley and one more of Tim Salmon.