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.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me

I’m an old fashioned guy. When I was growing up I always addressed my parents’ friends as Mr. and Mrs. (insert last name here). It didn’t matter if their kids called my parents by their first names, I just didn’t do that. It’s how I was raised and throughout my life I have always maintained that decorum.

For me it’s a matter of respect and I think that’s something that is severely lacking in society today. A lot of people don’t seem to respect a whole heck of a lot these days and it bothers me.

The world has changed so much during my lifetime and while some people may say it has “evolved” – I’m not so sure that’s the right description. It seems to me we’ve become world of “getting” and not “giving” and this even true when it comes to respect.

Even in the world of sports that’s become painfully obvious in my opinion.

I grew up in an era when sports were filled with classy individuals; athletes I respected and admired like Bart Starr, Jerry West, and Nolan Ryan. I always liked tough, no-nonsense guys and if they their game had a bit of a flare to it; even better. Guys like Barry Sanders, Pete Maravich, and Ozzie Smith caught my attention because their game was exciting and their play did all the talking for them.

Now-a-days they call that being “old school.” Well, that’s me.

So why do I bring any of this up in an Angels baseball blog? Good question.

As soon as the season ended and quite frankly probably even a little before that – I started thinking about the off-season and what the Angels should/might/could (take your pick) do. Like most fans, my mind has gone a million different directions.

Inevitably names start to pop up in all the usual places – message boards, columns, blogs, sports talk shows, etc. Most of the talk about players, center around their statistics; both old school stuff and sabermetrics.

While all of that is interesting and important, I don’t think enough time is spent talking about a player’s character or “make-up” if you will. Some will argue that stuff like that doesn’t matter and yet – “character” probably had something to do with the demise we witnessed in Boston this year.

I would imagine a player’s character is something front office personnel and baseball managers actually do consider, but I also get the impression that if the statistics are good enough, the “intangibles” don’t seem to matter as much. I mean how else can you explain why guys like Milton Bradley and Jose Guillen received multiple opportunities at the major league level?

I started thinking about all of this (at least more than usual) after I read something (and unfortunately, I can’t remember where) about the way the Texas Rangers front office goes about their business. I can’t remember if it was an interview with Jon Daniels or Thad Levine, but what I read got my attention.

I read something to the effect of how much a player’s “make-up” goes into their decision process. I don’t remember the specifics, but I know that I liked what I read. In fact – I’ve read a lot of stuff about these two that I found to be impressive and even refreshing.

Obviously, I don’t know Jon Daniels or Thad Levine. All I have are impressions of who they are and what they’re like based on what I’ve read, heard or seen. Never-the-less I’ve seen enough to draw my own conclusions.

It seems to me that these two respect the game of baseball a great deal and they want to surround themselves with people who do the same.

Which brings me to the Angels front office; after all, this is an Angels' blog.

I like what I’ve seen so far from Jerry Dipoto; in fact, I like it a lot. From the moment Dipoto spoke to the media as the Angels new GM, he has come across as a professional in every sense of the word. I like the fact that he sounds like a man with a strategy for getting the Angels back to where they should be.

A lot has been said and written about the Angels former GM Tony Reagins. I’ve often heard the phrase “over-matched” or “in over his head” when he’s being described or evaluated. Reagins came through the Angels’ organization as an intern and for better or worse; he was never really given any respect. At the same time, I always thought that Reagins didn’t give any respect either. Funny how that works.

The way he answered questions and generally communicated with the media made me think he didn’t have much respect for others. He didn’t respect the fans and tried to sell us the idea that the Angels made their big splash with the signings of Hisanori Takahasi and Scott Downs.

Most everything he did – seemed unprofessional. I’ve ranted about how he has handled things on this blog many times and rather than rehash all of it; let’s just say; I’m glad it’s a new day.

With Jerry Dipoto, I have a newfound confidence in the future of the Angels. There’s a new, fresh attitude that’s apparent. I have no doubt that he and his staff will be able to clearly evaluate what needs to be done and then go about the business of making it happen.

Like Daniels and Levine – I don’t know Dipoto. However, watching, listening, and reading about these folks gives me a sense of things. I never got the sense that Reagins knew what he was doing. I get the opposite impression with Dipoto.

Whether I’m right or wrong is anyone’s guess.

You see I want to like everything and everyone associated with the Angels. I find being a fan much more enjoyable when I actually like the people associated with my favorite team. I never cared much for Frankie Rodriguez and I was happy to see Jose Guillen leave town.

At the same time, I know that I have no control over who the Angels will acquire, but it’s my hope that this doesn’t include players I would rather not cheer for.

In case you’re wonder, that means that I’m less than enthusiastic about the team going after someone like C.J. Wilson – whose mouth grabs a lot more headlines than his arm does.

Maybe I have it all wrong and Wilson is just funny and not the jerk I’ve made him out to be in my mind. Maybe I’m just jealous because his team has had the kind of success I am used to seeing in Anaheim and have now missed for two years.

I mean here I am talking about how great Daniels and Levine are and yet I’m bashing one of their players, right? Well, Wilson was in the Rangers’ organization before Daniels and Levine arrived and if they don’t resign him, I’ll make note of it and think back to what I’ve written here.

I know I took the long way to tell you that my hope is the Angels don’t sign C.J. Wilson, but it was a journey I really wanted to share with you.

Oh and for the record – if and when Ian Kinlser becomes a free-agent, I hope the Angels pass on him too.

As for whom I hope the Angels do sign… I haven’t made up my mind yet. As to whom I think they will sign – I really have no idea. There’s this new guy in charge named Dipoto and I’m just going to respect the idea that he’s going to make the moves that puts the Angels back where they belong – a top of the AL West.

Shearing the sheep

Sometimes baseball fans are like sheep. They play follow the leader or in the case of baseball opinions – follow the popular consensus. Someone assumes they have the answers, voice their opinion and before you know it – it becomes the popular opinion. That’s been the case in and around Anaheim lately.

The moment Tony Reagins resigned as the general manager of the Angels and talks began about who might replace him – the sports talk shows, message boards and every conceivable media outlet was a blaze with the idea that none of it mattered because Mike Scioscia was the "real" general manager.

Baloney.

Seriously, sometimes I wonder if the vast majority of baseball fans ever came up with an original thought of their own.

Let me explain something that hopefully will make sense to those of you who having been crying “baaaaah” lately and let me do it by looking at a team that’s about to play a 7th game in this year’s World Series – the Texas Rangers.

When you watch the Rangers – the camera seems to always find Nolan Ryan in the crowd. Nolan Ryan is one of those larger than life personas. He has the reputation of being his own man and a no-nonsense kind of guy. Kind of like Mike Scioscia. Whenever the baseball public talks about how good the Rangers are – they give most, if not all of the credit to Nolan Ryan. After all, he’s clearly the face of the franchise.

Well, the truth of the matter is that the Rangers are where they are today because they have a brilliant young general manager named Jon Daniels. He’s the man responsible for putting the current Rangers roster together, but since his face isn’t necessarily recognizable to the television viewing audience – it’s Ryan’s mug that constantly receives face time and as a by-product of that exposure – it is he who also receives most of the credit.

Who is the face of the Angels? You got it – Mike Scioscia. Scioscia like Ryan isn’t responsible for making roster moves – what they have done (each in their own way) is instill a mentality and a philosophy on how to play the game. They’re responsible for setting a tone and attitude more than anything. And because they have that role – a lot of people have made the very false assumption that their “control” extends to personnel issues as well.

I can see how people would make that assumption (IF they’re 8 years old and believe everything they see, hear and read).

Its funny how the public has this need to assign blame or give credit to just about everything that happens and they don’t necessarily put a lot of thought or research into the process.

Mike Scioscia recently took the baseball talk circuit and made it clear that he only has the time and ability to manage, period.

Those who have already made up their minds otherwise; won’t buy it. Those that like Scioscia found reason to believe him.

Think about this – the baseball season is a grind. For a manager there isn’t much time for anything other than preparing for a game, playing a game and then traveling to the next one. Think about how much time a manager has to spend reviewing scouting reports, making out a lineup, checking on the health and attitude of his team, etc. And on top of that keep abreast of what’s happening within his team’s minor league system.

Does anyone really believe Scioscia has the time (or the energy for that matter) to evaluate the talent on other teams and make recommendations as to who the Angels should acquire? It doesn’t make any sense what-so-ever. I can’t imagine Scioscia staying on top of the waiver wire or reviewing the statistics and tape of players all over baseball, including those in the National League.

Does he have input? I would hope so. I can’t imagine any manager not having some kind of input into player personnel decisions.

Every franchise has a face. It is often the face of that organization that gets all the credit or all the blame for how well or how poorly that team does.

Mike Scioscia is responsible for a lot of the Angels’ success. He’s also accountable for a lot of the team’s failures as well. Both of those things are related to what he does on the field – either in a game or on the practice fields at spring training and not about him being some kind of defacto general manager. When you really think about it – the idea is more than a little silly.

And before you try to equate this to what happens in the National Football League (NFL) with people like Mike Holmgren or Bill Parcells; stop. Comparing the two is like comparing apples to kiwi. They’re not even the same shape and you really don’t need me to explain how they’re different; do you?

Come on; admit it. When you think about the idea that Mike Scioscia is really the team’s GM – you have to laugh, don’t you?

So... here we are - Jerry DiPoto, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks is about to be announced as the Angels new GM (announcement will be Saturday). Those who believe Scioscia is the real GM will look at this guy as an inexperienced man who will have to defer to the larger-than-life Scioscia. Those who believe it's a new day will look at DiPoto as a breath of fresh air, who comes with a diverse background and the ability to help change the direction of an organization.

I'm optimistic and hopeful. How about you?

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.

The Top Ten things I'd like to see at the 2010 World Series

10. A foot race between Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina. Winner gets a XXXL Antler t-shirt. Loser does a belly flop into McCovey Cove.

9. Nolan Ryan sitting next to Robin Ventura with his arm around his neck. Yes, I know Ventura has never been associated with the Giants, but it’s a funny thought never-the-less.

8. Expanded instant replay. Yes, I had to go there.

7. Steve Perry singing the National Anthem in San Francisco with Barry Zito on guitar. Hey, Zito has to make an appearance in the World Series somehow, doesn’t he?

6. Wouldn’t it be nice to see Brian Wilson of the Giants dressed up as Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys on Halloween? In fact Wilson’s warm up song should be “Don’t Worry Baby” - God only knows how appropriate that would be. Did you like how I incorporated three Beach Boys songs in there? Don’t answer that…

5. Pablo Sandoval doing the Ozzie Smith flip. Then again, didn’t we already have an earthquake during a Giants World Series in 1989?

4. An Ian Kinsler trifecta, where he is hitless, speechless and ring-less. I’m just saying.

3. The look on Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez’s face if the Rangers win. This idea could make for a great Master Card commercial…. Alex Rodriguez's contract: $275 million. Mark Teixiera: $180 million. The look on their faces after the ALCS: Priceless. There are some things money can’t buy.

2. None of the Ranger pitchers going more than five innings. After all, the Rangers bull pen lead the American League in innings pitched. That’s right. Let’s look at the facts and ignore the hype (excluding Cliff Lee).

1. Chuck Norris throwing the first pitch in Arlington and then challenging Kung Fu Panda to a fight. “Kung Fu, eh? Let’s see what you got Pablo!”

Tradition

The Angels 2010 marketing campaign is “Tradition.” You’ve probably seen the billboards in and around southern California by now with the “a” in tradition being the Angels’ logo.

The first time I saw one of these billboards, I thought to myself that it was an odd choice for a campaign. After all, that word tradition seems to be a better fit with teams that have been around a lot longer. It fits a team like the Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox, Cardinals, etc., but not necessarily a team that came into existence in 1961, right?

Well, the more I thought about this, the more the one word slogan grew on me. Let me explain.

Tradition is often defined as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior. It can also be described as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from generation to generation.

It still doesn’t fit does it? Well, bear with me.

When I was a kid the Angels were a new team; so new in fact that there wasn’t a generation before me to tell me about the good old days because there was no such thing. Instead, I was going to get to watch the history of this team unfold before my very eyes. And unfold it did.

My early memories are of players like Jim Fregosi, Alex Johnson, Rick Reichardt, Sandy Alomar, Nolan Ryan and others. These teams didn’t necessarily win a lot of games, but they were the team I followed and the “Big A” was the stadium I went to when I wanted to see a baseball game.

Now I know there isn’t a Hall of Famer in the bunch I just mentioned (Ryan is, but went in as a Texas Ranger) and there certainly weren’t any championships either. Does it matter? I think not. That’s our history for better or worse.

If you’re a Cub fan or a Red Sox fan or even a Dodger fan and you’re over the age of say 40, you probably became a fan of one of those teams because your mom, dad, uncle, grandma or someone else in your family was a fan of that team. I know that’s not always the case, but that seems to be the more common scenario.

In many ways baseball is all about tradition. It’s about fathers and sons (for the most part) and stories of players from years gone by. Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees seem synonymous with the word. They have a rich history and multiple championships to their credit, but the word shouldn’t be reserved just for these franchises.

You see the Angels and their fans are creating their own tradition. Our tradition is tied to the players I mentioned above and to the season of the “Yes We Can” battle cry. Our tradition is every bit as colorful as those of other franchises and in some ways it’s more compelling because it’s developing as we speak. Ours isn’t about the 1930’s or even earlier; ours is about the recent past and even present day.

You could say we are living in the good old days of Angels baseball right now.

Think about it. A World Series title in 2002 and five western division titles in the last six years. These are the days that generations in the future will look back upon and talk about as the turning point for a franchise; the time when the Angels began their glory years.

Some fan bases sole focus these days is on their franchise’s tradition because that’s all they have. I mean some Dodger fans love to toss the word around like it’s some sort of birth right. I think they do this because it’s been 22 years since their last title and it’s far more interesting to talk about the past than what’s going on right now. I’m just saying.

Seriously, most of the Dodger Hall of Famers (those inducted as Dodgers) started playing baseball before the Angels even came into existence. There aren’t any players from the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s who have been inducted as Dodgers with one exception – Don Sutton.

When I was growing up Angel fans were a rare breed. We didn’t have a history. But now we are seeing new generations of fans emerging as Angel fans. The franchise is finally old enough that generations of fans are being established.

Tradition? You bet.

I like this campaign. I like that the Angels are just old enough to have a history and new enough that the team’s history is being written right now. What’s even better is that there is something actually worth passing down from one generation to another.

This is the golden era of Angels baseball. Our tradition will be about excellence and will be something future generations can build on for years to come.

Twenty eight days until opening day. Twenthy eight days until the tradition continues.

Playing Favorites

Okay, so is “True Grich” just a clever play on Bobby Grich’s good name and the movie “True Grit” which starred John Wayne?

Time for some background...

Two things you need to know. I’m a die hard Angels fan and Bobby Grich is my all time favorite Angel. I attended my first game in the late 60s. I have never been able to pinpoint the date of my very first game (which bothers me to no end), but I believe it was around 1968. I’ve never been good with dates, but I can tell you about some specific games I do remember from that period. Unfortunately, just not the first one.

My early recollections of Angels baseball include names like Rick Reichardt, Andy Messersmith, Jim Fregosi, Sandy Alomar (Sr.), Jim Spencer, Ken McMullen, Aurelio Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan, and Alex Johnson to name a few.

In the mid 70’s my family and I moved over seas (my dad was a career Marine) and I missed several years of baseball while I was in high school. I still followed baseball from a far and even used to play statis-pro baseball (a board game similar to strato-matic), but I didn’t get to see much baseball on TV.

When I retuned in 1977 and went on to college, I started going to games once again and found myself back at the “Big A.” It was the same year that Bobby Grich came (via free agency) to Anaheim and shortly thereafter, my admiration began.

I never felt like I was going to get cheated watching Grich play the game. He was old school. He was very intense and showed no fear. He was even cool (still is). He had that big thick moustache and looked more like a football player. He was big and strong and didn’t fit the mold of a typical second baseman at the time. Grich was often exuberant in victory and wore his emotions on his sleeve. He always looked like he wanted to win in the worst way. In my opinion, he was the embodiment of what a baseball player should be.

Grich knew how to take care of business. If you messed with him or one of his teammates, you could count on a little pay back. It would come in the form of a hard slide into a bag, a tag with purpose at the base he was defending or a long home run. The other team knew it was coming and there wasn’t anything they could do about it.

In my eyes, Grich was baseball’s version of a Super Hero. Check out this great post by Josh Wilker on the web site called Cardboard Gods about Bobby Grich. It sums him up pretty good.

Grich played a major role in the Angels first three Western Division championships. He was a six-time all-star and won four Gold Gloves (all with the Orioles). He led the league in homeruns in the strike shortened season of 1981 with 22, earning him a Silver Slugger Award. In 1973 (as a Baltimore Oriole), Grich set the all-time major league fielding record with a .995 fielding percentage. The record was broken in 1980, but Grich took the record back in 1985 (As an Angel), fielding an amazing .997 but didn’t win a Gold Glove (perhaps because he only played 116 of his 144 games at second base).

How good was Bob-Bay? Read this piece from Rich Lederer who makes a case for Grich being a Hall of Famer. I’m not here to make a case for Grich going into the Hall of Fame. I’m just here to tell you he’s in mine.

Grich made being an Angel fan fun. Some of the most memorable times I’ve had as an Angel fan involved Bobby Grich’s days in Anaheim. He was the one guy I wanted to see most. I’d go with some buddies of mine and when Grich came to the plate, I’d yell…”Bob-Bay!” and one of my buddies would follow it up with a “Grich-ah.” I still yell that out now and then and my wife Cheryl joins in.

When I met Bobby in person for the first time in I told him he was my all-time favorite Angel. He was signing autographs at an Angels Fan Fest. He looked up at me and said, “that’s saying something this day and age.”

So when it was time to start this blog, I needed to call it something. I decided to use the name I used for one of my fantasy baseball teams and “True Grich,” the blog was born. I thought it was the perfect tribute to my favorite player. The name just fits.

True Grich is about baseball and the Los Angeles Angels and not so much about John Wayne or his movie “True Grit.” There are parallels between the two though. Like Grich, John Wayne was a man’s man. A movie like True Grit could have easily been about a gritty ball player instead of a cowboy. I also think that if someone would have played Bobby Grich in a movie, John Wayne would have been the perfect choice.

So there you have it. Perhaps this should have been my first post on this blog. I guess I had too many other things to write about first. Hopefully True Grich will embody the spirit of Bobby Grich the baseball player. It will always be about the game as experienced through the eyes of a fan. It shall be fearless and it shall be fun.



Photo by James Ruebsamen - Herald Examiner Collection; Los Angeles Public Library. To see more pictures visit Ballpark Tour.