Please Bring Back the Swagger

As I anticipate the start of the 2016 baseball season, one thought prevails above all others.  It rises above the overall success of the team even though it is directly tied to the team doing well.  It’s an emotional thought and one that comes from the very core of my Angels fandom.

I want to see Jered Weaver return to being Jered Weaver. 

Maybe it’s a pipe dream.  Maybe I’m opening myself up for disappointment.  Perhaps I’m fooling myself into believing this is even possible.  Yet, I hope.  Isn’t that what spring is all about; hope?

I admire Jered as much as it is possible for any fan to admire someone they do not know, but has watched for years.  I have lived and died watching Jered do his thing over the years.  I have celebrated every fist pumping end to a climactic inning that he’s been involved in.  I have winced with agony when well intended pitches have left the ball park faster than Jered can throw them.

Jered Weaver has been everything I could hope for in a baseball player.  He’s far and away my favorite pitcher of all time.  No question and without a doubt.

From the moment Jered Weaver stepped on the mound for the Angels, I have been engaged and committed to watching him pitch.  Perhaps it’s because; like me, he went to Long Beach State.  He's a Dirtbag. He’s a throwback.  He’s old school. 

There is a fire in him.  The kind of fire we all want to find within ourselves when the going gets tough or the task seem bigger than ourselves.   He’s the taller, thinner version of every underdog you've ever cheered for; be it,  Rocky, Rudy or whoever.

He’s a lot of things, but he’s also uniquely just Jered.  There isn’t any flash to his game, just swagger.  Oh the swagger.  You have to love the swagger.  He reminds me of the gunslingers you see in the movies.  There’s a little bit of Clint Eastwood in him.  No nonsense.  No messing around. But plenty of attitude of the don’t-mess-with-me kind.  

Jered is what happens when intensity meets coolness and the two join forces.  That’s Jered.  That’s so Jered.

I always felt like everything was going to be okay when Jered took the mound.  I know I wasn’t going to get cheated as a fan because Jered was going to give everything he had to the effort.  No moment was too big.  His confidence inspired me to believe.

And I still believe. 

I’m not writing this as a eulogy.  I’m writing this because I want Jered to be successful as much as any fan can want anything.  I want to see that sneer again.  I want him to walk off the mound pumping his fist and screaming at himself.  I want to yell… “That’s what I’m talking about” again.

I’m not ready to say good-bye.  I’m ready to say hello again and "Hell, yeah - that’s the dude I know! That’s Jered Weaver and he just shut your team down."  I want him to remove all doubt and shoot that look (you know the one) at all the naysayers. 

Make no mistake about it, I want the Angels to win.  I just happen to believe winning will be all the sweeter with Jered being Jered.

If the Angels are lucky enough and good enough to win it all and they happen to do it without Jered, I’ll feel a bit empty.  It’s like any big moment – you want to share it with the people you love.  It would be like the Angels winning in 2002 without Tim Salmon.  Can you imagine?  Of course not.

So, as I prepare for the season that is fast approaching, I keep hoping.  I keep praying.  I keep watching.  Even more than all of that, I have raised my expectations; knowing full well what comes with that.

Let’s do this.

What dreams are made of...

I want an epic finish to the 2011 season. Yeah, that’s right – I want those last three games at home against the Texas Rangers to be intense, awesome and unbelievable.

Yeah, I want to reach for the golden ring… reach for the sky… baby just spread your wings.

I want to be overcome with emotion when all is said and done. I want to be inspired to tears. I want to watch the Angels drench one another in champagne and party like it’s 1999.

So baby dry your eyes, save all the tears you’ve cried. Oh that’s what dreams are made of. 'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong. Oh, that's what dreams are made of.

And these last ten games could very well be the stuff dreams are made of. It may very well be an extremely disappointing week, but I will dream of a better outcome instead.

I’m imaging Angels stadium being descended on like a Van Halen concert from back in the day, where fans are clamoring for a chance to be a part of the experience.

For just a few minutes - use your imagination and think about the possibilities....

Who’s with me?



I'm going to be eight years old this week and hope for a miraculous finish. I've been saying "what if" for several weeks now.

This team has taken hits in the media, from fans and even from bloggers like me. Well, it's time to move forward - forget what has happened and start working on what's going to happen.

The time is here. It's go time. Let's do this. It's time to start winning.

Rocky Balboa would love this team

I love Rocky movies. Yup; I’m that guy. I enjoyed all six of them. Sure some were better than others, but I’m glad I saw them all. I’m the kind of guy who can’t get enough of stories about under-dogs and people or teams that overcome the odds to come out on top. If Sylvester Stallone is still making Rocky movies when he’s 80, I’ll check them out. Like I said, I’m that guy.

You could say I get attached to characters and stories. I can watch the good ones over and over again. It doesn’t matter if I know the outcome, I’ll still watch. Movies like “Remember the Titans” get me every time. I can be channel surfing and if I stumble on this classic, I’ll stop and watch it again. I’ll quote my favorite lines (you’re killing me Petey!) and still get choked up during certain parts of the film.

It’s like that with baseball too. Come opening day, I’ll be all-in with this Angels baseball team. I’ll want this team to win. Not the team I imagined we would have or the team I hoped we would have. I will be all about this squad; the team that’s in Tempe right now and the one that will start the season on April 5, 2010.

I won’t long for a player on another team or a free agent we didn’t get. Nope. Come game day, I’ll be focused on the team on the field. The past will be a distant memory. So long Figgy. Bye, bye Lackey. Adios Vlady. Hello Joel, Hideki and Fernando. Welcome to the family; now let’s get it on.

Following a baseball team is all about the journey. Following the Angels can be all consuming. I’ll live and die with every play on the field. The joy of winning probably won’t last as long as the pain of losing, but I’m counting on the winning to come much more frequently.

There will be moments when I will want to skip to the end to see how it all turns out, but given the choice, I really wouldn’t want to miss a single moment. When it’s the bottom of the 9th and the Angels are down a couple runs with two outs and the bases loaded, my eyes will be wide open. I won’t turn away because it will be time to embrace the experience.

When James Earl Jones’ character in movie "Field of Dreams" said, “they will come;” he wasn’t kidding. We are ready for some baseball and opening day can’t get here soon enough.

This will be my team for better or worse. If Robb Quinlan wins a job, he’ll also win my support. He’ll be one of us and I’ll pull as hard for him as I would for Kendry Morales. If Brian Fuentes blows a save, I’ll burry my head in my hands, but then I will hope he comes back the next day to do a better job. Even if some fans call for his head, I’ll cheer for him to get another chance. I will want that in the worst way because I want to see a guy get up after being knocked down; dust himself off and come back for more. Remember, I love Rocky movies.

To tell you the truth the season is actually more enjoyable when a team overcomes a little adversity. Cakewalks are boring. You start to take the winning for granted and then you become too complacent. I want that eye of the Tiger. I want to be engaged in a season and have a reason to watch. I want some swagger. I want to watch the Angels look the competition in the eyes, not blink and push on.

I want to see how they handle the best shots from the competition. I want to see them playing hard and never giving up. I want tenacity and determination. I want to be inspired.

I want Brandon Wood to silence the skeptics once and for all. I want Howie Kendrick to fulfill his potential and for Torii Hunter to remind me why I love watching him play the game so much. I want to feel like I did after game 7 of the 2002 World Series.

I want memories and tears of joy. I want victory.

It’s only February, but I’m feeling it. The season is drawing near; she’s stretching her legs in the Arizona sun. Opening day is coming and I’m ready.