THE 2002 ANAHEIM ANGELS
I was around fifteen years old, when my father befriended the traveling secretary of the California Angels, Tommy Fergeson. We used to get seats behind homeplate at the "Big A." It as a wonderful series of Sundays that followed as we got to sit in the field box, as the 1967 division winning Angels played a great game of baseball. I recall Jim Fregosi, Rick Reichart, Bobby Knoop, and Nolan Ryan. What a wonderful series of summers I spent cheering on my club with my father and brother. We sat in the stands when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. Hot dogs, ice cold cokes, salted peanuts, and keeping score on my program. Those were the days. Times changed. The "Big A" was relocated along the freeway, the stadium was transformed into a football stadium for the Rams, The Disney Company bought the club and changed the uniforms and logo, but the Angels never won the pennant. They never went to the World Series. Thirty-five years passed. Then came 2002. The season during which my teenage dreams would be fulfilled...
The season of 2003 ended up with the Angels not making the series. The magic passed us by. The team of "non-superstars" were now superstars by right of having won the World Series and adjustments needed to be made. A new owner purchased the club from the Disney Company. Gone was Disney, gone was Mrs. Jackie Autrey, gone were Scott Spezio and Fullmer. Then with the start of the 2004 season, we saw a shocking series of injuries. Derek Anderson is diagnosed with arthritis in his upper back, justs weeks after achieving a generous contract cementing his future with the Angels.
Troy Glaus got traded.
Tim Salmon was out on injuries all of 2005. Other injuries included Darin Erstad for a few weeks. Brendan Donnelly, who on April 1,2004 was put on a 15-day due to nasal fractures from a ball which hit him square in the face. Injuries kept the Angels from being a powerful team they once were.
This would have been a disaster if not for the expensive acquisitions made by the Angel's new owner, Arturo Moreno, before the start of the season.
Other acquisitions made by Mr. Moreno was Jose Guillen, and Chone Figgins. Both of these gentlemen are also hot batters.
Imagine if Salmon, Glaus, Anderson, and Erstad were all fully healed and back on the active roster! Talk about depth from the bench! Yet it was not to be.
2005 had the Angels renamed The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Art Moreno alienated a lot of OC fans by doing this plus the City of Anaheim. It sounds stupid. Even with the bad blood and injuries, the Angels made a good showing getting through the play-offs, and beating the Yankees. The only thing that stopped them was bad umpiring, Vlade's slump, and the powerful Chicago White Sox. Time was on their side, it was their time to shine and they took the World Series.
If you want to find out more about The Angels, visit their official web-site.
LINK TO THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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