Look what I got! - Part Three in a Series

 Okay, the title here is

a little misleading since I’ve gotten a LOT of cool cards since the last time I was doing this on a regular basis.  But this one might just be a little special.  

It's been a hot minute.

Well hello there!

I know it's been quite a while since I've posted anything here.  To say that life has taken a few turns in the past year, let alone the last decade, would be an understatement.

On the minus side, I haven't posted a darn thing in over a little over a decade.

On the plus side, I have kept up on the collection and have BINDERS full of new additions that I've yet to post about.

GO HALOS

RIP Jim Fregosi

I just read that Jim Fregosi, longtime Angels shortstop and the first manager to bring the team to the playoffs, died this morning. 

 

Long, long before Mike Trout, Jim was the original Angels wunderkind.  Acquired from the Red Sox in the first expansion draft in 1960, he made his major league debut as a September call-up in the Halo's first season, was a regular reserve in '62, and was a starter by '63.  He was the first Angels player to hit for the cycle, and along with Bobby Knoop was half of one of the greatest double-play combinations in league history.

 

Multiple-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner - Fregosi was the face of the franchise for the better part of a decade.  He remained a Halo until after the 1971 season, when the Mets sent four players to the Angels to acquire him.  He returned to the Angels in '78 as manager.  Oddly enough he ended up managing the one remaining player who was traded for him: Nolan Ryan.

 

Rest in peace, sir.  You were an amazing player, and a great baseball mind.

I don't know if I feel old or young!

It's been a tough year so far around these parts so far - within the space of a couple months, my wife lost a pair of grandparents.  Ray and Maureen Williams were a true throwback pair - they never took crap from anyone, ever, but they had the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever seen.  Like most people who lived through the Great Depression, they acquired a good amount of stuff during their lives, and the family decided to try and unload some of it during our block's recent neighborhood garage sale.  So we found ourselves looking at a lot of Mah Woman's grandparents stuff for a bit.

With all the stuff we tried to unload, there was one thing I grabbed for myself: Jamie's Granddad had a little battery-powered AM/FM radio, and it had to be mine.  I'd been looking for a portable radio that actually got AM for a couple years now, so I could listen to the Angels games live.  (And if anyone reading this knows anyone at KLAA, PLEASE let them know that BSiD (Brain Sucking iPhone Device) users need a way to listen to Angels games live on the internet!)  So now I finally have a way to follow the games without hijacking the TV from my girls.

The first game I listened to on this radio was the Angels' 3-2 victory over that one team... y'know, the ones with the blue hats, and they used to share a stadium with the Halos? Yeah, that game where Albert Pujols knocked in the game-winning run?  That was the first game I listened to on this radio.  That made me feel like I chose wisely.

The second game I've listened to on this little marvel was tonight.  And what an amazing game it was - Ervin Santana just threw a one-hit shutout, facing only 29 batters against the Arizona Diamondbacks (and former Angel, and 2008 All-Star Game teammate, Joe Saunders).  El Meñeo has struggled for much of this season, so it was AMAZING to listen in as he pitched perhaps the best game of his career.

The odd thing is that in both of the games I've listened to on this radio, I've been playing the PC video game Diablo III while listening.  (What can I say - I work for Blizzard Entertainment, and Diablo II was my second-favorite PC game ever long before I got this job.)  As much as I remind myself of an old man when I listen to baseball games on the radio, I still feel like a kid when I'm playing video games, so to do both at the same time creates much confusion.

On a personal note, this game was so much fun to listen to that I actually called in to Angel Talk on AM 830 for the first time tonight.  Terry Smith, producer Darren Chan, and the phone screeners were kind enough to take my call, so I was able to share my thoughts on tonight's game - basically that I think it may have meant a little more than Ervin's no-hitter last season, because tonight he didn't actually give up a run.  (And yes, I realize that no-nos are a team effort, especially when the other team scores an unearned run.)  I was even given enough time to draw a comparison between Ervin and the great Nolan Ryan, who threw six 1-hitters while an Angel.

So congratulations to you, El Meñeo, and thanks to the folks at KLAA.  Let's earn another win tomorrow!

It's that time again...

Holy cow it's been forever since I've posted to my blog.  Sorry 'bout that.  Since my last post I've gotten a new job and a new kid, so things have been really crazy for a while.  (And then there was the hard drive crash...)  But none of that matters, because...

IT'S OPENING DAY!!!

I just hung the Angels flag outside, I've got the tickets printed, and the camera's battery is charged.  12 hours and counting!

Catching Up - All-Star Sunday, Part 1: The All-Star Futures Game

The Angels have played host to the MLB All-Star Game three times before this year, but 2010 was the first time they've hosted since I moved back to Orange County.  There was no way on Earth that I was missing it.  I was fortunate to be able to attend all three days of the festivities.  (Thanks, anonymous people who sold your tickets on StubHub!)

It's been great seeing the All-Star Game logo all over everything this year, even if the star looks a little like the Rangers' logo.

But seriously, what the heck is this?

There were Mickey statues for every team and then some scattered around Orange County and Los Angeles.  They made the mistake of putting the Red Sox statue in OC, and it got vandalized.  While I in no way support or encourage acts of vandalism, I was stoked to hear that an Angels fan beat up Boston Mickey.

Dear Topps, cool poster, and thank you for fixing the spelling of Jered Weaver's name before you released his card this year.

Speaking of the Red Sox, I saw Boston General Manager Theo Epstein as I was walking in.  Theo, that "SOX SUCK!" you heard before you got to your seat was me.  You're welcome.

The weekend started off with the All-Star Futures game on Sunday. I was able to score a great seat for this, so with the wife's camera in tow, I settled in and enjoyed some baseball.   My seat was in the second row just past the home dugout.  There is nothing like watching a baseball game this close when you have a telephoto lens.  Here's the World team's third base coach, Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.

Jeremy Hellickson (Rays AAA) throws the first pitch of the game.

I don't know why it was a surprise to me, but the U.S.'s starting catcher was Huntington Beach High's own Hank Conger.

Here's Hank at the plate in the first inning.

Another Angels prospect, Mike Trout, pinch ran in the first inning, and remained in the game to play center field.  This is my second favorite picture from this game.  Hopefully you'll be adding to that banner soon, Mike.

Here's Trout at the plate.  He ended up going 2-4, but reached base every time he went to the plate.

Here's Hank breaking his bat.

They always have a kid "steal third" during Angels games.  This time, the MLB mascots tried to block the kid, who took out the Red Sox mascot with a great left hook.  That's right, there is no love for Beantown in Anaheim.

I get all tingly whenever I see this shot.  This is Hank Conger hitting his first-ever home run in the Big A.

To his credit, the kid acted like he's been there before.

I just read an article where the guys waiting at the plate to give Hank props were referred to as a "Conger line."  I like it.

One unexpected bonus during the game was the food.  There was a contest where chefs from twelve of the MLB ballparks made their absolute best hot dogs, and saw which one would sell the most.  I didn't care who won.  I had to support the home team, so I got the Halo Dog.  It was the single best chili dog I have ever had in my entire life.

Angels farmhand Luis Jimenez came in late in the game to play third base for the World team.

Another Orange County product, Austin "Romeo" Romine from El Toro High.  The people behind me went NUTS when this game came to bat.  So nuts that I had to turn around and ask the guy, "So, high school boyfriend?"  We had a pretty good laugh over that one.  Turns out the guy had gone to school with Romeo, who came over and posed for pics with them after the game.

The U.S. won the game 9-1, and Hank Conger was named MVP.  It was the start of a great day for Angels fans.  Here's Hank being interviewed by Erin Andrews.

Coming soon: All-Star Sunday Part 2 - the Legends and Celebrities game.

1982 - Things keep rolling along.

There will always be a soft spot in my heart for the 1982 Topps set.  When I was a kid, I came from school one day to find that my parents had bought me the entire set from an ad in a magazine.  Man, did I have a blast rooting through that set!  For the first year ever, I had every single card.  I still have this set, in the same shipping box, sitting in my garage.  Thanks, Mom and Dad!

While 1982 was a great year for my baseball card collection, it was an even better year for the Angels.  After a three year wait (and keeping with the "if it ends in a 2, it's a good year" theory), the Halos won their second American League West division title.

The '82 Halos boasted one of the strongest lineups the team has ever had, with Rod Carew (.319 BA), Bobby Grich, Doug DeCinces (30 HR, 97 RBI), Brian Downing (28 HR, 109R), Fred Lynn (.299 BA, 21 HR), Reggie Jackson (39 HR, 101 RBI) and Don Baylor (24 HR).

The pitching staff was strong as well, with Geoff Zahn going 18-8 and Ken Forsch going 13-11.  The team went 93-69 for Manager Gene Mauch.

The Angels' season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the Milwaukee Brewers (back when they were where they belong, in the AL), in the American League Championship Series.  While the Halos took the first two games in Anaheim, they lost the next three of the best-of-five series in Wisconsin.  Even with the loss, Fred Lynn was named the MVP of the series.

1982 Topps ANGELS

24 - Dave Frost

55 - Rick Burleson

58 - John D'Acquisto

74 - Bob Clark

94 - Andy Hassler

134 - Dan Ford

158 - Brian Downing

199 - Don Aase

229 - Geoff Zahn

251 - Fred Lynn

252 - Fred Lynn IA

257 - Larry Harlow

276 - Angels TL/Rod Carew

284 - Bob Grich

313 - John Harris

357 - Butch Hobson

385 - Ken Forsch

415 - Don Baylor

442 - Bruce Kison

469 - Ed Ott

500 - Rod Carew

501 - Rod Carew IA

514 - Joe Ferguson

547 - Rod Carew AS

572 - Juan Beniquez

602 - Freddie Patek

628 - Bill Travers

653 - Futures Stars - Brunansky, Sanchez, Sconiers

659 - Fred Martinez

682 - Jesse Jefferson

702 - Steve Renko

744 - Mike Witt

772 - Bert Campaneris

1982 Topps TRADED

9T - Bob Boone

21T - Doug Corbett

26T - Doug DeCinces

34T - Tim Foli

47T - Reggie Jackson

48T - Ron Jackson

53T - Mick Kelleher
128T - Rob Wilfong

regular cards: 41

inserts: 0

1972 - Things start to get interesting.

1972 was an interesting year for the Angels.  On December 10th of the previous year, the face of the franchise was traded to the Mets.  Jim Fregosi, who was like a son to Mr. Autry, was sent packing in a deal that (at the time) had Halo Nation in an uproar.

It turned out to be the best trade the Angels have ever made.

Why?  In addition to catcher Frank Estrada, pitcher Don Rose and outfielder Leroy Stanton, the Angels received a hard-throwing (but very wild) right-hander by the name of Nolan Ryan.

Ryan had won a World Series ring in New York in 1969, but after a horrible second half in 1971, the Mets decided they couldn't wait around to see if Ryan could turn things around.  The Angels were more than happy to give him that chance, and boy did it pay off.

While the team went 75-80 for manager Del Rice, Ryan would account for 25% of those wins, going 19-16 with a 2.28 ERA and a ridiculous 329 strikeouts (although he still walked 157 batters).  Together with Clyde Wright's 18-11, 2.98 record, things were starting to look up for the Angels' pitching staff.

The offense didn't fare quite as well, with Bob (father of recent Angel Darren) Oliver's 19 home runs and 70 RBI, and Ken Berry's .289 batting average.  Sandy Alomar stole 20 bags, and Vada Pinson swiped 17.

The 1972 card design draws a mixed reaction from fans.  I like the movie marquee-like team names at the top, but some of the color combinations Topps used with the other teams are a bit of an eyesore.  Most of the pictures (the ones that don't have the horrible airbrushing when the player's photo was taken when he was on another team) are from 1971, which was the only season that the Angels used the lower-case 'a' on the hats and jerseys.  It's interesting to see that in the earlier cards in the set, there is no halo over the 'a' on the jerseys, but it's there in the later cards, where the pictures were taken months later.

1972 Topps Angels Checklist

19 - Billy Cowan

55 - Clyde Wright

71 - Angels Team

102 - Lloyd Allen

115 - Jim Fregosi

135 - Vada Pinson

160 - Andy Messersmith

196 - Mel Queen

213 - Kusnyr/Parkr/Silvrio

253 - Sandy Alomar

272 - Mickey Rivers

289 - Syd O'Brien

354 - Tom Murphy

379 - Ken Berry

404 - Jeff Torborg

419 - Jim Spencer

462 - Rickey Clark

521 - Alan Foster

541 - Roger Repoz

561 - Leo Cardenas

562 - Leo Cardenas - In Action

595 - Nolan Ryan

629 - Paul Doyle

656 - Rudy May

672 - Archie Reynolds

689 - Eddie Fisher

718 - Del Rice

765 - Ken McMullen

Topps Posters Inserts

18 Andy Messersmith Topps Posters

regular cards: 28

inserts: 1

Rory Markas - 1955-2010

Very sad news today.  Rory Markas, the Angels' primary radio broadcaster since the magical year of 2002 passed away last night.  I didn't start listening to the Angels on the radio until 2002, so he's really the only lead broadcaster I've ever known for the team (and the Angels have had some greats).  I really appreciated the job he did, as he called a great game and his voice was always filled with excitement.  Although I was watching TV when we won the Series in '02, the win didn't seem real until I tuned in to the radio on the way home and heard the replay of Rory saying, "Just another Halo victory!"  I even have a bottle opener that plays his final call of the Series:

"Here's the pitch to Lofton...

       fly ball, center field...

              Erstad says he's got it...

                     Erstad...

                          MAKES THE CATCH!

THE ANAHEIM ANGELS... ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF BASEBALL!!!"

Rory, you will be missed.

File photo from ocregister.com.

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa/Wintereenmas/Ramadan/New Year's.  Here's looking forward to a great season.

1962 - YES WE CAN!

Long before Barack Obama's camp adopted the phrase, Angels fans in 1962 were chanting "YES WE CAN!" in hopes of a championship season.  Why in the world would a team in just its second season have postseason dreams, especially before the advent of divisional play?  To start with, most of these guys looked pretty happy going into the season wearing a halo on their heads:

The '62 Angels did the impossible - they actually led the American League late in the season.  In fact, "First on the Fourth" was a cry at one point when the Halos were in first place on the 4th of July.  Ultimately they fell to third place, ten games behind some team from New York, but at 86-76, it was an amazing finish for such a new team.

While this set is well-loved by collectors because of the wood-grain finish, in terms of quality control 1962 turned out to be one of the worst years for Topps cards ever.  Due do a serious production error, an entire run of cards ended up with a greenish tint, and there were many other variations - many including Angels.  As you can see in the first image, there was a variation on the team card, with two insert pictures being added in later runs.  And the Eddie Yost card was printed with a head shot in one version, and a batting pose in another.

Leon "Daddy Wags" Wagner was the major force on offense that year, with 37 homers and 107 RBI.  He ended up winning the Angels' first All-Star MVP award that year and placed 4th in the MVP ballot.  Lee Thomas led the Halos with a .290 batting average.  On the pitching side, Dean Chance led the team with 14 wins and a 2.96 ERA among the regulars, while Bo Belinsky checked in with 145 strikeouts.  Belinsky pitched the franchise's first no-hitter on May 5th (against the Orioles), and became an instant sensation in SoCal.

Belinsky's rookie card, #592) was the hardest pre-1972 card for me to get.  Unfortunately this wasn't just because it was Bo's rookie card, but because it was also Jim Bouton's rookie card.  Bouton wrote the first real tell-all book about baseball, "Ball Four," and his cards have been more in demand ever since.

The inserts this year were lickable stamps, set two to a panel.  While most of what I've acquired are single panels, I'm pretty happy about the double-panels I've found.  Having the old-school Angels logo paired with a Houston Colts emblem is really cool.

1962 was such an amazing year for the Angels, that (so far) it ranks as my second favorite season ever.  In addition to the 1962 Topps Bucks, I even had to pick up a couple non-regular-Topps cards because I love this team so much.  The first is a 1999 Fleer Greats of the Game autograph card of Bo Belinsky, which I obtained after he passed away.  Bo was such a huge character on the early Angels teams, largely because he had relationships with many of the hottest starlets of the day.

I also had to get the Topps Archives Dean Chance auto card, as it just wouldn't be 1962 if Belinsky was there without Chance.

1962 Topps Angels Checklist

11 - Tom Morgan

39 - Joe Koppe

68 - Ken L. Hunt

96 - Eli Grba

128A - Art Fowler green tint

128B - Art Fowler

132A - Angels Team

132B - Angels Team w/photo inserts

154A - Lee Thomas green tint

154B - Lee Thomas

176A - Eddie Yost - portrait

176B - Eddie Yost - batting

194A - Dean Chance green tint

194B - Dean Chance

209 - Jim Fregosi

257 - Jack Spring

268 - Ken McBride

287 - George Witt

343 - Albie Pearson

369 - Ted Bowsfield

388 - Ryne Duren

422 - Steve Bilko

431 - Bob Rodgers

452 - Earl Averill

491 - Leon Wagner

498 - Jim Donohue

525 - George Thomas

539 - Billy Moran

549 - Bill Rigney SP

569 - Ed Sadowski SP

592 - RC Parade Pitchers (Belinsky, Bonikowski, Bouton, Pfister, Stenhouse) SP

595 - RC Parade Infielders (Sadowski, Charles, Coughtry, Torres) SP

Topps Stamps Inserts

TSI62 - Los Angeles Emblem

TSI63 Steve Bilko

TSI64 Ted Bowsfield

TSI65 Ken Hunt

TSI66 Ken McBride

TSI67 Albie Pearson

TSI68 Bob Rodgers

TSI69 George Thomas

TSI70 Lee Thomas

TSI71 Leon Wagner

1962 Topps Bucks

TB40 Ken Hunt

TB58 Ken McBride

TB88 Lee Thomas

TB90 Leon Wagner

Extras
1999 Fleer Bo Belinsky Sports Illustrated Greats of the Game Autograph
2002 Topps Archives Dean Chance Autograph

regular cards: 28 + 4

inserts: 14

ALCS Game 3

So I got doubly lucky this year, and was able to score tickets to our first home game of the American League Championship Series.  Not wanting to mess with the formula that worked for game one of the AL Division Series, Jamie and I took our friends Clark and Michelle.  The Angels were already down in the series two games to none to the hated Yankmes from New Yawk, and I have to admit that I wasn't feeling confident coming in to this game.

Unlike the ALDS, we actually had a flyover for this game.  This C-130 cargo jet circled so low over the stadium that Michelle thought that terrorists were attacking.

The Angels had the right side of the '80s infield there for the first pitch - Rod Carew tossed the ball to Bobby Grich.

The Big A is still under renovation for the All-Star Game next year.  It is so very weird to look out there and see a big hole instead of a cola ad.  Unfortunately the Big Halo did not get lit after our win in game 1 of the ALDS.  I always like to take a picture of a lit Halo after an Angels victory.

Always nice to see that fans still remember and love Mr. Autry!

All right, first pitch, and Jered Weaver throws... a ball.  Meh.

Weaver gave up three runs in five innings, and left with the Angels in a 3-0 hole.  Soon after, Howie Kendrick hit a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth, and Vladdy said "Yes we can!" with a two-run blast in the sixth.  The game was tied at the seventh inning stretch when they introduced the crew of the C-130.

I really don't have enough pics of the numbers that the Angels have retired.

Once again, I was so busy watching the game (and our seats were in the nosebleeds) that I didn't get any pics of the action.  Oddly enough, I was really tempted to pull out the camera right before Vladdy's two-run shot.  We ended up going ahead in the 7th (BRILLIANT move by Mike Scioscia to pinch hit Maicer Izturis for Mike Napoli - Mighty Maicer seems like he's always clutch), but the Yankees tied it in the 8th.  I blame this partly on the video crew showing a second Rally Monkey video after we had already taken the lead.  Isn't that against the rules?

I'd like to take a moment to point out how much respect the Yankees have for Angels fans. Every time the Angels got any sort of momentum going on offense (i.e. anyone on base at all), they did everything they could to slow the game down. I cannot remember the last time I saw a pitcher throw to first four times in a row so early in the game, so thank you for that, Andy Pettitte. Joe Girardi also got in on the fun, having inserted Mo Rivera into the batting order at one point, and stopping the game to confirm with the umpire that that's what he was doing. All these delays did a good job of getting us fans to sit back down (especially when beer sales stopped an inning earlier than usual) but it didn't knock us out of the game. As usual, Angels fans were up to the occasion, and went nuts when--

--after three more scoreless innings, the Angels finally came through in the bottom of the eleventh when Jeff Mathis knocked in Howie Kendrick to make it a 2-1 series.  The folks in the condos across the parking lot were pretty happy about it.

Taking a cue from the Afternoon Angel, I made sure to congratulate a couple of Yankees fans on a great game before heading out.  After all, no matter who wins, an eleven inning game won by one run is always a good beisbol game.  It made me happy that the first two guys I said "good game" to shook my hand and took my well wishes as they were intended.  They both looked to be in their twenties.  I find it very interesting that the two older gentlemen that I said "good game" to looked at me like I had just spat on Babe Ruth's grave.

Mr. Autry was all smiles as we made our way back to the parking lot.

One great bonus was realizing that part of the renovation on the Big A is complete; they lit up the Halo!  Now instead of a single row of white light, we have a bunch of rows that can go multiple colors.

After thirteen innings Saturday night, and eleven today, I am WIPED. Rest up, Angels fans. The Halos are going to need every cheer we can muster to even this up.