Arte—The Grinch That Stole Angel Christmas

Back in 1986, the Angels were one out away from going to their first ever World Series, ending years of mediocrity and suffering, but then, oh we all know what happened.
The team went into a deep funk, only seeming to rise from the ashes in 1995, where they built a 14 game division lead with a lineup full of young, exciting players, but blew the cushion and a playoff game.
It looked as if being an Angel fan meant inevitable pain, until that magical 2002 season when everything broke right and the team actually won a World Series. Lots of people still don’t believe it actually happened.
Then things got better when Arte Moreno bought the team, and proved to be a fan’s owner, lowering prices, making Angel Stadium fan friendly, the “Anti-Dodger Stadium”, and bringing a quality product on the field.
However, Arte, a marketing genius, made a big mistake when he chose to re name his team “The Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim”, hoping to get in on the Los Angeles name and shedding the image of small town Anaheim.
It was a big mistake because now Moreno had proclaimed himself a big time player, but judging from the events since another disastrous post season exit, Moreno looks like he is more big city talker and small town thinker.
The Angels, who lost again in post season due to an obvious lack of offense, let go an aging but productive Garret Anderson, and now a proven big time player Mark Teixiera, along with cutting ties with single season saves leader Francisco Rodriguez, and, in all likelihood, 14 game winner Jon Garland. In return, the Angels have received—-nothing…
Oh, they re-signed Juan Rivera, he of the .247 career batting average. And the Angels look like they are in lead to pay 10 million dollars a year to left handed reliever Brian Fuentes, 33, and his 17-27 career record, offset of course by his brilliant 3.41 ERA. Wow, should sell a lot of season tickets with that signing!
Moreno looks like he has become the biggest fake this side of say, Frank McCourt. At least with McCrook you know he’s cheap. After it appeared to Angel fans that getting Teixiera back would be less than a 50-50 proposition, Moreno got on with Dave Smith and Roger Lodge and waxed poetically about Manny Ramirez and his achievements and hinted at the possibility of Manny in Anaheim. Now that the door on Teixiera shut closed, Angel general manager Tony Reagins quashes any hope of clutch hitting and offense by saying, “Manny Ramirez will not be an Angel.”
He then goes on to say that with more at bats, he THINKS Rivera will be more productive, and that he feels comfortable with an Angel outfield of Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Mathews Jr., and Reggie Willits. Did he have his fingers crossed behind his back? Hunter and Guerrero (on the down side of his career) are still productive, but Mathews Jr, is, to put it mildly, terrible, and Willits can’t even crack the Mendoza .200 line.
And Tony then goes on to say that this gives the Angel younger players a chance. Does that mean more strikeouts from the overhyped and oh so over matched Brandon Wood and Sean Rodriguez? Oh, and will we have to hear more Rex Hudler drivel about the greatness of Howie Kendrick, who spends more time on the disabled list than the playing field, and went MIA in the playoffs?
That crushing loss in the playoffs might just send this team into another downward spiral, but the fact that the AL West is so pathetic will prevent that from happening. But now we all get to look forward to hearing Angel announcers gush over the major league leading 15th time that the Angel runners just went from 1st to 3rd. I don’t think going to third base scores runs. How about watching a guy hit a home run and trot around the bases? In 2002, the team won because they hit home runs. Winning Scioscia-type small ball in regular season means nothing in post season. The Tampa Bay Rays got to the Series because THEY HIT HOME RUNS.
Is it time to get pissed off and say “well, they didn’t spend so why should I?” Not if you realize what I just did.
Arte had us snookered when he became the Los Angeles Angels. He didn’t want to win the World Series, he wanted to win Los Angeles.
But he’s not even winning there.
Arte, change the name back to Anaheim. In this day and age, small market might win championships.