12.13.04
The Angels
So the Angels get Steve Finley and I couldn’t be happier. I’m not particularly an Angel fan, but I don’t hate them or chuckle about them the way I used to. Winning a World Series will earn you some respect, I tell you, especially when you keep the Giants from winning one.
Time was when the Angels were a difficult team to take seriously. I’m sure fans in Chicago and New York tell a different variation of the same joke, “Well I was hoping to go to a big-league game, but I guess we can go see the Angels.”
But after last year’s division championship, I’ve gained a whole bunch more respect for the Angel organization. And having Mike Scioscia and Mickey Hatcher in the dugout doesn’t hurt.
I sometimes wonder if I would hate them if I still lived in the L.A. area. I didn’t hate them before because they weren’t a threat to the Dodgers. But by all appearances, so far, it looks like they’ll be better than the Dodgers again this year. Getting Finley to do what Carlos Beltran would have done (granted, it’s for two years instead of eight) is a bargain. The team is incredibly deep on offense. They did lose Troy Percival, but Francisco Rodriguez should do well. If the starters end up being decent, this is Anaheim’s year.