Somebody better buy Satan a coat, because the mercury is falling fast.
Thanks to a bunch of Angels the inferno seems a bit chilly. It took 41 years, a 5’6″ shortstop, seven games and one rally monkey to bring Anaheim its first championship.
The team that was universally picked in the preseason to finish last in the American League West went on to win it all. As the final fly ball settled into Darin Erstad’s glove, every other major league team asked the same question: “How did this happen?”
The answer is simple–a refusal to give up hope that anything was possible.
No matter how many sportswriters picked the Yankees, the Angels picked themselves. Manager Mike Scioscia convinced the Angels that no deficit was too great, regardless of the inning.
It sounds simple, but it was a novel concept. It was the first time that a group of athletes truly leaned on one another.
The Angels were a group of nobodys that defeated the greatest somebody in baseball.
It really isn’t up for debate anymore–Barry Bonds is the greatest player of our generation, and he is still without a ring. The Angels proved that one man cannot beat a “driven” group. Each Angel player had a specific role that he filled to perfection.
Whether it was Erstad moving a runner into scoring position for Tim Salmon, Brendan Donnelly pitching out of trouble, or Francisco Rodriguez making hitters hopelessly waive at his slider, the Angels played fundamentally sound baseball–and that is why they are champions.
It would have been easy to collapse again, but the Angels didn’t. They stuck to their guns in the sixth game of the World Series, just as they had when they were 6-14 at the beginning of the season. And when it was said and done, they didn’t forget about those who had come before them.
Closer Troy Percival said they won it for former Angels Gary Disarcina and Chuck Finley, but every Angel won it for former owner Gene Autry.
Any Angel fan who was lucky enough to see the team when they were under the ownership of Autry understands why the team won it for the cowboy.
For years, players came to Anaheim knowing that they were seen as the junior varsity of the Dodgers.
Those same players knew the losing history of the team, and still the came to Anaheim. They came because Autry was the most beloved owner in baseball. Players liked playing in Anaheim.
It wasn’t because they won like the Yankees or were paid like Alex Rodriguez, it was because they were treated like people–not pieces of meat.
The new breed of Angels are now champions, but the veterans like Salmon and Percival will not let them forget the past. It is because of this respect for the past and never-say-die attitude that the Angels can continue to win.
What looks like a fluke to some could turn out to be the next dynasty in baseball, for one reason; the Angels believe in their own magic.
