A Depressing Off-season Continues

First Figgy heads off to our rivals in the greater Northwest. You kinda knew he was going, but it still stings a little. Seeing him play against us will be painful, especially since we probably won't have the same luck in throwing him out while stealing that every other team seems to have.

Then, Lackey bolts for Boston and goes from adored winner of Game 7, to hated turncoat. Nice to know being in ace in Anaheim wasn't nearly as important as being a #3 in Beantown. Whatever.

Finally, the last of the big 3 is headed out of town and of course going to another division rival, this time Texas. I know that statistically Matsui should be an upgrade, but it just doesn't feel right. Vlad was fun to cheer for and of course incredibly frustrating at times as well. You can only watch him swing at pitches 2 feet out of the strike zone so many times before you start to question his hitting IQ.

The bigger problem with Vlad was that he was the face of the franchise. Sure, he had no business hitting cleanup for the last half of the season, but would it have been so hard to just move him down in the order and reap the benefits of a hitter in the 6th or 7th hole who had some pop?


One less smiling face to adorn Angel cards in 2010.

As far as baseball decisions, I can understand letting Figgy and Vladdy leave, I can even make the case that Lackey wasn't worth nearly that much money, especially over 5 years, but the problem is I'm a fan. And so is my daughter. Every time she sees me watching football she asks when the Angels will be back on. I try to explain the calendar how there is a season, but that has little effect. So as she scampers away she chirps about seeing Figgy and Vlad. Not sure that explaining the free market and the dynamics of free agency is going to go over well.

We're gonna miss you Vlad and Figgy. Hope you choke on your chowder Big John.

Go Halos!

Ugh

Reason #283 it's rough to live and die with your team.

Figgy an All-Star

After being passed up multiple times in the last few days, Chone Figgins is now an All-Star thanks to an infection in Evan Longoria's finger. Congrats to Chone, hopefully he actually gets to play in the game.

Halos From the Cheap Seats

Dan from Cheap Seat Saints recently contacted me about trading Halos for Indians and I'm glad I accepted. Dan sent along a number of Angels that now have a very loving home here in Southern California. Here's a small sampling of the goodies. Thanks again Dan.

The only non-Halo in the bunch, Johnny Mize.

I've already mentioned multiple times how much I like this subset from 2009 Topps, so it's nice to add another legend to the group.


A chromey Torii. I like the sorta candid feel of this card. Definitely suits the laid-back and enjoyable nature of Torii.


Dan sent along a few 2008 Topps Chrome refractors which are really nice cards in person. I didn't have any chrome from last year, so these additions were welcome. I chose the Figgins to show off because I like the uniqueness of the photo. Leaves you wondering if he made the reach or if the ball ended up 8 rows back.


The Weav. Another card from a set I never collect. This is easily the best part of the blog trading circuit. So many people collect so many different sets that you come across cards you'd never get otherwise.


What a putrid design. Percy near the end of his Halo days. A moment of sadness.


Another design I don't quite understand. "The Nationals" is plastered across the card, for what reason I don't quite know. The positive, it's Timmy Salmon.


This may be my favorite set out there. I wasn't collecting in 1999 and only recently came across the set, but i think the cards are absolutely beautiful. I really need to find a set of these somewhere. Dan sent along three Halos from the 1999 Topps Gold Label set and each one is perfection.


I bought very little 2008 Heritage and continually saw this card staring at me on eBay. Nice to actually bring it into the collection.


Topps Finest, the home of middle reliever autographs. On the bright side, Rich's wife is a blogger, Everyday Life.

Thanks again to Dan for all of the Halos, they are much appreciated. Hopefully you'll enjoy the Indians I've sent your way.

Go Halos!

The Night Owl Strikes

While some would say that Night Owl's best quality is his writing skill, which can be seen over and over through his entertaining posts, others would argue that his generosity takes the top spot. I, on the other hand, find something else to admire about the man. His penchant for pulling Halos! The man is an Angel magnet, which while unfortunate for a Dodger fan, means a windfall for this Angel fan. Greg, thank you for making me your dumping ground. I truly appreciate it.

So what exactly did Greg send along, a heaping of Halos. Here's a small sample.

A number of 1985 Fleer cards were sent along, that I can only hope were part of some Dollar Store finds.

I love everything about this Bobby Grich card. The giant mustache, the flowing mane, the bat awkwardly staged in his lap. Beauty.


1989 Donruss is one of my favorite sets. I remember open a ton of packs as a kid and I always enjoyed the borders and their fading in and out of colors. Combine that with the boyish charm of Wally World and the ostentatious use of MVP on the card and you have a winner.


Garret the Brave, still pictured as a Halo. As Garret's career winds down, it's tough seeing him with another team. When Angel fans would criticize Garret it was okay, because he was one of our own and we all still had the memories of his bases clearing double in game 7 of the 2002 World Series. It's a lot tougher to hear Braves fan railing against GA, knowing that their only memory of him will be as an aging outfielder, struggling to keep up.


Words can't describe how I feel about this. On the day after Thanksgiving, we will be putting up our Christmas tree as we do every year. The first ornament going on the tree will be Mr. Glaus.


I have no idea how this game works or what the point of it was, but I enjoy its oddball appeal.


This is my first and only 2009 Topps Finest card and getting hold of it made me really appreciate the set this year. I normally try to open at least one box of Finest each year, but budget hasn't allowed for that this year. I was okay with that, until I got this beauty.


A second shiny Saunders from the Night Owl. If Joe could just avoid ever pitching in Texas again, we might have a chance this year.


It's especially odd to see a 2008 card that still features Bart as an Angel, but Timelines had more than a few of these. I pulled a Randy Johnson "Mariners" version of this relic. I'm fine with the flashback, but then why not just put Angels on the card?


I can't imagine how disappointing it must have been for Night Owl to open a blaster of Timelines and pull Bart the Angel and a blaster of UD and pull a K-Mo relic. Sorry about your luck Greg...wait, no I'm not. I thoroughly enjoy your rotten luck.

Greg also sent a long a number of other Angels, which have found a very warm home out here. Thanks again Greg for your generosity and best of luck with your Halo radar in the future.

Go Halos!