Thursday, September 18, 2014

Baseball: When West Was Won

Posted by Douglas V. Gibbs

I am a baseball fan.  I am a longtime Angels fan, first following the team as a kid in the 1970s.  After a lifetime of tough seasons, and misses in the playoffs a few times, in 2002 the Angels won their first World Series, entering the post season as a wildcard, with a 99-63 record, the best in their history.  Last night, after defeating the Seattle Mariners, combined with a loss of the A's against Texas, the Angels clinched the American League West division.  Their current record is 95-57, with ten games remaining. . . which means they could win only half of their remaining regular season games, and finish with the best record in the history of the franchise, and for the first time breaking the triple digit barrier for overall wins.

Leading by only a run in the game, during the bottom of the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners the Angels felt like they needed a little insurance, and C.J. Cron slammed a three-run homer to put the game away, and ignite the crowd into frenzied anticipation at the Big-A regarding the A's game, which at that moment was 1-0 in the eighth inning, with Oakland in the lead.



One of the things I love about the Angels, which has always been true, but especially since Mike Scioscia took over in 2000 as manager, is that they act like a family, not only with each other, but with the fans.  The Angels are a fan friendly team, and a team that thoroughly appreciates the fans and considers them to be a part of the family.

The next video from MLB.com shows that mutual family attitude.  After last night's game, many of the fans remained in the stadium watching the Oakland A's battle the Texas Rangers on the stadium's big screen.  When the Rangers hammered six runs in the ninth inning, and then blanked Oakland in the bottom of the inning, the fans went wild. . . and the players from the Angels came storming out on the field to celebrate with the fans, running the parameter of the field, slapping fives, and spraying champagne on the appreciative fans.  The actions, the manner in which they carry themselves, and the humble words of the players with the media, reminds us that the Angels are something special in ways beyond having the best record in Major League Baseball.

Video: Must C: Clinch. . . The Angels and their fans stick around after their win to watch the Rangers defeat the Athletics and celebrate the AL West Title.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary. . . and a little baseball

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