california cool

A portion of the Jeff Mathis interview on The Drive caught my attention.

Jeff Biggs mentioned that he was kinda upset over the comments that Lackey had made about the laid-back nature of Angels fans. I wasn't going to comment on them, mostly since I don't care what he says in a BoSux uniform, but what concerns me is the reaction from my fellow Halos fans.

I can understand that most Angels fans see Lackey as a traitor, money-grubber, or whatever, and they feel a sense of distrust and anger towards him. Personally, I'm displeased with how the situation turned out and the passive-agressive manner he's handled it. But while some fans (and Biggs) see his comment as another parting shot, I think its a valid observation. And really, I think the real offensive part is the first line in that statement.

"This is not going to play well in Orange County..."

Yes, the stereotypical Angels fan is not as crazy as RedSox fans. Yes, there are a good majority of Angels fans that remember the barren days and appreciate the AL West titles. And yes, I'd characterize the fan base in Anaheim to be more laid back than in Boston. And to that, I'd like to say "So?"

Every sports fanbase has a certain level of fan/media pressure. It ranges from the extremely rabid (Yankees, RedSox, Cubs) to the low-key (Padres, Tampa Bay). And while, yeah, low-key can mean low-attendance (and therefore low payroll and therefore little winning), I don't see the upper end of that spectrum as being so appealing either. When the mean of your fans are crazier than most (I probably should say "passionate"), you have more of those extreme crazies with unsustainable expectations and who are always pushing for the quick fix to win now. And while I understand that Boston takes its sports seriously (and I have no problem with that), fan/media pressure can be both a blessing and a curse. I wrote earlier about the response to Theo Epstein's offhand comment about a bridge period, and that's the perfect example.

I don't want the Angels to be like that.

For the most part, I find Angels fans to be very thoughtful and reasonable, both in their analysis and expectations of the team. You can bet that every Halo fan wants the team to win the World Series. But you can also bet that most Halo fans would call a 97-win team a pretty good success and resist the idea of blowing it up. (That's not to say that there aren't any RedSox fans who are smart and have common sense - it's just that they get drowned out by the aformentioned crazies.) And if the Halos should stumble, the fans do voice their displeasure (there was a strong call to push Vlad from cleanup). It's not that we don't care - we're fans for a reason - it's that we've imbibed the steady nature of Sosh and the Angels organization. I can't speak for others, but I trust the Angels know what they're doing.

I think it works for the Angels. A lot was made when the Angels attached the "Los Angeles" to their name. And while I like that Arte is pushing the Angels brand as a big-market name, it's no secret that the Angels' revenues fall below that of the likes of the Yankees and the RedSox. The Angels' FO has to practice restraint with the payroll and can't always simply go out and buy the best player on the FA market (or trade away the farm) so that they can win now and placate the murderous fanbase/media, like the Yankees. (God forbid we become the Yankees.)

The point I'm trying to make is that Boston has their way, and we have ours. Why should we be ashamed of that? Why should our passion be questioned? If anything, look at how the halosphere is growing. Besides angels&aimee, I've encountered quite a few more blogs that have popped up this offseason. Apparently, these fans have been inspired, like me, to write about their love (not passion!) for the Angels.

Like I said, they have their way, we have ours. And it doesn't correlate to a "better" team. Both organizations are very successful in terms of attendance and on the field. The Angels consistantly give us a team that wins, plays an exciting game, plays it the right way, and a team (and players) that are easy to root for. I'm not afraid to say I can live with a winning team and frequent trips to the playoffs - its better than being the Pirates, right?

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The big Angels news today was the announcement that Victor Rojas (formally of the MLB Network, and Texas announcer) would join the broadcast team. I haven't seen/heard him before, but the early chatter is positive.