# 30 - Sept. 29, 2004: Pride and
Glaus Stun Francisco Cordero
By
Eric Denton, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
In
2004, the Angels won their first division title
in eighteen years. And while the championship wasn't
officially clinched until the Halos played Oakland
two days later, this was the game that saved their
season.
With
the Angels trailing Texas, 6-5, in the ninth, and
Rangers closer Francisco Cordero looking to extend
his club record to 49 saves, would-be American League
MVP Vladimir Guerrero singled with two outs to keep
the Angels hopes alive.
Up
stepped seldom used veteran outfielder Curtis Pride,
and the match up on paper was not favorable.
Pride,
a perennial 26th man on various MLB rosters over
twelve seasons is one of the best feel good stories
in baseball. Born with 95 percent hearing loss,
Pride showed fans, especially young ones, that if
you worked hard and remained focused, you can accomplish
anything - including hitting a game tying double
off one of the best closers in the game and saving
the season for your team.
Pride
drilled a fastball from Cordero that nearly went
out of the Ballpark at Arlington, scoring Guerrero
from first base and sending the game into extra
innings.
"It's
a good feeling to be able to come in and help the
team," Pride said. "It's a big win for
us. It's probably the biggest hit of my career."
In
the top of the 11th inning, with Cordero still on
the mound, Darin Erstad singled with one out. At
the conclusion of a 10-pitch at-bat, Troy Glaus
got a hanging slider and crushed it deep onto the
grass hitter's backdrop in center field, giving
the Angels an 8-6 lead. It was the only home run
Cordero allowed all season.
"I
don't think you'll see a much better at-bat,"
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "There was
a battler on the mound and a battler at the plate.
He made a mistake and Troy didn't miss it."
The
home run ended up being the last of Glaus' Angels
career and he made it memorable.
Troy
Percival notched his 32nd save of the season and
the Angels went on to defeat the Oakland Athletics
the next two nights to secure the 2004 AL West Championship.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/TEX/TEX200409290.shtml
#29
- Oct. 1-27, 2002: K-Rod dominates like no other
rookie
By
Victor Varadi, Angelswin.com Contributor
Darin
Erstad settled under a deep fly ball to center field
and closed his glove around the last out of the
2002 World Series. Pandemonium ensued. The Angels
were Champions of baseball. Tim Salmon paraded around
the stadium with gene Autry's famous Stetson and
Troy Glaus hoisted the MVP trophy. But none of that
would have been possible had it not been for a young
pitching phenom from Venezuela.
Francisco
Rodriguez, nicknamed K-Rod that same October for
striking out more than a batter an inning, was a
mid-September call-up to an Angels bullpen riddled
with injuries. Rodriguez gave the Angels a glimpse
of what he would soon do on the world stage. In
fewer than 6 innings of regular season play, Rodriguez
gave up 2 hits and struck out 13.
The
Angels faced the New York Yankees in the ALDS. In
Game 2 in New York, Rodriguez earned his first career
win as a Major League pitcher. While he was also
credited with the blown save, he'd pitched two effective
innings for a much needed victory that tied the
short series at one game a piece. The Angels would
win the next two games and take the series. "Franky"
officially became K-Rod. In 3.2 innings, Rodriguez
struck out seven, and in the crucial third game,
he got the win by holding a powerful Yankees line-up
down while the Angels recovered from an early five
run deficit.
After
the Angels blew through the Minnesota Twins in the
ALCS, they would meet the San Francisco Giants,
led by Barry Bonds, in the World Series. In almost
nine innings of work, Rodriguez was downright electric;
he fanned 13 and walked one. In a crucial Game 2,
Rodriguez pitched three scoreless innings and struck
out four. The Giants batters were simply over matched
by K-Rod's fastball-slider combo and the Angels
would win that seesaw battle, 11-10. It was the
Angels first World Series game victory, and Rodriguez
was credited with the win.
Rodriguez
piled up 28 strikeouts in just more than 18 innings
of playoff work; he was the youngest pitcher in
32 years to pitch in a World Series game and at
20 years old was the youngest ever to win one.
The
young Venezuelan entered the playoffs as nondescript
Francisco Rodriguez and emerged from them a bona-fide
star known as K-Rod.
#28
- April 11, 1990: Langston and Witt combine on no-no
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin Senior Editor
The
1989-90 Major League baseball offseason began with
a bang for the California Angels and their fans.
On Dec. 1, 1989, the team signed free agent lefthander
Mark Langston to a five year, $16 million contract,
outbidding the Yankees and Dodgers. It briefly made
Langston the highest paid player in baseball.
The
signing gave the Angels a formidable rotation, with
Langston joining Chuck Finley, Jim Abbott, Kirk
McCaskill and Bert Blyleven - and pushed Mike Witt,
at that time the franchise's second-winningest pitcher,
to the bullpen. Though he'd won 109 games in nine
seasons with the Angels, Witt slumped to 9-15 with
a 4.54 ERA in 1989.
As
February neared, however, hopeful exuberance from
fans turned to frustration as rumors of another
work stoppage became reality. The players, concerned
that the owners were talking about a salary cap,
threatened a strike. The owners, concerned about
a strike, instead locked out the players, putting
spring training on indefinite hold.
After
32 days, the second longest work stoppage in MLB
history, an agreement was reached on March 19 and
an abbreviated spring training was begun. Opening
Day was pushed back one week to April 9, but starting
pitchers did not work as many innings as they would
have during a normal spring. For their first regular
season starts, most were placed on a strict pitch
count.
Langston
made his Angels debut in the season's third game,
a Wednesday night tilt at home against the Seattle
Mariners, his former team.
Langston
walked two Mariners in the first inning, but helped
himself out by inducing a double play ball between
them. He issued another walk in the third, but another
double play erased that threat. The Mariners went
down in order in the fourth and Langston worked
around a fourth walk in the fifth to hold Seattle
scoreless and, as most of the 25,632 fans in attendance
were starting to realize, hitless, as well.
Mariners
starter Erik Hanson, meanwhile, was pitching his
own shutout against the Angels, but running up a
high pitch count by working in and out of jams.
After five innings, Hanson had already thrown 89
pitches and his night was done.
Langston
retired the Mariners in order in both the sixth
and seventh and walked off the mound locked up in
a scoreless tie, already over his pitch count at
99 pitches thrown. There was as much question as
to whether he'd come out for the eighth as to if
he'd even win a game in which he'd thrown seven
hitless innings.
The
Angels offense, finally, answered one of those questions,
literally pushing across one run on Dante Bichette's
bases loaded walk to score Johnny Ray. The inning
ended with the Angels leading, 1-0.
Much
to the disappointment of the fans at Anaheim Stadium,
Langston's night was finished. He was replaced by
none other than the man he'd relegated to the bullpen,
Witt, the last Angel to throw a no-hitter. (1984
perfect game against Texas.)
The
big righty, who would soon be traded to the Yankees
for outfielder Dave Winfield, was on his game, retiring
Edgar Martinez and Greg Briley on groundouts and
striking out Dave Valle. The Angels went 1-2-3 in
the bottom of the eighth and Witt, not closer Bryan
Harvey, took the mound for the ninth.
#27
- 1979: Baylor wins A.L. MVP
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin Senior Editor
At
some point during the 1979 Angels season, a new
statistic was born. Though the abbreviation RBI
has traditionally stood for "runs batted in,"
Angels cleanup hitter Don Baylor redefined it to
mean "runs Baylored in."
The
outfielder/DH, acquired as a free agent prior to
the 1977 season, was so adept at producing in the
clutch during the Angels first division championship
season that radio play-by-play man Dick Enberg coined
the new phrase. And he used it a lot.
Baylor
batted .296 with 36 home runs and a still franchise
best 139 RBI, netting him 20 of a possible 28 first
place votes for the American League MVP award. For
good measure, Baylor also scored 120 runs, which
like his RBI total also led the league.
Baylor
got off to blazing start, driving in a then league
record 28 runs in April, and never cooled off. On
April 21, he belted a grand slam during the Angels
13-1 victory over the Athletics. On May 15, Baylor
beat the Brewers with a leadoff home run in the
bottom of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie.
On
August 8, Baylor was already sitting at 98 RBI and
hit the century mark in style, connecting in the
third inning off the Athletics' Matt Keough for
a two-run shot for Nos. 99 and 100. Baylor went
4-for-5 with that home run, a double and later added
an RBI-single for RBI No. 101.
But
the man they called Groove was hardly satisfied
with that. On Aug. 25, Baylor had one of the best
single days in Angels history against Toronto, as
the Angels blistered the Blue Jays, 24-2. Baylor
belted two home runs and drove in a career-high
eight runs.
It
was simply one of those seasons where everything
fell into place.
"Everyday
I went to the park, I knew I'd get two or three
hits and some RBI," Baylor recalled. "In
mid-December, I started jogging 2 1/2 to 3 miles
a day, so I'd be in the best shape ever. In 1978
I hit 34 home runs and 99 RBI, and I was really
longing for that 100th. After April, I had (nearly)
30, and I knew I was on a roll."
In
addition to leading the league in RBI and runs scored,
Baylor also led (or tied for the lead) the Angels
in home runs, triples (5), doubles (33) and stolen
bases (22). He played in all 162 games and, perhaps
most amazingly, struck out only 51 times in 628
at-bats.
For
the Angels in 1979, Baylor was without question
their MVP: Most Valuable Producer.
#26
- 1964: Chance wins Cy Young Award
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Senior Editor
Of
all the compliments one could pay to Dean Chance's
incredible 1964 season and subsequent awarding of
the Cy Young Award, perhaps the highest praise is
this: he beat Sandy Koufax.
The
Dodgers Hall of Fame lefthander, during arguably
the most dominant four-season stretch in Major League
history, took home three Cy Young Awards. Chance's
brilliance in 1964, however, prevented Koufax from
winning four. (Only one winner was named for all
of MLB prior to the 1967 season.) And he did so
pitching half his games from the same Chavez Ravine
mound as Koufax.
Wilmer
Dean Chance came to the Angels in the 1960 expansion
draft after spending two seasons in the Baltimore
Orioles organization, and made his major league
debut late in the 1961 season. Following a strong
rookie season in 1962 (14-10, 2.96 ERA), Chance
had a sophomore slump, slipping to 13-18 in 1963,
despite a respectable 3.19 ERA.
At
the All-Star break in 1964, Chance was again a victim
of awful run support and sported a mediocre 5-5
record. His 2.19 ERA, however, was good enough to
earn him the All-Star Game start, during which he
pitched three scoreless innings.
The
honor seemed to inspire Chance and the 23 year old
took matters into his own hands in the second half.
He won nine straight games from July 11 through
Aug. 18 - six of them shutouts, and four of those
by a 1-0 score. During the streak, Chance allowed
only seven earned runs in 79 innings (0.80 ERA).
His
brilliance was perhaps best illustrated by his complete
and utter dominance of the New York Yankees. Chance
pitched five games against the Bronx Bombers, posting
a 4-0 record. But here's where things just get silly:
In 50 innings of work against New York, Chance allowed
one run. And it came on a solo home run by Mickey
Mantle, who called Chance the toughest pitcher he
ever faced.
When
all was said and done, Chance was 20-9 with a 1.65
ERA, the 70th lowest ERA in Major League history
and No. 7 all-time in the modern era. He threw 11
shutouts, five of them by a 1-0 score. (He also
lost four games, 1-0.)
Of
the 278 1/3 innings Chance pitched in 1964, opponents
crossed the plate in only 35 of them. The other
243 1/3 were scoreless.
In
47 years of franchise history, the Angels have had
many pitchers carry the label of staff ace - some
even legitimately deserving. But only one can claim
a season as the best pitcher in all of baseball.
That man is Dean Chance in 1964.
#25
- May 4, 2007: Scioscia passes Rigney
By
Adam Dodge, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
It
was a seemingly meaningless early season game for
the Angels, who did as they had done so often under
manager Mike Scioscia - won in front of their home
fans at Angel Stadium.
In game No. 30 of the 2007 season, the Angels beat
the Chicago White Sox, 5-1, to improve to 17-13
and maintain their one game lead in the American
League West. Most of the 44,126 in attendance that
night stayed for the fireworks show, which had become
and remain a Friday night tradition at the Big A.
But on this night, the brightly lit sky and deafening
explosions were more fitting than arbitrary as the
Angels, their fans and their field general celebrated
a great feat: Mike Scioscia had become the winningest
manager in franchise history, passing the team's
first skipper, Bill Rigney, with his 626th regular
season victory.
Rigney managed the team for its first 1,333 games,
spanning nearly the entire decade of the '60s (1961-1969)
and compiling a 625-707 (.469) record during his
tenure. While his steadying influence was a good
match for the freewheeling Angels teams of his decade,
the best Rigney could manage was the surprising
third place finish of 1962. They never got higher
than fifth in his subsequent seasons.
On the other bookend of Angels history stands Scioscia,
manager for the entire decade of the '00s. During
the first 1,296 games of Scioscia's reign, the Angels
have posted a 703-593 (.542) record, including four
of the top-5 regular season victory totals in franchise
history. The former all-star catcher has guided
the Angels to three division titles, one wild card
and, of course, the only World Championship in franchise
history.
Ultimately, this one early season victory from 2007
will seem like little more than a footnote in Scioscia's
career, as it's a safe bet he'll win more than 1,000
games in an Angels uniform. But what victory No.
626 said in the midst of the greatest era in Angels
history needs no further explanation than this:
Mike Scioscia is the best to ever manage the Angels.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ALA/ALA200705040.shtml
#24
- May 5, 1962: Bo Belinsky tosses first no-hitter
in Angels history
By
Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Senior Editor
"This
crowd about to explode. Ball one, strike one the
count. Can he do it? ... There's two men away ...
Belinsky now looks out toward center field ... turns,
walks back on the hill ... and the 1-1 pitch ...
is swung on, it's popped up into shallow left field
... into foul territory goes Torres ... it's going
to be a no-hitter ... IT'S A NO-HITTER FOR BELINSKY!
(Radio partner exclaims "Whooo hoooo!")
Belinsky a no-hitter! How about that one? Belinsky,
in his fourth Major League start, has startled 15,000
fans here tonight. His teammates mob him. And I
have (pause) seen my third no-hitter."
It's hard to blame announcer Buddy Blattner for
getting so wrapped up in the excitement of Belinsky's
no-hitter that he felt compelled to drop in that
personal detail at the end of his call. After all,
nobody expected the former pool hustler from Trenton,
N.J., to pitch a no-hitter in his fourth major league
start. Not even Belinsky himself.
"If I'd known I was gonna pitch a no-hitter
today, I would have gotten a haircut," he said
after the game.
And that, in a nutshell, was Bo Belinsky in 1962
- always conscious of his image, even when his on-field
successes were actually keeping up with his off-field
ones. No starting pitcher likely got more mileage
out of 28 career victories than Robert "Bo"
Belinsky.
"Bo had more fun off the field than he did
on the field," said former big league first
baseman Mike Hegan. For an amazing couple of months
of the Angels second season, however, Belinksy meant
good times whatever he was doing.
Freed from minor league purgatory in the Orioles
organization the previous November when the Angels
selected him in the Rule 5 draft, Belinsky immediately
felt right at home in Los Angeles, where both the
baseball and society writers ate up his antics.
Despite having spent five years in the minor leagues
with the Pirates and Orioles, Belinsky held out
for an additional $2,000 on his rookie contract.
And then an amazing thing happened: Belinsky actually
appeared to be worth it. He won his first start,
April 18, 3-2 over the Kansas City Athletics. Then
he beat the Indians, 6-2, on April 25 at home, and
again on May 1, 8-6, at Cleveland.
Back at Chavez Ravine and starting on three-day's
rest, Belinsky found himself flirting with something
other than a Hollywood starlet.
He struck out the first two Orioles during a 1-2-3
first, but a walk and hit batter put him in a jam
in the second. Belinsky escaped, however, thanks
to a groundout and another strikeout. In the fourth,
the Orioles loaded the bases with one out following
two walks and an error by third baseman Felix Torres.
But Belinsky struck out Dave Nicholson and Ron Hansen
flew out to deep center field to end the inning.
Meanwhile, the Angels pushed across single runs
in the first and second, but were held to only three
hits of their own for the next six innings. Didn't
matter. Belinsky got stronger and retired 12 of
13 Orioles heading into the ninth.
Jackie Brandt struck out to start the inning, Belinsky's
ninth and final strikeout of the game. Then Gus
Triandos grounded out to Joe Koppe at short, setting
up the final showdown with Nicholson, who'd struck
out twice. Nicholson popped out to Torres in foul
territory and Belinsky made history, throwing not
only the first no-hitter in Angels history, but
the first at newly-built Dodger Stadium.
Belinsky won his next start to begin his career
5-0, and on June 21 the 25-year-old lefty was 7-2
with a remarkable 2.90 ERA.
Unfortunately, Belinsky's story doesn't stop there,
though, as the promising rookie's drinking and carousing
finally started to catch up with him. He lost 9
of his final 12 starts and finished what once seemed
like a dream season a mediocre 10-11.
1963 got worse as he slumped to 2-9, making just
13 big league starts and seeing his ERA swell to
5.75. 1964 was better (9-8, 2.86), but an August
hotel room fight with Los Angeles Times writer Braven
Dyer was the last straw for the Angels, who suspended
Belinsky for the remainder of the season and shipped
him off to Philadelphia for Rudy May and Costen
Shockley later that winter.
Belinsky's star burned bright and fast in Los Angeles,
but for an expansion team with no previous sense
of identity, for a couple of years he was the face
of the franchise. And though his pitching didn't
always match, Belinsky made sure that face looked
good.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAA/LAA196205050.shtml
#23
- Oct. 1, 1970: Alex Johnson wins Angels first batting
title
By
Adam Dodge, Angelswin.com Senior Writer
Alex
Johnson knew exactly what he needed to do to wrestle
the batting title away from Boston Red Sox outfielder
Carl Yastrzemski when the California Angels took
the field against the Chicago White Sox at Anaheim
Stadium for the final game of the 1970 season.
A 2-for-3 night for the Angels' moody outfielder
and Johnson would edge Yaz by mere percentage points
to become the franchise's first batting champion.
A difficult task became improbable when Johnson
grounded out in his first plate appearance.
But a single to right in the third inning set the
stage for Johnson when he stepped up to the plate
in the fifth.
"I didn't feel any pressure," he'd later
claim. "I knew I had a big job to do."
One of the game's greatest hitters, Tony Gwynn often
quipped that it's the infield singles and Texas-leaguers
that determine the batting title. It certainly rang
true for Johnson, who chopped a high bouncer to
White Sox third baseman, Bill Melton. Despite a
nifty backhanded stop, Melton was unable to throw
a hustling Johnson out at first. When manager Lefty
Phillips sent in Jay Johnstone to pinch run, Johnson
and the Angels had their first batting title.
Ironic that it was a hustle play that earned him
his "biggest achievement." Johnson, along
with being a great hitter, was viewed by many fans
as a lazy player. Some say he refused to jog between
innings, oftentimes barely making it to the dugout
before the next half inning would begin.
Johnson finished the 1970 season with a batting
average of .3289 to edge Yastrzemski, who hit .3286.
"Winning the batting title is the biggest achievement
of my life," Johnson said after the game.
But there would be no more great achievements for
Johnson in an Angels uniform. The very next year
was a tumultuous one, as it seemed that Johnson's
baggage had finally caught up with him. A lack of
hustle, discontentment and a heavy temper ultimately
wore thin with his teammates, the organization and
beat writers. After a series of suspensions in 1971,
the Angels traded him in the off-season to the Cleveland
Indians, where Johnson would only hit .239 in 1972.
In fact, Johnson would never approach .300 again,
finishing his career with unspectacular stints in
Texas, New York (AL) and Detroit.
For the Angels and their fans though, he will always
be remembered as the man toting the "silver
bat" signifying his great achievement in 1970.
Johnson remains the only Angels hitter to win the
batting title.
#22
- Sept. 21, 1982: Downing and Lynn crash and catch
By
Kurt Swanson and Geoff Bilau, Angelswin.com Contributors
There
have been many outstanding catches made over the
years in Major League baseball. Willie Mays' over-the-shoulder
catch in the 1954 World Series. Ozzie Smith's barehanded
diving stop. Jim Edmonds' outstretched layout in
Kansas City. Each among the best.
Another great catch in Angels history came down
the stretch of the 1982 American League West pennant
chase. Four days earlier, the Angels title hopes
were looking grim, as a three-game losing streak
dropped them two games behind the Kansas City Royals
with 15 games remaining in the season.
But the Angels won the next two games of their series
in Toronto and returned home to begin a critical
three game series against the Royals, with the two
teams now tied atop the division with identical
84-65 records.
The Angels took the opener, 3-2, behind Geoff Zahn's
eight strong innings and Reggie Jackson's seventh
inning RBI double.
Game two was another pitchers' duel, this time between
Ken Forsch and the Royals' Dennis Leonard. In the
fourth inning of a scoreless tie, Amos Otis drove
a ball to the left center field gap, sending Angels
left fielder Brian Downing and center fielder Fred
Lynn on a collision course at the wall. The two
fielders reached the fence at the exact same time,
both leaping for the ball with no regard for their
own welfare or each other. The impact was so powerful
that the fence gave way, with Downing landing on
the warning track and Lynn tumbling through the
opening the collision had created.
For a moment, it was unclear which, if either, of
the players had caught the ball. Then Lynn emerged
from behind the fence, displaying the ball. The
umpires conferred and ruled Otis out, reasoning
that in effect the outcome was the same as if Lynn
had made the catch and fallen into the stands.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the fifth, but Kansas
City scratched across a tying run in the eighth.
In the bottom of the ninth, however, Bobby Grich
and Bob Boone singled with one out off Royals closer
Dan Quisenberry. Daryl Sconiers, who'd begun his
sophomore season 0-for-8, slapped a 3-2 pitch into
center field to score pinch runner Gary Pettis,
giving the Angels a 2-1 victory and a two-game division
lead they would not relinquish en route to their
second division title.
If not for Lynn's remarkable catch, it might have
been an entirely different story.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL198209210.shtml
#21
- May 15, 2003: Arte Moreno purchases the Angels
Craig
Malone, Angelswin.com Contributor
May
15, 2003, is a memorable day for many people, but
few likely more so than Arturo "Arte"
Moreno, who that day officially acquired ownership
of the Anaheim Angels from the Disney Corporation.
In completing the purchase, Moreno became the first
Latino owner of a major sports franchise in the
United States.
Moreno, who was born in 1946, is the oldest of 11
children. He grew up in a two-bedroom house in Tucson,
Ariz. Upon graduating high school, Moreno enlisted
in the U.S. Army and went on to serve in Vietnam.
In 1968, having completed his tour of duty, Moreno
enrolled at the University of Arizona, where he
graduated with a degree in marketing. After college,
he was hired by Eller Outdoor, a move that would
prove pivotal in his life. Moreno eventually joined
Outdoor Systems, where he rose within the company
to become its president and CEO. Under Moreno's
watchful eye, the company's profits rose from $500,000
to $90 million in less than 10 years. In 1998, Moreno
sold the company for $8 billion.
The Angels were not Moreno's first foray into baseball
ownership. In 1986, Moreno with 17 other investors
purchased the Salt Lake Trappers of the Pacific
Coast League. His ownership group would sell the
trappers in 1992. More recently, Moreno was a minor
partner in the group that owned the Arizona Diamondbacks,
a team he tried to purchase in 2001, and a minor
owner of the Phoenix Suns.
As owner of the Angels, Moreno's first major move
was to slash prices on both beer and tickets, a
marketing bonanza that still earns him publicity
almost five years later. In addition, he showed
a willingness to sign - in their prime - superstars
that included Vladimir Guerrero, Bartolo Colon and
Kelvim Escobar.
Moreno has also been known to leave the owner's
box during games and mingle with fans throughout
the stadium, and he is always willing to pause for
a photo, or in many cases, sit down with a child
and talk baseball or whatever else comes to mind.
Moreno has shown that he is a fan's owner.
For all the positives, there have been a few sticking
points, including the most controversial: Prior
to the 2005 season, seeking to increase the team's
revenue and marketability, Moreno changed the name
of the club from the Anaheim Angels to the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim. The move brought about a lawsuit
from Anaheim's city leaders and cries of outrage
from many fans. But the results, like most things
Moreno has touched, have been incredible. Recent
sponsors have included the San Diego Zoo and the
Los Angeles Times. In addition, Moreno was able
to sign a very lucrative contract with Fox Sports
Network.
As recently as April of 2006, Forbes Magazine estimated
the team's worth to be $368 million, which is more
than double what Moreno paid for the club.
In a 2005 Time Magazine article, Moreno was quoted
as saying: It's one thing to have the means to buy
a baseball team, but more important, do you really
respect the opportunity?"
I believe in Moreno's short tenure as owner of this
franchise, he has show that he truly respects the
opportunity and wants to bring another World Series
title to Southern California and the fans of this
great ball club.
