6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Win Ballou BRO b. 1897, played 1929, d. 1963-01-30

Bo Jackson CAL b. 1962, played 1994, All-Star: 1989. Famously a two-sport star, in high school Jackson was encouraged to try out for the decathlon, but having never thrown a discus or pole vaulted before, he supposedly taught himself both in a day and won the state championship. He played for Auburn's football and baseball teams, and qualified for the school's track team as well; he won the Heisman Trophy in 1985.

Jackson was drafted by the Angels in 1985, but didn't sign; the Royals drafted him the next year, and he signed. Spending only 53 games in the minors, he came up to the big club the same year, though he didn't really start to hit well until 1988, striking out frequently. In the 1987/88 offseason, he announced his intention to play in the NFL as "a hobby", a hobby that ultimately cost him his hip, an injury incurred during a 1991 playoff game with the Raiders.

After hip replacement surgery, the Royals placed him on waivers; he was signed by the White Sox, and he homered in his first at bat on April 9, 1993, but his auspicious start wasn't matched by later performance. The Angels, mired in the awfulness of the early 90's teams, signed him for the next year. Jackson's hip injury had consumed his speed, though, and he retired in August 1994. Jackson is one of only six men to hit a home run and score a touchdown in the same year.

Tacks Latimer BRO b. 1877, played 1902, d. 1936-04-24

Clyde Sukeforth BRO b. 1901, played 1932-1934, 1945, d. 2000-09-03

Craig Swan CAL b. 1950, played 1984

Gary Wayne LAN b. 1962, played 1994

Bert Abbey BRO b. 1869, played 1895-1896, d. 1962-06-11

Mike Easler CAL b. 1950, played 1976, All-Star: 1981

Brian Holton LAN b. 1959, played 1985-1988

Walt McCredie BRO b. 1876, played 1903, d. 1934-07-29

Irv Noren LAN b. 1924, played 1960, All-Star: 1954

Joe Orengo BRO b. 1914, played 1943, d. 1988-07-24

George Thomas LAA b. 1937, played 1961-1963

Gary Wheelock CAL b. 1951, played 1976

Pedro Astacio LAN b. 1969, played 1992-1997. Along with the debut of Mike Piazza, Astacio was one of 1992's few success stories. His maiden game on July 3, 1992, the second game of a doubleheader against the nearly as bad Phillies, resulted in a three-hit shutout. Its conclusion, Mariano Duncan's fly out to right, resulted in an ecstatic Astacio leaping off the mound, Jon's favorite post-1988 moment.

He quickly lost effectiveness; two years later, he was a below-average pitcher, and the Dodgers traded him in August, 1997 to the Rockies for former Dodger Eric Young. In Colorado, he twice led the majors in home runs allowed, a feat he would later repeat with the Mets. Also playing for the Red Sox, Padres, Astros, and Rangers, he most recently appeared in a Nationals uniform, from which team he was released on October 3.

Ken Howell LAN b. 1960, played 1984-1988. A mediocrity at best as a starter, the hard thrower became a pitching coach in the Dodgers' minor league system; he presently fills that capacity for Las Vegas.

Frank O'Rourke BRO b. 1894, played 1917-1918, d. 1986-05-14

Jose Parra LAN b. 1972, played 1995

Billy Moran LAA b. 1933, played 1961-1964, All-Star: 1962. An original Angel who played mostly second base, and some third in 1964, he hit 17 homers in a career year in 1962 that also got him to the All Star game. He went back to Cleveland whence he came in 1964 in a three-way deal that sent Vic Power to the Angels.

Johnny Schmitz BRO b. 1920, played 1951-1952, All-Star: 1946, 1948. Schmitz started his career as a very good pitcher for a few years, turned into a garbage-time mopup man, and somehow had a late-career renaissance, but that was after he was a Dodger. His All-Star appearances were both with the Cubs.

Mike Scioscia LAN b. 1958, played 1980-1992, All-Star: 1989-1990. A Top 100 Angel who would also certainly be in the top 100 Dodgers (or the top 40 list if I ever got that started again), former Dodger vice president Al Campanis said he was the best plate blocker he ever saw. Bill James said he was

6-foot-2 and had arms like a blacksmith, but hit 7 homers a year anyway. He wasn't the quickest guy in the world behind the plate, but he could throw, had good hands, could find a popup and would rank with Parrish and Ed Bailey as the best I ever saw at blocking the plate. Had the reputation of being a very good handler of pitchers, also the best strikeout/walk ratio of any catcher since World War II, even better than Berra an Smoky Burgess. Ver slow, but did not ground into a lot of double plays because of exceptional bat control.

As a batter, he is in the top ten in two franchise career categories, walks (10th, 567) and intentional walks (2nd, 101), and won World Series rings with the 1981 and 1988 teams.

After his playing days, he was in line to become the Dodgers' next manager, but that didn't happen; the Angels picked him up after the end of the disastrous 1999 season that cost both the GM Bill Bavasi and manager Terry Collins their jobs. Scioscia led the Angels to their first World Series title in 2002 despite his apparent belief in voodoo.

Jim Canavan BRO b. 1866, played 1897, d. 1949-05-27

Chuck Finley CAL,ANA b. 1962, played 1986-1999, All-Star: 1989-1990, 1995-1996, 2000. A Top 100 Angel, Finley was originally a reliever converted to starting in 1987, probably the most successful such conversion in franchise history. A five-time All-Star and a Cy Young nominee in 1990 (Bob Welch of Oakland won it, with Finley placing seventh), Finley was long the Angels' staff ace on a series of teams that had almost no pitching whatsoever; following Randy Johnson's trade to Houston from Seattle in midseason 1998, Finley was considered the best lefty in the American League.

His height, normally an advantage in pitching, left him in poor position after his delivery, and he was considered one of the league's worst fielders. Nevertheless, he posted exceptional ERAs throughout his long career; he remains in the franchise top 10 for single-season ERA (twice!), is the franchise leader for career victories (165), eighth in career won-lost percentage (.541), single-season K/9 (8th, 8.65 in 1995) and career K/9 (3rd, 7.24), career games played (2nd, 436), first in career innings pitched (2675), second in career strikeouts (2151), first in games started (379), fourth in complete games (57), fourth in shutouts (14, tied with George Brunet), first in home runs allowed (254), second in walks allowed (1118), single-season hits allowed (9th, 243 in 1993, and 10th, 241 in 1996) and career hits allowed (1st, 2544), as well as a laundry list of others.

Finley finally grew tired of the last-place ace designation, and signed with the powerhouse Indians in 1999 to finally play for a winner. The joke was on him; the White Sox won the division in 2000, and when Cleveland did win the division in 2001, they were run over by the 116-win Mariners in the ALDS. Traded to St. Louis in midseason 2002, it proved to be his last year in the majors.

Jay Howell LAN b. 1955, played 1988-1992, All-Star: 1985, 1987, 1989. An inconsistent hard-thrower, Howell was notorious for having been caught with pine tar on his glove in Game 3 of the 1988 NLCS; he served a two-game suspension as a result. Also the losing pitcher for World Series Game 3 that year, the only game Oakland won, surrendering a solo homer to Mark McGwire that broke a 1-1 tie.

Bob Lee CAL,LAA,LAN b. 1937, played 1964-1967, All-Star: 1965. The ace of the mid-60's Angels bullpens, he had three good years but collapsed after a trade to the Dodgers. He spent one more year in the majors before retiring.

Jorge Orta LAN b. 1950, played 1982, All-Star: 1975, 1980. A very good hitter with the Chisox who played at times with in the Mexican League, he had an unsuccessful 1982 with the Dodgers, playing a fourth outfielder and hitting .217. Despite it, he held on for five more years in the majors.

Harold Reynolds CAL b. 1960, played 1994, All-Star: 1987-1988. Spending most of his 12-season career as a second baseman with the Mariners, he played out his final season with the Angels at that position, while Rex Hudler and Damion Easley took up most of the rest of the at-bats. He later became an analyst with ESPN, a position he recently vacated amid whispers of sexual harrassment allegations.

Minnie Rojas CAL b. 1933, played 1966-1968, d. 2002-03-23

Jeff Torborg LAN,CAL b. 1941, played 1964-1973. One of fifteen catchers to catch three or more no-hitters: September 9, 1965, Sandy Koufax's perfect game at Dodger Stadium against the Cubs; July 20, 1970, Bill Singer at Dodger Stadium against the Phillies; and May 15, 1973, Nolan Ryan at Royals Stadium, Ryan's first no-hitter.

Ben Wade BRO b. 1922, played 1952-1954, d. 2002-12-02

Gene Bailey BRO b. 1893, played 1923-1924, d. 1973-11-14

Tony Brewer LAN b. 1957, played 1984

Mark Davis CAL b. 1964, played 1991

Chico Walker CAL b. 1957, played 1988

John Wells BRO b. 1922, played 1944, d. 1993-10-23

John Balaz CAL b. 1950, played 1974-1975

Mike Edwards LAN b. 1976, played 2005. The flipside of the Baseball Prospectus principle that you're better off having journeyman minor leaguers play at the major league level; he hit well enough in the minors (.287/.384/.432 for Sacramento in his last full season in AAA before coming up with the Dodgers), but Jim Tracy overused him, and he never really figured out how to hit at the major league level, leading to longstanding abuse from some quarters.

Tony Giuliani BRO b. 1912, played 1940-1941, d. 2004-10-08

Dave Hansen LAN b. 1968, played 1990-1996, 1999-2002. Matt Welch blamed a leg injury, a mediocre season, and Tommy Lasorda for Hansen's career as a pinch-hitter, when he should have been a starter at third:

But the more important roadblock was Tommy Lasorda, who was one of the worst managers in Major League history when it came to dealing with the third base bag. After Ron Cey left in 1982, the Dodgers starting third basemen the next six years were, in order: Outfielder Pedro Guerrero, someone named German Rivera, career .318 slugger Dave Anderson, 35-year-old Bill Madlock, Mickey freakin' Hatcher, and Jeff Hamilton. If there was an outfielder who'd proven he couldn't handle ground balls (Cory Snyder, Candy Maldonado), or a banjo-hitting infielder lying around (Enos Cabell, Bob Bailor), Tommy'd throw 'em out there. Even Eddie Murray had to play three games at the hot corner under Lasorda.

At least Lasorda can't screw up the team from the dugout anymore...

Joe Medwick BRO b. 1911, played 1940-1943, 1946, All-Star: 1934-1942, 1944, Hall of Fame: 1968 (BBWAA), d. 1975-03-21. His nickname of "Ducky" (because of his appearance while swimming) ranks as one of the least applicable nicknames ever; not so "Muscles", so called by his teammates. He spent the better part of his career wailing doubles, triples, and homers, principally with the St. Louis Cardinals' Gas House Gang teams of the 1930's. He spent his last good year as a Dodger in 1941, helping to take that team to a National League pennant, despite a beaning from former teammate Bob Bowman that nearly cost him his life. Despite his nickname, Medwick was an antagonistic character, especially to newspaper reporters; his abrasiveness with them during his playing years postponed his election to the Hall of Fame by over 20 years.

He wasn't above the spikes-high slide, and did that once in 1947 to Jackie Robinson after Medwick had returned to the Cardinals, an act repeated two days later by Enos Slaughter. But probably the most famous moment in Medwick's career came during Game 7 of the 1934 World Series. The game having turned into a 7-0 rout by the third, Medwick slid hard into Detroit 3B Marv Owen, who slugged the left fielder. The two started brawling, and had to be separated before the game could continue. Upon Medwick's return to the field, Tigers fans pelted him with bottles and garbage, and commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, watching from the stands, had him removed from the game for his own safety.

Steve Mintz ANA b. 1968, played 1999

Randy Velarde CAL,ANA b. 1962, played 1996-1999

Tom Winsett BRO b. 1909, played 1936-1938, d. 1987-07-20

Steve Yeager LAN b. 1948, played 1972-1985. One of my favorite players on the 70's Dodgers, Yeager is related to Gen. Chuck Yeager. Yeager took over full-time catching duties from Joe Ferguson in 1974, the first of the great Dodgers teams of the 70's; with Yeager behind the dish, the Dodgers would collect four NL pennants, a World Series victory, and division title besides. Injuries in 1982 and 1983 to his knee and wrist ended his career with the Dodgers, who traded him to Seattle, where he played out the last season of his career.

Yeager owns one curious stat in franchise history: most outs recorded in a single game by a catcher, 22, in a 19-inning marathon on August 8, 1972, a game the visiting Dodgers lost to the Reds 2-1; it was Yeager's sixth game in the majors.

Ferguson invented the (now infrequently used) throat-protection flap after taking a broken bat to his neck while standing in the on-deck circle. He got married on the steps of City Hall with mayor Tom Bradley acting as best man. No stranger to controversy, he once posed nude for Playgirl.

Todd Cruz CAL b. 1955, played 1980

Jose Gonzalez LAN,CAL b. 1964, played 1985-1992

Charlie Osgood BRO b. 1926, played 1944

Jesse Petty BRO b. 1894, played 1925-1928, d. 1971-10-23

Jimmy Sheckard BRO b. 1878, played 1897-1898, 1900-1905, d. 1947-01-15

Luis Tiant CAL b. 1940, played 1982, All-Star: 1968, 1974, 1976. Nicknamed "the Fred Astaire of baseball" by Reggie Jackson for his pirouettes on the mound, a delivery he learned from his father. Mostly famous for what he did for the Red Sox (including gleaning two of Boston's three wins in the 1975 World Series), he played out his final year with the Angels.

Dan Whitmer CAL b. 1955, played 1980

Lyman Bostock CAL b. 1950, played 1978, d. 1978-09-23. Bostock was a brilliant young centerfielder with the Twins whose early career has been likened to that of another Twin, Kirby Puckett, and whose career comps include Ken Griffey, Sr.. In his first full season in the majors, 1976, he was involved in that year's hot batting title race, finishing fourth (.323) behind George Brett (.333), Hal McRae (.332), and Rod Carew (.331). Bostock was signed during a front-office purge that ejected Harry Dalton, the former Orioles GM who saw that team to greatness, replaced by former Dodgers GM Buzzie Bavasi.

Bostock's contract made a huge splash when it hit the news: at over $3 million, he instantly became the highest-paid player in the game. It was one of the richest deals ever signed by any athlete, and capped a year in which the Angels had spent $7 million signing free agents Joe Rudi, Bobby Grich, Don Baylor ($5.2 million for those three alone), Dave LaRoche, Ken Brett, and Gary Nolan. Bostock mouthed a few platitudes about Minnesota, but had nothing complimentary to say about Twins owner Calvin Griffith: "He felt like he only needed me when the pressure was on him to sign me," Bostock said. "I hope he misses me more than I'm going to miss him." Asked at one point about his salary being higher than the President's, Bostock quipped, "If Jimmy Carter would hit .336 he would make more, too."

Primed by the huge boost in spending and the sudden prospect of a markedly improved team, the Angels saw an immediate turnaround at the gate. 1978's attendance of 1,432,633 was a 42% improvement over the year before (1,006,774). But Bostock's performance didn't match the kind of numbers he posted for the Twins, and following an 0-4 performance in an April 17, 1978 contest against the Mariners (the Angels won anyway, 7-3), his average had collapsed to .051. In what has since become the high-water mark of fiscal selflessness (or if you're Scott Boras, momentary insanity), Bostock told Los Angeles Times reporter Scott Ostler that

I've got a man here (Autry) who shows me all the respect in the world as an owner, a man and an employer, and I can't do a damn thing. That hurts. This man is not like people I dealt with in the past.

If I don't do well the rest of April (10 more games), I'm going to ask Mr. Autry not to pay me for the month. I feel I'm receiving money and I should produce. I want to give him his money's worth. If he won't keep the money, I'll ask him to give it to some kind of organization that can use the money.

... The things I said [about the money not affecting his play] were a little premature. I thought I could just go out and play, but there is some pressure because of the money. I hear comments from the stands about how overpaid I am.

Though Bostock went 3-5 in his very next game, he didn't really pull out of his slump until June that year. But the team played well all year despite it, staying close to or just ahead of a hot Royals team that led the Angels by just two games going into September. With two series against the Royals in September, catching and passing Kansas City looked entirely possible.

They came close. The Angels crushed the Royals 13-3 on September 10 at home, coming within one game of a four-game series sweep, and closing within a half game of first place with 18 left to play. The schedule should have helped the Angels some, too: their remaining games were against a .500 Rangers team, a weak White Sox team that finished 71-90, and three more against the 73-89 Twins, but two games against a tough (93-69) Milwaukee squad, and three more against the Royals on the road. But the Royals got even more help from contests against a bad (69-93) Oakland club, and an epochally awful Seattle club (56-104, the worst Mariners team ever fielded), with only two games against Milwaukee and three against California.

The Angels proceeded to lose three straight games against the Rangers, while the Royals eviscerated the A's in a series of lopsided slaughters (8-1, 9-1, and 5-1). The next series was crucial, but the Angels lost two of three to the Royals on the road, and found themselves trailing the division by four and a half games at the end of September 18. Five days later, following a September 23 loss to the Chisox, they were six games out, as the Angels played .500 ball while the Royals streaked. Along the way, Bostock's resurgence had gone into overdrive; he was now hitting .296, and .300 was in sight.

After the loss, Bostock went to a dinner party with family and friends in nearby Gary, Ind. While in a car with uncle Ed Turner and two women, Barbara Smith, a childhood friend, and her sister, Joan Hawkins, Smith's estranged husband Leonard Smith silently followed them. Once stopped at a traffic light, Leonard Smith fired a shotgun blast intended for his ex-wife — on the far side of the car. Bostock took the full force of the shot in the head, and passed away in a Gary hospital three hours later.

Leonard Smith was tried twice, the first jury deadlocking, while the second found him not guilty by reason of insanity. Sentenced to a state hospital, he spent only seven months there before being released a scant 22 months after Bostock's death. The case was so infamous that it caused Indiana to change their laws regarding the insanity plea so that a mentally impaired person could be sentenced to jail.

"We're professionals and this is our business. We'll play this game like it should be played," manager Jim Fregosi said. And they did: despite the tragedy, they won five of their last seven games, and held off elimination until the final series of the season.

For the Angels, Bostock's death meant a return to the free agency market, again. It would be complicated by a call from his agent, Abdul Jalil, who called Bavasi within hours of Bostock's death with a request for money for an unfinished business deal of which his widow was unaware. Bavasi had already cut Jalil a $145,000 check for his percentage, and the request enraged him; Bavasi retaliated by trading Ron Jackson, Ken Landreaux, and Danny Goodwin, vowing never to deal with Jalil again.

Bostock's widow got the full value of his remaining contract, but paid a heavy price for failing to take out insurance, paying taxes on all of it as straight income, this at Jalil's advice. According to Ross Newhan's The Anaheim Angels, those familiar with the situation said Jalil saved Bostock $10,000, but cost his widow $500,000.

Lew Burdette CAL b. 1926, played 1966-1967, All-Star: 1957, 1959

Ricky Ledee LAN b. 1973, played 2005

Ricky Wright LAN b. 1958, played 1982-1983

Tripp Cromer LAN b. 1967, played 1997-1999

Mark Eichhorn CAL b. 1960, played 1990-1992, 1996. One of a number of Top 100 Angels around here lately, he was a hard-throwing righty sidearmer who eventually became ineffective with the Blue Jays after tinkering with his delivery to limit steals. His career had a renaissance in Anaheim, as he rediscovered his forkball to great effect; the Jays traded back for him, and he returned to the Angels, though shoulder problems limited his effectiveness in his final season of 1996.

Andy High BRO b. 1897, played 1922-1925, d. 1981-02-22

Freddie Lindstrom BRO b. 1905, played 1936, Hall of Fame: 1976 (Veterans), d. 1981-10-04. In the Hall as a Giant, he spent the last four years of his career with Pittsburgh, the Cubs, and the Dodgers. A third baseman who played only seven seasons as a regular, as with George Kelly, he ranks among the worst Hall of Fame inductees ever.

Tommy McCraw CAL b. 1940, played 1973-1974

Simmy Murch BRO b. 1880, played 1908, d. 1939-06-06

Paul Richards BRO b. 1908, played 1932, d. 1986-05-04

Dick Schofield CAL,LAN b. 1962, played 1983-1992, 1995-1996. A Top 100 Angel and a son of a utility infielder of the same name (John Richard "Dick" Schofield), he is also the uncle of the Dodgers' Jayson Werth. Schofield was the epitome of the all-field, no-hit shortstop despite a minor league career to the contrary (he hit 16 homers for AAA Edmonton in 1983), and had a significant role in the first golden era of Angels baseball in the early/mid-1980's. He was eventually replaced on the Angels' roster by Gary DiSarcina.

Leon Cadore BRO b. 1890, played 1915-1923, d. 1958-03-16

J.D. Drew LAN b. 1975, played 2005. Good riddance.

Rube Ehrhardt BRO b. 1894, played 1924-1928, d. 1980-04-27

Jay Johnstone CAL,LAN b. 1945, played 1966-1970, 1980-1982, 1985. One of my sister's favorite players, a prankster and a flake who nevertheless had a long playing career. He ended up for a time in the Yankees' broadcast booth.

Rick Monday LAN b. 1945, played 1977-1984, All-Star: 1968, 1978. Unlike Jon, it's difficult to put to words how diffident I feel about Monday; I remember him as a nonentity as a player, but it's his game-calling that puts the hairs on the back of my brain on end.

He was the first player taken in the Rule 4 (June) draft. Most famous for his saving-of-the-flag from protesters who couldn't set it on fire anyway (on April 25, 1976), the Cubs eventually sent him to the Dodgers. Like mildew in the shower, there's no hope of eliminating this scourge, only reducing it. (Rick, would it kill you to tell us the score once in a while?) As Dodger Blues once asked, couldn't Jerry Morales have saved the flag instead?

Bob Boone CAL b. 1947, played 1982-1988, All-Star: 1976, 1978-1979, 1983. Top 100 Angel Boone had a tremendous long career for a catcher, retiring after 19 seasons behind the dish. He came up with the Phillies in 1972, and won a ring with the World Champion 1980 squad; the Angels purchased his contract on December 6, 1981 following a .211/.279/.295 season. Boone was incredibly durable, catching a career-high 147 games in 1985 at the age of 37, a time when most catchers have retired. He played on two division winners and a third 90-win team (1985's second-place squad) that were the first golden age of Angels baseball. The Jamesian HoF Toy gives him a 102 score, which should mean a borderline Hall of Fame career; but likely that's a flaw in how the Toy works, or perhaps the fact that half his career was spent with the Angels, and voters won't give a break to a player who splits his career across franchises.

Roy Campanella BRO b. 1921, played 1948-1957, All-Star: 1949-1956, Hall of Fame: 1969 (BBWAA), d. 1993-06-26. Born of a black mother and an Italian father, Campanella was one of the Boys of Summer immortalized by Roger Kahn in his book of the same name, and is widely regarded as one of the three best catchers in the history of the game (the other two being Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench). Campy got his start playing for the Baltimore Elite Giants as a 15-year-old in 1937, playing only on the weekends to replace Hall of Famer Biz Mackey, who was "the sternest, hard-ridingest coach I ever knew," Campy said years later. "There were times when Biz Mackey made me cry with his constant dogging, but nobody ever had a better teacher."

In 1938, he quit school to catch professionally, and after Mackey was traded in 1939, Campanella became a full-time starter for Baltimore. In 1943, he played in a game for the Cincinnati Buckeyes without permission, which resulted in the Negro National League suspending him indefinitely. He jumped to the Mexican League, where he spent a year and change with relatively mediocre results. He resumed his career in the NNL in 1944, but it didn't last long, as Branch Rickey tapped him to integrate baseball, along with Jackie Robinson.

Campanella came up with the Dodgers in 1948, making the All-Star team every year from 1949 through 1956, and winning three MVP awards in 1951, 1953, and 1955. He is one of only fifteen major league catchers to catch three no-hitters:

• June 19, 1952 with Carl Erskine, vs. Chicago
• May 12, 1956, again with Carl Erskine, vs. the Giants
• September 25, 1956, with Sal Maglie, vs. the Phillies

Campanella still rates in the franchise top ten for career and single-season slugging percentage, RBI, and home runs, and single-season OPS (1.006 in 1953).

His career was cut short by an auto accident that broke his spine and rendered him a quadriplegic. He outlived most such in that circumstance, passing away in 1993 after serving many years in the Dodgers' front office in community relations. The Postal Service recently honored him with a stamp.

Gary DiSarcina ANA,CAL b. 1967, played 1989-2000, All-Star: 1995. Third overall for games played at short in an Angels uniform, Top 100 Angel DiSarcina also is the only Angel to have two five-for-five games (May 13, 1998 and September 24, 1998). But durability was really his only good trait; his one truly good year in 1995 with a .307 average and an All Star appearance earned him loyalty he shouldn't have gotten.

Aurelio Monteagudo CAL b. 1943, played 1973, d. 1990-11-10

Eddie Morgan BRO b. 1914, played 1937, d. 1982-06-27

Andy Sheets ANA b. 1971, played 1999

Clay Bellinger ANA b. 1968, played 2002

Dante Bichette CAL b. 1963, played 1988-1990, All-Star: 1994-1996, 1998. All his All-Star years happened in the thin air of Colorado, including his 1995 season in which he led the league with 40 homers, but the outfielder really started to blossom in his second year in Milwaukee. The Angels traded him to get a worn out, 40-year-old Dave Parker in March 1991, not one of their better deals, as Parker only played a partial season for the Halos and was released in September.

Dan Briggs CAL b. 1952, played 1975-1977

Jack Coombs BRO b. 1882, played 1915-1918, d. 1957-04-15

Ron Coomer LAN b. 1966, played 2003, All-Star: 1999. A Dan Evans desperation move, he was actually somewhat useful in his Minnesota days; along with Daryle Ward, formed the Krispy Kreme Brothers, who officially weighed in at 195 and 230 lbs., but just had to have been much heavier than that. Both were simply awful hitters for the Dodgers, in a year where the pitching could have beaten anyone in the postseason.

Charlie Fuchs BRO b. 1912, played 1944, d. 1969-06-10

Gene Mauch BRO b. 1925, played 1944, 1948, d. 2005-08-08

Danny McDevitt BRO,LAN b. 1932, played 1957-1960

Deacon McGuire BRO b. 1863, played 1899-1901, d. 1936-10-31

Rocky Nelson BRO b. 1924, played 1952, 1956

Mark Petkovsek ANA b. 1965, played 1999-2000

Dykes Potter BRO b. 1910, played 1938, d. 2002-02-27

Gary Sheffield LAN b. 1968, played 1998-2001, All-Star: 1992-1993, 1996, 1998-2000, 2003-2005. A vile, small, self-absorbed man, i.e. the prototypical Scott Boras client, he claimed the Dodgers did not "respect" him because they refused to renegotiate his contract after the Kevin Brown signing. Yet, Sheffield was possessed of a meretricious on-the-field greatness — when he felt like delivering it — that made teams tolerate his endless tantrums. I have likened him to Hal Chase, and while my critics are right in that he has never thrown a game, at the same time, the same base motor of selfishness drives both of them. He was Dwight Gooden's nephew; that should have been warning enough.

Allen Watson ANA b. 1970, played 1997-1998

Matt Wise ANA b. 1975, played 2000-2002

Jim Brewer LAN,CAL b. 1937, played 1964-1976, All-Star: 1973, d. 1987-11-16. Came up with the Cubs, but the Dodgers stole him — and another player — for Dick Scott, an unremarkable reliever. The Dodgers finally traded him midseason 1975 to the Angels, where he pitched very well until his retirement. Musta been that screwball.

Ray Chadwick CAL b. 1962, played 1986. Lost all the decisions (five) he got in seven 1986 starts, he's now coaching baseball for Thompson Rivers University, a small school in British Columbia, Canada.

Dave Frost CAL b. 1952, played 1978-1981. He came to the Angels in a trade with the White Sox along with Top 100 Angel Brian Downing, a terrible trade for the Chisox but a great one for the Angels. Went 16-10 in 1979, the first year the Angels ever won a division; never before and never after would he win as many as 10 starts. Elbow problems limited his effectiveness in the last three years of his career.

Aubrey Gatewood LAA,CAL b. 1938, played 1963-1965

Bill Harrelson CAL b. 1945, played 1968

Joe Hatten BRO b. 1916, played 1946-1951, d. 1988-12-16

Brad Havens LAN b. 1959, played 1987-1988

Lew McCarty BRO b. 1888, played 1913-1916, d. 1930-06-09

Dan Osinski LAA b. 1933, played 1962-1964

Orlando Pena CAL b. 1933, played 1974-1975

Sam Post BRO b. 1896, played 1922, d. 1971-03-31

George Stallings BRO b. 1867, played 1890, d. 1929-05-13

Ben Weber ANA b. 1969, played 2000-2004. Ben's out of baseball now, which is too bad; I liked him on the Angels. Every team, the Angels especially these days, need guys like him who crawl their way to the Show and hang in for a few years of super-competence. Never devastating, just lots of groundball outs. Sayonara, Osama.

Mitch Williams CAL b. 1964, played 1995, All-Star: 1989. Nicknamed "Wild Thing" because of the large number of plunked batters early in his career, he pitched for six teams over eleven seasons, with a K/BB rate that approached unity most years. His fielding was awful, too, made worse by a followthrough that left him in a bad place to field his position. Yet somehow, he managed to save thirty or more games three times in his career (probably scaring the customers in the process). He was involved in one of the worst trades the Cubs ever made, one that sent Rafael Palmiero and Jamie Moyer to Texas; he also gave up the series-losing home run to Joe Carter in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series.