The 50 Greatest Angels, and the Moments that Made Them Great

In honor of the 50^th anniversary of the Angels, I felt compelled to commemorate the fifty greatest Angels, as well as the fifty greatest moments in the fifty year history of the franchise. Throughout most of their history, the Angels have languished in the shadow cast by their “big” brothers downtown – the Dodgers, whose history, tradition and success far outshined the meager accomplishments of the upstart Angels. The Halos’ first forty-one years were marked by disappointments and tragedies, interrupted by flashes of brilliance.

That all changed with one magical postseason – the autumn of 2002. In the spring, the Angels changed their colors, adopting a bright red motif and the motto “Red Dawn.” At first, the anticipated change in direction appeared to be a step backwards. The Angels got off to a 6-14 start – the worst start in club history, and 10.5 games behind first place Seattle. But then the club did an about face, putting together a pair of 8 game winning streaks over the next few weeks.

And the wins kept coming. By early June, they’d pulled within a game of first. In late July, they finally caught the fading Mariners. But Oakland was coming on strong, and ended up passing both teams. Although the Angels only spent two days in first place the entire season, and finished four games behind the Athletics, the Angels finished with 99 wins – their best record ever, and good enough for the wild card slot.

In the postseason, the Angels stepped their game up to another level, and their exploits will be well-chronicled in the posts that follow. Suffice to say, that magical season is well represented among the 50 Greatest Angels and the 50 Greatest Moments in Angels History. Golden Halos honors all the team’s greatest players and moments from its humble beginnings, through its years of famine, to the pinnacle of its success and the years of plenty that have followed. This blog celebrates the greatest players to have donned the Angels’ uniform – whether representing Los Angeles, California, or Anaheim – and the moments that made them great!