A Good Thing Angels Never Acted Alone

The 2002 Angels: Coincidence or conspiracy?

41 games out of first place in 2001.

41 years of franchise existence.

41 is winning pitcher John Lackey’s number.

4-1 is final score of final game.

Along with a Kennedy, this could make Oliver Stone uncomfortable.

Jeff Mayhew

Newport Beach

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In this era of overpaid athletes with overblown egos, it is a breath of fresh air to be witness to the team that should be the role model for all athletics.

Not one player spoke of himself. Not one player uttered a derogatory remark about their opponents. Instead they talked about the team and how it took all of them working together to reach their goal, World Series champions.

May this be the start of a new paradigm in the sports world. Old-world values, sportsmanship, team play, humility and gratitude.

Long live the Angels and their spirit.

Bruce Kautz

Studio City

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As a longtime Dodger fan and adopted fan of the Angels for the 2002 postseason, I have just one thing to say:

“The Giants lose the Series! The Giants lose the Series! The Giants lose the Series!”

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Mark Groves

Simi Valley

For business reasons I was in the Bay Area last weekend. After Game 6, in which the Giants lost the 5-0 lead, I found myself standing in a bar in San Francisco’s Mission District, reassuring completely crushed Giant fans: “That’s the great thing about baseball, there’s always tomorrow!”

But after Game 7, a big guy at Amante’s on Green Street in North Beach wearing an old “NY Giants” orange cap revealed the truth. “It was a fait accompli” they’d lose the Series, he said. “We tossed it.” Ya gotta love how they talk up there. “Angels beat Giants,” the big guy continued. “You do the myth.”

Hank Rosenfeld

Santa Monica

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“There ain’t no flags flying over Edison Field.” Mo Vaughn, March, 2002.

Take another look, Mo.

James DeBeau

Irvine

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Now I know why Mitch Albom [Morning Briefing, Oct. 30] writes in Detroit.

Hey Mitch, I will remember Dusty Baker’s little boy in this Series longer than I will remember Barry Bonds. Hero? That makes two of you who think so.

Bill Miller

Mission Viejo

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As a heartbroken Giant fan, I’d like to congratulate the “long-suffering” Angel fans on their World Series victory. Next April you can become Dodger fans again, which accounts for about 85% of you before you hopped aboard the Angel bandwagon 10 days ago.

Congratulations also to “long-suffering” Angel owner Michael Eisner. Now you can add “2002 World Champions” to your item description when you put the team up for auction on Ebay next week.

Rick Farmiloe

Stevenson Ranch

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This die-hard Dodger fan would just like to congratulate all of the “die-hard” fans of Anaheim for the Angels’ great season. I’ll do it just as soon as I forgive them for driving the Rams out of Southern California once and for all.

Anaheim doesn’t deserve a champion. It deserves the Clippers. And nothing more.

Derek W. Stark

Woodland Hills

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My son and I went to Game 7 wearing Giant caps and shirts. When we entered the stadium with our friends, the confrontation with Angel fans started. We experienced verbal abuse from hostile fans and a young man tripped me. During the game a fan kept throwing peanuts at us. After a while security got involved so that we could enjoy the game and eventually security escorted this abusive fan away.

We thought that if we left early we could avoid any more abuse. As we exited gate 3 we were quickly surrounded by what seemed like thousands of screaming, jumping and intoxicated fans. They were shadow boxing around us trying to get us to fight with them. We were being pushed and obscenities were screamed at us. We feared for our lives. I told my son to not say a word and to keep moving as quickly as possible to get to our car. I decided that the smartest thing to do for our safety was to remove our shirts and hats. We turned my son’s Giant jacket inside out and hid our shirts and hats inside it. To have to walk the rest of the way to our car in fear was devastating.

Throughout this whole incident we saw maybe a handful of security officers standing by the stadium who did nothing to help us. We saw no security guards in the parking lot. What was the Angel organization thinking?

It is a shame that we have to be afraid to attend one of America’s greatest sporting events of all time. Will we need to be afraid to attend any championship game played in Los Angeles for the rest of our lives?

Scott Steinhardt

Northridge

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Let’s give credit where credit is due, to the MVP (Most Valuable Primate) in the World Series: the rally monkey!

Wallie Morales

Wildomar