Anaheim Angels: A Complete History [Paperback]

Ross Newhan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2000

Veteran sportswriter Ross Newhan revisits the bittersweet memoir of the team that owner Gene Autry pulled up from its bootstraps long enough to savor victoryand then see it all come crashing down. Peppered with stories of baseball luminaries such as Reggie Jackson, and Nolan Ryan. The Anaheim Angels brings a stellar cast of baseball greats alive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1960, popular entertainer and successful businessman Gene Autry (aka the Singing Cowboy) purchased an American League franchise to play baseball in rapidly growing Los Angeles. Though Autry's team, the Anaheim Angels, has enjoyed occasional successes--among them, three American League West division titles--this book by veteran sportswriter Newhan focuses on the team's inability to make it to the World Series. Newhan recounts each frustrating season in enough detail to remind even the most diligent fans of players and stats they have forgotten. While the author treads lightly on the team he has covered since its inception, he doesn't shy away from bringing to light the wrong turns and haphazard moves the Angels have made. He also devotes a good deal of space to the colorful characters who have played for the team--such as Bo Belinsky, a talented but dissolute pitcher who was suspended in the 1960s for punching a reporter. In describing the number of freak accidents and unfortunate deaths that have plagued the Angels, Newhan makes a compelling case that the team suffers from a Californian version of the Boston Red Sox curse, which has allegedly prevented the Bosox from winning a World Series since 1918. None of these cases is more poignant than that of pitcher Donnie Moore, who committed suicide three years after giving up the home run that prevented the Angels from reaching the 1986 World Series. Despite Newhan's somewhat perfunctory writing style, West Coast fans who want to get an early-season dose of baseball will find this book a welcome diversion. (Apr.)

Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Back Cover

Gene Autry, the Singing Cowboy, rose from the dust and poverty of Tioga, Texas, to become an entertainment and corporate legend. Despite his Midas touch, however, Autry experienced mostly frustration with the one thing closest to his heart--his Los Angeles turned California turned Anaheim Angels of the American League. A former American Legion shortstop and lifelong baseball fan, Autry was awarded the league's Los Angeles franchise in 1960 but never reached the goal of a World Series--no matter how much money was spent nor how many moves the club made trying to win one for the Cowboy.

This book traces that history, covering all of the characters and controversy, all of the problems and personalities--from the zany Bo Belinsky, Dean Chance, and Leon Wagner of the early years through Nolan Ryan, Frank Tanana, Don Baylor, Bobby Grich, Reggie Jackson, and Rod Carew in the tumultuous '70s and '80s, to Chuck Finley, Mark Langston, Tim Salmon, Jim Edmonds, and Mo Vaughn amid the highs and lows of the '90s. The Singing Cowboy, confronted by soaring salaries and debts, ultimately sold the team to another entertainment giant, the Walt Disney Company. The curse, however, of untimely injuries and illnesses--a parade of agony that began for the Angels right from the start--even intruded on Disney's renowned magic. The story of the club's long attempt to carve its own niche in an area dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers is all here in this complete history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (April 12, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786884509
• ISBN-13: 978-0786884506
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,440,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A complete history well told., May 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Anaheim Angels: A Complete History (Paperback)

The author does a very admirable job of reviewing the history of the ill-fated Angels from their beginnings in 1961 through the present. One cannot help but hope their luck will improve; some things have happened to this organization that were almost unbelievable. Gene Autry was obviously an honorable man of his word and didn't mind shelling out the bucks to get the players he believed would bring him a world championship. One of the best features of the book is that the chapters each cover a year or so and that makes it easy for the reader to understand the history of the team. They are certainly not in the same class with the Dodgers, either financially or historically, but the Angels have a unique history that makes for interesting reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anaheim Angels World Series Champions After 42 Long Years, November 3, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Anaheim Angels: A Complete History (Paperback)

For so long, it has been impossible to be an Angels fan. No longer. After 42 years, the Angels have done the impossible, they've won the World Series. This book gives you the background on how they got there. I highly recommend you read the compelling story of their humble, and later tragic, beginnings. You can fill the glory in later.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And I thought I knew the Angels, March 27, 2002

By 

M. Beechan "beechan4" (Orange, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anaheim Angels: A Complete History (Paperback)

Having been a fan of the Angels since before I was born, yes that's right Mom was pregnant with me at an Angel Game. My parent's had season tickets the first year they were in Anaheim. I have been an Angel fan all my life and season ticket holder for a good portion of my life. My husband and I have been to several years of spring training, all the way back to Palm Springs Days.

I thought I knew about the Angels, boy was I wrong. This book gave me insights in areas I did not know.

Thank you Ross Newhan for writing a wonderful book about my favorite team.