When I first interviewed to cover the Angels for The Athletic, my explanation for how I’d approach the beat was simple.
In any newspaper article, there’s a nut graph; a sentence or paragraph that spells out the story’s purpose. Everything before that nutgraph, and after it, needs to connect to that purpose in some way.
I told the person who would go on to hire me that reporting on any team is the same as writing a story. It requires a central purpose to set the framework. My coverage of the Angels, I said, would be to answer one question: “On paper, the Angels should win. So why do they always lose?”
Little did I know at the time just how much of my career would revolve around that question. I’d like to think that five years later, I’ve done all I can to answer it.
From poor minor league living conditions to a lack of Spanish broadcasters, and a lack of air conditioning. There were the unnecessarily late start times, delusional lack of trades, weird call-ups, unjustifiable frugality, flippant firings, and overall lack of accountability for their failures. The team has a damaged relationship with the city, bungled the sport’s all-time greatest superstar and just generally treat people poorly.
Hopefully, by writing these stories, I answered that question, and accomplished my purpose on this beat.
My time as an Angels beat reporter is coming to an end. I’ll still be covering baseball at The Athletic, as a national writer. My aim will be the same as it’s always been: Find stories that would otherwise never get told. Covering the Angels has been the biggest challenge and greatest reward of my career, but I’m excited for this new adventure.
I’ve heard more times than I can count that I’m “too negative” when it comes to the Angels. Perhaps that’s fair — my instinct when it comes to this ball club is immediate skepticism. I’d argue that it’s justified, but I won’t dispute anyone who’s perturbed. It’s their job to be fans, hope against hope, and see the best in their team. I’ve been that fan for my teams. I get it.
The truth is, I’d love to see the Angels do well.
Every year, my job has assigned me to cover the postseason. I was alongside the Astros for their championship run, and the Diamondbacks during their Cinderella march to the World Series. Every time I walked into one of those ballparks and felt that unmistakable October energy, I imagined what that would look and feel like in Anaheim.
It would be a joy to experience, and someday, maybe a long ways down the road, it will happen again. I’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of games at the Big A — nearly all of which will be forgotten with time. I crave the chance to show up there when it matters, when the ballpark is full of fans hanging on every pitch, and the nation’s eyes are glued to this team. That’s what this fanbase — which values winning, despite what the owner says — deserves.
Because for all that “negativity,” I did my best to highlight the good people, and songs, that this team had to offer.
Showing up to work every day was something I looked forward to doing. There are so many genuine and decent people that work for the Angels — particularly their P.R. department, Adam Chodzko, Matt Birch, Grace McNamee and Noah Scott. Fans might assume this isn’t the case, because they oversee the most crisis-prone organization in baseball. In reality, they’re the most thoughtful and credible comms professionals that you’ll ever find.
Angels fans are lucky to have reporters and humans like Jeff Fletcher and Rhett Bollinger covering their team. They’re fortunate that Mark Gubicza, Wayne Randazzo and Erica Weston are on their televisions, and Trent Rush, Terry Smith and Mark Langston are on their radios.
I’m appreciative to the players and coaches, many of whom put up with me when they didn’t have to. Even Anthony Rendon.
Most importantly, I’m thankful to the readers for engaging. Writing this sorta feels weird, since I’m not really going anywhere. I’ll still live in Long Beach, and Angel Stadium will still be my primary ballpark office. I will still write stories about the team from time to time, and will always aim to answer that central question about this franchise’s failures. It will all just look a little different, which is bittersweet.
I’ll leave you with this. Someday, there will be a playoff game at Angel Stadium. And when there is, I’ll be there to write about it.