2012 Angels FanFest

The Anaheim Angels held their FanFest this past Sunday. The event was scheduled to start at 7:00 am, so I headed out to OC with Tom nice and early. We got to the Big A right before the event gates opened and there was already a line of about 100 people or so. First thing we did was hit the autograph lines. There were five to choose from, and we had no idea who was signing. I got in one line and Tom stood in another  just in case mine had a crappy player.


When I got in line I just happened to be standing behind Ryan from RBI Collecting. It was nice to have someone to chat with because the players weren't scheduled to sign until 9:45.  And we were told that those players would not be any of the starters. We were all a little bummed, but there was still a good chance for some decent signers.


Well, 9:45 came and the players started walking to their tables.Each table had two players. Table one had Jordan Walden and Scott Downs, table two had Chris Ianetta and Vernon Wells, table three hadErick Aybar and Maicer Izturis, table four had Bobby Abreu and LaTroy Hawkins and the fifth table had Kendrys Morales and Alberto Callaspo. I was in line for Bobby Abreu and LaTroy Hawkins and Tom had Kendrys Morales and Alberto Callaspo. I had a tough choice to make because I wanted Abreu and Morales. I decided to stay where I was and get Bobby. Abreu signed a ball for me and I got LaTroy on my Snoopy bobblehead.

Bobby signing my ball

Abreu's auto

LaTroy

LaTroy on Snoopy

After I got Abreu and Hawkins, I had time for one more line, so I got into the Erick Aybar/Maicer Izturis line. Aybar, who had just signed a well deserved four-year contract extension a few days earlier, signed a ball for me and Izzy signed my Snoopy bobblehead.

Erick Aybar signing my ball

Aybar on ball

Izturis signing Snoopy

I told Izturis to sign the nose. This is what he gave me.

After the current players were done signing, it was time for some former Angels. While we were waiting, Mark Gubicza was roaming around and chatting with fans and signing autographs.. I already had him on a ball, so this time I got him on a card. Garrett Anderson, Chuck Finley, Jim Abbott, Mike Witt and Clyde Wright just finished a Q&A on the stage then came to the tables to sign. I was able to get Jim Abbott and Chuck Finley on cards.  

Me and Gubby

Hey Abbott!

Finley

Overall I think I did alright. I wish some of the bigger names signed, but this wasn't too bad. I also think the whole thing was a bit unorganized. They really need to come up with a better method of getting people to the different stations. I would have loved to have gotten autos from all the players there. One more thing, I wanna give a big shoutout to Dave from David's Autograph Signings. Thanks for all your help Dave!

Bobblehead Of The Day: Albert Pujols

So my first bobblehead pickup of the year was down in Anaheim. The Angels gave away Albert Pujols bobbleheads to all fans in attendance at Tuesday's game against the Athletics.

Every time I go to an Angels game, I feel like I'm going on an undercover assignment. I dunno, it just feels weird. I tell myself, if I want the bobble, I've gotta make the drive to OC and sit in the sea of red. Now, I'm not gonna rag on Angel fans, but being at an Angel game is about as fun as being at a funeral. Everyone is sitting on their hands. There's no chanting for their team. There's no clapping. There's no excitement whatsoever. It's just plain dull. Kinda like the bobblehead you're about to see.

This Albert Pujols bobblehead is about as mediocre as mediocre gets. It's him in the standard homerun pose. Red jersey, red helmet and him on a red base. Plain and simple. To top it all off, it looks nothing like Pujols. Kloanz missed the mark on this one. But in the end, Albert Pujols is one of the greatest players ever, so I don't mind adding this to my collection.

The Angels To Give Away Two Bobbleheads In 2012

Mark Trumbo will be the first of two Angels bobbleheads in 2012(4/17)

Although it hasn't been posted on their website, the Anaheim Angels have released their 2012 promotional schedule to their season ticket holders. The Angels are going the opposite route of the Dodgers and their Ten bobblehead giveaways though. The Angels will only be giving away two bobbleheads next year, and they're both coming early in the season. Here's the full promotional list: 

4/7 Fleece Blanket 4/17 Mark Trumbo Bobblehead4/19 Gold Glove T Shirt4/21 Angels Cap4/22 Fanfest5/1 Rally Monkey Beanie5/3 Angels Seat Cushion5/15 Fan Vote Bobblehead5/16 Wall Calendar6/2 Angels Cowboy Hat 6/5 Angels Cooler6/6 Angels Hula Girl6/17 Father's Day Oven Mitt6/19 Angels Reusable Bags6/20 Angels Travel Pillow7/7 Kids Angels Jersey 7/24 Angels Cap 7/28 Angels Kite 8/11 Angels Lunch Bag8/14 10th Anniversary World Series Ring8/15 Angels Cap 8/16 Angels Pitcher and Cups8/18 Backpack 9/23 Fan Appreciation Day and Team Photo

Since they're only doing two, Mark Trumbo(4/17) had to be one of them. The 2011 American League Rookie of the Year runner-up had a great season and became a fan-favorite. The second bobblehead will handed out on May 15, and this one will be voted on by the fans. There are three Angels to choose from: 2011 All-Stars Howie Kendrick and Jordan Walden and Centerfielder Peter Bourjos. If anyone is interested in voting, you can do so here.

Player Appearance: Rod Carew

Hall of Famer Rod Carew made an appearance today at the Angels Team Store in Anaheim. He was scheduled to meet fans and sign autographs from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The appearance was part of a holiday sales event held by the Angels and AEG, operators of the Team Store. Most items in the store were 40-60% off.


I arrived at Angels Stadium at 7:30 and there were maybe twenty people in line. At 9:00 the Team Store opened and more people started showing up. The employees at the store brought quite a bit of discounted  merchandise outside, including hats, jerseys, bats and bobbleheads. There's were a lot of great deals outside and a lot of good deals inside as well. I believe everything in the store was 40% off. So  I picked up a Torii Hunter Forever Big Head bobblehead, which was discounted from $24.99 down to $10 and a couple of MLB baseballs. I can't resist a good deal. 

Mr. Carew arrived right at 10:30 and began signing right away. We were told he would sign one item per person and he wouldn't sign bats, jerseys or magazines. The line moved pretty slowly. He was signing at a snails pace, but I did finally make it to the front at around 11:00. He signed a baseball for me and inscribed "HOF 91". 

I had a great time down at the Big A. The event went smoothly and it was very organized, plus they had a bunch of great deals at the Team Store. Thanks to the Anaheim Angels and Rod Carew for everything today.

Angels Fan Fest 2011

Last Sunday, the Anaheim Angels held their Fan Fest. The event was held at the Angels Stadium parking lot. Tickets were $5 and it also got you into the Angels/Padres game at 2:00. The event was scheduled from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The Angels' website said there would be players signing autographs, but it wasn't specific. Since I'm not an Angels fan, my only interest were the autographs. When my buddy Tom and I got down there, we noticed there four autograph stations. There were two players at each station. They would be signing for 45 minutes, then get replaced with someone else from the team. There was no player schedule, it was all  random.

We walked from station to station trying to figure out which one was best, because the lines were very long. We decided to go with  the Brandon Wood line. Wood, who is probably the most over-hyped prospect in Angels history, was signing with infield prospect Alexi Amarista. We stood in line for 30 minutes. I had them both sign my Snoopy Angels bobblehead.

Brandon Wood



Alexi Amarista

We started searching for the next best line. We discovered Bobby Abreu was signing, so we rushed to that line. I'm not sure how long he had been there, but we waited for about 30 minutes in line, then he got up and walked away. Actually, all the signing players left their stations because it was time for batting practice. There would be no more signings until BP was over. The next session was to start at 12:45.

It was only 11:00 at this point. There was going to be a lot of down time until the players returned. Tom and I talked about this, and we both agreed the Angels missed a good opportunity to bring some veteran players to the booths to sign for the fans. Instead, everyone had to wait nearly two hours for the next session.

There would only be one more signing session for the day. Since we didn't know who would be signing at any of the four stations, we had to pick one and just hope there were some good players there. We picked a line. After standing in the sun for an hour and forty-five minutes, a cart rolled up. Three players showed up to the station we were at.  It was Fernando Rodney, Jason Bulger and Scott Kazmir. I wasn't thrilled. Later we found out Jared Weaver was signing in the station behind us. I had Rodney and Bulger sign Snoopy and Kazmir signed a card.

Fernando Rodney

Jason Bulger

Scott Kazmir

Once we got our signatures, we went and got some of the free swag that was being given out. Rex Hudler was interviewing Rod Carew and Tim Salmon on the main stage, so went and checked that out. When that ended, Tom tried to get Rod Carew's autograph. He nearly got the signature, but there were hundreds of people mobbing the Hall of Famer.

At that point, it was 2:00, game time. The crowd at the Fan Fest all headed toward the stadium. Before we left, we stopped and took a picture with the Angels' Rally Monkey.

It was nice to see the Angels doing this for their fans. I really hope the Dodgers can do this for their fans one day as well.

Bobblehead of the Day: Jered Weaver

Here's another non-Dodger bobblehead.

Anaheim Angels' Ace pitcher Jered Weaver had his arbitration case today and lost. He was seeking $8.8 million, but will receive only $7.365 million, saving the team $1.435 million in 2011. Weaver went 13-12 with a 3.01 ERA in 34 starts for the Anaheim last season and led the major leagues with 233 strikeouts.

With Mr.Weaver in the news today, I thought I'd show his bobblehead. On June 5, 2007, the Anaheim Angels gave away Jered Weaver bobbleheads to all fans in attendance. Presented by Power 106, this bobblehead was made BD&A Promotions.

The Angels played the Minnesota Twins that night and won 5-1. Kelvim Escobar pitched a complete game for Anaheim and beat Minnesota's Scott Baker.

Let's take a look at Jered:

The box:

Even though this is an Angels bobblehead, it's actually a favorite of mine. This bobble has "Barbie doll" hair, which I think is kinda cool. It's different, and I like to see something other than a guy holding a bat at home plate. In August of 2008, the Dodgers gave away Joe Beimel bobbleheads, and I had hoped they would give Joe the same type of hair. That never happened.

Back in the day, I used to go to all Dodgers and Angels bobblehead nights, but the drive to Anaheim became too tough to make during the week. Even though I'm a Dodger fan, I still try to collect as many bobbleheads as possible. Hopefully I can get to the three Angels bobblehead nights this year.