My 1st Angel Spring Training: A Lifelong Dream Finally Realized!

No Comments September 9, 2015 Baseball By John Stellman

I remember it like it was yesterday. My first full year on the beat. Ironically, the Angels, who opened spring training in Holtville, stayed in my old stomping grounds, El Centro. The drive took close to four hours through the mild California desert. After all, it was only Mid-February. Still, those three weeks in the Imperial Valley seemed like three years.

Finally, it was 90 minutes up the road to paradise, Palm Springs! It was business during the day but plenty of fine dining after the sun set. We stayed at The Gene Aurty Hotel. After all ‘The Cowboy’ owned the team.

Clyde Wright, Andy Messersmith, Tom Murphy and Rudy May headed the pitching staff, while Jose Azcue and Tom Egan worked behind the plate. Jim Fregosi, Sandy Alomar and Jim Spencer steadied the infield with Jay Johnstone, Rick Reichardt, Roger Repoz and the newly acquired Alex Johnson patrolling the outfield. Lefty Phillips, who took over on May 27, 1969 was the man at the top.

The team finished the season with an 86-76 record, good enough the third place in the American League West, 12 games behind Minnesota.

I suppose the highlight of the season, although the media could argue that it was the low light, was Johnson (.3289) edging Carl Yastrzemski (.3286) for the batting title with two hits in the team’s final game. To say Alex didn’t like the writers would be a gross understatement. In fact, it was Public Relations, Promotion Director George Lederer who went down to the clubhouse to get quotes for the press. A HUGE sigh of relief. The season was finally over!

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John Stellman

I was born with sports in my blood. I began coaching little league baseball at 15. I was the sports editor of my high school newspaper. I did football play by play for the college radio station. I broadcast high school basketball for a local commercial station. But baseball was always my passion. During the 1970's I covered the Angels for the Orange County Register. And now I am back where I belong...