Shouldn't Fans be United?

Sometimes I think the internet is too all-encompassing. Sometimes I find that the anonymity that is offered brings out the worst in pretty much everyone, myself included. This morning I was reminded that the nets are a savage jungle where even kindred spirits snark at each other and would rather destroy other people instead of build something special.

Case in point: Halos Heaven, which is a SB Nation blog site about the Anaheim Angels. No secret that I'm a huge Angels fan and have been since my Daddy took me to my first game when I was still a baby. I've followed the team through good times and bad, and have never jumped off the wagon, even when they were 40 games under .500. Of course in the current era the Halos are doing fantastically well, which would make you think that all would be right in Angels Nation, bud sadly, nope. The guy who runs Halos Heaven, one Rev Halofan, is the biggest jerk I've come across on the internet in a long time. He runs the site with an iron fist, and if he disagrees with you over ONE thing, he feels no compunction about blasting every one of your profile characteristics, even if they have nothing to do with the point at all.

This morning I posted my first ever "fan post" over there, featuring what I thought would be a good roster for the Halos in the post season. I misspelled one pitcher's first name (Jared instead of Jered Weaver) and forgot about one relief pitcher (Jose Arredondo), for that I got blasted left and right in a manner that would make you think that I was the second coming of Benito Mussilini or Ivan the Terrible. After I called out the asshole in question (Rev Halofan) I was basically told to grow a thicker skin. OK, that's fine I suppose, his playground and all, but seriously, if you're trying to GROW a site, you shouldn't be pissing off your customers.

I removed my initial post and put up a second one expressing my sheer disbelief that ANY Angels fan would be treated as badly as I was this morning on an ANGELS Fan Site. Sure, if I were say a Yankees fan and came in there talking a bunch of smack, then I would expect to be flamed, but NOT if I'm merely being a good Angels fan. As you can imagine, the loyal idiots came to Rev Halofan's defense and then even he posted some more nasty comments, which were extremely uncalled for. So now Halos Haven is on my shit list, and I'm encouraging everyone who has more than a passing interest to give them a miss. There are other Angels blogs to follow, most of them are fairly positive, after all, the Angels just clinched the AL West on the earliest date in divisional history.

I don't know what it is about SB Nation that really chaps my hide though; the other blog of theirs that I subscribe to, Bruins Nation, is just as bad as Halos Heaven. They won't even allow you to make ANY disparaging comments about Bruin players, even IF they played like shit (Darren Collison in the Memphis game, I'm looking at you). Part of being a fan is having the ability to criticize players when they don't perform. That's just the way it is with sports, and if you can't do that without being censored, what's the point?

I post this here because I know Gellman has a much larger viewing public than my personal blog, and again I thank him for the soapbox. I'm not asking for every fan of the same team to agree with each other, and I'm certainly not saying that my opionion is better than anyone else's regarding a specific team. What I am saying is that fans of the same team should treat each other with respect even if they disagree. Getting flamed over a typo and an obvious mistake is just not tolerable.

SO in closing, in the spirit of SCU - FUCK HALOS HEAVEN AND REV HALOFAN and the horse they rode in on. Plus, doesn't look like I'm alone in my newfound disdain for said HH site, looks like plenty of folks think that Halos Heaven is a wasteland.

Thankfully.

Rant off.


http://googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=wildwill&word2=rev+halofan

Teixeira is an Angel

ESPN is reporting that the Braves have traded Mark Teixeira to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and a minor leaguer (reportedly Stephen Marek).

While I'm AMAZED that the Halos actually made a deal during the season, and I'm very happy to get Teixeira in Angels red, I'm really going to miss Casey Kotchman.

Here's hoping that a contract extension will be announced shortly. I cannot imagine Arte Moreno "renting" a player of Teixeira's quality without the intention of signing him to a long-term deal. If that's the case though, the price of the rental was too high. Kotchman may not ever be a super-star, but he's a solid first-baseman with a ton of potential.

SO I wonder which set will have the first cards of Mark in his new Angel uniform, plus when's his first game? I know it won't be tonight, and Kotchman has already been pulled from the stadium in Boston.

The Absolute WORST Kind of No-Hitter

I just watched the Angels blow a huge game to the Dodgers one-nothing. What was great though, is that Jared Weaver, in a losing effort, pitched six innings of no hit ball - followed by two more no-hit innings by Jose Arredondo. They still lost.

God Forbid that Topps commemorate this moment with one of those crappy Moments and Milestones.

They've done sillier.


See that Vlad Jersey card? Yeah, it commemorates his third straight Intentional Walks title. That's just stupid. Yes, it's an achievement, but it doesn't deserve a frakking card, let alone a jersey card.

Even though I could pick it up for a buck on eBay, I just can't bring myself to go after that card, as big of a man-crush as I have on Vlad...

Was that TMI? I never know.