It’s been a brutal winter in Anaheim.
While the rest of sunny Southern California basks in bright blue skies and mild temperatures, around Angels Stadium there swirls a raging tempest of anger and frustration.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, once the big bullies of the AL West, are being pelted with icy snowballs like the schoolyard peons they’ve become. And the onslaught is coming from every angle.
Division rivals aren’t afraid to knock them to the ground with big free-agent signings and then kick them while they’re down there. Reporters from every news outlet around the league mock the Angels for their pitiful attempts to get back up or for failing to try at all.
Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth, Ty Wigginton, Jorge de la Rosa, Cliff Lee and now Rafael Soriano—those are some big swings and misses. It’s easy to see why the Angels are getting pummeled amidst a hellish, wintry storm.
Still, it is important to remember it is always darkest before the dawn.
Like the army of naysayers forming along Katella Avenue, time marches forward. What looks bad today will surely change tomorrow, and when those storm clouds finally break, the light that shines through will reveal a vast landscape of things to be excited about this spring.
Here are the top 10 reasons not to give up on the Angels just yet.