Angels Legend Garret Anderson has passed away. GA, the leader of many Franchise longevity records and stats, was not just a beloved player, one who came up through the Angels system and won a World Series, but one who was personally the most levelheaded and professional athlete many of us ever saw.
We, as fans, may have joked about him being lazy, his play seeming to be effortless, but he truly worked hard and just made it seem like it was easy for him. I wish we as fans would have as a whole realized that, even if the shorthand for saying “I am too GA to do this” was admittedly a useful phrase.
GA is in the Angels HOF, and while he never sniffed the one in NY, he will always be remembered to us Angel fans. From his consistency, still being the franchise leader in hits, doubles, RBI, extra base hits, and sacrifice flies, to his longevity, being the franchise leader in games, PA, and at bats, GA was the rock of 90’s and 2000’s Angel teams, putting up numbers year after year with almost no recognition besides us Angels fans.
He did make the All Star Team 3 times, and won the Home run Derby in 2003 as well as the All Star Game MVP that same year. Something that I am sure he was proud of and held over his teammate Tim Salmon. But I think I can say that for most of us, his most memorable moments, what we think of him most, is him standing on 2B after hitting a smooth double, or standing in LF, day in and day out.
I will say I was saddened when he left the team after the 2008 season. Seeing him in Atlanta and Dodger uniforms never felt right. He was always an Angel to us, and when he came back to be celebrated and being shown on TV, it not only felt right seeing him again, but also made us all feel old as one of the all time great Angels was retired.
We will miss you.
