The decision, predictable as it was, signified the final flash of a passing era. As Jeff Sullivan of SB Nation points out, Shields was the last remaining player from the Angels’ 2002 title-winning team still on LA’s roster. Couple that with the recent retirement of fellow Angel reliever Brendan Donnelly and franchise hit leader Garret Anderson, and one can sense the ‘02 Angels receding quickly into the annals of baseball lore.
Excluding Mike Scioscia and the ever-ebullient rally monkey, little remains of Anaheim’s fairytale season. If Scot Shields was the final link to 2002, then his retirement was the postscript.
It’s an odd feeling, to one day realize that a thing once so vital and current has settled into bronze. I wonder when I’ll begin to remember the 2008 Phillies the same way I remember the 1980 bunch. These memory shifts come suddenly, and they’re usually delivered in small, symbolic packages, like the inevitable retirement of a 38th round draft selection turned franchise stalwart.
Shields came to prominence during the 2002 campaign -- his first full season in the majors -- and the Halos’ dramatic October triumph helped establish him at the big league level. It was a grand introduction for Shields and fellow rookies Donnelly and Francisco Rodrgiuez, an historic run culminating in one of the most entertaining, and under-appreciated, World Series of all time.
Now that Shields has retired, his surprisingly robust career coming into full focus, I’m reminded of how long its been since Angels played the Giants in the last truly memorable World Series. 2002 was nine years ago, and in the interim, baseball’s crown jewel has never gone the full seven games or offered much in the way of suspense.
Consider the last eight outcomes: Marlins in 6, Red Sox in 4, White Sox in 4, Cardinals in 5, Red Sox in 4 (again), Phillies in 5, Yankees in 6, and Giants in 5. You’d be hard pressed to find another run of World Series so lopsided and mundane. The only comparable streak began in 1913, when the Ottoman empire still existed, and lasted until 1923. And at least during those eleven years fans got to see a few game sevens, if only because the series of 1919, ‘20, and ‘21 featured a nine-game format.
Given baseball’s recent dearth of World Series excitement, Angels-Giants has become an unlikely source of nostalgia. Those seven games in the fall of 2002 ran the gamut of emotions, from game two’s offensive thrill ride to a near case of batboy-related infanticide at home plate to Dusty Baker’s quick hook of Russ Ortiz with the Giants mere outs from victory. Rookie John Lackey’s historic game seven gem proved a fitting climax for what remains one of the all-time great World Series.
Now, in the smoldering wreckage of BALCO and Mitchell, baseball needs another great series that captures the nation’s attention because of its greatness, not its market share. Baseball didn’t need the Yankees or the Red Sox in 2002, and it doesn’t need them now.
Angels versus Giants thrilled us with its collective angst, the kind that accumulates over years of losing and missed opportunity. In the fall of 2002 it felt natural, almost pure, to celebrate two fan bases that could appreciate the rare pleasure of a title shot, places where “wait ‘til next year” sounded more like a humble prayer than an insidious vow of revenge.
As a fan you didn’t need to be invested in either franchise to feel invested. The games mattered, and the game felt loved.
Further reading on Scot Shields (because, if you’ll recall, that’s who this is about):
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110318&content_id=17007452
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2011/3/18/2058731/scot-shields-has-retired
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/angels_reliever_scot_shields_retires_after_10_year_career/2011/03/18/AB1HLdr_story.html?wprss=rss_nationals
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