Los Angeles Angels History:
Among many of its glories, the City of Angels bore a Major League Baseball Team in 1961, offering its namesake, the Los Angeles Angels. By 1966, the Angels had the wherewithal to move to Anaheim .

Although it took the Angels 18 years to win their first American League West Division Championship, the closest they came to an American League Championship Series (ALCS) Title was by a scant single game in 1982. This wasn't just any single game, it was 2-0 in a best of five series and they gave three games in a row to the Milwaukee Brewers . No team had ever come back from a 0-2 deficit to win.

As if to add insult to injury, the Angels' 1986 loss in the Finals culminated in pitcher Donnie Moore's suicide three years later. They were leading the ALCS 3-1 and with one strike remaining to clinch the series, the Angels managed to give it away twice; once in the top of the ninth inning of Game 5 and once in the bottom of that same inning. Moore held himself responsible, as did the fans, because Red Sox ' Dave Henderson clinched the series with the 2 home runs that Moore gave to him.

The Angels, ironically nicknamed the "Halos" were now considered to bear a "curse" that took 16 years to shake. They were not to make it to the playoffs until 2002. But break the curse they did, because not only would they take the ALCS, they went on to win their first World Series Championship.

In spite of a series of tragic events and a management power-struggle, the Angels played on. They recovered from a Team bus accident which took many of them off the field along with their coach, Buck Rogers, for over two months. They transcended a 1994 Player's Strike and overcome the worst regular season record ever in 1995. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim received a new name in 1996, the Anaheim Angels, but were yet to change their game. They even lost their Stadium name - it was changed from Anaheim Stadium to Edison International Field of Anaheim. They maintained their franchise in relative status-quo until 1999, when they managed to attract the new Team General Manager, Bill Stoneman, who would eventually take them to the World Series.

Under Stoneman's guidance, the 2002 Anaheim Angels earned the American League "wildcard" berth and finished second in the division. The Angels went on to defeat the New York Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS and then the Minnesota Twins 4-1 in the ALCS, thus winning their first American League pennant.

Angel Stadium of Anaheim was so named in 2003, when Edison removed its name from the stadium. This proved to be a foreshadowing of the Angels' near future. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were resurrected by Arturo "Arte" Moreno , the advertising magnate that headed the entity that purchased the team in 2005 - Angels Baseball L.P. Arturo believed that an infusion of the Angels' true beginnings would bolster the team and its fans. Apparently Arturo was overly ambitious and due to outrage from various entities and countless fans, the Angels do not use any other designation on their modern uniforms other than "Angels" or "Angels Baseball".

For the past four years the Angels have dominated the West in Major League Baseball. Beginning with Vladimir Guerrero's Most Valuable Player Award in leading the Angels to their first American League West Championship in 18 years, and on to clinching their division in 2005, the Angels were unstoppable. Although they lost the 2005 ALDS to the Boston Red Sox, the Angels finished second in the American League West in 2006. They went on to a successful 2007 season where they set several individual and team records and won their Division Championship Title and seventh Playoff berth.

With their 2008 American League West Division Title, the new Angels are here to stay. Not only did they set a new mark for the earliest clinch date in history on September 10, they also set a franchise record of 100 wins.

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