#26 Jim Edmonds, OF
Jim was on the team for a few seasons, a homegrown talent drafted by the big club.
Edmonds was a good hitter with a lot of power. He was exciting to watch in the field, made a lot of great catches until you realized he was hotdogging it out there. He was hated in the clubhouse and pissed off the last of his allies when he refused surgery early in the offseason only to need it right before the 1999 campaign began.
Only days before the 2000 season began, he was traded to St. Louis and badmouthed the Angels, implying that he was happy to be with a team that had a chance to win the World Series. Of course it was doubly great that the guy who he was traded for, Adam Kennedy, homered three times in one game to get the Angels into their first WS.
And the crowd shot of Jim at the Anaheim WS Game was the icing on the shitcake known and loved and despised as JEEEEMEEEE.
0 recs | 15 comments
More on Edmonds
I'm taking a little vacation from helping the Rev out with this series, and in the case of Jimmy Edmonds, I've got a good excuse for it. Rich Lederer and Brian Gunn -- back when his Redbird Nation blog was active -- wrote a great biographical piece about Jimmy called The Most <strike>Under-Over-</strike>Underrated Player In Baseball". Here's the intro:In a fine article published last Friday in the New York Times, Lee Jenkins made the Cardinals sound like an army unit from a World War II propaganda film - they've got the aw-shucks hick Scott Rolen, the Bible-quoting Latino Albert Pujols, and Jim Edmonds, "who scales fences and streaks his hair, drives a Ferrari, and goes by the name of 'Hollywood.'" Indeed, at first blush Jim Edmonds seems like every jock you went to high school with - note the cocky swagger, the loping gait, the beefy shoulders and hammy thighs. He's the very picture of California cool.
But put Jim Edmonds in a batter's box and he's transformed. Gone are the heavy eyelids and the cavalier attitude, and they're replaced with something else altogether - a series of rituals, neuroses, and tics. He grimaces, jabbers with umpires and catchers, steps out to do calisthenics or pace around or talk to himself. Just last week he had an at-bat where he leaned in from a pitch on ball four, then righted himself by staggering toward the visitors' dugout. His route was practically Magellan, perhaps the only time in the history of baseball a guy walked 120 feet to get to first. Last year in San Diego, Edmonds swung at a pitch, dropped the bat, clutched his right shoulder, doubled over in pain, caught his breath, then picked up the bat with his left hand and continued hitting! The whole thing was as melodramatic and masochistic as the Stations of the Cross: Edmonds is Condemned to Die, Edmonds Swings a First Time, Edmonds is Laid in the Tomb.
scareduck - February 1, 2006
good riddance
I lost respect for this guy after I saw him ripping the Angels on the old Up Close show with Roy Firestone and saying "now they're bothering Troy Glaus all the time because they want him to be in better shape." No shit? A professional team wants their players they play millions to to get in better shape? Screw him. I'm glad we won the title without him, and he's at the top of the list of guys I'd like to see never win a title.Sad thing really, because he was my favorite Angel from about '95-'97 or something like that. I enjoyed his swing and claims that he wanted to be the best player in baseball.
Do you guys remember the game where Griffey wrapped himself up in bandages and had this small Edmonds jersey on to make fun of him? Now that was funny. (the fact the karma gods went after Griffey's hamstrings after that was besides the point)
thewebb - February 1, 2006
Edmonds vs Salmon vs Anderson
I remember people attacking the Angels for trading Edmonds, arguing that he was a far better player than Salmon and Anderson and they should have traded one of the others and kept Edmonds.Of course, the Angels won the WS without Edmonds and with huge contriutions from Salmon and Anderson. But the question remains: is Edmonds a better all-around player than either Salmon or Anderson or both?
My guess--perhaps in the field but not at bat. What do others think?
mheumann - February 1, 2006
At the time of the trade
I was CERTAIN Jim's injury-history made him the most tradeable player (from OUR point of view), in addition to his toxic egomanical personality pouring over the clubhouse like diarrhea.The fact that he has remained healthy in St. Louis is the biggest shock of all - I guess he finally left Mount Olympus and trained ahead of time like an ordinary mortal. Unless of course teammate Mark McGwire introduced him to some healing-induced chemistry...
Rev Halofan - February 1, 2006
I'm not sure he has stayed that healthy
His last 4 years he has played 144, 137, 153, 142. Always gets knicked up for some games. Ultimate excuse guy.thewebb - February 1, 2006
Still....
he made the greatest catch I've ever seen, the over the shoulder diving one against KC. Willie Mays in the 1954 WS? Piker.What pissed me off most about the revelation about the Rev's favoriteist Angel ever, Steve Finley--a sure lock for the #1 spot in this survey--playing with a crocked shoulder was how it was just like the Edmonds situation. And now it seems that DaVanon was playing hurt all season too. Stupid macho idiots.
Jim @ Halos Heaven - February 1, 2006
question
Which is worse for a ballplayer's career:yeswecan - February 1, 2006
3. Being known as Me-First, Team-Second
4. whining about Row L versus Row FRev Halofan - February 1, 2006
your tickets
5. if you order a steak but are served a hamburger, should you say anything?yeswecan - February 3, 2006
How'd you like that tuna sandwich?
in the parking lot or on Katella?Rev Halofan - February 3, 2006
My favorite Jim Edmonds moment
was when he got in a tussle at The Catch over some girls... he left in his Ferrarri.Lame.
cupie - February 1, 2006
that sums up mister ego
cupie - eyewitness to history.Rev Halofan - February 1, 2006
I hate Jim Edmonds...
although my favorite 'fond' memory of him was when Charles Nagy beened him and he picked up the ball and flipped it back to him. The retaliation was because Edmonds hit a bomb off of Nagy and admired it until it landed.thewebb - February 1, 2006
Tough Crowd
Aren't you guys being a little hard on the guy?After all, when Garret Anderson refused to learn how to play first base, Edmonds did.
There couldn't have been too much dessension on the team: Troy Percival says that Jim is a "ball's out" player and he would always want him on his team. (And that was after criticizing him for not getting the surgery.) And his former team-mates had him in the Angel clubhouse during the 2002 WS.
Salmon's numbers have to make him the highest ranked OF, but I can't see the reasoning behind putting any other OFs with lesser numbers ahead of Mr. Ed. How does someone justify Kennedy ahead?
Look at the weak write-up. Can't you give everyone the same effort?
Barca - February 10, 2006
No I can't give everyone the same effort
especially when they did not give this team the effort.Rev Halofan - February 10, 2006
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