The Halos

The Angels spent the better part of the 1970's in the second division thanks to a meager lineup that sported very little power and not much on the front of OBP.  Every 4th day Angel fans were on the edge of their seat anticipating another Nolan Ryan No-Hitter.  Typically Ryan needed to be just that perfect or he was in jeopardy of losing the game.  By the middle of the decade Frank Tanana arrived and the Angels had themselves one of the best 1-2 punches any rotation could boast.  Still the lineup wasn't scaring anyone until free agency arrived in the late 70's and the cowboy began to import talent like Bobby Grich, Rod Carew, Joe Rudi and 1979 AL MVP Don Baylor.  That influx of offensive talent led the Halos to their first ever post season appearance, which was also the beginning of a nice run as a contender.  With 7 sub .500 finishes, the 1970's can be characterized as the Angels "Lost Decade", where the franchise took a huge step backward when compared with it's burst on to the scene as the model for expansion during the 1960's.