The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, formerly known as the Anaheim Angels and previously known as the California Angels, have not been known to be one of the most successful baseball teams by any means. They are known to many as a team who has choked in the playoffs numerous times, been the victims of personal tragedies, been plain mediocre, and been a part of several late season collapses. However, this all changed just a mere few years ago.

The late 1990s brought home several talented players such as Darrin Erstad, Jim Edmonds, Tim Salom, and Garrett Anderson. 1995 seemed to be the year of the Angels; however, the Seattle Mariners played the position of spoilers. The Anaheim Angels at times felt as unlucky as the Chicago Cubs or Boston Red Sox.

Many that the signing of Mo Vaughn in 1999 would help change things and bring thunder but that never happened. He has recently returned the favor to the New York Mets. Things would finally begin to turn around when the organization would look for a new leader. That new leader turned out to be Mike Scioscia who was hired as manager in 2000. Immediately that season the Angels had a decent 12 game improvement. The 2001 season can be best described as a step back as Angels fans would not want to relive that season through memory or print.

The 2002 season started with a thud as the Anaheim Angels started off a miserable 6-14. When the late summer approached, the team worked hard and stuck together and were neck and neck fighting the Oakland A's for the division title. It was just not meant to be, as the Angels were destined to take a different path towards glory. At the end of the season, the Anaheim Angels won a whopping 99 games which was a franchise record and good enough to be a wild-card team. No one would have ever imagined that the Angels would be able to salvage a season and win that many games.

The road to the famed World Series would not be easy. The Angels first round opponents would be the legendary famed New York Yankees in the first round of the 2002 playoffs. However, the Anaheim Angels would quickly and easily demolish the New York Yankees in a mere four games. This series win was so monumental due to the fact that it was the first playoff series the Anaheim Angels had ever won in franchise history. The New York Yankees were not defeated by just one man but by Anderson, Salmon, Erstad, Troy Glaus, David Eckstein, Scott Speizio and Adam Kennedy who formed an offense that set a post-season record by hitting .376 against the stunned and now dethroned and deflated New York Yankees.

The League Championship Series would not get much easier as the Angels would have to fight the always tough Minnesota Twins. Just like the previous series, the Anaheim Angels would lose the first game and then demolish the Twins in four straight games to win the series 4-1. No one would have imagined that the Anaheim Angels would win their first post-season series and now be playing in the World Series.

The 2002 World Series would match up the underdog Anaheim Angels against the heavily favored San Francisco Giants with homerun king Barry Bonds. This was one of the most exciting World Series history as the Angels were in the brink of elimination in game 6 and somehow would construct a comeback and defeat the San Francisco Giants and be crowned World Series Champions!

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