LA Angels: 5 things to keep you busy until the Angels return

Everything is postponed or canceled. You are stuck inside, trying to stay healthy. What can you do to keep busy without the LA Angels?

We know baseball took up a big part of your life. That is why you are here, after all, looking for any little hint you can find about how to pass the time without your favorite hobby. To help you out, here are five things you can do to keep busy until the LA Angels return.

1. Purchase The Show 20 and start a season with the Angels

March 17 is the only remaining Opening Day on the sports calendar. It is when MLB The Show 20 releases to the public. Without real baseball to keep us busy, and with public health officials urging people to practice social distancing, there is no better time to pull out your Playstation and start a season with the Angels, video game style. You can even trade for some starting pitching!

One of my favorite things to do when firing up the latest version of The Show is to check the player ratings. Mike Trout is the top rated player in the game, because, of course! But how about David Fletcher has the third highest rated Angel?! Start a season, act as the general manager you always wanted to be, there is plenty to keep you busy in the fictional world of The Show. And if you are curious about how the top Angels pitchers rated in the game, check that out here.

2. Watch and re-watch and re-watch Angels in the Outfield 

One of my all-time favorite movies, nothing captures the imagination of Angels fans more than the Disney classic Angels in the Outfield. If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably seen it before. But maybe it’s been a little while, or maybe not. Either way, if you’re itching for that magical feeling a thrilling Angels victory brings you, search for this movie on YouTube. I don’t believe it is available on any of the streaming services, so you’re welcome for the YouTube link. The Angels going from mediocrity to the pennant? Could we see this storyline in 2020? It could happen!

3. Search YouTube for classic Angels games

If you’re really itching for Angels baseball, there are plenty of classic Angels games to watch on YouTube. You can start with Game 7 from the 2002 World Series. Reliving the first World Series championship in franchise history never gets old. You can then watch the 1982 Angels clinch the division on the second-to-last day of the season. And remember the night the 1986 Angels clinched the division and everyone mobbed the field? Full games, all right there on YouTube.

If more recent highlights are your thing, MLB.com recently updated their video search tool to allow you to comb through hundreds of thousands of plays to find anything that fits your fancy. You can watch all of David Fletcher’s at bats last season. Or you can watch all of the plays when David Fletcher was the primary fielder. When you find yourself missing baseball, pull up the video search tool and the possibilities are endless.

4. Watch Ken Burns baseball documentary

With baseball unlikely to return before June, you are going to have plenty of extra time on your hands, so what better time to watch Ken Burns’ exhaustive baseball documentary.

Burns was nice enough to ask PBS to stream it for free, so brush up on your baseball history here: pbs.org/show/baseball/

5. Apply to be a contributor at Halo Hangout

If you are looking to fill your baseball emptiness with writing, apply to become a contributor at Halo Hangout. We are looking for creative minds who have something to say about the Angels even when they’re not playing. We plan on spending the extra time on the schedule doing deep dives into different players, looking back at historical Angels moments, and covering the latest updates about the 2020 season as they become available. If you are stuck at home and need something extra to do, come help us!

"FanSided Openings"

In the end, stay safe, follow the guidance issued by local public health officials, and life will eventually return back to normal. Until then, hopefully these suggestions will help when you’re missing the Angels.