There were no Frost-Nixon interviews when Nixon visited the Angels clubhouse. There was just the sight of Bobby Grich pouring champagne on the former president’s head after the Angels clinched the division in 1979. At home playoff games against the Orioles, Nixon sat behind a banner that read, “Never give up’’.
“He really knew baseball and he really knew the players,’’ said John Moynihan, stadium press box director, who has been with the Angels for 50 seasons. “He’d go into the clubhouse with Mr. Autry and he knew who the players were, even if they weren’t wearing their uniform top. I remember Donnie Moore came over and asked me, ‘How does Mr. Nixon know my name?’ ’’
There were special Nixon Rules at the Big A. Spectators were not allowed to wear Nixon masks.
“You never knew who was behind those masks, so the city passed a rule that you could not wear a Nixon mask into the stadium,’’ said Moynihan.
This week the Red Sox will open their annual (fourth time since 2004) first-round playoff series with the Angels. Before the first pitch is thrown, the Globe’s staff of crack baseball writers will dissect and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both ball clubs.
I’m here to tell you about some of the stuff that happened to the Red Sox at Nixon’s favorite ballpark.
The stadium by the 57 Freeway opened in 1966 and hosted the 1967 All-Star Game that lasted 15 innings. Yaz went 3 for 4 in that game. Tony Conigliaro went 0 for 6. It was just a month before Tony C. was hit in the head by Angels righthander Jack Hamilton.
The Red Sox came to California for the 1986 American League Championship Series, a seven-game stunner that triggered Boston’s odd dominance of Anaheim in October.
