Greetings, loyal readers. As you likely noticed last month, I put out a call for new writers to come and join the site. I was hoping to hire one, maybe two writers, but the response was overwhelming and my plans changed a bit. So, instead of one new writer, Monkey With a Halo is proud to announce the addition of four new members of the staff who will all be contributing in a variety of ways. Together, we will all be working towards the goal of providing more high quality Angel content then you could ever hope for.
So without further adieu, let’s introduce all the newbies:
Scotty Allen
I’m Scotty Allen and I’m somewhat of a “Jack of all trades”. I’m a former Marine and current grad-student, amateur scout for a sports agency, senior columnist for LA Angels Insider, minor league writer for Monkey with a Halo, and a correspondent for The Outside Corner. My favorite team is of course the Los Angeles Angels, but I find myself routinely rooting for the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres as well. My favorite current players are Torii Hunter and Mike Trout, and my favorite all-time players are Tony Gwynn and Wally Joyner. When I’m not in the classroom, in the stands, on the field or at my computer, I can be found traveling to parts unknown with my wife. Follow and chat with me on twitter @ScottyA_LAAI.
As Scotty alluded to, he will be MWAH’s designated prospect expert, contributing as regularly as he can. To get a taste of what Scotty can do, I highly recommend perusing the top 30 prospect countdown in the top menu bar that he and I collaborated on earlier in the off-season.
Gabrielle Castillo
Gabrielle Castillo is a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She is majoring in Journalism (with an emphasis in broadcast) and minoring in Spanish. Gabrielle hopes to provide baseball analysis for a prominent television/radio station someday. Having lived in Orange County, California all of her life, the Los Angeles Angels have been a team that has remained near and dear to her heart since childhood. @ciaogabrielle
Gabrielle (yes, we have a lady amongst us now, so please mind your manners) will be writing weekly posts every Wednesday as well as helping out on game coverage.
Brandon Sandors
By day, Brandon works in maintenance management for homeowners associations. His first favorite Angels player was Chili Davis and to date, he believes greatest experience as a fan was attending Tim Salmon’s final game. Brandon has been writing sporadically since attending college at UCI and his current pursuits include podcasting, homebrewing new beers, and stand-up comedy. Blogging for MWAH is his first foray into the world of sports writing and he is excited to further his skills writing for a new audience. He regularly attends Angels games with his mother and grandfather and is often found sipping from a blinking light-up glass of Bud Light.
Brandon will be taking on something of a specialized role with MWAH, contributing satirical and humor-based posts every other Friday.
Dave Riley
My family moved to the LA area when I was an infant. My dad was born and raised in Chicago, and was a die-hard Cubs fan, so when faced with the choice between an established, successful team and a start-up, long-shot expansion team to root for he chose the Angels. Growing up, I learned baseball from my dad and listened to games after bedtime under the blanket with a trusty transistor radio while he was in his den nearby listening as well. After a great play, he’d push open the door a bit and say: “That’s how you play the game!” I sat on Albe Pearson’s knee at the brand new Angel stadium and I grew up using Jim Fergosi bats I snagged at Bat Day. I’m thrilled to be part of Monket With a Halo and look forward to everyone’s thoughts and comments. I just can’t get enough of Angels baseball.
Dave will be writing weekly posts for MWAH every Thursday.
Welcome, everyone!