Favorite Angels #23 - David Eckstein

Few players can capture the hearts of the fans quite like David Eckstein can. For 4 years, he was Anaheim's spark plug. In 2002, he was the epitome of the Angels run to the world title. He's a guy that's not supposed to be here. God didn't give him the classic tools needed to play at this level, save for one. His heart. Eckstein is that little leaguer with dreams of playing in the big leagues. He's that spark of determination buried deep inside of all of us that drives us to reach goals that our peers say we can achieve. He is what baseball is all about. He's not going to hit you 30 homeruns, he's not going to bat .350, he's not going to steal 50 bases. But, he is going to give you every ounce of talent he's got, and by doing that, he's going to bring out the best in those he plays with. 20 years from now, Angel fans, and now Cardinal fans, are going to look back on his playing days and say "Remember that guy? He was a **** good player."

If only every athlete played their game like he did, maybe we wouldn't have to deal with all the **** there is in sports today. David isn't likely to be in the Hall of Fame when his playing days are done, but you know, maybe he should be. In this stats driven world, its players like him that bring us back to the true meaning of the game. After all, isn't that what the hall is for?