Jim Fregosi was walking down a street in Manhattan a few years
ago when a passerby glanced at him and shook his head.  "The
Angels got Nolan Ryan," the man mumbled, "and we got Jim
Fregosi."  Fregosi -- the veteran shortstop the Angels sent to
the Mets in December 1971 in the trade that brought Ryan to
Anaheim -- laughed.  Jim Fregosi Jim Fregosi: 1942-2014  "These
fans never forget," said Fregosi, who was on the back side of
his career at the time of the deal, hastened by a tumor in his
foot that led to assorted injuries. "It wasn't like it was my
fault. [Former Angels general manager] Harry Dalton is the guy
who sent me [to the Mets]. Blame him. I didn't volunteer for
that duty."  Until Fregosi's death in the early morning hours on
Friday, he would insist that his claim to fame in baseball was
being traded for Ryan, who built the foundation for a Hall of
Fame career with the Halos, becoming baseball's all-time
strikeout leader and throwing a record seven no-hitters.  That
wasn't really true, though.  Fregos