healthy pedal spin?

Quoted post said:

Sometimes they don't fall into a quite vertical position. They tend to hang in a more-upside-down-than-vertical orientation, and that makes clipping in clumsy sometimes. It's a real drag when pulling away from a stop light in traffic.

Yep it can be and it isn't just your pedals which do it.

Quoted post said:

Shouldn't pedals be able to spin wildly?

Not sure what you mean by "Wildly", but I can tell you that my Look Keos spin very well (by my reckoning) and can still occasionaly come to a stop upside down. You can never have no friction. Getting the clip in right can occasionally mean a deft touch with your foot to tip the pedal over and clip in in one motion. Something which only comes with practise. Most people are not used to being deft with their legs/feet. In general, it is more a problem with the weight balance of pedals rather than bearings. To make them more reliable, the rear of the pedal should probably have a little more mass added so that it can overcome bearing friction and always hang down. Unfortunaltely manufacturers also like to remove as much weight as possible so that they can boast about how light they are. Two competing needs always results in compromise.

What tafi said. Also, I don't know how old your pedals are, but when some are new, it can take a bit of running in for them to spin more freely. You just need to learn to give a bit of a nudge or flick with a toe to get the pedal where you want it.

What brand and model pedals do you have?