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Post by Jackass on Oct 8, 2007 4:59:26 GMT -5
Bill Plashke sums it up pretty well: www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-plaschke8oct08,0,1483324,full.column?coll=la-home-sports Moreno needs to make good on promises to Angels fansTeam has three postseason appearances since 2003 but has won only four games. Moreno has done well in lining up talent for regular season but now needs to bring in hired bat to swat them further.October 8 2007 Beer prices, schmeer prices. Arte Moreno's five-year honeymoon as Angels owner ended Sunday amid the shadows of a half-empty stadium and the echoed chants of strangers. Let's Go, Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox owned his team and their fans owned his house, leaving Moreno to trudge away from another crumbled postseason possessing one last scrap. His word. Now, in terms of his roster, we will find out just how much that is worth. When Moreno bought the Angels from the dreaded Mouse in 2003 amid much hugging and dancing, the first thing he did was lower beer prices. The second thing he did was say that he was "willing to spend the money" and that the Angels should be recognized as "the best team in baseball." Folks here still love the beer, but they've been left staggered and silly by the baseball. Purchasing a group that won the 2002 World Series, Moreno bought majesty but has since watched it become mind-boggling. In five years, Moreno's teams have been to the postseason three times, yet won only four postseason games. Counting Sunday's embarrassing 9-1 loss to the Red Sox that swept it out of the division series, Moreno's team has been swept by Boston in two first-round series. It was also victimized by four consecutive complete games by Chicago White Sox pitchers in a quick league championship series loss. Those four postseason wins are only three more than Frank McCourt has. Moreno's high-paying fans enjoyed this October for all of three hours and 29 minutes. "This was just a bad matchup," said Howie Kendrick. You have one of the top five payrolls in the league and it's a bad matchup? "They just outplayed us," said Scot Shields. You have the best record in baseball for parts of the summer, you win your division, you rest for a week, and you still get outplayed? "'We're not happy," said Manager Mike Scioscia. They should not be happy, and they should listen to their fans who are increasingly unhappy, and they should fix this before Moreno's legendary handshakes start feeling limp. I asked to interview him Sunday afternoon. I was told he would probably be in the Angels' clubhouse after the game for condolences. He never showed. If he had been there, he would have found a bunch of nice young men who are desperate for a tough guy who can slug. In three games, the Red Sox outscored the Angels, 19-4. They outhomered them, 5-0. They strutted around the bases and stalled on the mound and if any Angel bothered to throw inside to make them mind their manners, I missed it. "I don't offer any excuses; they beat us," said Garret Anderson, who was involved in a Sunday moment that typified the series. It was the third inning of a scoreless game. A couple of singles sandwiched around a grounder brought up Vladimir Guerrero with runners on first and third and two out. Guerrero has been the Angels' biggest postseason disappointment since Doug DeCinces in that 1986 ninth inning, but he's still the only true power threat, and guess who was on deck? Not Anderson, who had been lifted from the game after the second inning because of eye problems. It was Reggie Willits, the typical Angels hitter, a real battler with zero career homers. Curt Schilling immediately threw Guerrero four consecutive balls to load the bases, then it was one of the best pitchers in postseason history against one of the worst cleanup hitters in postseason history. Trying to fight off an overwhelming pitch, Willits fouled out to catcher Jason Varitek to end the threat. "I was trying to get the ball into the stands, and I just didn't get enough of it," Willits said. That's right, the Angels' 2007 season essentially ended with their cleanup hitter trying to hit a foul ball. About 10 minutes later, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez hit consecutive homers against Jered Weaver, the Red Sox led, 2-0, and the game was history. When asked about this sequence later in his office, Scioscia just shook his head and sighed. In their last eight postseason games, the Angels have scored 14 runs. "If there is a way to improve our team, I know Bill [Stoneman] and Arte are going to look at it," Scioscia said. Moreno has done some great things by keeping Scioscia and his staff happy, by signing Guerrero even though he is 11 for 60 in his Angels postseason career, by paying for the likes of Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar. Those are all guys who have helped them survive the regular season. But now Moreno needs to bring in a hired bat to swat them over these first hurdles, and if it can't be purchased, it must be pried loose in a trade. If he can buy Alex Rodriguez, he needs to buy him. If he can buy Torii Hunter instead, do it. If he can't buy the thunder, then he needs to order Stoneman to find it elsewhere, even if it means trading some of the club's youngsters, both from the bullpen and the lineup. Late Sunday afternoon, a horde of Red Sox fans danced and chanted behind the victors' dugout while hundreds of dumbfounded locals sat and stared. If Arte Moreno doesn't remember any other scene from 2007, he should remember this: Angels fans watching someone else brag about their baseball, none of those Angels fans bragging about their beer.
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$heriff Tom
Administrator
Groom ba ya ya ya
Posts: 16,173
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Post by $heriff Tom on Oct 8, 2007 7:32:07 GMT -5
Well, the Angels prompt demise and the Yankees lean towards being bumped seems to have ended my stint on the "Angels flagship station" before it really got going. So much for the Yankee vs Angel banter we were setting up for behind the scenes.
As to the Angels, I like Joe Saunders, and thank you John Lackey for helping me win some change in the fantasy league. Jackass, it must have burned your britch to be so summarily dismissed. I am miffed the Sox are still around - you got my sympathies.
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Post by grover on Oct 8, 2007 9:50:52 GMT -5
Yeah, geez, the Sox have your number like you guys have the Yankees number.
The curse of Donnie Moore! lol (I love how I've been seeing makeshift curses the past couple of years as soon as something bad happens.)
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Post by Jackass on Oct 8, 2007 11:00:57 GMT -5
It's the curse of not having the players to get the job done.
Anyone else see that tool there with his monkey? I wish someone would have thrown it onto the field.
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Post by Chris on Oct 8, 2007 11:18:22 GMT -5
I gotta believe that was staged for the camera. You couldn't just walk in to a stadium with a fucking monkey!
Anyway...about Moreno:
I don't buy the sentiments of the Plashke article. The 5 year honeymoon is over??? Ummm, hello, Angels fans...Arte Moreno is the BEST thing to ever happen to the Angels....better than Gene Autry, better than Reggie, Nolan, or Bo....maybe tied in value with the Scioscia hiring.
Arte Moreno may not have brought a World Series home yet (although, technically, wasn't the Moreno deal already in place at the time of the 2002 WS?) but Arte Moreno's ownership style has convinced me that the Angels have transcended the realm of ordinary baseball team. To me, there are teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox who are simply committed to being an upper echelon team year in and year out, despite the obstacles, including those of finances. Many times teams who win the World Series are teams that are pretty much just another element of the huge wading pool of mediocrity of baseball, but in a perfect storm scenario, were able to pull a magical year out of their asses - as opposed to simply being heads and tail above everyone else in regards to talent. However, other teams are consistently committed to putting superior talent on the field, and when you do that year after year after year, success (whether we're talking about division titles or world titles) becomes unavoidable. The Angels, under Moreno, have moved into that arena. The Angels will be, at worst, a team to feared within the division, every year from here on out and that's due to Arte Moreno. Now is a very good time to be an Angels fan, and not a time to present the greatest owner in the history of the team with some kind of spoiled brat ultimatum.
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Post by mac0822 on Oct 9, 2007 10:44:55 GMT -5
Who really gives a fuck?
They will put together a team that will get OWNED by Boston again next year.
Why all the fuss about a 2nd rate team?
I'm still lauging at Yanks fans that were HAPPY to play the Injuns.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 9, 2007 11:05:38 GMT -5
MacSB, I hope SIDS visits your home.
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Post by Chris on Oct 9, 2007 11:42:01 GMT -5
ME?
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Post by Jackass on Oct 9, 2007 11:46:42 GMT -5
Whoops!!! LOL!!!!
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Post by Jackass on Oct 10, 2007 5:07:22 GMT -5
TJ Simers chimes in, nailing Scioscia for the poor performance in the playoffs. I agree with much of what he says, and if you recall, I said that after the come from ahead loss to Chicago (where Thome got 500), that the Angels season was over. He expands on that sentiment. Angels' demise rests mostly on Scioscia's shouldersOctober 8 2007 OK, SO we all love Mike Scioscia. Great guy, super Dodger, outstanding manager and all that.
But I blame the Angels' quick playoff exit on Scioscia's athletic arrogance, hanging him on his own season-long mantra: "If we play our game, we can beat anyone."
The Angels played their game the best at home this season, better than any other team in the American League, compiling a 54-27 record, going 40-41 on the road, hitting .305 in Angel Stadium and .263 on the road.
If baseball teams do everything they can to get an edge, maybe pinch-hitting a right-handed batter for a left-hander, then why not go all out for home-field advantage, the most decisive edge to your advantage?
But instead, Scioscia blew it, just like the Dodgers, who didn't go all out to win it when given a head start on the rest of the National League with the best record in July.
Two weeks ago Sunday, the Angels, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians each had 92 wins, the Angels clinching and soaking themselves with champagne after securing a playoff berth.
They played 156 games to get that far, and although they didn't exactly quit, it's Scioscia who sets the tone around here on everything, and he shrugged when asked about the importance of locking up the home-field advantage with a week to play.
For days, in fact, the question had been raised -- the Angels win, and what do you do? Celebrate or buckle down? The answer was always the same from Scioscia: "If we play our game, we can beat anyone."
Six games to play, time to go all out to give themselves the best chance of winning it all, and they proved my point -- unable to play their game effectively on the road, they couldn't even take advantage of a schedule calling for them to play against down-and-out teams in Texas and Oakland.
Scioscia insisted that some of his players needed to rest, suggesting it might very well have meant season-ending injuries to some of them if pressed on, and just maybe they might get hit by a truck too on the way back to the hotel.
They started Ervin Santana, Dustin Moseley and Joe Saunders on the mound against the Rangers, and the Angels were swept in Texas, not only losing the home-field advantage but just maybe the competitive bite they had enjoyed down the stretch.
Once they clinched, and Scioscia turned off the competitive afterburners, the Angels went 2-7 to finish the regular season and playoffs.
"You're trying to make the point that we didn't try to win those games, and I vehemently disagree with you," Scioscia said. "You're way off base."
I'm not suggesting the players on the field didn't try to win, but I am suggesting that they take their lead from the manager, who never demonstrated any sense of urgency when it came to locking up the Angel Stadium advantage.
Surprisingly, we don't always agree. Scioscia likes to say he never looks at the standings, and I like to say that makes no sense, baseball being his only job, and he doesn't even take a look to see how his team is faring in comparison to everyone else?
He thinks he can win playing small ball; I believe the Angels need someone who can hit home runs and protect Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup before his stay here in an Angels uniform comes to an end.
We continue to disagree. Scioscia said his players were going to need some rest sooner or later, and resting them sooner, he said, might very well have ended with the same results.
But sorry, I'm not buying his Grady Little imitation, resting Garret Anderson and Guerrero when every game still counted, professional athletes paid to keep grinding -- until their four-month vacation officially begins.
There was nothing wrong with Anderson, who carried the team since the All-Star break, and although Guerrero was battling a sore elbow, the AL provides the DH position for superstars who only need to pick up a bat four times a night.
Mr. HGH came up lame, but so it goes in sports, Stanford starting a kid at quarterback for the first time, and how did that work out? Little made sure some of the Dodgers were well-rested too as they began their off-season.
Why pour champagne over each other's heads when the only thing that matters is winning the World Series? Is it just about making the playoffs around here?
A team that hits .305 at home, .263 on the road and has to begin the playoffs in a place like Fenway Park, where John Lackey, the ace of the staff, has a history of being pounded, has wasted any advantage that it might have had.
Tell me these results weren't predictable.
Someone else suggested the Angels never had a chance because they were too beat up to win this series, and Scioscia said, "I don't think it was the injuries."
Maybe he was just disagreeable after getting swept, ignoring the obvious, because of course it was the injuries. And one more reason why a boost from their home-town fans might've helped the Angels' cause. Who can forget the impact of those noise sticks?
"We'll never know," said Anderson when asked whether the Angels blew it, allowing Manny Ramirez & Co. to get off to such a feel-good start.
But then baseball is a game of numbers, every one of them favoring the Angels at home, averaging one more run a game at home than on the road and surrendering one fewer run at home than on the road.
By the way, Bobby Grich was scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in Game 4 in Angel Stadium -- unfortunately, a home game now that will have to be put off until April.
THE POLLS came out, and while the media had USC ranked No. 10 and the coaches had them at No. 7, you have to wonder what the coaches know -- they had UCLA getting two votes in the USA Today poll.
TODAY'S LAST word comes in e-mail from Mr. Schmidt:
"Try and find the positive side of at least one story. It will make you a happier person."
Are you suggesting I move to a town with better teams?Read It Here: www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/la-sp-simers8oct08,1,45267,full.column?coll=la-headlines-sports-mlb-angels
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Post by Jackass on Oct 16, 2007 5:43:39 GMT -5
Goodbye, Bill Stoneman. We hardley knew yee.
Doubtful that this move will mean a great deal since he is staying on as a Consultant for three seasons, and will have a great deal of input on player matters.
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Post by thecaptain15 on Oct 16, 2007 10:05:47 GMT -5
If that is the case why even make a change??? unless Stoneman wanted some sort of a reduced work schedule...
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Post by Chris on Oct 16, 2007 17:29:07 GMT -5
I believe this was a PR move. Listening to SoCAL sports talk radio for even a day, one would realize that Stoneman is ALWAYS the most popular scapegoat for Angels failures.
The Manager and Owner are made of teflon in this town.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 18, 2007 4:22:02 GMT -5
Ol' Bill "our lineup is set in" Stoneman.
Plus, the Angels wanted to let a black fellow run the show. We haven't had a great black executive in the organization since back in the days when Darryl Miller was a gofer for the promotions department.
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Post by mac0822 on Oct 22, 2007 8:07:30 GMT -5
sup Jackass. Hope you're enjoying the ride as Boston shoots for another ring.
Say thanks to Scois next time you see him.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 22, 2007 14:44:16 GMT -5
Are the playoffs still going on?
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Post by mac0822 on Oct 22, 2007 14:51:48 GMT -5
Don't play that game. Admit you were grinding your teeth as Pedroia's ball sailed into the monster seats.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 22, 2007 16:32:35 GMT -5
Get over yourself, faggot.
I laugh because the same gaggle of green hat wearing queers dusted off their gear and are on the bandwagon again.
Half of them have no idea who they even played.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 25, 2007 5:42:06 GMT -5
Looks like I will be making my regular roady to Baltimore in addition to an Inter-League Series in Philly and Washington, next season.
It might be cool to catch Tejada's return to Baltimore.....
MARCH 3/31 Mon. @ Minnesota
APRIL 4/1 Tues. @ Minnesota 4/2 Wed. @ Minnesota 4/3 Thurs. @ Minnesota 4/4 Fri. Texas 4/5 Sat. Texas 4/6 Sun. Texas 4/7 Mon. Cleveland 4/8 Tues. Cleveland 4/9 Wed. Cleveland 4/10 Thurs. OFF DAY 4/11 Fri. @ Seattle 4/12 Sat. @ Seattle 4/13 Sun. @ Seattle 4/14 Mon. @ Texas 4/15 Tues. @ Texas 4/16 Wed. Kansas City 4/17 Thurs. Kansas City 4/18 Fri. Seattle 4/19 Sat. Seattle 4/20 Sun. Seattle 4/21 Mon. OFF DAY 4/22 Tues. @ Boston 4/23 Wed. @ Boston 4/24 Thurs. @ Boston 4/25 Fri. @ Detroit 4/26 Sat. @ Detroit 4/27 Sun. @ Detroit 4/28 Mon. Oakland 4/29 Tues. Oakland 4/30 Wed. Oakland
MAY 5/1 Thurs. Oakland 5/2 Fri. Baltimore 5/3 Sat. Baltimore 5/4 Sun. Baltimore 5/5 Mon. @ Kansas City 5/6 Tues. @ Kansas City 5/7 Wed. @ Kansas City 5/8 Thurs. OFF DAY 5/9 Fri. @ Tampa Bay 5/10 Sat. @ Tampa Bay 5/11 Sun. @ Tampa Bay 5/12 Mon. Chicago WS 5/13 Tues. Chicago WS 5/14 Wed. Chicago WS 5/15 Thurs. Chicago WS 5/16 Fri. Los Angeles 5/17 Sat. Los Angeles 5/18 Sun. Los Angeles 5/19 Mon. OFF DAY 5/20 Tues. @ Toronto 5/21 Wed. @ Toronto 5/22 Thurs. @ Toronto 5/23 Fri. @ Chicago WS 5/24 Sat. @ Chicago WS 5/25 Sun. @ Chicago WS 5/26 Mon. Detroit 5/27 Tues. Detroit 5/28 Wed. Detroit 5/29 Thurs. OFF DAY 5/30 Fri. Toronto 5/31 Sat. Toronto
JUNE 6/1 Sun. Toronto 6/2 Mon. @ Seattle 6/3 Tues. @ Seattle 6/4 Wed. @ Seattle 6/5 Thurs. OFF DAY 6/6 Fri. @ Oakland 6/7 Sat. @ Oakland 6/8 Sun. @ Oakland 6/9 Mon. Tampa Bay 6/10 Tues. Tampa Bay 6/11 Wed. Tampa Bay 6/12 Thurs. OFF DAY 6/13 Fri. Atlanta 6/14 Sat. Atlanta 6/15 Sun. Atlanta 6/16 Mon. NY Mets 6/17 Tues. NY Mets 6/18 Wed. NY Mets 6/19 Thurs. OFF DAY 6/20 Fri. @ Philadelphia 6/21 Sat. @ Philadelphia 6/22 Sun. @ Philadelphia 6/23 Mon. @ Washington 6/24 Tues. @ Washington 6/25 Wed. @ Washington 6/26 Thurs. OFF DAY 6/27 Fri. @ Los Angeles 6/28 Sat. @ Los Angeles 6/29 Sun. @ Los Angeles 6/30 Mon. Oakland
JULY 7/1 Tues. Oakland 7/2 Wed. Oakland 7/3 Thurs. OFF DAY 7/4 Fri. Toronto 7/5 Sat. Toronto 7/6 Sun. Toronto 7/7 Mon. @ Texas 7/8 Tues. @ Texas 7/9 Wed. @ Texas 7/10 Thurs. @ Texas 7/11 Fri. @ Oakland 7/12 Sat. @ Oakland 7/13 Sun. @ Oakland 7/14 Mon. ALL-STAR BREAK 7/15 Tues. ALL-STAR GAME - NEW YORK 7/16 Wed. ALL-STAR BREAK 7/17 Thurs. OFF DAY 7/18 Fri. Boston 7/19 Sat. Boston 7/20 Sun. Boston 7/21 Mon. Cleveland 7/22 Tues. Cleveland 7/23 Wed. Cleveland 7/24 Thurs. OFF DAY 7/25 Fri. @ Baltimore 7/26 Sat. @ Baltimore 7/27 Sun. @ Baltimore 7/28 Mon. @ Boston 7/29 Tues. @ Boston 7/30 Wed. @ Boston 7/31 Thurs. @ New York
AUGUST 8/1 Fri. @ New York 8/2 Sat. @ New York 8/3 Sun. @ New York 8/4 Mon. Baltimore 8/5 Tues. Baltimore 8/6 Wed. Baltimore 8/7 Thurs. OFF DAY 8/8 Fri. New York 8/9 Sat. New York 8/10 Sun. New York 8/11 Mon. OFF DAY 8/12 Tues. Seattle 8/13 Wed. Seattle 8/14 Thurs. OFF DAY 8/15 Fri. @ Cleveland 8/16 Sat. @ Cleveland 8/17 Sun. @ Cleveland 8/18 Mon. @ Tampa Bay 8/19 Tues. @ Tampa Bay 8/20 Wed. @ Tampa Bay 8/21 Thurs. Minnesota 8/22 Fri. Minnesota 8/23 Sat. Minnesota 8/24 Sun. Minnesota 8/25 Mon. Oakland 8/26 Tues. Oakland 8/27 Wed. Oakland 8/28 Thurs. Texas 8/29 Fri. Texas 8/30 Sat. Texas 8/31 Sun. Texas
SEPTEMBER 9/1 Mon. OFF DAY 9/2 Tues. @ Detroit 9/3 Wed. @ Detroit 9/4 Thurs. @ Detroit 9/5 Fri. @ Chicago WS 9/6 Sat. @ Chicago WS 9/7 Sun. @ Chicago WS 9/8 Mon. New York 9/9 Tues. New York 9/10 Wed. New York 9/11 Thurs. Seattle 9/12 Fri. Seattle 9/13 Sat. Seattle 9/14 Sun. Seattle 9/15 Mon. OFF DAY 9/16 Tues. @ Oakland 9/17 Wed. @ Oakland 9/18 Thurs. @ Oakland 9/19 Fri. @ Texas 9/20 Sat. @ Texas 9/21 Sun. @ Texas 9/22 Mon. @ Seattle 9/23 Tues. @ Seattle 9/24 Wed. @ Seattle 9/25 Thurs. @ Seattle 9/26 Fri. Texas 9/27 Sat. Texas 9/28 Sun. Texas
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Post by mac0822 on Oct 25, 2007 9:55:47 GMT -5
Is this your way of trying to occupy your brain away from the ass kicking you got a few weeksn ago?
Don't worry. Boston will bring the crown back to the AL, where it belongs. And just think - you'll have been part of it....again.
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Post by Jackass on Oct 25, 2007 15:56:07 GMT -5
Is baseball still going on?
Outside of that shithole on the Atlantic that I have to visit every Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, no one gives a shit.
No one. The real funny thing right now is that half, and I do mean half, of these faggots that I talk to in shitvilles, do not even know that Nosemar played for the Sux.
Disgraceful.
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Post by mac0822 on Nov 19, 2007 13:42:13 GMT -5
Gaygels trade OC for Garland. Interesting that they'd give up one of their few guys that can hit.
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Post by thebadlt on Nov 19, 2007 14:32:09 GMT -5
Gaygels? That's so f-ing weak! Say it out loud before you write it genius. Then you won't look like a complete cock. Just a partial one.
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Post by thecaptain15 on Nov 19, 2007 14:34:05 GMT -5
Have to say I don't really undersand that trade and why the Angels made it...
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MSBNYY
Administrator
El Guapo
Posts: 15,545
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Post by MSBNYY on Nov 22, 2007 7:31:43 GMT -5
Looks like Torii Hunter has been signed by the Angels.
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Post by Jackass on Nov 25, 2007 20:07:54 GMT -5
Have to say I don't really undersand that trade and why the Angels made it...
Because the Marlins (and Orioles for that matter) want young pitching to trade Miguel Cabrerra (or Tejada in the case of the Orioles). This way, the Angels can let Santana or Saunders go without too much impact to the rotation (I say give up on Santana - I like Saunders).
If the Angels get the Cabrerra deal, they can platoon at short (Aybar, Figgins, and Izturis) until Brandon Wood is ready to go at short (they are moving him over there this season down in Salt Lake).
If they get the Tejada deal, they have a shortstop.
I am not a big fan of letting the O.C. go, but I understand the logic.
TORII!!!!!!!! This shit exites me. Goodbye Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits.
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Post by Chris on Nov 26, 2007 12:27:02 GMT -5
So is Matthews still an Angel? Hunter AND Matthews in the OF? That's one hell of a defense.
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Post by Jackass on Nov 26, 2007 16:50:53 GMT -5
Yes, so far Matthews is still an Angel. Supposedly, he is in favor of Scioscia's plan.
Scioscia says that he plans to put Hunter in CF and then cycle Matthews between DH, LF and RF so that they can have Vladdy, Anderson, Matthews, and Hunter's bats in the lineup everyday. They'll use the DH spot to give Vladdy and Garrett regular days off from the field every week, but keep their bat in there.
I see them making a deal for Rivera (or even releasing him) and/or Willits because the OF depth chart is ridiculous. I'm a little bit saddened if they let Rivera go, but I knew that broken leg would come back to haunt him.
I said back when it happened that it was the type of thing that could end a career, and not because the injury inhibits his play but because he was just coming into his own as a legitimate power threat (I say that in terms of a 20-24 HR per year), but because he took off a season to heal the leg, he would get passed by and then his value is lost to the Angels and to other teams. I think he is still a good player, but with the Anderson, Hunter, Vladdy, and Matthews, he is odd man out.
Willits is a no brainer. He had a hot start and only tailed off at the end of the season, but he will find himself down in Salt Lake or on another team.
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Post by Chris on Nov 26, 2007 16:58:53 GMT -5
Don't you need to keep Willits? I mean, yeah, you gotta have Hunter and Matthews in the OF for their defense, you gotta have Vlad in the OF for his arm...and I see how those requirements would really reduce Willits time, but isn't he too young and talented to ship off? Hell, with THIS OF, Chone is now expendable, as Willits is an OBP guy and definitely has base-stealing ability. But, can Willits play somewhere in the infield?
It's a nice problem to have, but if I were the Angels I would hate to see Willits go.
You gotta feel good about the possibility having Vlad, Hunter, Kendrick, Willits, and GA in your batting order. That's pretty impressive.
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Post by Jackass on Nov 26, 2007 19:44:18 GMT -5
Two seasons ago, I would have said get Chone out, but the past two seasons he has improved defensively and is an on base machine. Willits has potential, but I stay with Figgins over Willits. The guy in the lineup that the other teams are after is Howie Kendrick, and that guy is a much better hitter than Willits. You keep him.
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