Worst team in baseball?

The Angels just might be the worst team in baseball. Oh sure, there are teams that have lost more games, but I think it would be hard to find another team playing as poorly as the Angels are right now.

It’s not just that the Angels are losing, but it’s the manner in which they’ve gone about losing games. They appear unfocused and uninspired. This is a team that falls behind early and stays behind. It’s as if someone ripped the heart out of the team and no one cares enough to get it back. In a word, this team has been gutless.

Am I venting again? You bet. Look, a lot of fans are in the venting mode right now and that’s a good thing. It beats the heck out of apathy and nothing is worse than an apathetic fan base. Those are the kinds of fans who stop caring and stop watching altogether.

Now if you want to vent there’s plenty of opportunity for that on the internet. Places like AngelsWin and Halos Heaven have message boards where fans can sound off, interact and discuss the Angels all they want. If you’re looking to voice your opinion on the sports talk circuit, my advice would be to avoid Angels talk with Jeff Biggs on AM 830.

Biggsy spends so much time trying to convince his audience that he’s not a “house man” and that he’s not “drinking the Koo-aid,” that he actually becomes the whole focus of his shows. Someone needs to tell Biggsy that it’s not about him.

Listening to Biggsy will just leave you even more frustrated than you already are because he’s going to give you Criticism Light – which isn’t very filling and certainly not satisfying either. His partner, Jason Brennan has been waiting and waiting for the Angels to go on a miraculous 15-4 run; and keeps pointing to this time period being the soft spot in the Angels schedule that could allow the Angels to go on a run.

I’ve got news for Brennan – the Angels are the soft spot in the schedule; not the other way around.

Enough about Biggs and Brennan.

As frustrated as I am about the Angels, I have to tell you that I’m writing this blog entry while on a plane to Seattle. Yes, watching the Angels get swept by the Orioles wasn’t enough punishment for me. I’ll be at the Angels/Mariners game tonight. As luck would have it; my work will put me in Seattle long enough for me to catch tonight’s game.

I don’t know what to expect. Ervin Santana is pitching and he hasn’t been the most consistent guy on the mound.

That guy has been very consistent; Jered Weaver, could be having one of the best seasons ever by an Angels starting pitcher if only his offense would show up.

More later… In the mean time, I'll be cheering for the Angels tonight at Safeco Field. It will be strange not having Cheryl with me. Oh and if the Angels lose again, you can blame me. The only game they won last week was the day game I couldn't go to. Go figure.

It's the offense, stupid

Angel fans haven’t been this frustrated in years. Watching the Angels play baseball is akin to being staked to the ground under the grueling desert sun with army ants attacking you. It’s agonizing.

And yet – there is a certain group of fans who refuse to look at the evidence and actually discuss the short comings of this year’s team. They’d rather focus on those of us who are critical of the team rather than the team itself. Sure they might brush upon the subject of poor play now and again, but they’re mostly consumed with the people who are not a part of the problem – other Angel fans.

Well, I’m here to tell you the truth about the 2010 version of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The problem is simple. It’s the offense stupid.

That’s right – every player with the possible exception of Torii Hunter is under performing (and even Hunter is under performing - just to a lesser degree). Compare the offensive statistics of every player and you’ll see a huge drop off. We’re talking Grand Canyon sized gaps in performance.

Erick Aybar is hitting 41 points lower than 2009 (.271 compared to .312), Juan Rivera is down 30 points, Howie Kendrick is hitting 21 points below his .291 average from a year ago, Bobby Abreu's average is down 27 points, Hideki Matsui is hitting 23 points lower, Mike Napoli's batting 18 points lower, and the list goes on and on.

Do the math. It isn’t pretty.

The Kool-Aid bartenders of the world (you know who you are) have been telling us what a great second half performer Matsui is and how the Angels players have all this great experience and have played in big games, but fail to tell us how that will actually translate into winning games on the field.

There for a while the Kool-Aid drinkers went on and on about not being worried and how there was plenty of time left in the schedule and how Texas will fade.

This group ignores the facts. They neglect to acknowledge the Angels poor play against the better teams in the league. They talk about June (The Angels’ one good month) like it was 2002, but ignore the other months like they never existed.

I get a little tired of hearing about this being the "Golden Era of Angels baseball. " I get that. I agree with it. That doesn’t mean I can’t be critical of what they’ve done this year. It’s not that I’m ungrateful; I’m just fed up with this season. So don’t try to change the subject.

Jeff Biggs of AM 830 likes to deflect the discussion by telling us that Arte Moreno wants to win as badly as anyone. Hello? What does that have to do with the price of spam in Hawaii?

The front office has had a really bad year. Not because they let Vlad Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins walk. Those were understandable moves. What makes this year such a disaster is their failure to anticipate those losses and/or adjust to them.

And then there’s Darren Oliver which in my opinion may have been the biggest goof of all. We all know that good relief pitching is one of the most valuable commodities in baseball. Oliver had been solid for all of his three years in Anaheim. He was probably the best pitcher on the team in 2009 next to Jered Weaver.

So what did the Angels do? They failed to offer him arbitration. They let him walk. In my opinion the front office got a little full of themselves by believing Oliver would come back for less money than he would get in arbitration. They were wrong and Oliver is having yet another fantastic season – only he’s doing this in Texas.

Forget Vlad, Figgy and Lackey – how can anyone explain letting Oliver go so easily?

Don’t answer that. It doesn’t really matter.

Again, the front office has had a horrible year. Yes, I know they’ve done wonders since 2002, but I’m not here to do a recap of the decade. I’m here to talk about this season. This isn’t the time to do a retrospective of the past and to pat each other on the back. It’s a time to step up and be accountable.

The players need to held accountable because they’ve under achieved. Mike Scioscia needs to take some blame because he drives the organization. Tony Reagins needs to held responsible because his team has been exposed for its lack of depth.

And then there’s everyone’s favorite whipping boy – Mickey Hatcher. When other teams go into the kind of a hitting funk like the Angels’ have this last year – their batting coaches get fired. I’m just saying.

The hitting woes of the Angels are of catastrophic proportions and that cannot be emphasized enough. Again, do the math.

Forgive me for not thinking that this Angels squad has a shot this year. As much as it hurts me to say this – Texas is simply the better team.

By the way, I'm curious what you think of Jeff Biggs. Please take my poll located to the right of this post.

More "Signs"

The Kool-Aid will be flowing today. There will be folks jumping back on the Angels bandwagon after their sweep of the Kansas City Royals. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing because anything that keeps people watching and going to Angel games is a good thing. I’m just observing.

As great as all of the recent wins are – let’s not get carried away. Those victories came against the Kansas City Royals who are tied for last in their division. Granted, this is what the Angels are supposed to do, but let’s not make it out to be some sort of season changing milestone. It’s not.

Don’t get me wrong, winning is still winning, but again – let’s just keep it in perspective.

Today is an off day and that’s going to give Angel fans too much time to think and talk. Trust me, between now and Friday night the hype will be back. The battle cry will be along the lines of “Here come the Angels; we’re rolling now…” Sounds great. I hope it’s true. Just don’t look for me to lead that parade.

I’ll leave that to people like Jeff Biggs.

Biggs did the post game show on the radio yesterday and he is back to dolling out the hype. He’s saying “the pressure is off the Angels now.” Funny what a sweep over a team who is tied for last in their division can do. Kool-Aid is being served and people like Biggsy are playing bartender again.

Personally, I don’t feel the need to hype every victory as some sort of proof that the Angels are about to make things interesting. I can simply enjoy the victory as simply that – a victory. If they continue to win, I’ll be very pleased and if they don’t, I won’t be too surprised. I’m just trying to be somewhat objective here. I will simply continue to watch and attend as many Angel games as I can (which will be a ton), cheer loudly and not look too far ahead.

The Angels are still 7.5 games out (as of this posting). They’re still 7th in the AL in runs scored and 10th in OPS as a team. These numbers don’t induce much confidence.

Just saying.

That being said, this weekend will be a good test. The Blue Jays are a solid offensive team. They lead the AL in homeruns and should the Angels handle them, I may actually think the Angels are giving me a reason for optimism and an opportunity to believe.

In the mean time the Rangers will be hosting the Red Sox. I hate to do this, but it’s all about the team; so here it goes… GO SOX!

Did I really just write that? That’s just so wrong.

I blame the Angels for putting me in this position. I’m scoreboard watching and cheering for the likes of the Yankees, A’s and Red Sox. I feel dirty. It’s not enough for me to just cheer my team on to victory; I have to hope teams I really despise also do well against the Rangers. Oh well… that’s baseball.

On a completely different note (after all, it is an off day)… I was reading some thoughts about Dallas McPherson on AngelsWin. Yes, that Dallas McPherson. He’s still toiling around in the minor leagues and is currently with the Sacramento River Cats of the Pacific Coast League. He’s part of the Oakland A’s farm system.

McPherson has been on somewhat of a tear lately, hitting four homeruns in August. He appears to be healthy – at least for the moment (which has always been an issue for him).

The reason I bring him up is not because I think he could help a club win ball games, but because any discussion about McPherson reminds me of the 2002 movie “Signs” that starred Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix.

Phoenix played a character named Merrill Hess, who was best known as a guy who hit monster homeruns in the minor leagues, but also set records for strike outs. In my opinion, McPherson looks a little like Phoenix and the Hess character kind of describes him to a tee.

What do you think?

All I’m saying is that if we are ever invaded by aliens, Dallas McPherson should get called up, but probably not until then.

Ramblings from a "mad" man

So I’m at the Angels/Red Sox game last night; it’s late and I’m looking down from our seats on to the field. I’m looking at the Angels defense and I’m seeing Howie Kendrick at first, Maicer Izturis at second, Erick Aybar at short and Alberto Callaspo at third. And then I start scratching my head and thinking, really; this is our infield?

That doesn’t look like a championship infield to me. Am I missing something?

And what’s with Scioscia and Kendrick? Why do the Angels feel the need to jerk the guy around and move him in and out of the lineup and all over the batting order? Is he or is he not THE guy at second base? Izturis is a nice player, but he’s so fragile, he’s likely to go on the Disabled List if someone looks at him too hard.

Come on. Play Kendrick every day. With all due respect to the little guy who comes out when the Angels need to rally - let’s not monkey around with Howie.

As for Callaspo. I can actually live with him at third base beyond this year. That is of course, so long as Carl Crawford is in left and Jayson Werth is in right field. I’m just saying.

This is what wonders through your mind when your team is 7 games back and getting spanked by Big Pappi on a night when your new acquisition has literally been knocked out of the game.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that this James guy who writes True Grich is already thinking about next year.

Well, I’m only human. Like I said the other day, this season reminds me too much of 2006 and we all know how that turned out. I’m usually overly optimistic and even though I haven’t actually given up on this year, it’s getting close.

By the end of this week the Angels could potentially be out of first by double digits games. If that happens, I would have to believe it’s over. Then again, what’s more likely to happen is they’ll toy with me into believing they have a shot and then lose in the last week after the Angels have deposited the money I have shelled out for play-off tickets.

Yes, I’m venting. This is what happens when one gets mad.

And since I’m in a particular state of mind, let me get a couple other things off my chest today.

Yesterday morning Roger Lodge had Keith Law of ESPN on his show for the “Baseball Report.” Now Lodge is basically a radio personality who also happens to be an Angel fan. He seems to know a good bit about the Angels history, but doesn’t really offer me anything of substance. Hey, it’s just my opinion.

In any case, yesterday it was clear that Lodge hadn’t done his homework on Law because as soon as he introduces Law he starts in about the Haren/Saunders trade and immediately talks about Saunders’ win-loss record. Big mistake.

Law is one of those sabermetric types who doesn't give any value to wins and had Lodge known that he wouldn’t have received the statistical lesson Law proceeded to give him about why Saunders’ wins are meaningless to a guy like him.

Wait, there’s more.

Law’s specialty is analyzing minor league prospects. Great opportunity to ask Law about the prospects the Angels traded away right? Well sure it is, but that idea was lost on Lodge. Instead, he wanted to know if Law thought Joe Torre would be back with the Dodgers if Frank McCourt still owned the team. Law’s answer? “I don’t know Joe Torre well enough to answer that question.”

Now I know that being a sports talk show personality must be harder than it looks, but how about a little prep work prior to your show? I’m just suggesting…

I’m telling you, this is sports talk radio at its finest.

I wish the lunacy ended there, but then I made the mistake of tuning into Jeff Biggs.

Now, I know Biggsy (as he’s affectionately called) has been somewhat of a friend to this blog at times, but I have to tell you – yesterday I wasn’t in the mood for his act. You know, how he tries to tell us all that we should trust the Angels front office and that Arte Moreno wants to win as badly as anyone, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Biggsy really hates it when Angel fans question the front office. But let’s be clear, he also likes to tell us ad nauseum that he’s not a “house man” and he’s “not drinking the company kool-aid.” Whatever… It just seems to me like every time I tune in, Biggsy is trying to convince his audience that he’s not a homer.

Well, I have a news flash for Biggsy. It’s actually okay to admit your bias. I’m as biased as they come when it comes to the Angels. I freely admit that I wear rose colored glasses when it comes to my favorite team. That being said, it doesn’t stop me from taking the glasses off once in a while to try and get a better picture of what’s actually going on. Sometimes things still look a little foggy, but I try.

Which brings me back to Moreno. Just because Arte wants to win, doesn’t mean that the decisions his front office makes shouldn’t be questioned at times. I don’t doubt that Moreno would like to win a world series. I don’t doubt that he’d like to win a lot of them for that matter. I just think his front office has missed the boat this year and I don’t see what Moreno’s desire has to do with whether or not the Angels are pulling all the right strings.

No front office is perfect. So, let’s not pretend that Tony Reagins is King Midas and everything he touches turns to gold. Stuff happens.

When I tried to look at the team optimistically (not always an easy thing for me to do) before the season started, I saw a team that had un-athletic corner outfielders and a bull pen that was more hype than substance. I actually got to the point where I tried to over look all of that and I was indeed drinking the kool-aid myself.

My fears became reality when Abreu and Matsui started to show their age and Juan Rivera reminded us just how utterly average he is. And the bull pen? Well, we’ve all lived through that horror.

Everything became magnified when Kendry Morales went down. The weaknesses became more glaring and the holes became big enough to drive a truck through.

So… here we are. It’s the end of July and that line that Biggs likes to throw out there about there being “plenty of time in the season” is looking suspect. Hey Biggsy, let me borrow another one of your daily phrases… “I know where you’re coming from my man, but….” And here it is... The Angels aren’t looking like world beaters right now and that team in Texas that everyone assumes will fade, isn’t going away. In fact, that lineup is simply better than our Angels’ lineup. Yeah, I said it.

Biggsy, you don’t need to remind me about how lucky we are that we have Moreno as an owner. I get it, but apparently you don’t because you bring this up as some sort of way of discouraging us fans from having a conversation. Gee, I guess I shouldn’t question any of the team’s moves because Moreno wants to win. Yeah, okay.

Well, some of us aren’t lap dogs and we’re not going to wag our tail every time he does something. No one (at least not me) is questioning his desire, but desire alone isn’t going to get it done. If it was only a matter of desire, Reggie Willits would be freakin’ Albert Pujols.

Don’t get me wrong. I sincerely appreciate what Biggsy brings to the table, I just think his skin is a little thin and he’s a little too defensive about his bias.

Now where was I?

It’s a new day, let’s not assume that history will repeat itself. Let’s realize the Angels are in the fight of their lives (figuratively, of course). Oh and by the way – if the Oakland A’s pass the Angels in the standings, I’m going to lose my mind. Why? Well, because I hate the A's...

But tonight… tonight my wrath will be reserved for John Lackey. I’ll be wearing my Lackey shirt tonight, but with a twist. Under his name, I’ve taken a black sharpie and written “IS DEAD TO ME.” And just so you know, the booing you'll be hearing will include my own voice.

How perfect would it be for Jered Weaver to out duel Lackey tonight? These are the kind of little victories I’m clinging to right now. Kind of pathetic, but fun never-the-less.

It’s go time. It’s time to take care of business and get back into the race or just let Brandon Wood play every day. Either way, Cheryl and I will be at the stadium, watching and actually cheering. Bank on it because that's just the kind of fans we are.

Things that make you go hmmm

I’ll be honest with you. I really thought Vladimir Guerrero was done. Nothing I had seen in the last two years made me believe he would ever be the kind of player he once was. You know the kind of guy who could single handedly demolish an opposing team. The kind of guy who makes you go “wow” when he connects squarely with a pitch.

Boy was I wrong. In fact, I couldn’t have been more wrong. More importantly – the Angels front office guessed wrong too. Branch Rickey, the late legendary baseball executive once said, “It’s better to trade a guy a year too early than a year too late.” Mind you he said that before there was this thing called free-agency, but I’m guessing he’d have applied that theory to free agents as well.

Rickey was widely considered to be an innovator in his day. He was the man who signed Jackie Robinson and drafted Roberto Clemente. He’s credited as being the man who developed the frame work for the minor league system and is considered one of the greatest baseball executives in the history of baseball. One should take what he has to say pretty seriously.

That being said, the Angels clearly let Vlad walk at least a year too early and even if Rickey’s advice is correct, it doesn't make me feel any better the morning after Vlady basically demolished the Angels by himself.

Imagine how Tony Reagins feels. I wonder if he got any sleep last night.

You know what's worse? Vlad’s performance is magnified by the struggles of Hideki Matsui. While one guy is struggling to make contact the other is taking batting practice. It’s only natural for fans to compare the two and grimace. Some might even feel a little sick today. I’m serious. Ever had something you really valued stolen or lost? Remember that sick feeling you had? It’s like that for a lot of Angel fans today.

You know it was easy to smile and wish Vlad well when he was creating havoc against other teams, but when he started doing it to the Angels it wasn’t fun any more. It hurt. I guess we now know a little bit about how Ranger fans felt for all those years Vlad was launching rockets against their pitching staff. No wonder they wanted to sign him.

Last night's game was the kind of night nightmares are made of. Vlad hit a grand slam and a solo homerun. He had four hits and drove in five of the Rangers’ six runs. He owned the Angels last night and that trade mark smile of his was flashing all night long.

It was so bad, I swear I could see the pitchers in the Angels bull putting on helmets and starting to dig fox holes. No one beyond the outfield fence was safe.

Imagine being a 12 year old kid, who grew up watching Vlad do this for the Angels and then being at the game last night to witness a former Angel coming back to haunt his old team. It’s the kind of thing that can make a grown man cry, let alone a 12 year old.

I had intended to write about Tuesday night’s game before this post, but what’s the point? I’m too shell shocked to even remember much about Tuesday night (but I’ll try in a bit).

I doubt anyone saw this coming. There’s no way the “experts” saw it – especially the ones who picked Seattle to win the AL West. Even the folks who do projections didn’t see it coming either.

Bill James gave the most optimistic projection of 24 homeruns and an .877 OPS. Vlad is likely to blow that out of the water by season's end. He already has 18 bombs and an OPS of .962. I can't even believe that I'm typing those numbers. Are you kidding me? Vlad's comeback is like Rocky Balboa getting up off the canvas to beat the daylights out of his opponent. It's as unreal as Robert Redford in "The Natural." Did anyone check Vlad's bat? Was "Wonder Boy" etched into the wood?

On one hand I’m happy for Vlad. I’m glad he found the motivation within himself to come back with such vengeance. On the other hand, I have to wonder – where was this the last two years and where in the world was this kind of offense in the post-season? And did he have to do this against the Angels? Good grief.

Well it’s time to quote another great baseball man by saying it’s “time to turn the page.” I’m sure that’s what Mike Scioscia is telling himself and his team today. Time to move on.

A few quick notes about Tuesday night (a happier time).

Cheryl’s cousin Larry and his wife Cathy were out for a visit from back east and we invited them to an Angel game. Now, they happen to be huge Red Sox fans. I know, I know… I was horrified when I learned this. Okay, maybe not so much horrified as I was I was shocked and mystified. How did I not know this after years of being married to Cheryl? I'm kidding of course… Larry and Cathy are great baseball fans and I can forgive them for their baseball team preference; especially since the Angels finally got the Red Sox post-season monkey off their backs last year.

On our way into the stadium Cheryl and I introduced ourselves (along with Larry and Cathy) to Jeff Biggs and Jason Brennan. I have to tell you Biggsy looks much younger in person (I had only seen a picture of him on the AM 830 web site) and both gentlemen were kind to say they read this blog. We had been meaning to say hello previously but we hadn’t gotten to the stadium early enough until Tuesday night.

These two do a great job of giving Angel fans an outlet to talk about Angels baseball. Keep up the great work guys!

In any case – we had a great time showing Larry and Cathy around the park and the game itself proved to be outstanding. We even enjoyed the video tribute to Vlad – although Larry didn’t really appreciate the highlight of Vlad driving in the winning run against the Red Sox in the deciding game of the 2009 ALDS as much as Cheryl and me.

One funny (then again maybe not so funny) note – we were listening to Terry Smith on the radio during the game like always when Smith noted how Kinsler had only hit two homeruns this year after knocking 31 last year. You know what’s coming next don’t you? Bam! As soon as Smith uttered those words Kinsler went yard. I’m telling you it’s uncanny how often this kind of thing happens. I cringe every time I hear this kind of statement on the radio and I’m not even superstitious.

Okay, so the rubber game of the three game series is tonight and Jered Weaver takes the mound. I hope Weaver sends Vlady a friendly little message in the way of an inside heater the first time he faces him. Vlady is looking a little too comfortable up at the plate.

This is a big game (I don’t care what Scioscia might say) and I want the Angels to remind Texas whose the boss (And I’m not talking about Tony Danza either) tonight.

Now, let’s do this!

Opening Night Review

The 2010 Angels opened to a sell out crowd last night and the reviews are in. Granted, you’re basically only going to see my review on this blog because well, that’s just the way I roll. I’m just saying.

Hideki Matsui was easily the star of the night with two hits (including a homerun) and two runs driven in. His arrival in Anaheim seems to be a big hit; as fans in the right field pavilion greeted him with a sign reading “MatsuiLand.” Very cool. It was reminiscent of the Wally World gang that established their beach head back in the Wally Joyner days. I don’t know about you, but I love stuff like this. Kudos to the fans in the right field pavilion!

I guess it’s time for me eat some crow. During the off season, I posted an entry voicing my concern over the Angels’ interest in Matsui. One game into the season, and I’m already prepared to say I was wrong. Not only is Matsui fast becoming not only an offensive force, but a fan-favorite as well.

I love the Matsui dynamic in the clean up spot. For the last six years, we’ve basically had the free swinging Vlad Guerrero in that role and although Vlad was tremendous as an Angel; having an OBP machine like Matsui in there makes me feel very confident.

It appears Matsui’s impact is far reaching. Even as we were leaving the stadium last night, there were two camera crews from Japan interviewing fans about the game. It’s the kind of stuff that creates a buzz in the stadium and I like it.

Jered Weaver didn’t exactly rock the house, but our “rock star” definitely got the job done. The bull pen was solid; although I have some concerns about Fernando Rodney’s velocity which topped out at just 89 mph. Here’s a guy who reportedly can hit 100 mph on the gun throwing significantly below that.

Side note: When asked about Rodney’s velocity on the post game show, Jeff Biggs replied to one caller with “his velocity is fine.” I’m hoping Biggsy provides better responses than that moving forward. It looks like the post-game show might go through some growing pains initially as they iron out some of the logistics. I’ll excuse the fact that he’s in a studio and not in a locker room, but this show needs to have better access to the players and manager after the game.

Onward…

Erick Aybar looked like a force to be reckoned with. I loved his debut as the every day lead off hitter. He had two hits, a walk and two runs scored. If he keeps that up, Figgins will become a distant memory.

I know, I know, I walked right into a Brandon Wood discussion with that last statement and while it’s true that Wood struck out three times last night, I’m simply not concerned. If anything, I’m anxious because I want him to shut the doubters up once and for all. He will. Trust me.

I’m thinking that Kendry Morales just put the American League on notice last night with his first homerun of the season. This one came from the right side of the plate and if this is a sign of things to come, the AL West and the rest of the league are going to have their hands full. It’s early, but Morales has the potential to be the most dynamic hitter in the history of the Angels.

There, I said it. What’s more; I believe it too.

Now, what was up with the crowd last night? It was pretty quiet until about the 7th inning. I heard a caller on Roger Lodge’s show this morning saying last night had a play-off-like atmosphere. Huh? I don’t think so. It was as if the fans were waiting for something to happen.

Looks like Josh and Jake (514 Fanatics) will have to get the crowd going tonight.

Joe Saunders takes the hill; so you know Cheryl and I love that.

Hey John, why is your nose so brown?

So here’s the deal; Jeff Biggs was on his radio show this afternoon quoting John Lackey today. Lackey allegedly said something to the effect that Angel fans lacked passion. Those weren’t the exact words, but that’s the gist of it.

Unfortunately, I can’t find a link to that statement anywhere. I do not doubt that it happened; I just wish I had something concrete to focus on and actually link to.

Never-the-less, I’ve got a thing or two to say; but you expected as much, right?

John Lackey has moved on. He doesn’t give a rip about us Angel fans. He’s done and apparently, he doesn’t even respect us. Let that sink in a bit.

How does that feel?

John Lackey doesn’t like us, doesn’t miss us, and he just doesn’t care about us.

Are you getting this?

With all due respect to Buck O’Neil, I need to get a few things off my chest. I have tried to move beyond the defection of Lackey to Boston, but it’s not as easy as just letting it go. Stuff like this (his alleged statement) makes me want to blog. I might even punch a wall, but I’d probably break my fingers and not be able to type and I can’t have that.

I suppose I should thank Lackey for giving me something to write about tonight. Whatever.

Let’s cut to the chase. If you’ve been feeling sad over the loss of Lackey or if you’ve been romancing his time with the Angels; stop it. Just stop it right now. It’s a new day and lines are being drawn in the sand.

You see in sports, it’s about taking sides and you’re either with us or you’re against us. Lackey is one of them now. He was an Angel, but he’s not any more. He’s done here. He’s a Red Sox. So, if you’re one of those sentimental types that want to applaud him when he returns to Anaheim, it’s time for you to have a reality check.

Lackey’s got a new family. He’s got new fans. He’s making nice with the New Englanders. Don’t be hurt when he doesn’t even acknowledge you. He’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.

So do we.

Don’t cheer for Lackey. Save your applause for the 20 year reunion of the 2002 World Series. In the mean time, you need to treat Lackey like the enemy because guess what? He is. Lackey is a part of an organization that thought it would be nice to have Dave Henderson throw out the first pitch in game 3 of the ALDS this year. It’s too bad Henderson couldn’t help them that day.

Maybe they thought it was cute and maybe they thought they could get in the Angels’ heads. I don’t know. All I know is that it was bush league and they got what they deserved that day.

If Lackey really thinks the Angel fans lack passion; he’s got a short memory. I mean did someone give him a lobotomy? I have to wonder.

Angel fans have plenty of passion.

And let’s dispel the myth of Red Sox fans being some sort of supernatural group of people. I’ve been to Fenway. It’s a great park. A wonderful place to see the game, but I have news for you; I saw Red Sox fans come in late and leave early. I sat in a row where a guy and his girlfriend made frequent trips to the concession stand. Their concessions must be the best in the world because apparently it sure beat watching the game.

They have plenty of people who are there to be seen and not necessarily to watch baseball. They’re no different from any other fan base.

Now sure, Boston is a great sports town and they love the Red Sox. I’m not saying their fan base doesn’t have passion because they do; however, they don’t bring that to the stadium every stinking night. Yes, they get loud, but being loud doesn’t necessarily equate to passion. In fact their fans are probably loudest when they’re singing “Sweet Caroline.” I guess they’re passionate about Neil Diamond, right?

Look, all I’m trying to say is that Lackey has moved on. We’re a distant memory. He’s put us in his rear view mirror and he’s stepping on the gas. He doesn’t care if we choke on the fumes. He’s going to be buddy, buddy with Stephen King, Ben Affleck and Jimmy Fallon. He wants to brown nose the Red Sox fans and take some cheap shots at Angel fans. His true colors are on display.

He’s probably not done dissin’ Angel fans either. Get used to it. Better yet, be prepared to give a little back. Check that. Be prepared to dish a lot of it back. He needs to know he made the worst decision of his life. Not about signing with the Red Sox (because it's hard to argue with $82.5 million), but in his decision to take a shot at Angel fans.

Like I said earlier; it’s time to draw a line in the stand. It’s time to take sides. This is baseball and taking sides is part of the game.

Different Stokes

I don’t know what kind of Christmas Brian Stokes had, but his new year is off to a great start. Stokes leaves an organization (the Mets) that appears to have no plan and no clue for how to make their team better and ends up at one of the best run baseball teams in the major leagues.

To top it off, Stokes is from Southern California (he attended Jurupa Valley High School in Mira Loma) and will have an opportunity to play in front of friends and family on a regular basis.

In case you didn’t know - earlier today it was announced that Gary Matthews, Jr. (GMJ) was traded to the New York Mets for a relief pitcher named Brian Stokes. As part of the deal, the Angels will pay GMJ all but $2 million of the remaining $23.5 million (GMJ gets a $500K signing bonus as part of the trade) on his contract.

Ouch. That’s a lot of cash for what ends up being a really bad investment.

Never-the-less, it was deal that had to be done and the fact that the Angels got anything at all in return is somewhat of a miracle.

So what does this trade mean for someone like Matt Palmer? Given the addition of Joel Pineiro and now Stokes, Bill Plunkett of the O.C.Register speculates that it could be a bad week to be Palmer. Palmer could potentially find himself back in Salt Lake City pitching for the Angels AAA affiliate Bee’s.

If Palmer ends up back in Salt Lake City, it will be a shame. I’m not saying that’s not where he belongs. As a fan, I just have empathy for his situation.

If you listened to Jeff Biggs’ interview last night on AM 830’s The Drive, you got a look into the personality and character of Palmer. Palmer nearly walked away from the game prior to last season, but instead became one of the feel-good stories of 2009.

Palmer joined the rotation under the toughest of circumstances; having to replace Nick Adenhart, who died tragically. He handled himself incredibly well, all things considered.

Palmer is the kind of guy you want to root for as a fan. Judging from the interview last night, he sounds like a devoted husband and loving father of three. He’s also a humble man and someone who loves to share his faith with others. He pithced beyond anyone's expectations in 2009 and quite frankly hasn’t done anything to warrant a trip back to the minors; however, his future suddenly looks very different.

What ends up being good news for Stokes could end up being bad news for Palmer. Such is life.

One has to wonder if Palmer will hang in there if he has to head back to the minor leagues. Palmer will be 31 next month and time is running out for him to have a meaningful career.

Personally, I hope he sticks it out. It’s unlikely that the Angel starters will make all of their scheduled starts and Palmer provides depth. He’ll just have to wait for his opportunity yet again. When you think about it, it would probably best for the Angels to have Palmer in the minor leagues as a starting pitcher. It would be easier for him to be called on to step into the rotation, rather than having to do a spot start as a reliever.

That being said, I’m not so sure Stokes should be the clear cut guy to get that spot in the bull pen.

When you take a look at their numbers, I’d say Palmer had the better year. Palmer had a lower ERA (3.93 to 3.97). Even though those ERA’s aren’t all that different, Palmer has to get higher marks for pitching in the American League. Palmer also had a lower WHIP (1.319 to 1.564), and one could argue that Palmer is much more versatile. Palmer can start, pitch in long relief and even has experience as a closer (at lower levels).

On the other hand, those who use sabermetrics would probably make the case for Stokes over Palmer. Stokes had a lower FIP than Palmer (4.63 to 4.70), but the numbers are close. Stokes also projects better than Palmer (according to Bill James, CHONE, and Marcel - which you can look up on FanGraphs).

Side note: If you’re wondering what in the heck FIP is, I would encourage you to read The Daily Something's explanation of FIP. As a sabermetric novice (at best) myself, I found the post from one of my favorite blogs to be most helpful.

I have to believe both players will have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the bull pen in the spring. There's also a chance Scioscia will have a twelve man pitching staff, which would give both players a chance (but that's unlikely).

As a fan, I have the luxury of showing bias here and I will personally be rooting for Matt Palmer. He's won me over.

By the way, let me be the first to call the new Angel reliever, Brian "Different" Stokes and let's imagine him looking at Reggie and saying, "what you talkin' bout Willits?"

Forgive me, I couldn't resist.

Today's trade also has an impact on the outfield situation. The battle for the fourth outfielder position will be waged between Reggie Willits, Terry Evans and possibly Chris Pettit or Peter Bourjous.

I know Willits is a fan favorite, but I'd really like to see Evans get a shot. He seems to have more upside than Willits. There's also a possibility that both could make the team or the Angels could look to the free agent market to find that piece.

Much of this depends on how many pitchers Scioscia decides to have on his roster.

Feeling a little better about Pineiro

I was trying to follow up on yesterday’s headline with another Clint Eastwood movie reference, but I don’t think “A fist full of dollars” or “High Plains Drifter” really fits the topic of Joel Pineiro; although, I could probably work with the fist full of dollars reference, but I digress…

Okay, so I’ve had a little time to digest the Joel Pineiro signing and I’ve had a chance to read and listen to some reactions. I can honestly say that I feel better about it today than I did yesterday.

Now that doesn’t mean I wasn’t pleased with the signing to begin with. I’m just “cautiously optimistic” as I wrote yesterday.

One of the reasons I feel better is because I read “Why Joel Pineiro was Good Last Year" on Halos Heaven’s blog. From Halos Heaven: “Joel Pineiro sucked until he developed a two-seam fastball. He didn’t have one until 2008, and then it became his go-to pitch in 2009, when he basically ceased using his four-seam fastball (which doesn’t have much movement). In 2007, he used his four-seam fastball 54% of the time. 36% in 2008. 11% in 2009. Meanwhile, he basically didn't HAVE a two-seamer in 2007 and prior, with it only being 3% of his pitches in 2007, but then 23% in 2008, and then a whopping 59% in 2009.”

The inspiration for the post came from an earlier posting by FanGraphs’ Dave Allen, who goes into a lot of detail about the evolution of Joel Pineiro and ir's definitely worth reading.

Bottom line, I feel good about the signing. I’m still not jumping up and down with excitement, but I’m pleased (the last time I jumped around like a crazy man; the Angels had signed Torii Hunter).

A funny thing about yesterday’s post; it apparently caught the attention of Jeff Biggs at AM830, who was kind enough to mention it on his show today. Biggs read some of what I wrote about his reaction to the signing. Unfortunately, it sounded like Biggs thought I was “ripping” him, when in fact I really wasn’t.

I just think Biggs was making the signing out to be a little bit bigger deal than it really was. Again, it was a nice pick up, but not earth shattering by any means (at least not in my opinion). In any case, he and I exchanged emails and it's all good. He doesn't really think I was ripping him after all.

I would have not have even known about "Biggsy’s" mention of True Grich, but my wife Cheryl happened to be in the car and listening when it happened and called me. I only got to hear a little bit and have to admit, it’s kind of strange hearing someone talk about you on the radio when you can’t respond. In any case, it was very nice to be mentioned and hopefully, I’ll have a chance to call into the show one of these days and to meet Biggs in person.

The fact that there is a station even talking Angels baseball at this time of year is pretty awesome. It wasn't that long ago that this would have only been a dream for Angel fans.

The good, the bad and the ugly in signing Joel Pineiro

Reports are circulating that the Angels have signed Joel Pineiro to a two year, $16 million contract. Pineiro went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA in 2009. If you listened to “The Drive” this afternoon with Jeff Biggs, you’d think the Angels just won the lottery. I don’t necessarily share that view, but think this could be a fairly good move for the Angels.

Let’s take a look an objective look at the addition.

First of all, Pineiro had a solid 2009 campaign. He only walked 27 batters in 214 innings. His 1.1 average of walks per nine innings was the lowest in the league. Pineiro made 32 starts; had three complete games and two shut outs. His 1.145 WHIP was outstanding and he only gave up 11 homeruns. Just about everything he did in 2009 was pretty good.

You’d think I’d be jumping up and down for joy, right? Well, color me optimistically cautious. You see I’m a little skeptical of one-hit wonders. Pineiro was never this good in his previous nine seasons. Granted, he had his moments in 2002 and 2003, but it’s those other years that have me somewhat concerned. 2006 and 2008 were particularly bad years for Pineiro. He had a 6.36 ERA in 2006 and 5.03 ERA in 2008.

Perhaps he’s finally figured it all out; at least I hope so. That being said, you have to remember that I’m still recovering from the Gary Matthews, Jr. signing. Face it, Matthews cashed in after one good season and hasn’t come close to that one good season since. I’d feel better if Pineiro had been more consistent over his ten year career.

Jeff Biggs kept calling the deal a “steal” at two years and $16 million. He kept lamenting that Pineiro was seeking a Randy Wolf-like contract at three years and $30 million. Okay, he signed for less, but is that because he’s not nearly as good as he thinks he is or is Tony Reagins just shrewd? I mean if Pineiro really is as good as Wolf, why didn’t he get Wolf-like money? It’s a fair question, don’t you think?

How many times have we heard that pitching comes at a premium? Why didn’t he get better offers from more teams? I’m just asking.

Another question I have is how much of his success came because of where he pitched and who his pitching coach was in 2009? I think most experts would agree that Dave Duncan, the Cardinals pitching coach is probably the best in the business. I mean this is a guy who turned around Jeff Weaver in 2006 and Kyle Lohse in 2008. My concern is what happens to Pineiro when he doesn’t have Duncan looking over his shoulder? No offense to Mike Butcher, but I’m not certain any other coach can get the same results.

Pineiro is not a strike out pitcher and that usually means the margin for error is a lot slimmer. Hitters put the ball in play when they face Pineiro and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Granted plenty of “ground ball” pitchers like Pineiro are successful, but it’s just another thing to consider.

I do like Pineiro over Matt Palmer as a starter and moving Palmer to the bull pen is a good thing. This move gives the team some much needed depth and buys Trevor Reckling some time to develop.

Don’t get me wrong; I think this is a good signing for the Angels. It’s just not the “holy cow” moment some people are trying to make it out to be.

Look who's talking

Happy New Year! To start off the 2010 Blogging season (is there such a thing?); I thought I’d take a look at the local sports-talk radio scene.

Here in the greater Orange County/Los Angeles area we are very lucky to have a variety of choices for sports talk radio. There are basically three stations in KLAC 570, KSPN (ESPN) Los Angeles 710 and KLAA AM 830. You can usually also catch XX Sports 1090 in San Diego.

No matter what your sport (USC football, Angels baseball, Lakers basketball, etc.), you can find a place to get your fix. We’ve always had choices, but I’d say the current batch is better what we’ve had in recent history.

I once considered the sports talk radio scene in this area a vast wasteland. Not so much any more and if you’re an Angels’ fan, you have no doubt found your way to AM 830 in the morning and afternoon drive times for either the Sports Lodge (with Roger Lodge) and/or The Drive (with Jeff Biggs). It’s really nice to have a place where baseball (and more importantly Angels’ baseball) is a part of the programming year round.

I used to be so desperate for baseball talk that I would to tune in to 1090 in the off-season because they’d include some baseball (even though it was about the Padres) in their discussions. Sandy Alderson, Kevin Towers and Paul DePodesda were regulars on the station and they provided fans with great insight and information. I used to envy the Padre fans and their relationship with the XX Sports Radio.

The 1090 station and their crew do a great job of connecting with the Padre community. They conduct broadcasts from Spring Training and have hours of coverage leading up to and after each Padre home game.

Having the Angels on AM 830, is a big step; providing Angel fans with an outlet and place we can call our own. This was a huge step forward in the continued branding of Angels baseball, in my opinion. That’s not to say 830 is perfect because there are some constructive suggestions I would make for improvements and I’ll get into that in a bit.

First of all, let’s sing the praises of the station. They’ve given Angels fans a forum to connect with one another and members of the team via live pre-game broadcasts from various establishments in and around the stadium. They’ve even given a couple of great fan web sites like AngelsWin and Halos Heaven a place on their broadcasts, inviting key individuals from those fan sites (who also happen to have blogs) on to the show to talk Angels baseball.

The result is expanded coverage of our team and a destination for the latest news and happenings surrounding our favorite team. It appears to me that it’s all been a huge hit.

That being said, there are some things I’d like to suggest some things.

This is directed at the on-air personalities (not just at AM 830) and the people who put these shows on each day. First of all, we don’t want to hear about your fantasy baseball teams. There is nothing more boring and uninteresting than hearing about someone else’s fantasy baseball or football team. We really don’t care about the details that lead you to a fifth place finish in your league.

Next… while having fans call in to the shows is great, some of your fans need some restrictions. Take a cue from Terry Smith who only allows callers to participate once a week. Seriously, it appears to me that some guys call in every day just to hear themselves talk. These individuals take themselves a little too seriously and I usually change the station when they come on the air.

How bad are they? Well, I’m not certain, but I honestly believe Jeff Biggs of AM 830’s “The Drive,” has fallen asleep a time or two when one his regulars calls in. Either that or he’s making snarky comments off the air to his colleagues at the station. No need to name names, because if you listen enough, you know who I’m talking about. If you really have that much to say, start blogging! I’m just saying…

I’d also like to request you to please give us more interviews. We love it when players, coaches, front office personnel and baseball insiders in general come on the air. All we ask is that you ask interesting questions and get these people to reveal a little bit of their personalities and/or give us information we didn’t previously know.

Dan Patrick is the best sports interviewer in the business (in my opinion). He makes me want to listen to interviews of people involved in sports I don’t even watch or care about. He has a knack for making the interviews interesting and compelling.

Next, let’s stop with the attempts to be the radio version of “Saturday Night Live.” Having a sense of humor is great and welcomed, but when you start trying to do comedy routines on the radio, you’ve lost me. There was a time when John Ireland and Steve Mason did this way too much. Joe McDonnell (who I like) went down this road a time or two and it just wasn’t good radio.

Speaking of McDonnell, when he’s focused on just talking sports, doing interviews and getting the inside scoop on the latest sports news, he’s as good as it gets. When he was teamed with Doug Kirkorian he was hard to listen to. Kirkorian brought out the worst in McDonnell (in my opinion). I know the two are great friends, but I don’t think they mixed well on the radio. I always wanted more McDonnell and less Kirkorian.

Now, along the same lines as “bits” and “comedy routines,” please don’t over do it with the contests. It’s great when you give fans an opportunity to win tickets, but keep it simple and don’t try to turn it into a comedy show.

I remember calling into the Mason and Ireland show when Jered Weaver first got called up. I was excited and wanted to make sure they got the breaking news and discussed it. What I got was a producer who was angry with me for interrupting his preparation for a contest/bit he was setting up. When your contests become more important than the sports you’re supposed to cover, you’re clearly clueless about your audience.

Most people don’t listen for the contests; in fact, I’m guessing the participants represent a very small part of your audience.

Remember the main reason we tune in is because we want to discuss or hear about Angels baseball (depending on the station). That means your take on the economy, politics or whatever isn’t really of importance to us. We have other places to go for that. Know your audience and stay focused on delivering what we want.

And what we want is knowledgeable people doing their jobs well. One of my biggest pet peeves is professional broadcasters who aren’t prepared. If you’re on the air to talk Angels baseball or any sport or team; know your subject.

I expect you to know more than me or at least have a solid understanding of the team and sport you’re involved in. I can’t tell you how many times certain personalities give out the wrong information or simply don’t know some of the basic things about their team and the sport they’re discussing. It’s embarrassing.

Angel fans are savvy and we expect you to know your stuff when you hit the air or mingle with us. This includes knowing a bit about the history of the organization. Your level of knowledge is an indication of just how much you care about the topic/team you’re covering. If you don’t care, we don’t give a rip about what you have to say.

Last, but not least; take off the rose colored glasses. Be objective; really objective. I imagine the more you’re around a team, the deeper your relationships with that team becomes. That doesn’t mean you should lose objectivity and just spout the company line all the time. We can see right through you when you’re not sincere. Don’t just go through the motions because we expect better.

Let’s face it, there is a wealth of information available today through the internet with blogs, twitter, fan sites, etc. There was a time when Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton was the source to get the latest news and rumors in sports, but that’s all changed. Hamilton’s headlines are basically yesterday’s news now. I know about everything he “puts on the table” long before he hits the air.

I’m basically a fan of just a couple of sports-talk types. Dan Patrick and Joe McDonnell are two of the best, in my opinion. I can’t stand guys who spend most of their time yelling on the radio. I don’t want to name names, but you can find him on 570.

I’m not a huge Jim Rome fan because I never wanted to bother having to learn a whole new lingo to keep up with his show nor have I been interested in listening to guys who want to be his “clone.” Rome does a good job on interviews, but sometimes goes a little overboard with what appears to me to be “brown-nosing.” I also can’t get the image of him trembling when former pro football quarterback, Jim Everett dumped a table on him after Rome kept calling him “Chrissie.”

I should also add that I’m a huge fan of Terry Smith and the job he does on the Angels’ post-game call in show on AM 830. I like the way he handles callers and for the way he doesn’t back down from anyone. He’s knowledgeable, passionate about the game, honest and provides great insight.

So there you have it. The first post of 2010 is in the books… err, on the web. I hope to write about some Angel minor leaguers in the coming weeks including Trevor Reckling. I will also be doing some reports from Spring Training and I will even write a primer for those of you looking to enhance your Spring Training experience and/or provide tips for those of you going for the first time.

Stay tuned.