The ten greatest Angels of all time

The ten greatest Angels were revealed today as part of the Orange County Register’s (OCR) 50 greatest Angels survey of various panelists including writers from the OCR, administrators from Angel fan sites like AngelsWin and Halos Heaven, Jeff Biggs (radio personality), Tim Mead (Vice President of Communications) and yours truly.

The top ten include: Troy Percival and Rod Carew (tied for 9th), Brian Downing (8), Bobby Grich (7), Chuck Finley (6), Garret Anderson (5), Vladimir Guerrero (4), Jim Fregosi (3), Tim Salmon (2), and the greatest Angel of all – Nolan Ryan.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that Ryan won out and I can certainly see how anyone would have that opinion, but in the case of this poll, Tim Salmon was robbed. Despite receiving more first place votes than any other Angel (5), Tim Salmon came up short due in large part to the voting of the OCR’s Mark Whicker and Bill Plunkett. Whicker’s votes have been all over the place and today’s top ten reveals a lot about his mind set. He voted Salmon 12th. Not only that, he left Brian Downing completely off his list. Hello? Whicker left five of the top ten off his own top ten.

I could go on and on about Whicker, but I’ll save that for another day.

Overall, I really can’t find fault with the top ten and even the top five. My own voting went like this for the top ten: Tim Salmon (1), Nolan Ryan (2), Garret Anderson (3), Chuck Finley (4), Bobby Grich (5), Jim Fregosi (6), Brian Downing (7), Troy Percival (8), Vladimir Guerrero (9) and Frank Tanana (10).

Why Tim Salmon? Ask most Angel fans who they consider “Mr. Angel” and they’ll say Tim Salmon without hesitation. During his time in Anaheim he emerged as the face of the franchise. He was drafted and developed by the Angels and spent his entire career in one uniform. He is among the all-time leaders in most offensive categories and his relationship with the fans was second to none.

In my opinion any of my top three could have been number one. Yes, even Garret Anderson because it is he who owns most of the Angels all-time offensive records. Had he finished his career as an Angel, I would have had to give him even more consideration for that top spot. The one drawback with Anderson is the relationship he had with the fans which was never what it could have been.

For whatever reason and whether you believe it to be true or just perceived, Anderson was never fully embraced. I can tell you from my own personal experience that he never seemed approachable or friendly whenever he was around fans. At spring training he would walk past fans hoping for a signature or photograph without as much as a wave. On photo days at the stadium, he would stand as far away as possible. He just never took the time to interact with fans.

Salmon was the polar opposite. He almost always made time for the fans and the media. He took less money to play for the organization that gave him his shot. He was highly involved in the community and was just an excellent all-around role model.

I feel really proud of my top ten. Two of us – myself and Jenelyn Russo, who is a contributor to the OCR’s Angel blog, had nine of the top ten on our ballots.

Some other interesting things about the list show that I voted higher for Troy Percival than anyone else (8) and my bias as a Grich fan was also evident. Russo and myself voted him 5th, higher than the rest of the panelists.

I also placed Finley higher than all but Halos Heaven’s Mat Gleason by ranking him 4th. Finley has won more games than any pitcher in Angels' history (165), is second in strike outs (2,151), has pitched more innings than any other Angel (2,675), and ranks 4th in complete games (57).

All in all, it was a fun exercise and one that I was honored to be a part of. I’d like to thank Keith Sharon of the OCR for inviting me to participate.

The 50 Greatest Angels (21-30)

We are now at the point in the Orange County Register’s (OCR) 50 greatest Angels where there shouldn’t be any real surprises. Then again, when you ask any group of people to come up with a list, there are always bound to be a few.

Today’s list reveals the following: Adam Kennedy (30), David Eckstein (29), Mark Langston (28), Chone Figgins (27), Jim Edmonds (26), Arte Moreno (25), Doug Decinces (24), Reggie Jackson (23), Chili Davis (22), and Dean Chance (21).

How appropriate is it for Kennedy and Eckstein to be next to one another? I mean, they were the 6-4 combo during the Angels greatest season ever and when you think of one, you should think of the other. They ended up higher on the list than I thought, but they’re deserving never-the-less.

Before we talk about the other players on the list, I have to ask – what was the OCR’s Mark Whicker thinking? Six of the ten players on today’s list didn’t make his at all. He did not vote for Chili Davis, Doug Decinces, Arte Moreno (neither did I), Jim Edmonds, Mark Langston, or Adam Kennedy. Other than Moreno – how in the world could he be so wrong? This is the kind of stuff I’d expect from Jeff Miller. Just saying.

So… Arte Moreno sure got a lot of love today. Four panelists had him in their top ten. Wow. Seeing how the rest of the panel thought of him definitely gave me reason to pause and wonder if I should have voted for him. I definitely considered it, but at the end of the day, I chose to only vote for one owner and he has yet to appear on this list.

As I look over the list, I have to say I have one major beef. I can’t believe Chili Davis is ranked this low. I voted for him as the 11th greatest Angel of all time. Davis ranks 6th among all Angels in homeruns (156), 5th in RBI (618), 9th in hits (973), and 8th in total bases (1,620). Quite frankly, Davis was a stud.

Another interesting player to look at on this list is Jim Edmonds. Now, I’ve heard some baseball people make a case that he’s actually a viable Hall of Fame candidate. OCR’s Sam Miller thought enough of him to rank him 12th on his list. He’s right about where I thought he should be at 26 (I had him at 25).

Kudos to Keith Sharon, Chuck Richter (AngelsWin), Mat Gleason (Halos Heaven), and Sam Miller for agreeing with me that Doug Decinces belongs in the top 20. The rest of the panelists should be put on some sort of double secret probation for not agreeing with us.

So far seven of the OCR’s top 50 weren’t on my list at all. I’m feeling pretty good about my top 20. I’ll be surprised if they’re not all on the list (two of them have already made the list – Davis and Decinces).

And… If I’m doing my math correctly, I still have 18 of my top 20 Angels who have yet to make the list and that means there are two more on my list that could make the top 20. I’m guessing one of them will be Frankie (I ranked him 35th) and the other… well; let’s just say that I ranked him “appropriately” at #26.

Two guys in my top 50 who looks like they’ll be left out include Ervin Santana (ranked him 48th) and Devon White (ranked him 43rd).

It doesn't look like Ervin Santana (ranked him 48th) or Devon White (ranked him 43rd) will make the list.

Until tomorrow…

Catching flack is not as fun as catching a baseball

One has to wonder if Ryan Budde likes living on the edge. I mean, there is no quicker route to Mike Scioscia’s dog house than via the passed ball. Yesterday, Budde let two balls get past him and the mental lapses/failures in execution were part of the reason the Angels lost.

Budde also had a very embarrassing moment when he nearly walked off the field after the second out, thinking the inning was over with a runner on third at the time... That could have really set off Scioscia. Yikes.

When Angel catchers don’t do their jobs on the defensive side it reflects poorly on Scioscia (a former major league catcher himself). I would even venture to guess that he might even take this kind of stuff personally. Much is made about what it means to be a catcher in the Angels' organization and it should. These guys get put through the paces in the spring and the expectation is for them to be solid, fundamental players on the field.

Losing a game because of three unearned runs is the kind of stuff that turns hair grey. If this keeps up, the next thing you know - grown men and women will be pulling those grey hairs out of their heads.

Speaking of miscues, Kevin Frandsen isn’t winning over any fans. Okay, so he has a couple of base hits. Big deal. He’s also got two errors in two games. Now I know that third base isn’t his natural position, but he’s on pace to set some sort of record and we’re not talking about the kind you celebrate either. I'm beginning to see why he never stuck with the Giants and why he might have been released by the Red Sox before being claimed by the Angels. Just play Brandon Wood, please.

The way I see it, the Angels have had very few bright spots outside of Jered Weaver and Kendry Morales. Joel Pineiro has also had his moments; and a few others have been "okay," but the vast majority get a huge FAIL.

How bad is it? Mark Whicker of the O.C. Register points out that this year’s start is the Angels worst in 20 years.

Gulp.

All of this adds to the frustration and the level of angst is getting quite high. Quite frankly, I’d rather not be ranting on this blog every dang day. There isn't much joy in it.

So let’s have some fun….

Did you hear about how upset Bengie Molina is with ESPN? Apparently, ESPN showed a clip of Molina getting thrown out at the plate. That in and of itself, isn’t all that bad, but they decided to add some sound effects… like the music from the movie “Chariots of Fire”

Molina was so upset, he even blogged about it.

Shame on ESPN for trying to humiliate a major league baseball player! That’s what bloggers are for! I’m wondering if ESPN or Bengie read my post from a couple days ago titled There’s Slow and then there’s “Bengie Molina slow.” Just saying.

By the way, even though I do make fun of Bengie's lack of speed - you should know he's my all-time favorite catcher.

Meanwhile, over on the Baseball Think Factory site, some sabermetric types were going at each other pretty good over the new debate about whose better – Jered Weaver or Felix Hernandez?

A like a closer look at the statistics between the two shows us they’re not all that different. The article begs the question as to whether or not Jered Weaver is an ace or if Felix Hernandez is just an innings eater (as Weaver has been described from time to time). The point of the piece is to challenge the perception of two pitchers as they previously existed. It's an interesting discussion and kind of humorous as well.

What’s really funny are the shots some of sabermetic types take at one another in the comments section of the article. This is kind of a common practice among this group in my opinion. Then again, I like taking a shot or two now and then too. Difference is I really don't take myself nearly as seriously as some of them appear to.

In any case, I could have saved them all a bunch of time on this. I don’t need any statistical analysis to tell me that Jered Weaver is an ace. He does all the things that aces do. He stops losing streaks. He pitches well in big games. He has “top of the rotation” stuff and is a leader in the club house. He hasn't always been an ace, but he most certainly is one now.

Weaver has always been hyped, but never embraced. Even after coming out of Long Beach State; where he had an amazing career, some “experts” labeled him as “over-rated” and even projected him to be nothing more than a #3 starter at best.

Weaver has never really been considered a power pitcher. He’s basically been a fly-ball pitcher for most of his major league career. If you’re not a power pitcher, you’re usually not considered a top of the rotation guy.

Well, Weaver is changing the labels that were previously attached to him. Now, he also has some statistics to back up the idea that he is indeed an ace. Last year he reached a career high in strike outs with 174 which placed him among the top 24 in all of baseball and 10th in the AL. He also currently leads the AL with 59 K’s. His ERA is 2.47 and batters are only hitting .219 against him.

Now, some sabermetric types will dig deeper to demonstrate their belief that he’s still not an elite pitcher, but what’s the point? He’s clearly the Angels’ ace and has a shot to be the starter for this year’s All-Star game in Anaheim (I'll be hyping this idea a lot so get used to it).

As for the comparisons to Felix Hernandez... I could care less. All I know is that the two have gone head to head seven times and the Angels have won five of those contests. Now, I know enough to say that using wins as any kind of criteria to determine whose better is enough to send the sabermetric types into a hissy fit, but I like mentioning it anyway. And if you noticed, I didn’t say Weaver was better (although I might secretly believe that).

Let’s just say that when the two square off, I like the Angels' chances.

Side note: I feel much better now that I've posted something that wasn't necessarily a "rant" about the Angels' play of late. Whew!

Oh and to those of you who stumbled on this site today when googling Bengie Molina and the word "slow" - I'm glad you found this blog; even if it wasn't intentional. :-)

The day after

I took a deep breath. Actually, I took several deep breaths and even manage to exhale a couple of times. Then I began reading all the opinions and rantings and slowly developed some conclusions and thoughts of my own regarding Judas Lackey’s voyage to the dark side.

It’s kind of funny how easily my opinion about a player I’ve always liked can change ever so suddenly. Deep down inside, I kind of expected this outcome (Lackey going elsewhere) and although I thought the Yankees were a more likely destination, the fall out of his going to the Red Sox instead is basically the same.

My initial reaction to the news was disbelief. I just couldn’t believe it. Then anger began to take hold, followed by disappointment and then a return to anger. As I said yesterday, I felt like Lackey had given the Angels the finger on his way out of town. Perhaps holding on to that feeling makes it easier for me to part ways with him.

Never-the-less, I keep going back to game five of the ALCS when Mike Scioscia took Lackey out of the game and how angry Lackey was as he left the mound. This wasn’t anything new and if he had reacted any other way, I would have been stunned. Part of me wants to believe that Lackey made the decision to leave the Angels right then and there and nothing they could do would change that. Lackey would never have admitted to as much because like so many other free agents in the past, he needed the Angels to drive up his asking price.

That’s speculation on my part, but I think it might have some merit. I also wouldn’t be surprised that at some point, Lackey takes a parting shot at the Angels, the decision in game 5 and his time in Anaheim. Lackey tends to wear his heart on his sleeve and again, if he let be known why he left, I wouldn’t be surprised.

So now we (well, at least me anyway) begin the process of justifying the loss of one of the best pitchers in Angels history. It’s actually not a hard process to go through (especially when you have this vision of Lackey flipping us the bird).

Gulp… here it goes.

John Lackey lived off his game 7 performances in the 2002 World Series for seven years. During that time, he was a solid performer and evolved into the ace of the staff; however, many would argue that he was a tick below some of the other so-called #1 starters in the league. He finished as high as third in the Cy Young Award voting (2007), but only made the list of top vote getters just the one time.

On one side of the coin, we can point to the fact that of the 121 pitchers who made their debut in 2002, Lackey ranks first in wins with 102. No other pitcher from that year has more than a 100 and that list includes Jake Peavy (95), Cliff Lee (90), Erik Bedard (51), and Aaron Harang (75).

Despite all of that, since 2002 Lackey didn’t win another post season game until this past ALDS. In fact, his game one win over Boston in the 2009 ALDS is his only post season victory since 2002. He’s actually 1-4 since 2002 and 3-4 over all. Hardly stellar. And yet, Angel fans often labeled John as a “big game pitcher.” Now that he’s leaving, we might venture to say he was “over-rated.”

He started the 2008 and 2009 season on the disabled list. A red flag? Perhaps. His 3.83 ERA in 2009, while very good, was his highest since 2004 and represents a two year trend of it going up.

Then there were the public outbursts. He has been known to show up his players on the field when they make an error, complain about the lack of offense and argue about being taken out of the game. While he was an Angel, these things were likely to be viewed as signs of leadership. Now that he’s leaving, it’s easy to label them as jerk-like behavior.

Remember, we’re trying to justify his departure and that requires us to take off the gloves.

He was frequently called the “big dog” and the guy who set the tone for the entire staff. Was he really? Or was he the guy most likely to gravitate towards a microphone?

To be fair, Orange County Register columnist Mark Whicker paints a broad picture of Lackey in his latest column. He says, "We haven't always noticed when he holds up his fist in support of the players who do make plays. We haven't been around when he's taking young pitchers to the bistros and picking up the check. We haven't always heard his West Texas brogue in a clubhouse that slowly became his."

To that I say it’s easy to be the good guy when things are going well and while he had his good days, he was also volatile. Again, you have to remember that I’m a tad bit bitter about his departure.

Trying to gain some perspective in the aftermath of his departure is not an easy task. There are lots of great memories associated with the guy who wore #41.

His leaving is compounded by the arrival of one Cliff Lee in Seattle. It becomes even more difficult to swallow knowing that another Angel target – Roy Halladay is now in Philadelphia. It becomes nearly unbearable when we think that Scott Kazmir might be considered the answer as his replacement. No offense to Kazmir, but his post-season performance in 2009 did not strike a great deal of confidence into the hearts of Angel fans.

On the bright side (at least for Cheryl and I) is that Joe Saunders will be back and the trade rumors that included his name can be put to rest.

Perhaps this is the time when Jered Weaver will emerge as the pitcher we all envisioned he would become when he was drafted out of Long Beach State in 2004. He certainly showed signs of this in 2009. Weaver seems to have the temperament and qualities to become the leader of the staff. Like Lackey, Weaver has more wins than any other pitcher who made their debut in the same year (2006) with 51. More than Cole Hamels, Jon Lester, Chad Billingsley and 129 others. Weaver is 2-1 in the post-season with a 2.61 ERA and those numbers give us cause for hope.

And then there is Ervin Santana. Should the 2006 or 2008 version of the player show up, he could be something special. Maybe he likes pitching in even years and 2010 is just what he needs.

I will miss John Lackey, but come the start of the 2010 season, I will try to not give him a second thought. It will be time to move on and Lackey just became public enemy #1.

514 Fanatics react...

One 514 Fanatic named Bob wrote me and said, "In October during the playoffs, I told Stephen (his son) that we may not recognize the Angels team next spring. Unfortunately, I fear that is coming true, one step at a time. As if we needed another reason to despise the Red Sox."

Long time Angel fan and 514 Fanatic Bo (Mr. Yes We Will) wrote, "The word lackey means 'to act in a servile manner' in other words a bootlicker. Be gone with you to the gates of Fenway - you lackey. Or maybe his name should be what I had for dinner tonight... a latke. Look at it this way; Big John went for the big payday and we all knew it. To give him 5 years would have been insane... We have a young pitching staff and let's hope they pay off. Pitching basically sucks in the big leagues so it is really time for a youth movement."

Perhaps the best way to gauge the impact of Lackey’s leaving is by asking some kids what they think.

According to 514 Fanatics Jeffrey and Lauren’s nine year old twins Josh and Jake – their words are "BOO BOSTON!"

As I close this chapter in Angel’s history, I can’t help but think of my friend Scott’s 8 year old son, whose favorite player is John Lackey. I emailed Scott because I wondered how Evan was taking the news. Scott wrote, "To say that he's unhappy is putting it mildly. I had to take his Lackey T-shirt away or else he might have cut it up. He gets the playoff rivalry with the Sox, but doesn't get why a player would want to go to a team he just beat."

Evan, I don’t get it either.

Figgy Watch 2009

I am blogging to you live from the Big "A" in Anaheim, where I am on Figgy Watch 2009. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but following Chone Figgin's journey into free agency seems like a major news event.

For those fans hoping he stays in Anaheim (myself included), there is some good news coming out of the GM meetings in Chicago today. Kenny Williams the general manager of the White Sox said they won’t be pursuing Chone Figgins. Details of his statement can be found on Inside the White Sox, the Chicago Sun Times blog. The White Sox have been the most popular destination for those predicting where Figgins might go. We've heard for a couple years now how much they covet Figgins. Well, unless Williams is playing poker here, it looks like we can cross them off the list.

Couple that report with the one from Jon Heyman of SI who claims Tony Reagins and Chone Figgins have been talking for two months and Reagins is "hopeful" something can get done. This doesn’t really tell us a whole lot, but it is very encouraging to hear they’re trying to get something done and that the interest is mutual. We'll see what happens.

More good news. The price for a team other than the Angels to acquire Figgins just went up. As noted in Yahoo’s baseball blog – Big League Stew, Figgins has been ranked as a Type "A" free agent (Figgins was previously ranked as a Type "B" free agent). That means if someone other than the Angels (who would have to offer Figgins arbitration) signs Figgins, they’ll forfeit their first round pick to the Angels (unless that team’s pick falls within the first 15 picks of next year's draft – in which case they’d lose their second round pick). Teams that lose a Type "A" free agent are also awarded a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Had Figgins stayed ranked as a Type "B" - the compensation to the Angels would only be a sandwich pick to the Angels between the first and second round. Supplemental picks do not cost teams that sign them any picks.

Mark Whicker of the OC Register ran down some possible destinations for Figgins, including Atlanta – which is where I predicted Figgins would land in my Let's get cookin’ in Anaheim post. Whicker notes about Atlanta: "It's close to home for Figgins, and the Braves sense they can contend next year. Figgins could succeed Garret Anderson in left field and would get some third base time on Chipper Jones' nights off. The Braves didn't have a 20-steals guy last year."

Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports' Circling the Bases quotes Jon Heyman as now saying the Philadelphia Phillies are serious about Figgins. Poulit also lists the Cubs and Yankees as destinations to become their centerfielder. Personally, I don't see Figgins as a center fielder. Even though Figgins is very versatile; I see him as being limited to third base, second base, left field and/or right field. Again, Figgins just isn't a centerfielder.

Although he Phillies did not exercise the option for third basemen Pedro Feliz and are now in the market for his replacement. Bill Conlin of the Philly.com Sports doesn't believe Philly will attempt to sign Figgins. He believes Mark DeRosa is their #1 target (even though some others believe they'll pursue Adrian Beltre) Conlin says "(Ruben) Amaro more likely will pursue Mark DeRosa... Charlie Manuel is said to love the versatility and intensity of the former Penn quarterback."

Conlin's colleague - David Murphy offers all kinds of scenarios for the Phillies third base needs, but lists Figgins as the best of the bunch. Even still, Murphy also emphasizes the Phillies fondness for DeRosa.

Let’s cross the whole state of New York off the list.

Per the New York Post, there is some chatter taking place claiming the Yankees are "plotting" to resign Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettite. I would think if they do that, they would not pursue Chone Figgins. Not that New York has been mentioned a whole lot, but any time you can take the Yankees out of the equation, the better the results might be.

The Mets don’t look like a good fit for Figgins either. According to Newsday Omar Minaya is looking for a "power hitter." The article also points out the Mets needs for first base, catcher and starting pitching.

Things are definitely cooking out there. Any team looking for a third baseman can pick from among Figgins, Beltre, Melvin Mora, Troy Glaus, Feliz, DeRosa, and perhaps Miguel Tejada (who would move from shortstop) among others. So keep your fingers crossed Figgy fans.