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.

Damon Watch 2010 and other more important things

My little post about Erick Aybar created quite a stir across the internet. Baseball writers by the hundreds wrote in to tell me I was way off base and that Erick Aybar was the perfect lead off solution for the 2010 Angels.

*Tries to keep a straight face*

Okay, maybe there wasn’t so much as a blip anywhere on the internet regarding my post about Aybar. However, my cat did meow at me a little funny and I took that as a sign that someone actually cared. But now that I think about it, she was probably just hungry.

Fact is I wanted to follow up on my last post and this was the best introduction I could come up with.

So, on this the day; the day after Angels’ pitchers and catchers report for spring training, I have some burning questions to ask.

First of all, how can spring training begin without Johnny Damon? Damon hasn’t signed and quite frankly, I’m concerned. I’m concerned because the moment he does sign, the news is liable to preempt the Olympics, Tiger Woods’ press conference or anything else going on in the world. I’m liable to miss some historical event or bigger than life happening because someone will determine that Damon is more important.

I can see it now… we interrupt this broadcast from NASA where an alien ship has been captured to bring you breaking news about Johnny Damon.

I’m telling you if Johnny doesn’t sign somewhere soon, they might call off the whole baseball season. *Shutters*

Boy, I have to tell you it feels pretty good to get my first shot in at Johnny Damon this early into spring training. Yup, I’m in mid-season form.

I guess when you follow mlbtraderumors and also follow all the baseball writers and bloggers on twitter and see reports like “no news on Damon” you get a little snarky. I’m not exaggerating when I say there are almost as many non-Damon reports as there are actual Damon rumors.

Moving on…

Next up, mark this date down: June 11, 2010. What’s so signficant about that date, you ask? Okay, maybe I asked. Whatever…

It’s the day the Oakland A’s will declare they’re no longer in the race for the AL West pennant and will begin to entertain offers for Ben Sheets and anyone else on their roster who they can trade for prospects.

Why June 11? Well, they will have completed the last game (the previous day) of a three game series with the Angels. They will have been swept and fallen helplessly behind the division leading Angels.

Sweet; I got a shot in on the A’s and Johnny Damon on the same day.

I know; I know I’m always picking on the A’s and Johnny Damon (among others). Perhaps I need a new target or two to spice things up around here.

Hmmm.

I’ve got another question. I wonder how well Vladimir Guerrero is being received by Ian Kinsler? I mean I wonder what will Kinsler say the first time Guerrero (and Darren Oliver for that matter) steps on to the field (the same field he told all Angels to get off of in 2009)?

Kinsler is the new A.J. Pierzynski, don’t you know. Only difference is AJ has actually won something.

Speaking of teams that haven’t won anything; how about those Mariners? You know a lot of fuss is being made over the new dynamic duo of Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. Well, did you know that in 16 career starts against the Angels, Hernandez is 4-5 with a 4.20 ERA? Okay, last year he was pretty good with a 2.30 ERA, but he only won one game in four starts.

Cliff Lee on the other hand is 5-3 in 8 career starts against the Angels with a 3.32 ERA, but didn’t face the Angels at all in 2009. However, we also should note that in four career starts in Anaheim, Lee hasn’t faired so well. He’s 2-2 with a 4.44 ERA.

All I’m saying is that the AL West title still goes through Anaheim and the Mariners are going to need more than just Hernandez and Lee. Their offense has to figure out five starters (Weaver, Saunders, Kazmir, Santana, and Pineiro) and that’s not going to be an easy task for that offense.

Texas on the other hand seems like a more legitimate contender. In fact, a lot of the projections I’ve seen have the Rangers winning the west; while a lot of baseball writers are picking the Mariners.

I say we ignore everyone and just tap into the wisdom of Bert Blyleven, who said, “…the Halos have created a big gap in their division, have a strong minor league system to help replace free agent losses, and despite the improved competition, are still the team to beat.”

Put that man in the Hall of Fame!

See Erick run; run Erick run

Maybe it’s my imagination, but I keep seeing an elephant in the room that no one is talking about. Then again, it’s kind of hard to just "imagine" an elephant in the room, isn’t it?

There’s no way to sugar coat this; Erick Aybar is not a base stealer. There, I said it and it feels good to get that off my chest.

Here is a guy who many see as the heir apparent to Chone Figgins; a guy with tremendous speed and THE guy most are penciling in as the lead off hitter for the 2010 Angels.

Hello? Are the stat heads asleep at the wheel? For every two bases Aybar steals, he get’s thrown out the third time. A 66% success rate just ins't cutting it. Last year he stole 14 bases and was caught stealing 7 times. In four seasons, he has 26 stolen bases and has been caught 13 times. In his minor league career he has 186 stolen bases and has been thrown out 98 times. Are you seeing what I’m seeing? There’s a trend here and that Aybar may be fast and he may steal bases, but the effort comes with obvious risks.

In 2004 while playing for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes he was caught 36 times. He was caught stealing more times than he walked! People love to talk about his speed, but for some reason they neglect to mention how ineffective he is despite that speed. I just don’t get it.

I think it’s safe to say that Erick Aybar is not a prototypical base stealer. He’s kind of a train wreck, if you ask me. You want your train to pull into the depot without incident; well if Aybar is your train, you’d better tighten your seat belt.

I suppose there is hope though. Last year he overcame his reputation for being a player prone to stupid mistakes. Some claimed he lacked any real baseball IQ and was know to make a bone head play for every spectacular one he’d make. There was a time when routine wasn’t always so routine with him.

Face it, Aybar is the player most likely to run to third base instead of first. I'm just saying. At the same time, he's also the guy most likley to bunt for a double or intercept a screaming ground ball, do a cart wheel and then flip the ball in the air and kick it to first base to throw out Carl Crawford.

Aybar is the one guy on the team who's most likely to make me say, "did you just see that?" And the genesis for my reaction could be either positive or negative.

That being said, I have to admit that as the 2009 season went on, he made fewer and fewer bad plays and still managed to do the spectacular now and then.

He also made strides to improve his OBP going from .314 in 2008 to .353 in 2009. His overall offensive production took a big step forward.

Basically, he made Scioscia look like a genius when most Angel fans were ready to dub Maicer Izturis as their every day short stop. Scioscia is good like that. Makes me crazy (in a good way) sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to see anyone else guiding this team.

So, what can we expect from Aybar in 2010? Bill James projects 18 stolen bases to go with 9 times being caught. The consensus at FanGraphs has Aybar stealing 26 bags while failing 13 times. Is this an area of concern? If he Angels are going to play the brand of baseball they’ve been accustom to under Scioscia, I have to believe it’s at the very least a question mark.

We know he has talent. He flashed that talent often last year. The question I have no answer for is how good does Aybar want to be? I’ve heard he’s a hard worker, but I haven’t heard anything about his ability to learn. I’m not saying it’s bad; I just haven’t heard. Can he become a better base runner and stealer? I really don’t know, but I guess we’re about to find out.

It’s easy to pencil Aybar in as the lead off hitter in 2010, but it’s not easy (at least not for me) to feel comfortable seeing him in that role.

Aybar is 26 years old. He’s young enough to still have some upside, but he’s also been around long enough to demonstrate that he’s already getting better at every aspect of his game. He improved his hitting and became a more consistent fielder in 2009. I guess if he takes one thing at a time (a reasonable goal), we could see him improve on his effectiveness on the base paths this year.

Fortunately, base stealing is only one aspect of being a good lead off hitter. I'm probably worrying about nothing. At least I hope that's the case.

The fun part of all this is that we will get to see it all unfold on the field. I'm hoping for the best. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow and it’s about time.

Tales from Tempe

As the day pitchers and catchers report draws closer and closer, I thought I’d share a story from last year’s spring training that still brings a smile to my face every time I recall the event.

This is my 100th post on True Grich and I thought this would be the perfect time to recount one of my favorite stories.

It was the spring of 2009 and the Angels were taking batting practice and Reggie Willits was about to take some cuts. All of a sudden, as if on cue Torii Hunter pops out and yells out to the crowd “$500 if he hits it out.” This caught everyone’s attention and apparently Reggie’s as well.

Reggie played up the challenge, digging in and taking some serious hacks. The effort was there, but the results weren’t. Let’s just say he wasn’t looking like Albert Pujols or Big Daddy Vlady.

Hunter was looking pretty confident and then all of a sudden a ball started looking like it had a chance to go out. Reggie was giving it some body English and it ended up hitting the top of the fence and falling back in the playing field. Hunter breathed a big sigh of relief and Reggie buckled at the knees, his back arched backwards with his eyes looking up. It was as if his whole body was saying, “Oh man!" We all thought it was going out.

The fans began to cheer Reggie on; which of course got Hunter going as well. He started yelling “don’t cheer him on, he’s going to cost me money!” Reggie was soaking up the attention; which isn’t really like him when you think about it. More than anything he was being a good sport. He was definitely enjoying the moment.

And then it happened. Reggie put a charge in one and the ball sailed over the left field fence. Willits had hit one out. The fans cheered, Reggie took some bows and Hunter started laughing. He couldn’t believe what he had just seen and said, “I’ve been bamboozled. I didn’t think he could do it. Let this be a lesson to you kids, don’t gamble.”

It was a special moment and the kind of thing you can only see by putting time in at spring training. Reggie Willits has yet to hit a homerun in 804 major league plate appearances, but on that spring day he might as well have been Babe Ruth. Willits went yard and those are three words you just don't hear every day, if at all.

Pitchers and catchers report in three days.

Talking baseball with Marlins Scout Roger Jongewaard

Today was my lucky day. My wife Cheryl and I headed over to one of our favorite restaurants in Long Beach this morning; Jongewaard's Bake n' Broil (a place I mentioned in an earlier post) and while we were waiting to be seated, our friend Andy who manages the restaurant told me his father-in-law Roger Jongewaard was just finishing up his breakfast and asked if I was interested in talking to Roger.

Andy and I had been talking about setting up a time for me to interview Roger for this blog and as luck would have it, today ended up being the day. Even though I was caught a little off guard, I knew I couldn’t pass up this wonderful opportunity to talk a little baseball with a man who has spent more than forty years in the game.

My wife Cheryl grabbed a pad of paper and some pens for me and Roger and I headed off to chat about baseball.

Roger is presently serving as a scout for the Florida Marlins. His primary duties are to keep tabs on the Angels, Padres, Mariners and Rockies. He attends about fifteen regular season games for each team, on top of trips to their minor league affiliates. His job is to be the eyes for the Marlins should they enter into any trade discussions with any of the four teams. It’s a job Roger loves doing as he never gets tired of going to the ball park, even at the age of 73.

Roger was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves out of Long Beach Poly High School. Had he wanted to, he could have gone to play at the University of Southern California (USC), but opted to play pro baseball instead. In his early days in the game, Roger had the chance to play with Hall of Famer, Hank Aaron while they were both in the minor leagues.

Roger remembers one spring training where the Braves were having a hard time catching up to the heat being thrown by an opposing pitcher. He said, “Guys kept striking out and Aaron steps in and hit a homerun down the right field line (the opposite way). When Aaron came back to the dugout, he was comenting that he couldn’t get around on the ball and we looked at him and said, yeah, but you just hit it out!” What Aaron viewed as a failure, others would have considered a tremendous success.

When Roger’s playing days ended, he could have taken a job as a manager of one of the Braves minor league teams, but opted to return home to California. He worked a few years and realized that if he was going to get into upper management; he’d most likely have to relocate. He decided that wasn’t what he wanted to do and didn’t like the idea of working for someone else anyway and went into the restaurant business by opening Bake N’ Broil in 1965.

One day he got a call from Rocky Bridges who was with the California Angels at the time. Bridges said they needed someone to fill in as their bull pen catcher and asked if he’d be interested (Roger was a catcher). Roger had wanted to get back into the game and saw this as his chance and took the job.

Even though Roger loved being in the game, he wasn’t thrilled about the travel. He had a growing family at home and wanted to be close by. After spending a few years as the Angels’ bull pen catcher; one thing led to another and he was hired as a part time scout by the Texas Rangers and was later signed by the New York Mets as a full time scout. Roger covered the Southern California area which fit his lifestyle; allowing him to be at home at the end of each day to sleep in his own bed and be with his family.

Along the way, he signed players like Darryl Strawberry, Kevin Mitchell, and Lenny Dykstra. When he first saw Dykstra, he thought he might be too small; however, he was very “muscular.” When questioned about his physique, Dykstra told Roger he got into some really good “vitamins.” I had to chuckle. Roger went on to say Dykstra had a much better career than he expected.

Mitchell (who he signed at a try-out camp) ended up being another player (like Dykstra) who exceeded his expectations. Roger said, “I really didn’t know how high of a ceiling he had offensively.”

If you’ve read the book “Moneyball” you no doubt know that Roger also signed a young prospect named Billy Beane. I asked Roger why he thought Beane never panned out as a major league player and Roger said, “He was too smart. He over thank the game instead of letting his natural ability work for him.”

After leaving the Mets, Roger scouted for the Detroit Tigers and earned himself a World Series ring in 1984. He then spent 20 years with the Seattle Mariners, where he held a variety of positions including Vice President of Scouting and Player Development from 1989 to 2003.

Jongewaard is often mentioned as being responsible for signing both Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey, Jr.

In Junior’s case, it’s been well documented that the Mariners’ owner George Argyros really wanted to sign a pitcher named Mike Harkey.  I asked Roger about that. Roger said, “The owner kept asking me if Harkey could help the team right now and I said, yes he could. He would then say, but you’d rather we signed this high school kid; why?” Roger would say, “he’s special.” Argyros would then remind him that he had said the same thing about Patrick Lennon, who was the Mariners first round pick in 1986 and 8th overall.

Lennon wasn’t panning out quite so well, but that didn’t deter Roger’s confidence. He knew Junior was extra special and stuck to his guns. Roger explained, “the owner told me if he didn’t make it, it was going to be my (butt). That didn’t really phase me because he said that a lot.”

I had to chuckle and thought to myself that Roger must be a pretty good poker player. It never occurred to me that scouts had to have nerves of steel.

Roger said that Junior was “the best left handed hitter he had ever seen.” When asked who was the best right handed hitter he’d seen, he responded with “Manny Ramirez.”

He went on to tell me more about the process involved in going after Ken Griffey, Jr. He was worried that Junior wouldn’t be "eligible.” When I asked him about that, he said they gave prospects “character” tests to measure their “desire” and other areas of their character. Ken Griffey, Sr. had warned Roger that Junior wasn’t really motivated in the classroom. He told Roger he was a smart kid, but he didn’t have the patience for tests.

Roger explained that Junior went to a high school in Ohio that was a football power house and when Junior decided he didn’t want to play football; he didn’t quit. Instead he let his grades slide so that he would become ineligible. The test would be a key.

Roger had to get Junior to take the test three times. The first time he took the test he didn’t finish it. There were about 90 questions and Junior looked at all the questions and simply didn’t want to finish the exam. The second time he answered the first half really well and then took a break. When he came back, he just answered questions randomly. It wasn’t until Roger told him that if he wanted to be the first pick in the first round he had to complete the test.

Junior finally relented and took the test for a third time and scored well.

As we continued our conversation, I could see Roger had a great deal of confidence in his abilities to spot talent. He admitted that there were times when he was wrong and guys didn’t pan out for one reason or another, but that clearly didn’t stop him.

He told me he really believed Ryan Anderson was going to be a #1 starter. Ryan was 6’11” and had electric stuff; however, three surgeries cut his career short. He also mentioned Tim Leary, who he also believed would be a #1 starter. Leary did carve out a career in the major leagues from 1981 to 1994, but never lived up to Roger’s expectations.

Roger even told me a story about a catcher he signed named Ryan Christianson, who he signed out of high school. At the time Scott Boras told him he didn’t think it was a good idea to sign a high school catcher because they had the lowest odds of panning out. To which, Roger told Boras, “Yeah, that’s true, if someone else signs them.” Christianson didn’t pan out and spent his career in the minors. Roger now admits that Boras was “right” in this case.

I really loved this story because even though Roger is clearly a confident man, he has a humble side. Getting a peak into his personality was such a treat. He has rubbed elbows with so many greats in the game and it probably has never occurred to him that he himself is pretty great.

Since we were on the subject of catchers, I had to ask Roger about the Angels’ own Hank Conger. Roger said he saw him when he was at Rancho Cucamonga and said, “He looks like he can really hit. He might end up being a DH.”

Now that I had him talking about the Angels, I had to ask him about who he had seen in their system that impressed him. The first name he brought up was Nick Adenhart.

Roger said, “Before we (the Marlins) traded Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers, we talked to the Angels about Nick Adenhart, but they wouldn’t budge. I really liked him and thought he would be very good.”

Other players he liked a lot included Erick Aybar and Joe Saunders. When he mentioned Saunders, I knew Roger was my kind of guy. Saunders is a favorite of my wife and me (as I’ve noted several times on this blog).

I asked Roger what he thought of Brandon Wood and if he reminded him of anyone. Roger said, “He reminds me a little bit of Ralph Kiner.” He went on to say, “He has the ability to put the ball in the air really well. That’s something we try to teach. He can hit a lot of homeruns.”

I then asked Roger what he thought of Mike Scioscia. Roger didn’t hesitate. “He’s great. I tried to hire him when I was in Seattle.” Mike had had a meeting with then Dodger GM Kevin Malone who told Scioscia he wasn’t in their plans. Roger offered him a job as the manager for their AAA affiliate in Tacoma; noting that they already had Lou Piniella as their manager, but giving Scioscia an indication that he could possibly slide into the manager position down the road; after all, “Piniella was pretty volatile.”

As Scioscia was considering the opportunity, the Angels came calling. Roger said, “Mike called me up and told him that the Angels had offered him the job as the manager of their big club.” Roger then said to Scioscia, “You mean to tell me you’d rather manage the Angels than the Tacoma Timbers?” To which Scioscia chuckled.

As we concluded our discussion, I asked Roger what he liked most about baseball. He said, "The people." He tried to retire once and when he moved to Fallbrook, California he thought he'd spend his time "picking fruit" but baseball kept calling to him. He went on to say, "going to the ball park beats picking fruit any day."

I could have talked with Roger for hours; but I wanted to be mindful of his time and besides, I still hadn’t had breakfast and it was now lunch time. It was worth it though. You could say that I had my dessert before my meal because talking baseball with a legend was certainly a treat.

Below is a photo of Roger Jongewaard with one of his grandaughters (Amanda) and Film-maker Steven Soderbergh (When Roger was being interviewed for the movie "Moneyball"). Photo courtesy of Andy Child.










Five days until pitchers and catchers report.

Looking inside my crystal ball

I’ve got a prediction. Between now and the start of the 2010 baseball season thousands, if not millions will make predictions on everything from who will win it all to how many times Lou Piniella will get ejected from a ball game.

This is what we Americans do. We love making predictions; it’s almost as if making predictions is a bigger pastime than baseball itself. Everyone loves to make them and everyone loves to say “I called it” when theirs comes true. Some people even manage to make a living out this; only they call it “projections.”

Our predictions aren’t limited to the final score or final standings; oh no, they happen continuously. How many times have you turned to someone and said, “so and so is going to… fill-in-the-blank… right here!”? (Yes, 514 Fanatic Dave, I’m thinking of you right now).

Do we make these statements in hopes of a pat on the back? Is it to bring us luck? Or is it just fun? I have no idea and it probably doesn't even matter.

The funny thing is no matter how many times we’re wrong and I’m guessing most of us are wrong a lot (except for my friend Dave); we keep doing it. I wonder what would happen if there was a limit to the number of predictions one could make in a given year.

Knowing me, I’d probably exceed that limit in the course of a single ball game. It starts early for me. Before every game my wife Cheryl and I predict who’s going to hit the first homerun for the Angels. Before you know it, I’m predicting sacrifice bunts, pinch hitters, the attendance, whether or not a play is going to end up on ESPN as a “web gem” or how many hot dogs one of the 514 Fanatic will eat in a given night.

Most of the time I would venture to guess that we have no rhyme or reason for our predictions (unless you’re using sabermetrics, of course). We just throw stuff against the wall and hope something will stick. See my free agent projections here, here and here for the perfect example of that. Oh and here too. Boy was that painful.

Clearly, anyone can make a prediction and maybe that’s the thing. Making predictions is an equal opportunity deal. Anyone can do it; you don’t even have to know much about the subject to make one. I have a couple of co-workers who are Dodger fans and they’re living proof of that. Now don’t get me wrong because I’m pretty sure not all Dodger fans are like them. I’m just saying.

Anyway the point of all of this chatter is basically to introduce you to the True Grich Predictions for the 2010 Baseball Season. Now before you roll your eyes, please note these aren’t the carefully planned predictions of say FanGraphs or something you’d expect to read on ESPN. No sir, this blog is better than that.

I predict that at least once a day, I’ll hear a Dodger fan label an Angel fan as a bandwagon fan. I also predict 75% of these fans will be wearing Manny Ramirez jerseys.

Speaking of jerseys, I predict I’ll see at least five Oakland A’s fans wearing Reggie Jackson jerseys with the #44 on their backs. It’s a sure thing that I’ll laugh every time I see that, knowing that Jackson actually wore #9 when he played for the A’s.

While I’m at it, I also predict I’ll make more than 5,000 snarky comments about the A’s over the course of a season; however, I may even be a little low on that one.

I predict the Red Sox and Yankees will be on ESPN more times than Brittney Spears will be on TMZ. Yes, that much! I predict non Red Sox and non Yankee fans will complain early and often about it too.

I predict Erick Aybar will lead the team in web gems and bloopers. I also predict yet another hairdo for the player formerly known as Vald’s mini-me.

Speaking of Vlad, I predict a standing ovation for Vladimir Guerrero when he returns to Anaheim and I predict he hits at least 30 homeruns, but I’ll hope that all of them are against the A’s, Yankees and Red Sox. I also predict Vlad will hit at least one homerun that would have been a wild pitch to any other batter.

I predict Chone Figgins will attempt to steal bases early and often whenever he faces Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli. I also predict he’ll be left standing on second base at the end of a lot of innings while the PA systems blares “please, celebrate me home” by Kenny Loggins.

There’s a part of that song that goes “Please, celebrate me home. Give me a number. Please, celebrate me home. Play me one more song that I’ll always remember. That I can recall whenever I find myself too all alone (may I add on second base?). I can sing me home.” Sorry Figgy, it doesn’t work like that; someone has to drive you in.

I guess I’d better predict some boos for that analogy.

I predict a sportswriter (or two) somewhere will continue to bash Mark McGwire and then turn around and cheat on their taxes. I will also predict that we won’t see McGwire photo in the post office, but some will continue to label him as baseball’s public enemy #1.

I predict Ben Sheets will struggle early on; be traded to the Cardinals and have a banner year. It’s like the A’s are the Cardinals farm team some times. What? You have to remember I have a goal of 5,000 snarky A’s comments!

You know, I could do a whole blog on Mike Scioscia predictions (but don’t worry, I won’t). But, for the purposes of time and space, I’ll highlight just a few.

I predict Scioscia’s team will out perform their projections; he’ll get labeled as the best in the game almost as many times as a fan from another team will label him as being over-rated.

I predict we’ll never see Scioscia wearing a jersey and instead see him in an Angels' jacket even when it’s more than 100 degrees. What’s up with that?

You can count on the fact that I’ll disagree with something he does at least once a week and find out I was wrong just about every time. I hate it when that happens.

That being said, I might as well get this out of the way now and say that I predict I will moan and groan every time Scioscia platoons Brandon Wood; which ties into my prediction that if he gets a minimum of 400 AB’s, he will hit at least 20 homeruns.

I predict that nearly every time I hear someone say; “you heard it here, first” it really won’t be the first time.

I predict I’ll say “can you believe that?” at least 50 times, say “wow” 100 or more times and scream “that’s what I’m talking about” several dozen times.

I predict that I will hear at least one outlandish trade proposal on the post game radio show every single night. So let’s get this straight now; no, the Cardinals aren’t trading Albert Pujols to the Angels for Juan Rivera, the rally monkey and Gene Autry’s cowboy hat.

I predict many people (myself included) will have long memories when it comes to predicting things right and short memories when we’re wrong. Come to think of it, I’ve never been wrong. Just don’t ask my wife to verify that.

I predict the Angels will win the west even though most “experts” will pick the Mariners. I say the Twins will win the AL Central (and not receive the kind of credit the Oakland A’s receive as a small market club) and the Yankees will win the East. Look for the Rays to win the wild card and send the Red Sox to an early vacation.

I predict the Diamondbacks will win the NL West, the Phillies will be the team to beat in the east and Albert Pujols will have an MVP season as he leads the Cardinals to top of their division. I’ll also take the Florida Marlins as the surprise wild card team.

And just so we’re clear, I also predict that at some point before the season starts or shortly after it begins, I will change my mind! After all, spring training hasn’t even started yet.

I predict that I’ll see something I’ve never seen at a game before. Last year at spring training I saw my first ever triple play in person. I have no idea what I’ll see this year and to tell you the truth, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

When all is said and done the fun part about baseball is not knowing what’s going to happen. Sure, we like to predict what we think will happen, but the fun is in watching stories unfold before our very eyes. Stories like Kendry Morales having a break out season or Joe Saunders out dueling Zach Greinke 1-0 as both pitchers go the distance.

Seven days till pitchers and catchers report.

By the way... guess who's baaaaaack?



Robb Quinlan signed a minor league deal with the Angels. He could end up as Kendry Morales' back up.

Right on time

I mentioned last week that I started reading a great book called “The Soul of Baseball” by Joe Posnanski. Well, today I had just finished reading the very last word just as my train arrived at my destination. I thought to myself this must be symbolic. Here, I had just completed this amazing journey through history at the exact moment my train came to a stop. I realized that even though I was done; I had really only just begun.

As I walked out of the train station, my mind began to think about all the people I could tell about this book. Words probably can’t justify how beautiful this book is and yet, I feel the need to try. I feel compelled to try and convince you or anyone else that will read this or listen to me in person that they need to know about a man named Buck O’Neil and his journey through life.

I suppose I could quote various passages from the book, but my fear is that you will somehow feel like you’ve received the gist of it all and decide you don’t need to read it for yourself. That would be a tragedy. Trust me; you’ll only be cheating yourself if you don’t. So, I’m not going to quote it at all; instead, I implore you to get a copy for yourself and when you’re done reading it; pass it on to someone else.

Prior to reading this book; I knew very little, if anything about the Negro Leagues. I don’t know why I never bothered to learn more about it and I’m guessing that like most of you, I had this image of what I thought it must have been like back then. My image wasn’t a pretty picture. Well, I was wrong; in fact, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Posnanski (through the eyes of Buck O’Neil) paints a picture of the Negro Leagues that is fascinating, uplifting, inspiring, entertaining and hopeful. Amazing images danced through my mind as I read about Buck O’Neil’s journey through life. I could envision Baseball fields I have never visited in my mind. Men, whose faces I have never seen came to life on the pages in this book. Stories I had never heard before became something special for me to share with others. And one man’s life became an example of what it means to be truly blessed.

Buck O’Neil has given me many more reasons to not only love baseball more; he’s also shown me how to appreciate life itself. It’s a precious gift for sure.

O’Neil often said he was “right on time” when it came to where he was at any point in his life. He didn’t wish to be born at a different time and had no desire to change anything about his life.

I believe the end of my train ride today combined with my reading the final word in the book at the same time some how relates.

Whenever I get off the train and head up the escalator and out into the city; I’m often greeted with the stench of urine in the air. I always feel like my senses are being assaulted. Things like this tend to taint my view of downtown L.A. and I can’t get out fast enough.

However, today was different. As I walked to my office, I searched the faces of the people walking or standing about. I wondered about their stories and believe it or not, I wondered how the life lessons in a book like the Soul of Baseball might impact their lives.

O’Neil was a man who had every reason to be angry or bitter or even sad and yet instead; he was loving, gracious, humble, and kind.

Posnanski’s life was changed by his relationship with O’Neil. No doubt O’Neil impacted many lives in positive ways over the course of his lifetime and his wisdom and strength to do that was born out of his love for baseball.

You have to love a game that can do that.

Eight days until pitchers and catchers report.

How to beat the blahs on Mondays

I came across this crazy video from Bill Plunkett of the OC Register. Trying to do an introduction just wouldn't do it any justice. I will warn you though; make sure you're not eating or drinking anything or else it may end up on your monitor...

Just watch:



And YES, that's Mike Scioscia in the background wearing the green jacket!

If that doesn't brighten your day (in a disturbing way). There's always this classic that can't help but make you laugh:



Still funny after all these years.

Good will Hunter

I’ve been a Torii Hunter fan since long before he ever came to the Angels. When he signed with the Angels; I was beside myself. Since landing in Anaheim, he’s been everything I had hoped for and more.

Here is a guy who loves the game, appreciates the fans and doesn’t take anything about life for granted. He’s great in the community and isn’t afraid of the spotlight.

So imagine my surprise when I learned some Twin fans didn’t miss him. I read some things that caught me totally off guard when checking out the fine blog “The Daily Something.” Bill who publishes that blog and Mike from another great blog called “The Common Man” painted a different picture of Hunter; one that threw me completely.

Mike wrote in the comments section of a post on The Daily Something, “I think many fans (and I count myself in this group) don't miss his self-aggrandizement and his tendency to criticize other players in the media. In particular, he threw both Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau under the bus for not playing through injuries. I wish him well, but am ok with him playing elsewhere (especially for that much money).

Bill added “His general treatment of the Twins and their fans during his last year was just pretty questionable overall.”

These statements puzzled me; after all, Torii Hunter is very well respected athlete and widely recognized as a great club house presence. Hunter received the Branch Rickey Award last year, an award given out for exceptional community service. He also won the Marvin Miller Award in 2007, which is awarded annually to a player who’s on the field acts inspire others. The other barometer by which I measure a player’s character is by whether or not the Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia wants that player on his roster. If he’s good enough for Scioscia, he’s good enough for me.

Hunter had some solid years in Minnesota. I had never heard or read a bad word about Hunter and I had to wonder how could two die hard Twin fans could feel this way about him?

And then it hit me. Hunter is an Angel now. He’s not one of them; just like John Lackey is no longer an Angel. When players move on to other teams, our thoughts about them can quickly change. Perhaps it’s a way of justifying the loss. It’s easy to find things to “hate” about a player when they leave. I hated the idea of John Lackey in a Red Sox uniform. It didn’t matter how great he was prior to the day he signed with Boston; all the good he did was forgotten in an instance. In both cases their team wanted to keep them, but couldn’t. It’s hard to let go of players who have basically been the faces of their organizations.

When I really stop and think about all the great things Lackey did as an Angel, it really shouldn’t overshadow his going to Boston. Same goes for Hunter’s days in Minnesota. Okay, he said some things he shouldn’t have said and he signed a deal that was clearly out of the Twins’ price range. That doesn’t change all the great things he did in Minnesota.

Mike and Bill found Hunter’s comments (about Mauer) hypocritical. They’re right, his comments were very much that. Thing is, we are all hypocrites now and then. We all do one thing and say something else now and then. Hopefully, the good things we do over shadow those moments when we might not use the best judgment. Hopefully, people can forgive us when we slip up because we’ve done most everything else the right way.

I don’t think Mike and Bill harbor any deep resentment for Hunter, but it’s clear they’ve found reason (right or wrong) to move on without him.

Their loss is my gain. Well, not just my own, but the gain of all Angel fans. We are lucky to have a guy like Hunter on our team.

Last year at spring training Torii Hunter was in rare form. One day when he was done with his routine he did what he always does – signed autographs for fans. Some of the adults were a little aggressive and Hunter took note. He paused for a second to say, “Some of you adults should be ashamed of yourselves cutting in front of the kids. I know we’re all kids at heart…” With that a silver-haired lady said, “I’m waiting right here (down the line) for you Torii.” Torii looked up at the lady and said, “I’ll sign for you because you’re hot.” Next thing you know the camera was out and Torii was posing for a picture. Vintage Hunter.

Another time I saw a fan hand her cell phone to Torii who struck up a conversation with whoever was on the other end; someone he obviously didn’t even know. Who else does that?

Hunter goes above and beyond for fans. Every time I’ve seen him and I mean every single time, he’s been just awesome. Fans frequently heap their praises on him and he just smiles and says he’s just having fun. He makes every fan feel like a million bucks. You could say Torii Hunter has a little Buck O’Neil in him.

There’s no question that Hunter loves the spotlight and isn’t afraid of a camera or microphone. I’m good with that. I don’t see it as a bad or a selfish thing. It sure beats those athletes that go through their whole career avoiding the media, the fans and everyone else. When in the spotlight as much as Hunter is, you’re bound to slip up once in a while. After all, Hunter is only human like the rest of us.

I also know most of those who are sabermetricly inclined will also be quick to tell us how over-rated he is. They will talk about his OPS and his UZR and other such things. I don’t doubt it. He’s not as great statistically as some of his contemporaries – but when he’s robbing the opposing team of a homerun in the 9th inning, I’m not thinking about his UZR, I’m on my feet, screaming my head off and glad he’s on my favorite team. He’s a human highlight film and I go to games to see the incredible and Hunter often delivers just that. Years from now I’m not going to remember his UZR, but I will never forget catches like that.

Now, my friends in Minnesota might label me a casual fan because of that – but I’m betting I attend more games than either one of them. There's nothing casual about my passion for the Angels. I think those who aren’t as into sabermetrics get labels attached to them that are neither accurate nor fair. I’m fully aware of the trends evolving in baseball as it relates to statistics and I think it’s great. I just think that if the stadiums were full of people that made those things their primary focus going to baseball games wouldn’t be nearly as fun.

The Angels have historically been the whipping boys of sabermetrics and yet under Scoscia they have averaged 90 wins a season. They consistently outperform their projections and the last time I checked, winning is the object of playing the games.

Baseball is good like that

I have a confession to make. When I started blogging I hadn’t really read any other blogs. I kind of just jumped in; however, it wasn’t long after I started that I decided I should go out and see what else was going on in the blogosphere.

My searches eventually lead me to Joe Posnanski’s Curiously Long Posts blog. Posnanski is an accomplished columnist and author and when he’s not writing his blog, he’s writing for Sports Illustrated.

I love reading his blog. He doesn’t even have to be writing about baseball for me to find it interesting.

This week; I read something Posnanski wrote that struck a cord with me. He wrote, “I have tried hard to write about the fun side of sports, the optimistic side of sports, the bright side of the street.” The context (in this case), isn’t important; what is important (at least to me) is that Posnanski focuses on the part of sports that we should all focus on; the fun and the optimistic side of it all.

Life is hard; a lesson we learn all too often. Thank God we have things like baseball or music or books or whatever one chooses to help take our minds off the things that make life difficult at times.

There have been times when writing this blog has been a struggle. There are times when I have a hard time coming up with creative, fun content. That usually leads me to rehashing what everyone else is already doing and that’s not what I intended to do here.

I need to make sure I keep having fun with this blog and keeping it fresh for those who take the time to read it. Fortunately for me, I don’t think that will be too difficult, as I’ve managed to have a good time with this blog most of the time already. Posnanski’s post just served as a friendly reminder.

I also need to focus on the positive things about baseball and I should try to stay on the optimistic side of things. That means letting go of the bitterness of seeing John Lackey sign with the Red Sox (something I write about more for effect than anything else) and not getting too worked up over projections that cast the Angels as an under-dog. I’ll still have fun with those things, but I’ll try to use less venom. Besides everyone loves an under-dog, right?

And… just so we’re clear; that doesn’t mean I’ll go any easier on the A’s. I get too much pleasure out of bashing them.

One more tid-bit about Posnanski. One of my co-workers (also named Joe), who shares a fondness for Posnanski let me borrow a book Posnanski wrote called “The Soul of Baseball – a road trip through Buck O’Neil’s America.” I just started reading it, but it’s a magnificent lesson on making lemons out of lemonade. I highly recommend the book. You will find it inspiring, funny, and I guarantee it will put a smile on your face. I think I will be a better baseball fan for reading it.

Buck O’Neil has provided me with a great reminder that a lot of good comes out of being enthusiastic and positive.

Take my in-laws for instance. My father-in-law Charles likes baseball. I don’t know if he loves it the way Cheryl and I do, but I know he likes it enough to watch it whenever it’s on TV over anything else.

Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the stadium this past season with Cheryl and me; mostly because navigating the stairs became a bit of a challenge, but he definitely pulls for the Angels all the time.

Maybe he likes the Angels because his daughter is such a big fan. Charles grew up close to Boston, but I think he loves his daughter more than any team he grew up watching and pulls for the Angels because he wants his daughter to be happy.

My dad was like that. He always took an interest in my favorite teams and the players that I followed.

My mother-in-law, Millie has also become a big time Angels fan and loves going to a few games every year and when she’s not at the stadium with us; she’s usually listening to the games on the radio (that’s dedication!). I think Cheryl’s and possibly my own enthusiasm for the Angels has rubbed off on her. Now, if we were pessimistic and negative all the time, she probably never would have taken an interest.

I believe our stories about spring training, our friends in Section 514, our adventures in autograph collecting, and the games themselves have combined to help fuel Cheryl’s mom and dad’s interest. I’m guessing they had to see for themselves what all the fuss was about.

Baseball is one of the best things all four of us share together; and Angel baseball gives us something specific to rally around. The game is great like that. In fact, it’s beautiful that way.

We also have some dear friends named Mickey and Karen who are also Angel fans. I may be mistaken, but I kind of think our enthusiasm has rubbed off on them too; at least to the point where they follow the team more than they used to. Karen even tapes games that she goes to in person; just so she can go back and see things she might have missed.

I love hearing things like that and I love how baseball brings people together.

The 2010 season can’t get here soon enough. It will be great to have a season to follow with family and friends once again. Baseball may be just a game; but it’s also something special we can share with one another.

Often times it’s a game that’s passed down from one generation to another. In our case, it’s sort of being passed up a generation (to Cheryl’s parents) and that’s more than cool in my book. It’s never too late to become a baseball fan and there’s always room for more to join in the fun.

Johnny Damon goes on tour

I just couldn't resist...



Today's post was brought to you by the letter "D" - and no, that doesn't stand for Damon. D'oh!

And yes, "D" stands for D'oh!

Angels Fan Fest: Gone but not forgotten

Don’t you hate it when someone says something nice, but then adds the phrase; “that being said…” You know what’s coming next and it’s usually not something complimentary. It doesn’t even matter what was said before that because all you can focus on was what came afterwards.

I’m not going to do that (at least in not so many words).

The Angels do a lot of things right. The fan experience at Angel Stadium is one of the best. The product on the field is top notch and there’s never been a better time than right now to be an Angel fan. Now, usually the line there’s “never been a better time” is something you hear before the announcer says something about buying a car from a local dealership (which makes you wonder about all the other times they’ve said that, but I digress); however, in this case – it’s really true about being an Angels fan. This is the golden era of Angel’s baseball.

However… (Which is technically a different way of saying “that being said”?)

I miss the Angels Fan Fest. Fact is I’m jealous that teams all around the country have them and the Angels stopped doing them. I’m a die hard fan and I love having the chance to interact with the players on my favorite team. Most of them are great guys when you get a chance to talk to them.

Seriously, the Rangers and Twins had theirs this past weekend; the Giants have theirs this Saturday; the Rays have one Feb. 20, etc., etc. Heck, some teams even have Fan Fests at spring training. Even the stinkin’ A’s are having what they call a “Fan Appreciation Workout Day” right before the season opens. This is funny because I didn’t think the A’s had any actual fans and if they did, I didn’t think they actually cared. Just saying.

The Angels Fan Fest was wildly successful in the past; so I have to ask, why did they stop? Where else can you meet the Rally Monkey in person?

It was bad enough when they stopped having autograph days specifically for season ticket holders, but no Fan Fest either? Player/Fan related events seem to happen less frequently every year.

One year the Angels had players available before games to sign autographs on Sundays. Granted, they were often coaches or minor league call ups or bench players, but it was nice never-the-less.

Now-a-days you can’t even line up along the field, unless you go beyond the foul pole before a game (except on Sundays). How many fans have a memory tied to their childhood when they met a ball player? Like I said, our access is diminishing and I think that’s kind of sad.

I’ve been to several stadiums around the country and I’m always delighted to see many of them offering ways for fans to get autographs before games, etc. Some places make it mandatory for players to do this periodically. The point is a lot of teams make the effort to connect the players with the fans.

Now I know some of you out there don’t give a rip about stuff like this and as long as the Angels put a winning product on the field, you’re good. I get it. That’s your choice, but I’m looking for ways to build the Angels fan base.

Fan Fests are a great way to build and expand the Angels brand. It turns the casual fan into more something more. The guys on the field become more than just names and numbers; they become real people. My wife Cheryl became a much more engaged fan when she had the chance to meet players. It made her want to know more about them and it made following the team much more fun.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Jose Guillen and Milton Bradley (yes, I said “pleasure”) in person outside of the stadium environment (and I actually survived both encounters!). If my only impressions came from their public persona, I’d think they were nothing more than jerks; instead, I found them both to be cordial human beings, temporarily possessed by nice aliens. No seriously, they were both very cool one on one.

I don’t necessarily think the worst of either guy (although I’d rather not have them on the Angels). Now given the choice between a fan friendly team that sucks and one that’s not fan friendly but wins ball games, I’ll choose winning every time. But this doesn’t have to be an either or situation.

Having your picture taken with a player, shaking their hand, getting an autograph, exchanging a few stories or laughs, etc. goes a long ways to cementing one as a life-long fan in my opinion; especially for kids. And isn’t that what it’s all about? Think about the kids, man! It’s all about the kids!

Okay, that was more than a little over top, but you get my point; right? I know it’s not the only way to build Angel fandom, but it can’t hurt.

I know we’re going to get the All-Star Fan Fest this year and that’s all well and good, but I still miss having an Angels Fan Fest just the same. The memories and stories we have to share about fan/player encounters are priceless; they really are.

Thankfully, we have players such as Torii Hunter who will go out of their way to interact with fans. I’ve heard Torii say several times that the late Kirby Puckett told him to always sign as many autographs as he could because when it’s over; it’s over.

Sixteen days until pitchers and catchers report…

Enough is enough...

I don’t know about you, but there are a few things I’m really tired of this off season. First and foremost, I’ve had enough of Johnny Damon watch 2010. Where will Damon go? Will he go back to the Yankees? Will he grow his beard out? Will he eat a ham sandwich today? Good grief. Damon is like an aging rock star that’s forced to tour on the County Fair circuit as far as I’m concerned. Then again, I’ve just added to all the Damon talk with this post. Forgive me.

I’m also very tired of reading how one by one; the pundits and so-called baseball experts are picking the Seattle Mariners to win the American League West. Really? It’s not even February and some of you can’t even wait until Spring Training? What’s the hurry? It’s like they’re falling over one another to make sure they can pick Seattle before someone else does.

Rob Neyer of ESPN has the Angels winning just 81 games, six less than the Mariners. (CORRECTION - Neyer is commenting on CAIRO projections here - and not making them himself at this point).

Neyer give us some brilliant analysis. He did some in-depth research to tell us that “Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu are a year older.” Apparently, the rest of the league didn’t age. Go figure. Thanks Rob. By the way, you’re a year older too and your game seems to be slipping some as well. I’m just saying.

He also went on to say “Kendry Morales was probably over his head some last year.” When projections you don’t pan out (and Morales blew away all his projections last year), you get statements like that one. After all, something must be wrong if the projections are off, right? Year after year the Angels win more games than they’re projected to. It’s enough to make some people throw a hissy fit. I’m sure some will always under-project the Angels record because sooner or later they’re bound to be right – even if it’s just once.

To Neyer’s credit he does say that there isn’t much difference between the A’s projected 87 wins and the Angels’ projected 81 wins. He says “there are at least six games in play.” Whatever.

Dayn Perry of Fox Sports has also picked the Mariners to win the west. I really don’t know why I bother reading Perry or even following him on Twitter; because he seems to know as much about baseball as my cat does. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read something and thought to myself, does Perry do any kind of research what-so-ever?

I guess the Mariners are the new favorite flavor so far. So be it. I really shouldn’t get so worked up about projections. I mean we’re talking about projections. Projections? Where’s Allen Iverson when you need him. He’d be the perfect guy to tell us how ridiculous this all is. I mean we’re talking projections.

I’m also done with reading all the Mark McGwire bashing. I don’t think he should get into the Hall of Fame, but I can’t believe some people want to deprive him of continuing on with a life in baseball. Some of the demands being thrown out by people in glass houses are really nauseating.

Critiquing apologies has become a new art form. It’s as of he just finished an ice skating routine (imagine that) and some writer turned judge wants to knock him down a peg or two because of the way he blinks his eyes. The comments are almost as crazy as picturing McGwire on ice.

By the way, it’s almost time for another Johnny Damon update. What do you have for me? I’m just kidding. Well, sort of any way.

One thing I’m not tired of, but I’m still wondering about is whether or not anyone has noticed that the “Billy Beane is a genius” talk doesn’t seem to be as prevalent these days. Whatever happened to that movie with Brad Pitt playing the role of Beane? I’m betting it was beat out by the sequel to Snakes on a Plane or something like that.

I have to ask is anyone else waiting with baited breath for the updated PECOTA projections? Earlier in the week they had projected the Angels to finish last and the A’s to finish first. Hey, are you thinking what I’m thinking? This must have been some sort of ploy to get the movie “Money Ball” back on the front burner.

Anyway, Baseball Prospectus (BP) is still working on getting a clue. Oops, did I just write that? I meant to say, BP is ironing out some problems they had with their initial projections. I guess the laughter kind of got to them or something. I guess you can gather that I’m waiting for the PECOTA projections for the comic relief it can provide.

Breaking news… you’re probably not going to believe me, but Allen Iverson just called me to say he couldn’t believe I was still talking about practice… I mean projections…

One last thing about PECOTA. Word on the street was that Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes were going to investigate the projections and ask the folks at Baseball Prospectus if they actually charged people for the work they do? Then again, can there be any penalties for catering to the fantasy baseball world? I mean think about – they call it FANTASY baseball for a reason, right?

Enough about what I’m sick and tired of.

A couple things I’m looking forward to include hearing Rich Thompson say “cheers” as he signs autographs for fans at Spring Training. Something about Australian accents and baseball players is kind of cool.

I’m also looking forward to Reggie Willits, Terry Evans, Chris Pettit and Peter Bourjos getting after it as they compete to make the 25 man roster. Something about healthy competition gets me going.

I can’t wait to see Torii Hunter interacting with fans. No one is better at engaging fans than Hunter in my opinion. ESPN the Magazine voted Joe Mauer as the fan friendliest player in baseball. That’s high praise, but I can only stand by what I’ve seen first hand and Hunter loves baseball fans.

Tomorrow is February 1 and that means spring training is just around the corner. How sweet it is that pitchers and catchers report in less than three weeks!

It's never too early for baseball

Jered Weaver (Angels), Cesar Ramos (Padres), and Marco Estrada (Nationals) were among the Dirtbag alumni who returned to Blair Field today to participate in the Long Beach State Baseball team’s intra squad game.

Weaver started the game by facing three batters without allowing a hit and striking out the first man he faced. It was a brief outing for Weaver, who is one of 34 alumni who have made their way to the major leagues; a list that includes Evan Longoria (Rays), Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), Jason Giambi (Rockies), Jason Vargas (Mariners), Bobby Crosby (Pirates) and others. Weaver was followed by Ramos, Estrada, Brett Lorin (Pirates), and Nick Vincent (Padres), who each pitched an inning.

I didn’t actually stick around for the whole game and other alumni were present; although it was hard to tell who was who. All in all, it was a nice day to be out at a ball park and Blair Field is a great little baseball stadium.

I’m a proud Long Beach State alumnus and love the tradition behind the Long Beach State Dirtbags.

What is a Dirtbag? Per the Long Beach State 49er baseball site: The unofficial nickname of Long Beach State 49er baseball team refers to the program’s style of play and success against higher profile programs. The moniker was first coined for Coach Snow’s first team in 1989 which was comprised of nearly all new players. Playing without a home field (LBCC, Cerritos JC and Blair Field), and practicing at a local all-dirt Pony Field, that team won its first 18 games and advanced to the 49ers first College World Series appearance. Then-infield coach Dave Malpass would take his infielders to the all-dirt field for their rigorous workout. The infielders would return to the regular practice field after their sessions covered in dirt. Thus the name “Dirtbags” was born. The name resurfaced again in 1993 when the 12-12 49ers rallied to win 34 of their next 41 games and finish three outs short of the National Championship game. The “Dirtbags” were once again a fan favorite at the 1998 College World Series as the country received a lesson in “Dirtbag” baseball.

For more information about Long Beach State baseball, visit their web site.

Pictured below are Cesar Ramos (upper left), Marco Estrada (upper right), Brett Lorin (lower left) and Nick Vincent (lower right)





More pictures of Jered Weaver:



The Dirtbags open their season at home on February 19 at 6:30 p.m. against the Pepperdine Waves at Blair Field; where incidently, Bobby Grich is a member of the Blair Field Hall of Fame.

Videos from today:

What's in a song?

My wife Cheryl is great at making observations. She sees the deeper meaning in things and has the keen ability to call things to my attention that I would never have thought about if it weren’t for her.

Well, Cheryl has this thing about the song the Angels play during the 7th inning stretch at Angels Stadium. You know the song they play after “Take me out to the ball game?” It starts out with “Why do you build me up, Buttercup, baby, Just to let me down and mess me around…”

In her opinion it’s an odd song choice for the Angels. I mean compared to the Dodgers’ song of “Don’t stop believing” – “Build me up Buttercup,” is like self full filing prophecy. The song is about disappointment and when you think about the Angels' post season record since 2002 the parallels to the song are kind of obvious.

The line “So build me up, buttercup, don’t break my heart” is like an Angels' fan plea to their team and yet; the last several years, a broken heart (as Cheryl points out) is something we’ve become all too familiar with.

Cheryl’s solution is a new song. What song screams Angels more than any other? What song would have people dancing in the aisles and kids smiling and singing along? How about singing, Hey, hey we’re the Monkees? The song ties into the whole rally monkey thing. It’s also easy to remember, sing along to and has a positive vibe as well. Dick Clark would probably give it a "95" or higher.

Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around.
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down.

We're just tryin' to be friendly,
Come and watch us sing and play,
We're the young generation,
And we've got something to say.

Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees

Extra verse:

Hey, hey, we're the Monkees,
You never know where we'll be found.
so you'd better get ready,
We may be comin' to your town.

I think Cheryl has a point. Oh and if this song is in your head for the rest of your day, don’t blame me.

There's something about Joe

I’m predicting big things for Joe Saunders in 2010. I know that’s probably not a big surprise since I’ve gone on record several times to tell you all that I’m a huge Joe Saunders fan. Never-the-less, in this case I’m not just saying things just to say it.

Fact is I expect big things out of the rotation as a whole. I’ve already gone over my thoughts on Jered Weaver and Scott Kazmir. Now it’s time to pump up the volume on Joe.

Look we’ve already seen glimpses of what he can do. He had an all-star season in 2008 and had he not been injured last year, he probably would have duplicated and possibly even improved upon that effort in 2009. Not being able to get full extension in his shoulder was a major contributor to his struggles. That’s not an excuse; that’s just the way it is.

Even still, we saw some good stuff from Joe last year; like the night he bested CY Young award winner Zack Greinke with a complete game, 1-0 shut out on May 9, 2009. You know what I loved about that game? Joe’s reaction when he won. When the game ended, Joe had that “boy that was fun” look on his face. It wasn’t a “look at me, I’m the great K-Rod demonstration;” it was more along the lines of “how about that” as he slapped his glove in celebration.

I loved it. Cheryl (my wife) loved it. He bested one of the top notch pitchers in the game. I’m sure I was yelling “that’s what I’m talking about!”

That night was vintage Joe. That was a guy with quiet confidence finding his way into the spotlight organically. He was just doing his thing and having fun doing it. You have to love that.

If you’re not a Joe Saunders fan yet, stick around – you will be.

He’s not the kind of guy who grabs headlines. Guys who pitch to contact rarely are, but let me tell you – Joe’s got game. I’ve lamented plenty of times about the great season he had in 2008 when he lead the Angels starters in wins and ERA. If he’s healthy (and I’m assuming he will be) I see no reason why he can’t get back to having another season like the one in 2008.

Now, I may be in the minority in that thinking, as people like Bill James seems to disagree. He projects Saunders to go 10-10 with a respectable 4.15 ERA and a FIP of 4.41. Most projections have him improving on his 2009 season, but none appear to have him coming close to what he did just two years ago.

I mean 10-10? Really? Someone get Vegas on the line, I need to put down a bet.

Joe is all of 28 years old and I believe he’s about to enter into the prime of his career. He showed how good he could be when he came off the DL last season. In the 8 starts after coming off the DL on August 26, 2009 he gave up three runs just once, two runs five times, didn’t allow any runs once and gave up a run on one other start.

He was Smokin’ Joe Saunders during that stretch. He went 7-1 in those games. Yeah, yeah, I know wins aren’t necessarily the best indicator of pitching success. So relax, winning seven games is a good thing. Trust me on this.

I believe those last eight games were more indicative of Saunders’ ability than most of the prior games when he was battling injury. Now, I may be a Saunders homer, but I don’t think that’s an unreasonable assumption, do you?

Here’s another thought; Joe will most likely be the #2, #3 or #4 starter and that means he will usually be facing other #2's, #3’s and #4’s. I have to say; I like his chances against those guys on any given night. Now, I know schedules don’t always pan out that way, but it isn’t a reach by any means.

So there you have it. I’m expecting big things from Joe Saunders. The 2010 rotation is going to be something special. I believe they will push one another and that there will be a friendly competition to out do one another. These are young guys, with a great deal of confidence and talent. They may be the best 1-5 staff in the big leagues.

Even though there has been an influx of top-of-the-rotation type guys coming into the AL West; like Cliff Lee, Ben Sheets and Rich Harden joining the likes of Felix Hernandez, I’ll take the Angels starting five over any other five starters on any other given team in the AL West. Can I get a boo-ya?

Now… about that Maicer Izturis signing. I’ve read where some Angel fans are wondering if Izturis’ well-deserved three year, $10 million contract spells some sort of bad news for Howie Kendrick and/or Brandon Wood. Well, in a word – no. However, the fact that some fans are even thinking that way is a great indicator as to how good Izturis is.

Might Maicer as Rex Hudler would say, “has skills.” He’s an asset and the Angels were wise to lock him up for three years. He’s much more than a bench player; he’s a solid utility guy who will easily get 300-350 AB’s. He’s also a very…. (now, get ready for this because I’m going to use one of those phrases that drives some stat heads crazy)… a very “clutch” hitter. Ooh, I think I heard a couple of veins pop on some foreheads out there.

It was time to pay Izturis and that’s not a bad reflection on Kendrick or Wood; it’s a great reflection on Izturis’ value to the Angels. That’s it folks; so, let’s not get crazy.

By the way, some of you may have noticed that the guy I was hoping the Angels would sign to fill in for the role formerly played by Robb Quinlan; Chad Tracy was signed by the Cubs.

I’m still trying to figure out who will end up backing up Kendry Morales at 1B. Izturis has 2B, 3B, and SS covered, but I can’t see a guy who’s all of 5’8” backing up Morales. So, who’s still available?

Well, there’s Hank Blalock (a popular choice among Angel fans); however, I think he’s a train wreck defensively and hits enough bombs to probably warrant a full time DH job somewhere else. Perhaps someone like Ryan Garko (who went to Servite High School in Anaheim) could fill that role.

Oh and before anyone brings it up (actually I’m too late on this), let’s just say “NO” to bringing back Darin Erstad for that role. I think there’s some kind of unwritten rule about guys who take out ads in the local paper to thank the fans when they leave, not being able to come back to that team. Those kind of good-byes are final, even though it was a tremendous gesture on Erstad’s part.

By the way, I’m still waiting for one of those from the guy who went to Boston, but I’m not holding my breath.

One last thing... today is my late father's birthday. I miss him more than words can say. I know he would have loved this blog.

Come and get some swagger

Admit it. I know exactly what’s been on the minds of some of you Angel fans. You’ve still got that bitter taste in your mouth from an ALCS that seemed winnable. You’ve probably been focusing on what went wrong and some of you keep coming back to a guy who was supposed to make a difference. You keep coming back to Scott Kazmir. I’m right, aren’t I?

I know you’re wondering why the Angels traded for this guy. You’re thinking, “If this is the insurance policy for John Lackey’s departure; somebody got swindled.” You’re ready to call the baseball police or at least your local sports talk show to ask “What we’re the Angels thinking?”

I know the off season hasn’t gone like you hoped it would and you’ve got lots of things to get off your chest and the first item on your agenda is Kazmir. Go ahead and bring it.

Better yet, step into the batter’s box of public opinion and take your swings at Kazmir. You know you want to do it. You want to bash this guy because somebody has to take the blame and you’re thinking you know all about this guy and what he’s going to do or not do in 2010.

You want a piece of Kazmir? Like I said, step into the box, but know this and know it well; Kazmir is going to strike you out. In fact, he’s going to blow away that negative opinion and bad attitude you’re hanging on to. He’s going to make you wonder what happened. You’ll be shaking your head and looking over your shoulder and saying “Man, he’s pretty darn good after all.” And then, it’s going to happen; you’re going pause and a grin is going to find the corner of your lips and then that grin is going to turn into a Cheshire cat-like smile because Scott Kazmir just blew your mind by showing you what he can really do. I’m telling you that day is coming. You are going to learn that you were wrong and for one of the few times in your life, you’re actually going to be glad you were wrong and not be afraid to admit it.

Mark my words. Quote me all you want. Scott Kazmir is going to be an ace and he’s going to have a great season. In fact, I believe he’s going to have the kind of season that will make us forget about that guy who left town to pitch in Boston.

What’s that I hear? Do I detect a bit of skepticism? You want to know what happened to Kazmir in the 2009 post season. Well, it beats the heck out of me. Let’s just say that I don’t believe Kazmir’s 2009 season and more specifically his 2009-post season is indicative of what he’s capable of doing. 2009 will not define Kazmir; I believe it will motivate him to greatness in 2010.

I’m thinking all that because reports from Buster Olney of ESPN (subscription required for whole article) indicate Kazmir is working hard to get back to being that top-of-the-rotation guy the Angels believe he can be. Word is he started working out one week after his season ended. Let me remind you that was three months ago. Kazmir is no slackey, err slacker.

This is a guy who’s clearly on a mission. I know, I know – that phrase gets used to death, but it fits with what’s going on here. According to Olney, Kazmir has been working on some very specific goals; things like strengthening his core, allowing him to repeat his delivery consistently. And that delivery is going to feature what he hopes is an improved slider. He’s working on a new grip to give his slider more spin.

What’s it all mean?

Let’s just say that Kazmir is working on stuff that isn’t going to show up in any of those projections that have become so popular. How could it? Did Bill James know that Kazmir was going to be stronger and more fit before he projected Kazmir to have a 3.90 ERA, a 3.84 FIP and 176 K’s in 2010?

No, he didn’t. You can’t measure stuff like this and if one could factor this stuff in; wouldn’t it stand to reason those projections (courtesy of FanGraphs.com) are shy of what he really might do?

Are you thinking what I’m thinking? I’m thinking boo-ya! Heck yeah, Kazmir is going to blow his projections away and then some.

Look, most projections already have Kazmir showing significant improvement over his 2009 season. And that’s without factoring in the work he’s doing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m learning to appreciate sabermetrics, but sometimes things happen that you just can’t predict. Kazmir is throwing a wrench into the projections by doing work that’s going to make a huge difference in how he performs.

It’s time to expect big things from Kazmir. Time for roto geeks to move Kazmir up on their draft sheets (myself included) and for Angel fans to flock to the team store to buy his jersey.

It’s also time to wipe that bitter taste of losing in the ALCS from your lips and time to start thinking about a better season in 2010. Come on, you know you want to believe. Spring is almost here and being optimistic will put a little extra pep in your step or even; dare I say… a little swagger!