disarcina

I assume McDonald retires..........if you non-tender Beckham you can probably get him back if you want......... I wouldn't over-pay for him.......he did contribute and did provide bench depth at al INF positions. I preferred McDonald as a late inning defensive replacement but 1,) McDonald is probably retiring and 2.) Beckham not quite the glove McDonald is, but better bat with some pop and is probably a better choice to pinch run as well......... As for McDonald, in ST we had several non-roster MIF invitee types -- I couldn't figure out why we invited them when we had enough options within the system (at that point, Romine was still a Halo)....one guy I thought was real surplusage during ST was McDonald...........I didn't think at age 39 he was the best of the bunch of ST non-roster invitees -- I was amazed when at the end of the day he made the 25 man roster.......within weeks, IMO, he proved his value to club........he was a solid contributor in a bench depth (late inning defensive replacement, guy to come off the bench to sac bunt, pinch runner) all season......if he his final BA was close to .200 or where-ever he ended up........

they should send Josh Hamilton cleats to the guys in the heart of the St. Louis line up.

that Red Sox sweep was great and then the playoff run stopped all too quickly after that. that BoSox sweep is pretty much our last playoff hurrah.....not much since. but the Red Sox sweep buzz was great for the very short time it lasted.

Yadier OUT, Cardinals probably DONE, despite tonight's win. Our favorite guy, AJP probably coming in as Yadier's replacement for at least a few of the games. Cardinals not the same team without Yadier. See Grichuk's play tonight? Some one asked -- where's PJB, Petey? I think he's on the NLCS roster but not sure...........Grichuk's getting more playing time than Bourjos these days.

well, if it's a 'keeper league' I go with Posey but if I need to win THIS series -- Yadier. Of course, now it looks like Yadier is out with an oblique strain that may keep out of the rest of the NLCS. If that's the case, the Cardinals are DONE. They are simply NOT the same team without Yadier Molina -- check out their record WITH Yadier in the line up and then the games when he was on the DL. The Cards had fallen into third place behind Pittsburgh and Cincy in mid August when Yadier came back from the DL and quickly went on a run to win the NL Central.

Downing Rules makes a good point -- different time, different place. It not reported much anywhere (so little in fact, that one of the real experts on Angels franchise history, Rob Goldman, was unaware of this at one point when I mentioned it on a thread post a year or so back) but the first mental health type 'disability' case for MLB was former Halos player (and AL batting champion in the 70's) Alex Johnson. Alex Johnson was a player and hitter with tremendous physical talent and strength and lots of personal demons. His erratic behavior was nerve-racking, highest of highs, lowest of lows, outright incidents of nastiness to team mates, managers and coaches coupled with being a guy who would never turn away a kid asking for an autograph..........he would act like he didn't want to play and take himself out of the line - up -- all of this got his traded to St. Louis and later Philadelphia where his once significant ability at the plate stalled to a halt and the ugly off field incidents involving team mates and club officials continued........he ended up getting released......... The late MLB Player rep, Marvin Miller, then led a years long effort to get Johnson appropriate pension benefits as MLB's first case of a player retired because of a mental disability.

interesting read........well written story going back and forth between the now infamous Dave Henderson game and the July, 1989 incident. sad read but an important story to be told even now. thanks for posting the story link.

yeah, all water and lousy ABs under the bridge now....... there was a mention of Moustakas playing for KC and getting hot in the playoffs after a poor August/ September....... there's a difference there --not exactly what Moustakas' stats were in August/September but he had a much better second half than first half when he got sent out to Omaha for about a month to two weeks -- his stats may not have been great in September but I saw some of his ABs on televised games and his swing looked ok...........also Moustakas is pretty good on D down at 3B. One of the 'mistakes' Yost made (in the Oakland game) was PH Jason Nix for Moustakas in the 11th and then trotting poor fielding Nix out to play 3B in the top of the inning when the A's bunting to third and a ball that Moustakas probably would have caught (a bunt that went into air) dropped in front of a slightly mis-positioned Nix and the A's scored the go-ahead run -- the Royals won in the bottom of the 12th thanks to the A's pen and over-came Yost's effort to lose the game). So Moustakas has some real D value to KC even without his 4 post-season HRs (which is surprising given his lack of pop during the regular season). If there was a DiPoto/ Sosh issue on the Hamilton on the ALDS roster deal -- one explanation for Sosh's move may have been -- 'hey, DiPoto, it's your guy, you want, he's playing' I doubt that happened but just as good as any other excuse. I didn't think Hamilton hurt us on D in the OF during ALDS but was not a plus and not an up-grade over other options -- Cowgill. Hamilton's ABs were awful. I don't think I saw one AB (of his 13 ALDS ABs) that I thought was acceptable -- I thought it was pretty clear in the first game he wasn't anywhere close to being able to hit and contribute any offense to the team.......and not just the lack of production as in an Oh for with some tough breaks, decent swings and shots hit at people..........he was awful and looked it.

Hamilton stays.........why? because he's too valuable? No. Because Angels signed him to a lousy long term contract that no one will take on and then Hamilton is injury prone and now its known he can't bounce back very well from routine injuries.........his ALDS 'performance' showed that for all to see. will this go away next year --? Well, there is always a chance that Hamilton will perform better than he has (that should be a low bar).....and he may prove that he belongs to be back in the starting line up again........ But Sosh placing him on the ALDS roster and then starting him in ALL THREE games will NOT GO AWAY.......I, quite frankly, will NEVER understand why Hamilton was not PH for his last AB of Game One after showing that he clearly was not ready to come back from injury at that point.........he should have been PH for Game One and then should have taken a seat on the bench the rest of the series........Not much one can do about that now --but in one respect it won't just GO AWAY -- I think there are a lot of Halos fans like me that will NEVER be able to understand Sosh's decision making on this one.

Better CATCHER? YADIER -- hands down. Better offensive guy? Posey. Yadier is a catcher first and hitter second -- does both relatively well and is natural team leader. Posey is a hitter first and is really more of a 1B-C-DH.......not much team leadership quality there but he does lead by example which isn't bad. OVERALL -- I'd take Yadier.........

I disagreed completely with placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster and said so BEFORE the series. even if you suggest that you go with Hamilton over Cowgill in Game One, there's no way you keep Hamilton in there after watching his first three ABs in Game One. Honestly, Sosh's sticking with Hamilton in the starting line up for Games Two and Three after the ABs he had in Game One is something that I simply cannot understand and cannot be satisfactorily explained to me (or I think anyone else). I would give Sosh sort of a pass on placing Hamilton on the ALDS roster (even if I completely disagree with that) - but keeping him in after Game One ABs -- no way. Now, having said that -- Hamilton terrible series alone DID NOT LOSE the series for us -- it contributed to the loss but so did other things. and, hey, let's face it -- we got beat by the things that win playoff games -- pitching, defense and add some very strategically used KC speed. KC had how many pitchers on the ALDS roster? 9 or 10 -- what did the Halos have ? -- 11/12? those extra roster spots allowed KC to keep a Gore/ Dyson speedster combo on the roster. meanwhile, Campana -- a true speedster -- like KC's Gore -- could have helped the Halos. oh well. off -season -- and, hey, guys, -- we need rotation help.

only thing that makes off-season tolerable is LA Kings hockey and the NHL season.

free agent list -- could we afford to sign Russell Martin as a back up / platoon sort of guy for Ianetta and deal Conger?

I would deal Kendrick -- even though I like what he's done for the Halos over the years -- but I would deal Kendrick for the right deal and get some quality starting pitching......

not sure why any one wants to deal Aybar -- I think he does a great job for us at SS and really came through down the stretch.

Puig -- stay far, far away.........any one remember Milton Bradley........yeah - Puig.

it is on Sosh -- I will never understand the sticking with Hamilton thing during this ALDS. a video of all his playoff ABs one after the other would get so ugly you'd have to stop it after his third AB of game one.

another guy who is on the list -- and may hold the record for the most dis-liked Angels for the shortest time on / affiliated with team and fewest games played : Jose Canesco -- who was a non-roster walk on for ST about what? ten years back now? I think he was with the team about a week, maybe ten days, claimed he was hurt and couldn't play for a majority of the time he was in camp -- and then when he played I remember seeing him mis-play a ball in the OF -- after telling Sosh he 'was hurt' and couldn't play for something like 4 days in a row (remember , this is a NON-ROSTER guy in Spring Training) -- Sosh and the Halos 'dis-invited him from camp' (he can't be really DFA'd because he's not really on the team in the first place).......Canseco didn't catch on with another team and has blamed Scioscia and the Angels ever since for 'bad mouthing him' and saying he was 'injured/ damaged goods' ---- this from a guy who said he couldn't play four days straight while he's trying to make the roster as a non-roster invitee.......... another head case was Raul Mondesi who was actually on the Angels regular season 25 man roster for about ten days...........unlike Canseco, though, rather than making an E in the OF, I remember Mondesi throwing a guy out at the plate for the Halos -- it was about the only good thing he did.......he think he may have gotten one hit and if he got 13 ABs for us (seemed like he was Halo for a week/ ten days at most) he struck out about 12 of those...........he then made some sort of MLB worker's comp type claim and I remember reading an article about MLB teams (Pittsburgh and Angels) convinced that Mondesi was gaming the worker' comp'/ disability angle. too bad, too - because Mondesi was truly a five tool player when he first came up with the Dodgers -- he wound up being just a tool.

I think Mo Vaughn was pretty much universally dis-liked by Halos fans. GMJ although fans didn't necessarily dis-like GMJ but couldn't stand the contract he was signed to (from day one -- just like Hamilton). Lackey sort of left a bad taste for Halos fans but not while he was playing here but for his attitude/ comments about the Angels after he left -- same thing with Jimmy Edmonds. then there are those Halos who were considered Halos regardless of what uniform they were wearing and were fan favorites: Jim Fregosi, JT Snow, Chuck Finley, David Eckstein; I'd add Torii Hunter -- and he was a fan favorite here and IMO is still rooted for by Halos fans - -but push come to shove his primary affiliation is with the Minnesota Twins.

I wouldn't fire Scioscia unless we're hiring Daryl Sutter as his replacement...........and something tells me that's not happening.......

I don't agree with the thread title here -- Pujols works out, tries to stay in shape etc. am sure Hamilton may do some of that, too -- but its also apparent that Hamilton's past 'habits' have taken a physical toll on him making it a lot tougher for his body to physically 'bounce back' when he gets injured, he can't take some of the pain killing medication needed because of his 'condition' and I just think, particularly as he ages, the aging process is more pronounced and it makes it tougher for him to 'bounce back' --- amazing that many of us here actually commented on that when the Halos signed him to a long term contract........ Hamilton is this Angels era GMJ -- bad long term contract regretted before the ink was dry..........

Hamilton was the one sleep walking -- still can't believe his ABs in the playoffs and the fact the Angels let him get some 18 ABs during the series.

I think the O's beat them -- but we'll see. if the O's don't stop them , YADIER will.

would like to see Eck back in the game -- perhaps with us as roving infield instructor --a job DiSar once had with us. Cards might get to Eck first.

I a huge DiSar fan as is obvious -- but, truly, folks -- didn't we have more guys tossed out at third base and at home plate this year than ever before??? as for getting tossed out at home plate this year -- with the new (ridiculous) 'no blocking the plate rule' our guys get tossed out at the plate in a year when the runners were mostly called safe all year in MLB because of the silly new rule..........but our guys seem to get tossed out? still like DiSar, though, but as a third base coach,?........well, not so much.