disarcina

time of year flipping channels between WBC, ST and March Madness stuff. the Pac 12 games are hard to watch with the sound on -- Bill Walton's commentary has done something this year that I thought was impossible -- reached a more absurd level.

Andrew Miller implodes -- where was Leyland with the hook? I thought he was four batters too late. what's with these guys (manager)? -- you've got an ALL STAR type squad -- use your pen -- when a guy like Miller is getting lit up and not looking effective -- next guy up !!!!

good stuff -- where was this? I have been sorta out of the loop -- thought I read somewhere the Spring Training Fan Fest deal in Tempe was cancelled this year -- looks like a fun night. Wally World was a special time in Anaheim, My late father thought that when Wally Joyner first came up with the Halos -- his rookie year - and was getting a lot of media attention -- that Wally's batting swing was near perfect.......he compared it to Ted Williams -- who my father saw play.....he didn't say that about any other hitters - just Wally Joyner.

79-83. I think our rotation is pretty rickety and may collapse by May. I don't know what's worse, We finish 79-83 or that 79-83 would actually be an improvement over last year.

he seemed to do ok on the post season games I saw -- but of course, wasn't he on that panel with Pete Rose and other guys yukking it up. putting A-Rod on the "It's all about Me" Pete Rose was a good move for A-Rod - made him look better.

Jered Weaver pitched in what I think was his first ST appearance for San Diego today. His line: IP 2; H - 4; R-1; ER - 1; K -1 BB- 0 and he got the WIN......I guess ST rules in effect. 2 IP start and you get the win. Still - nice to see Weaver have a pretty decent start to get the arm limbered up. I'm rooting for him to do well with the Padres.

Israel won. Saw a story somewhere -- ESPN? -- talking about the Israel team and mentioning that Jerry Weinstein was the manager/ coach of the team, The sportswriter/ columnist guy then made some snarky remark -- who's he? never heard of him type remark. Well, Jerry Weinstein, long time Sacramento City College baseball coach and one of the winningest junior college coaches of all time, also has been a MLB scout and coach........I know he did some scouting for the Dodgers and then went -- I think to Arizona did some on field base coaching but I think they bumped him to a better spot as coordinator of minor league player development..........a perfect role for him. expect Israel team to play above their level with Weinstein at the helm..........

some good baseball -- the last WBC -- when the finals were held at AT&T Park in SF -- I went to the games -- you may recall this was the year the USA team got knocked out before the games reached the finals in SF. The Japanese fans were great -- really into the game -- the Latin American teams were stocked with talent. the atmosphere in that great ballpark by the Bay in SF was electric. The games I saw were a lot of fun -- tickets (mainly because the US team was OUT) were not that difficult to get and not that expensive...... I'd recommend taking in a game if you get the chance -- especially if you've never been -- it's a great experience and they only play this what? every four years or something.

the timing of that article was ironic. I agree with the way the pen and pitchers are used / were used in the post-season.......can you do that for a full season? No, because you are adjusting for a 5 game or 7 game series. (also, if you did this during the regular season, all the 'Pace of the Game' recommendations ,if adopted, could never make up for the extra 45 minutes per game for pitching changes -- as the average number of pitchers used was about five per game) But I have long been of the opinion you can mix and match more in your bullpen and not use the same formula every game. This guy is the pre- set up, this guy is the set up, this guy is the closer........ Bruce Bochy did this somewhat in San Diego and even more so when he had better bullpen pitcher in SF..........when you mix and match it up, it keeps the other side off balance a bit..........they won't always know what's now only happening next but what's going to happen in the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th inning.....the opposing manager can save his PH for a specific match up late in the game or whatever.......if you switch things up, you keep the other side guessing - that's where i think you want them. And, I think you can do this without overusing your pitching staff........ and to respond to a prior post,,,,,,,yeah, I remember when Mike Marshall (the relief pitcher not the former lanky first baseman of the same name) pitched in an incredible number of games two seasons back to back -- something like 86 one year and more than 100 the next............we won't ever see that again, just like we no longer see a rotation guy pitching 300 innings with 30 plus complete games -- go back and look at games started (four man rotations) IP and Complete Game stats for players like Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Wilbur Wood........those days are long gone.

and it begins.........expect a few of our 'coming off arm issues/ injuries/ surgeries' rotation guys to be next........

I don't want to go through a whole season of Fire Scioscia threads -- but I guess it's inevitable that we will have that here. Oh well. We should put up a poll for posters How Much Longer Will Scioscia be Halos' skipper? 1. 2017 will be his final season 2, He will manage through 2018 and then retire. 3, He will manage the team until Moreno sells the club which could be as soon as 2018 or 2019. I do think that Moreno has an eye for finding the right time to cash in on his "Anaheim" now "Los Angeles" investment. He has set the table having signed Trout somewhat long term, has Calhoun inked to a contract for three years, has resolved the City of Anaheim/ stadium lease issues for 15 years plus and with the market and potentially tax issues getting better for sellers of assets over the next year or two -- might be a good time to cash in. IMO the rose is off the bloom (and has been for some time) in terms of Moreno being a MLB team owner -- a sole proprietor type franchise owner (even if he's a corporate entity himself) competing against real corporate conglomerates with player costs increasing at incredible rates. His attitude towards the media has changed. It appears from outward view here that he's not having fun as he did when he first bought the team. The shine is off and with everything going on -- it might be a good time for him to unload the team -- and when he does it will be for many more times more than his initial investment. Moreno (who I have always liked as the Halos owner) seems content to put a product on the field, fill the stands most nights, accept the TV/ media revenue and if the team finishes third, well, that's OK........and, actually, I find it difficult to find fault with this, if that's what's happening.......it's a tough business.

Angelsjunky -- you are certainly not alone in your progression from an avid fan to a more casual one. Many of the circle of my long time baseball fans feel the same way. If I did not attend a game this year at the Big A, it will mark the third season in a row that I have gone to ZERO, count 'em ZERO regular season Angels games. Also, this year, I am not going to Spring Training - Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, Surprise etc. The teams and the Arizona vendors (hotels, restaurants, rental cars etc.) have priced things out of reach, seemingly making it their 'Christmas season" month to make all their profit for the year. And then, there's the changes to the game.........there was a story (on ESPN I think) the other day listing the top 10 active players who have played the most games with one team.. The top of the list guys entered the league in 2011 and 2012.......We've come a long way from Yaz of the Boston Red Sox, Ernie Banks of the Cubs and Tony Gwynn, Mr. Padre, among others......now players switch teams so often and team line ups change constantly it's hard to keep up....... MLB doesn't seem to concern but what they should be concerned about is that the participation of U.S.kids in youth baseball leagues (Little League) is declining. The NFL (which until 2016 season has been just a jaugernaut of commercial success of skyrocketing proportions dominating the market share of advertising dollars spent on sports -- but even the NFL -- even before the slowing down of its incredible success (which continues -- 2016 season marked the first time viewership ratings and perhaps overall attendance - was down a bit) is concerned about the declining numbers of kids playing youth football (Pop Warner etc.) due to parents concerned about the concussion issue and other health risks. Angelsjunky --- not only do I think your views shared above are becoming more commonly held -- I also think that as avid fans like us start to reduce our participation in attending games / watching games/ just generally following baseball -- the millennial folks coming up behind us are not replacing us as we sort of 'fall away' -- they are busy with extreme sports, video games and other activities with a larger number of the population having little to no interest in spectator sports of any kind.........it's a different world from the one many of us grew up in when every kid played little league baseball, a lot played football - certainly high school football -- and there was fair participation in youth basketball as well. Now soccer is all the rage for kids -- (and has been for quite a while now) and that's great -- but it does not lead to lifelong 'soccer' fans the way the other sports do. One major positive trend (thanks Title IX (that's 9) is that women's sports at all levels have expanded in quality and quantity over the past three decades which provides for not only more opportunities educationally and professionally but also has expanded the market for sports fans -- the NFL ratings show that female fans make up a significant portion of its fan base --I would attribute much of this to the increase in participation of female student athletes in a wider array of sports programs -- a societal change for the better over the at least past three decades.

hey, I got it from the ESPN site -- it was up last week -- if it's an article from 2009 I had no clue about that. but if it was a 2009 article -- GEEZ some of the 'newer' parks blasted were 8 years 'newer' and still lousy.........WOW.

we criticize the Halos front office a bit, let's say something nice here. that Hector Santiago deal at both ends of the deal -- his coming over from Chicago and is being dealt when he was to Minnesota were good deals for the Halos. We got Santiago as a swing man -- bullpen/long relief guy/ spot starter/ 5th spot rotation guy. The Halos rotation encountered injuries (as it always does) and Hector Santiago stepped up into a rotation well and pitched fairly well for us in that role for almost two years.....then at deadline time last year (with his effectiveness for us sort of tailing off - but he still had some pretty decent quality starts for us) we move him to Minnesota and get innings eater Nolasco who actually had some good starts for the Dodgers before that....... Almost immediately upon Santiago's arrival in Minnesota he iimploded -- his starts in August/ September for the Twins were awful. check the box scores. Ugly. Looks like he's picked up where he left off - getting rocked. The other good trade (both ends of the deal) was Frieri (spelled wrong)......he had imploded in San Diego with just terrible outings so we trade for him (didn't give up much, if I remember right).......he became our closer (and an effective one ) for close to two years........towards the end of his time with us, his effectiveness tailed off , he lost his closer's role and got to the point towards the end of his time in Anaheim when he couldn't get anyone out. We traded him away (to Pittsburgh? forgot where we sent him) got a decent payer in return and Frieri reverted to the pitcher he was with the Padres (ineffective) and was soon on the shuttle between MLB club and AAA. Both those deals-- Hector Santiago and Ernesto Frieri were deals where we got the most out of player who exceeded expectations for us for about a two year period of time and then we sent them away elsewhere just as their effectiveness began to fade........

I agree with Blarg on Devo - Devo had some good years with the Halos, was just stellar in CF making some great plays, stealing bases etc.-- everyone remembers Jimmy Edmonds out in CF making one great play after another -- and rightfully so -- he really played some D out there -- but Devon White was at Edmonds level or even better. He went over to do well with other teams and I still rate him as one of the top defensive CF'ers in Halos history --- of course, the guy we have out there right now is pretty darned good. in fact, the guy we have out there right now if he keeps his numbers where they've been - well, you're talking about him in the same vein as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey Jr.

I have not been to Dodger Stadium in almost twenty years.......used to go to a lot of games there as a kid and later during college years. I guess they've upgraded a few things -- made the concourse wider which was really needed because it was always packed with folks walking around during the games (it amazes me how folks at Dodger games don't actually watch the game)......I understand the parking lot is more of a nightmare getting in and out of than ever before -- sort of McCourt's legacy........ NO sidewalks? it's the walk from the ballpark over to the area near the Honda Center on Katella.......there are no sidewalks there -- I remember one year, a few years back now, we caught an NCAA March Madness tournament game at the Honda Center followed by an Angels baseball exhibition game at Angels Stadium (might have been one of the years when they cut short the freeway series exhibition and I think the Angels played the Padres).........anyway walking from the nearby hotel to the Honda Center under that tunnel was quite the trek.......no sidewalks and there was a large crowd of folks that walked on Katella through the underpass to the point traffic was stopped......everyone headed to the basketball games at the Honda Center.......so i know where the guy means.

not saying I agree with ESPN -- Angels Stadium has its issues but overall -- it's a fairly pleasant place to watch a game -- especially for families. But this is one EPSN commentator's take which is then disseminated throughout the country. personally, I like the ability to walk to and from hotels/ restaurants/ bars near the ballpark as well as the train station. Can't do that at Dodger Stadium.

Quick -- let's get those Cactus League championship banners flying at Angels Stadium.........

yk9001 -- link? it is when you are as IT challenged as I am..........

Oh , and there was the comment about the Halo's team fortunes: " the team is not very good and won't be very good for a while despite having Mike Trout on the roster, in the line up"

ESPN site has an article listing the TEN WORST MLB ballparks venues for fans -- the headline says something like : Ten Ballparks for Fans to Skip" The list, with the Worst (Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg/ Tampa Bay -- no surprise here) listed first and the others in order of "worse-ness" 1. Tropicana Field / Tampa Bay 2. Oakland Coliseum (The house Al Davis ruined -- used to be able to see the Oakland Hills beyond CF). 3. Chase Field , Arizona 4. Cellular Field (Southside of Chicago/ White Sox) 5. Rogers Centre (Toronto) 6. Arlington, Texas ( relatively new park, too -- article says Commissioner looking to push Texas for new park by 2020 -- wasn't this ballpark just built not long ago?) 7. Miami (I think MLB expansion moving into Florida cities is a bad idea). 8. ANGELS STADIUM (Anaheim -- and the remarks are not too complimentary about the site or the team's future -- see below) 9. Houston (another somewhat recently built park - at least they dumped the ENRON FIELD name). 10. Detroit (now Comerica Park is fairly new -- read the write up -- I think this is just a knock on downtown Detroit). COMMENT in the write up describing Angels Stadium (ESPN's words not mine): "I don't think there is anything more representative of living in Southern California than being able to watch traffic (the 57 Freeway) while at a baseball game....And if you decide to walk to or from the Stadium to the bar, be prepared to take your life in your hands -- the road that leads to the Stadium does not have sidewalks and includes an underpass where Anaheim's homeless like to gather/ use as a toilet." DISCUSS...........(yeah, the Halos renewed the COA Stadium lease through 2029). .

I got the Rick Reichardt story wrong -- he wasn't a top draft pick of the Halos -- I just looked it up again - he was one of the last, if not THE LAST, 'bonus babies' back before there was an amateur draft.........Reichardt went to the University of Wisconsin and played baseball and football there. He played on the Badgers football team that lost to USC in the Rose Bowl in 1964 -- since his father was the team physician for the Green Bay Packers -- Reichardt knew first hand the pounding the NFL players took and elected to sign a $205.000 'bonus' to sign with the Halos - which, at the time -- was the highest bonus played to any player -- it was after this signing that MLB established and organized the amateur draft. Reichardt was highly touted and by 1966 was on his way to a terrific MLB career having a great season when he was diagnosed with a kidney ailment that forced him to have a kidney removed.........he was never the same player after that --- he played parts of 10 seasons in the majors (Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox (for whom he had two pretty good stat seasons) and KC (might have been the Athletics back then -- Charlie O'Finley wanted to sign him out of college and offered Reichardt twice as much as the Angels did in bonus money -- but back then, Reichardt was wary of the show man, wild man, Charlie O' Finley and opted for Gene Autry and the Angels instead). Anyway, Reichardt was on his way to meeting the expectations when he was felled by the kidney condition.

California Cajun really added some names that otherwise were left off. Rick Reichardt was was billed as the 'next Mickey Mantle' the TV/radio guys kept hyping him. He ended up having an OK MLB career (mainly with the White Sox, if I recall correctly) but never lived up to the expectations and billing with the Halos. He was a number one draft pick for the Halos. Brandon Wood may be the biggest bust of the bunch. He was really hyped as the SS of the future and when that didn't pan out was given multiple chances at 3B even OF. He just couldn't cut it, the Halos finally gave up on him and he drifted to other organizations (Pittsburgh for one) but I think he's out of baseball now. A guy like Wood takes a pretty big fall, he comes to his first camp as a top pick, top prospect and maintains that status for about three camps. by the fourth camp he's now the heir apparent NOW and when he doesn't cut it then, his stock, already dropping. drops further. And then the next year the cruel nature of the system takes over. Suddenly he's no longer the hot prospect, he's the guy trying to hang on -- the player goes from young stud player of the future to has been of the past quickly. It happened quick for Brandon Wood. He stuck around MLB a bit (is he out of baseball now? I assume so) but I don't think he got four years of MLB time in....... Dallas McPherson - he can certainly relate to the Brandon Wood story. Todd Greene -- lots of power, lots of potential, Halos gave him chances......I think he, at least, bounced around better than most. He played for the Yankee, I think the Rockies and a few other teams. Another guy's name I have not seen on the list is a prospect who MADE IT and then, just as quickly, lost it. Jason Dickson. I think he won 16 games or something like that his rookie season. Seemed on his way and before you knew it, he disappeared from MLB. I assume he hurt his arm or something. But he had that promising year and that was it. He may have even made the All Star Game that one year -- which makes his story kind of like another prospect (NON-Halo) Atlee Hammaker. Atlee Hammaker, SF Giants, was the best pitcher of the first half that one year, he was the NL All Star Game starter. Fred Lynn hit a grand slam off him and Atlee Hammaker was never the same after that - he did bounce around MLB (mainly minor leagues) with the Chicago White Sox. But more precipitous than Jason Dickson's fall, but similar, Hammaker went from ace to dunce FAST. Seth Etherton --he was hyped big time. Never panned out. Think he spent some time in the Cincinnati Reds organization after the Halos let him go. Casey Kotchman -- tough to put him on this list because he actually turned out to have a decent MLB career (more so than the other guys on this list). I always felt Kotchman was miscast as an AL player -- he belonged in the NL. He was a JT Snow type player. Good glove, some power but not really a corner power guy. Could hit for a decent average. Kotchman was still in the league last year (Toronto?) and may be in camp now. Someone else here put JT Snow on this list. I wouldn't -- he had a pretty good MLB career and was stellar for the SF Giants.......he could really flash the glove at 1B. Back to Kotchman -- that trade from Atlanta to Boston at deadline time that one year never made sense to me........there was no place in the line up for him in Boston. He was an NL type player playing on an AL team with sluggers in front of him on the depth chart. I thought that deal sort of sealed his fate as winding up as a bench depth guy/ 5-A player the rest of his MLB time.

minimalistic works for me..........

to add to the thought above - the old Mesa park or Phoenix Muni are 'old' parks -- so you expect them to have some issues -- but Camelback -- that's relatively newly built and yet it has less shade seats than any venue in the Phoenix area (memo to architect / team owners -- it gets hot in Arizona on game days !) and then home plate is situated so that the batter and most of the fans are staring directly into the sun?? They must have gotten the site guy who chose Candlestick Point in SF as a great place for a ballpark as the consultant on site selection and then doubled down with an architect who owns a sunglasses factory.