disarcina

when the Dodgers played the Angels, Vin Scully mentioned that Featherston was a very good college player --- as a Rule 5 guy from Colorado, we had to keep him on the 25 man roster all season long to keep him and so the Halos did. In doing so, I think the Halos weakened the 2015 roster and didn't do Featherston's career much help as he sat the pine most of the season instead of playing every day at AAA He would have been up on a major league roster in September with whatever team he would have been with -- Rule 5 or not --- I would have kept Grant Green on the 25 man roster coming out of ST (and sent Featherston back to Colorado) and said so at the time. By the half way point of the season with Featherston hardly playing at, getting few ABs, not much defensive replacement time and some PR but not much -- it was too late to do anything but keep him as a Rule 5 guy at that point. It's fairly certain that Featherson isn't going to be the starting 2B or SS next season -- that's why you devote a season long roster spot to a Rule 5 guy.

it's a weeknight Monday - Wednesday series with the kiddos back in school.........that, plus the Halos collapse in August makes for slow ticket sales. expect a sea of Blue filling the ballpark for those games.

Heck, I'd bat Madison Bumgarner of the SF Giants fifth or sixth now !!

Hey, for all the digs at Mathis here, one thing is clear. He has managed to eke out a nearly 10 year MLB career despite his meager offensive out put. I would take an educated guess that that 10 years of MLB service time puts him in the top 30 percentile of average MLB service time these days.

I would be fairly surprised if Bud Black isn't back with the Halos organization in some capacity next year. Internal candidates being interviewed may be a courtesy -- if either of the internal candidates are named GM -- it's sort of the Reagins/ Scioscia era all over again. Bud Black would be a GM who could be the '' boss' and still be Mike Scoiscia's 'equal' in terms of working relationship........he may be the only guy out there who could do that. Angels need to win Tuesday and Wednesday vs. the A's -- following this series, they have three with Texas, three with the Dodgers who are playing well right now (tied with SF tonight 4 -4 in the 8th) and then three with Houston..........absent extraordinary success in those series -- the sort of success we have not seen much of the second half of the season -- and the Halos could be arranging October tee times by Sept. 13

watching tonight's debacle in Oakland -- I mean, it's getting hard to watch these games...... Not going to wade into this debate about Arte (because I think he has done some very good things for the franchise during his ownership tenure) -- but everyone has to admit, this season is crashing to a simply under-whelming finish that is far below pre-season expectations. In the past (last year was an exception) it was a slow start in the month of April that literally knocked the Halos out of contention before the season was hardly under way -- this year it's a terrible August that's sunk their hopes and it's August 31 and the Halos play tonight shows no sign of turning things around in September. Last year the best record followed by the sweep (by a team with better fundamentals and home grown players) eyes turned to Scioscia to see if his string had run out......as the Halos stumble to the finish in 2015 one wonders about this off-season...........Bud Black is available as GM or manager; Ron Roenecke (spelled wrong) is coaching third base up the freeway........one wonders. Scioscia is a Halos icon but perhaps after several years of coming up short, it's time for a change and a new perspective from the manager's perch.

yeah, let's blame DiPoto -- sort of like that scene out of classic film : remember that scene in the classic great film Schindler's List where one of the Jewish internees spits on a German guard or something and the Guard shoots one of the prisoners and then says he's going to keep shooting until they give up the person who did it -- and a quick thinking boy points to the guy the guard just shot dead and says "he did it" Angels may end up at .500 or just above -- and out of the playoffs........question -- does that finish (well below expectations) result in any major changes at the helm?? to be fair, the rotation -- until just recently -- has performed well above expectations.....but its the finish that counts and looks like this year we're not even going to have the opportunity to get swept in the playoffs.

Green got hurt?? That's terrible. He finally gets a shot and he's out. I've stated since ST that I thought Green deserved to be on the 25 man roster all season. not sure why some folks don't like him -- he's not the best glove at 2B, probably can't play SS (does not have a solid enough glove) and is OK at 3B. He can play some OF, well, LF -- not well, but has shown he can play out there. fairly versatile and if he gets some ABs has some decent power.

well, not sure if Scioscia has 'given up' but the team's play is sure lackluster and has been for at least two weeks. at this point, face the music -- even if the Halos make the playoffs (the Division title is looking less and less likely) and sneak in as one of the Wild Card teams. I'm just not seeing a long run playoff team here. the Halos rotation -- which has done well pretty much all season and has exceeded expectations -- has seen the glass slipper fall off and it's not even midnight. this weekend I am going to see two real playoff teams that play REAL baseball, a rare commodity these days --- St. Louis Cardinals at SF Giants -- AT&T Park. Giants are out of a playoff spot right now but I think they are going to catch and pass the Dogs to win the NL West. The Angels?? May be third in the AL West and watching the post-season games from the couch like the rest of us.

huh? why? NO. When is Freese comng back?

I thought Utley has a big contract through 2016 or something like that -- yes? If so, he's more than a rental. Don't like to see HK hurt -- he was having a great season for the Dogs as we knew he would -- still with Heaney coming along for us - I think we made the deal at the right time. As for Utley -- Dogs got him just to keep him from the Giants -- but quite frankly, Dogs may have out-smarted themselves.........was just up at the Nats-Giants game last weekend and going to the Cards-Giants games at the end of the month here -- this kid Tomlinson that is filling in for SF's Panik at 2B is pretty good and quick, as well.......Giants probably weren't going to spend the money on Utley and now the Dodgers have. although, as in any new SS-2B keystone combo -- Tomlinson not meshing with SS Crawford all that well at the start -- takes time. Expect Tomlinson to make the playoff roster even if Panik makes it back --- Tomlinson is a guy who can PR for you in the late innings and then play 2B on D if needed.

yeah -- folks -- don't like to be a naysayer but have to agree the team seems to be lacking that spark that is so evident with teams making a real stretch run and head into the post-season with momentum. A real turning point to me was actually a game that we won -- the extra inning win over Baltimore -- the Murphy walk off extra innings game at Anaheim -- and when I say a turning point, I mean a point where it is sort of evident to me we just don't have that 'little extra' to win -- we get a lead off double in the bottom of the 10th, guy at second NO OUT -- next guy up -- Giavotella can't get the bunt down -- and then he bunts foul with two strikes and K's. Calhoun K's and now they walk Trout and Pujols to load the bases........Murphy works the count to 3 and 2 and gets the game winner (not sure why the outfield was playing a bit in on the play -- the ball may have been catchable). Anyway -- my point is - we were playing Baltimore -- against teams like Toronto, Kansas City etc. (and certainly St. Louis if we get that far) -- if you can't get that bunt down with NO OUT and runner at second -- you're not winning that game.......little things........just saw a little lack of spark there.........if Johnny G gets the bunt down to move the runner over -- a fly ball wins the game. sure Murphy battled to a 3 and 2 count and got the game winner.......but I think vs. a better team, Murphy K's and we're done there.

well, do want to bring back the Zachary All ads from the 70's ??

love it when spell check makes mis-plays turn into displays.....

Gillaspie (spelled completely wrong) has played OK. of course, he immediately displays that bunt -- they'll call it a hit. lead off speedy guy at first -- wait -- I thought we were playing Cleveland ---not KC.

he's making that Kendrick trade look a little better. Kendrick is having the solid year for the Dodgers we all knew he would. And Kendrick sure seems to hit well against the Halos....... But I understood the trade then and still do now -- and Heaney, if he keeps healthy and keeps going the way he has been, will be solid guy for our rotation for the next three to four years or so.

this past weekend sort of did it for me -- if we can't compete with the Dogs -- we're in trouble. The loss to Kershaw is expected but being swept? and after being swept by Houston? YIKES!! and, things had seemed to be going so well -- is this what happens when we play the better teams??? OUCH.

G. Richards.

Trop will be up Sept. 1 anyway.........

Turning on Arte??? Say it ain't so !!! Arte's still great IMO -- not all his moves are great - but I still the Halos franchise is much better off with him at the helm....... the only real issue/ question I have for Arte (and we won't get the answer) is what we all suspect -- the Josh Hamilton signing was Arte's move not the front office.........I still think that was a terrible signing and we all said so at the time -- a five year huge deal for a guy with his history?? YIKES!! After you didn't spend money on a guy that was getting older but was a great clubhouse / team presence and was coming off one of his finest years stat-wise -- Torii. Oh well. Spilled milk and spilled dollars flowing elsewhere. I'd rank the Hamilton signing worse than the GMJ signing -- every one on this board hated each of those signings DAY ONE and were proven right.

I think the Freese trade(we got Salas for pen in that deal as well) for Bourjos and Grichuk was a pretty good deal that has worked out for both teams. Wasn't a blockbuster deal then, isn't now a few years later. We needed a starting 3B who could play every day and had some pop -- Freese pretty much as advertised -- some pop -- not a lot -- has gotten some clutch hits for the Halos -- below average to average glove at 3B -- once he came over, I was surprised how slow a foot Freese is.... Salas has helped in the pen. Bourjos needed a change in scenery and got it -- his slow start in St.Louis was as disappointing there as Freese frozen was here. In time, both players came around. Grichuk (who is hitting really well the past month) has been a pleasant surprise for the Cards -- he probably wasn't going to get playing time here.....Ironically, Grichuck's recent hitting tear has probably cost Bourjos ABs.

Sounds like CJ is done for the year -- will have surgery now while under contract and then try to come back next year (perhaps mid year or something like that) and have a decent showing then to enter the F/A market knowing that the chances of an extension from the Halos is pretty limited, if not, non-existent.

I also feel kind of bad for Bill Stoneman right now -- he should be enjoying retirement and being in pretty relaxing role as a front office consultant to the Halos who does just enough to keep his hand in the game a bit........instead, he's thrust into the full GM role at deadline time at a point where it's make or break time for the Halos 2015 season. He's interim so he does not feel comfortable (and Stoneman's a good guy so he is going to be very reluctant to saddle his yet unknown successor with any deal he makes) making a deal that lasts longer than the end of the 2015 season -- so we get Victorino (a pretty good rental), Murphy and Dejesus (mediocre to average pick ups replacing like kind, pretty much, but with more stretch run experience)..........these are all rentals -- Stoney being interim was likely reluctant to go after a guy who could have really made a difference -- Cespedes -- who is in his contract year but perhaps culd have been extended OR at least the Halos would have had every reason to discuss an extension during his rental time here --- I don't see the Halos doing that with any of the new guys -- Victorino, Murphy or Dejesus..... Se the METS, yes, THE METS!!!! -- get Cespedes -- a guy who could be a real impact player down the stretch -- who knows the AL West and just seems to make the teams better when he is in the line up.........can you imagine an OF of Cespedes in LF, Trout in CF and Calhoun in RF???

DiPoto's deal for Hutson Street (and then extending him) and getting Gott in the deal as well -- really helped the Angels and shored up a glaring pen weakness -- it was a great deal. DiPoto made several other pretty good transactions for the Halos and there were some duds -- the biggest one -- Hamilton is more on Arte than DiPoto -- I've read the comments here that say "DiPoto quit on the team" - to me, that's unfair -- what happened here - and almost every one on this board -- to a person/poster -- saw it DAY ONE -- was that DiPoto was brought into a mix as GM with a long time manager and 'face of the franchise' type guy who had/ has the full confidence of the owner -- who was not on the same page in terms of almost everything baseball -- from managerial moves, to player development/ scouting, to player acquisitions -- it was and would be very difficult to be GM under those circumstances when many of the GM moves are being either made by, need to be approved by and/or vetoed by the manager/ quasi GM. It was a problem DAY ONE that never really got resolved or better as time went on. There were peaks and valleys in the Scioscia - DiPoto relationship but the initial 'incompatibility' issue never got resolved. DiPoto quit??? I'm impressed he lasted as long as he did with the situation as it was. I liked DiPoto -- I didn't think he was a good fit for the Angels DAY ONE. He will be hired by a team that does not have a 'throw back' style manager and he will do well for that franchise. I wish him well.

gets extended another 15 days to make 45 -- seems to happen quite a bit -- but then I could be wrong. the point is Joyce is out until at least Sept. 1 and then it does not really matter much.