FabulousFabregas

Saving all my money for the playoffs.

Almost forgot what having a magic number felt like!

I'll never forget the 'everyone hitting .300' lineup, but you don't necessarily need that. The 2002 team was mostly hovering around .280, the same with this team. It's all about clutch hitting.

Choking on their tears. #Chokeland

For our payroll that's crap, expectations are different than they would be with a lesser payroll. I expect this team to make the playoffs just about every year. I'm glad we're finally getting it again this year.

In New York, Boston, or Philly Scioscia would have been fired a couple years ago based on his teams consistently missing the playoffs despite high payrolls, and he never would have gotten that 10 year deal in the first place. Scioscia had a very long leash based on the laid back market he manages in, Orange County, to be able to stick around long enough to see the team make the playoffs again after nearly 5 years. The Angels doing well this year isn't an 'eating crow' deal for anybody regarding Scioscia. This team was crap for 4 years, and now they're great again.

I'm not saying the 2010, 2011, or 2013 teams were going to make the playoffs if Scioscia had managed the bullpens better, but I do believe Scioscia's mismanagement of the pen is what cost them a chance to make the playoffs in 2012. That team was close, and there were so many games I can recall where he made total boneheaded moves, and with a midlevel bullpen is when you've really got to use sound judgment. I just recall going to a game in May of that year where he brought in Scott Downs for 4 pitches, and then pulled him and brought in Takahashi the next inning. Takahashi blew it and we lost the game. There were several instances like that from 2012. In the last couple of months though Scioscia has had a lockdown pen like he had in the mid 2000's, so his 'LaRussaing' is working since he has a lot of pieces to play with. Scioscia's flaw to me in the down years (particularly 2012) was he didn't know how to handle the game with less pieces.

Jepsen's been up and down his whole career, you can just look at the numbers. His biggest flaw though was he continually went to the Fuentes/Rodney/Frieri types when they clearly didn't have it, and yes I get our bullpens weren't that deep, but he just continually went to those guys while not using/barely using other guys (like Downs) in certain games and it just killed us, especially in 2012 when we actually had a shot at making the playoffs. Scioscia though is great at managing a good bullpen (like he was in 2002-2007 or 2008), because his micro managing/match ups work because he has tons of awesome guys to work with. The problem was when he'd bring in Hisanori Takashi for a lefty/lefty matchup, he just couldn't adjust to not having as many pieces and still tried to use the same formula. Now he's got a total stud pen, and stuff like tonight just totally works.

Like I said in my other thread, I think Scioscia was a bad manager in 2010-2013 and also in playoff games in 2008/2009, and he likely would have been fired in New York or Boston during that 10-13 stretch. But to me one of Scioscia's biggest flaws in recent years has been his bullpen management. He refused to understand that we didn't have as deep of a pen as we did in the 2000's and would still go to his closer no matter what, even if somebody like Downs would have been a better match up. But now with a better bullpen, Scioscia's micro managing/OCD with sticking with closer works because there's a lot of great pieces to play with. It's not the same as pulling Scott Downs after 4 pitches to bring in Hisanori Takahashi. I was impressed though that he pulled Roth with the bases loaded. Typically in recent years Scioscia would have left him in, but it was great to see him pull him before he actually could allow a run.

This really may be the best bullpen in Angels history/recent history, up there with 2002 and possibly even better. To see the way those 8 guys tonight pitched a shutout against one of the best teams in baseball was just unbelievable. I've been at the games the last 2 nights, and in each game after about the 6th inning ended I knew we would win because we had Street/Smith/the other guys ready to go. I was even talking to a guy in the 6th or 7th tonight how it would probably be an 8 man combined shutout tonight. Just really refreshing to have a lockdown bullpen again, and to have a fun team to watch. There's a special feel to this team, and you guys know me, I'm a realist, but the bullpen has been the backbone to me. Props to Dipoto for the Street/Smith/Grilli movies, and while I still think Scioscia has been a doofus in recent years, he's been shying away from some of his bad tendencies he had before, and the fact that he has a great closer now makes his 'always go to the closer' mindset work again this year.

He put out for A-Rod.

I actually really liked Gubi when he was doing the pre/post game shows in 2006/2007, and he's a serviceable color man, but just a bit stiff. I also think the Angels are his 3rd favorite team (behind the Phillies and Royals).

No more Toronto trades (involving money) after he who shall not be named.

I've always thought Victor and Sexy Rexy would make a good team. I miss the Wonder Dog.

Wait til November to do that.

Sosh trolled us every time he put Mathis in the lineup the 7 years he was here.

The Scioscia/Napoli/Mathis love triangle could be the next Moneyball (or Twilight) if somebody made it into a movie.

Mike Scioscia on Jeff Mathis - "Jeff Mathis is not only an outstanding catcher but he's the type of kid you want to be your son." http://twitter.com/TaylorBlakeWard/status/504062517463638016

Colon basically got his arm rebuilt with some weird ass surgery (and PED's) a few years ago, he's not the same Colon we remember from 2007.

We both let him hit, so why not?

I got this.

I hope we find a way to get Colon, I think getting him would lock up the division for us.

Now Howie for King Felix?