Eppler Press Conference **Live Feed

[Inside Pitch]

Other than owning up to the bad signings -- he kept everything pretty close to the vest.

[Pancake Bear]

Just now, Chuckster70 said:

Yeah, Eppler didn't reveal much and he really sounded uncomfortable. 

The team just lost 90 games for the first time in the 21st century without deliberately trying to. Regardless of how the blame should be apportioned, that’s an uncomfortable position to be in. 

[Blarg]

It was a day of eating crow.

[UndertheHalo]

This sounds pretty shitty.  Cool !

[Claude]

11 minutes ago, Inside Pitch said:

Actual image of the presser...

That about sums it up. 

[Dick B Back]

Since the pitching coach sucked and he screwed up the pitchers, does that mean the pitchers really didn’t suck and Harvey is coming back?

Am I too late?

Dick!

[aznhockeyguy]

Eppler - It was my fault for the crappy signings, but we're still going to fire everyone. 

[Pancake Bear]

What exactly was everyone expecting? 

“ Brad was sneaking back to the clubhouse during the game for chicken and beers”?

”I just got a three year extension”?

”Maddon just signed”? 

“Arte forced me to fire everyone else and told me I’m on the hot seat?”

[yk9001]

19 minutes ago, greginpsca said:

if you aren't going to answer questions, why have a presser?

 

[T.G.]

Given the events of the past couple days, it's kind of amazing that Eppler still has a job.

[Dave Saltzer]

I'd say how uncomfortable Billy sounded said a lot about what's going on. That was by far the most uncomfortable I've heard him when answering questions. Several times he had people clarify exactly what they meant so as to not be taken out of context or to answer out of context. That was a very defensive interview.

 

I asked how all the other teams in the market for a manager would affect the Angels timeline, and he gave a stock answer of can't control other teams and that they will follow their timelines regardless of what other teams do. Combining that with the answer to another question about how the Angels can convince other candidates that they have a legitimate shot after at the position, especially in lieu of some of the articles that have been written, and I got the sense that the Angels are very cognizant and concerned about appearances, and really want to make this appear to be less than fait accompli with Maddon. 

[Blarg]

There really were not many questions he can answer.

Yes, Ausmus was fired along with his two main coaches and they underperformed. How far does he need to go with that without making it sound like they are not worthy of another position in baseball? At some point you have to have some tact. 

He can't say who is the replacement, MLB demands you show inclusion in your candidate choices, so even if Maddon is a favorite making a home coming it has to look like they were entertaining all candidates.

Calhoun us up in the air. Their next manager may demand his defense for one more season to make his transition easier by giving him players he knows have a given baseline. Or the new guy says bring up the kids and let's look for a higher ceiling pitchers and Calhoun is gone. That, as he sounded to is a post World Series choice.

Not much the reporters asked that he could work with and still not play a blame game or get in trouble with MLB. Had there been a wider variety of questions that didn't demand specifics that could cause embarrassment or hard feelings we would have gotten more out of the 20 minutes allotted. 

But I get why the questions were asked. 

[Blarg]

I really don't feel like the organization wanted to hold this presser at this time. It's been a tough season and a lot of negatives to end the season. 

One thought and this is kind of out there, the death of Skaggs may have had a bearing on flushing the main members of the coaching staff. A housecleaning to show the Angels are not turning a blind eye to whatever culminated in the tragedy whether for future legal reasons or just apearences. Not that Ausmus and his staff was directly related but they have to take the hit anyway. 

It's a shitty take but maybe there was pressure to show the league there are consequences for not keeping your house in order. Nothing MLB will say out loud but the reverberation will be felt. 

I feel kind of bad posting this because some will take it the wrong way but it's been on my mind.

[Mark68]

1 hour ago, Calzone 2 said:

When will Ron Washington be arriving? 

Never!

 

(It'll be Dusty Baker's toothpick.)

[Homebrewer]

12 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I really don't feel like the organization wanted to hold this presser at this time. It's been a tough season and a lot of negatives to end the season. 

One thought and this is kind of out there, the death of Skaggs may have had a bearing on flushing the main members of the coaching staff. A housecleaning to show the Angels are not turning a blind eye to whatever culminated in the tragedy whether for future legal reasons or just apearences. 

It's a shitty take but maybe there was pressure to show the league there are consequences for not keeping your house in order. Nothing MLB will say out loud but the reverberation will be felt.  Not that Ausmus and his staff was directly related but they have to take the hit anyway. 

I feel kind of bad posting this because some will take it the wrong way but it's been on my mind.

You can bet that MLB has put the screws to Arte. A player drinks and drugs himself to death on a team road trip an nobody knew anything? MLB cannot have that and the investigation is still ongoing. There is more to come out on that front. I'd venture to guess that this housecleaning has everything to do with that and little to do with just another terrible season. 

[Mark68]

1 hour ago, Inside Pitch said:

Actual image of the presser...

"I know nothing--nooooothingggg!"

[red321]

have they sent the questionnaire to Maddon to fill out yet?

[Pancake Bear]

5 minutes ago, Homebrewer said:

You can bet that MLB has put the screws to Arte. A player drinks and drugs himself to death on a team road trip an nobody knew anything? MLB cannot have that and the investigation is still ongoing. There is more to come out on that front. I'd venture to guess that this housecleaning has everything to do with that and little to do with just another terrible season. 

I think that’s backwards. Having that bad of a season gave them plenty of reason to clean house. That it helps from a PR standpoint re: Skaggs death doesn’t hurt. If that was the issue, they would’ve been canned a while back.

[T.G.]

This story is becoming more strange every day.

Edited October 1, 2019 by True Grich

[Blarg]

8 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

I think that’s backwards. Having that bad of a season gave them plenty of reason to clean house. That it helps from a PR standpoint re: Skaggs death doesn’t hurt. If that was the issue, they would’ve been canned a while back.

They could not can the staff mid season during a mourning period. That would have been both a PR nightmare and an admission of guilt.

[Homebrewer]

7 minutes ago, Sean-Regan said:

I think that’s backwards. Having that bad of a season gave them plenty of reason to clean house. That it helps from a PR standpoint re: Skaggs death doesn’t hurt. If that was the issue, they would’ve been canned a while back.

Firing the coaching staff over Skaggs death would be a legal disaster, basically admitting culpability at some level. Waiting until the season is over and then cleaning up the mess makes more sense legally.

[Pancake Bear]

8 minutes ago, Blarg said:

They could not can the staff mid season during a mourning period. That would have been both a PR nightmare and an admission of guilt.

 

6 minutes ago, Homebrewer said:

Firing the coaching staff over Skaggs death would be a legal disaster, basically admitting culpability at some level. Waiting until the season is over and then cleaning up the mess makes more sense legally.

Fair. 

[Angelsjunky]

1 hour ago, Blarg said:

damn, that was short and unproductive.

That's what she said.

[Adam]

5 minutes ago, Angelsjunky said:

That's what she said.

Excellent

[Mark68]

44 minutes ago, Blarg said:

I really don't feel like the organization wanted to hold this presser at this time. It's been a tough season and a lot of negatives to end the season. 

One thought and this is kind of out there, the death of Skaggs may have had a bearing on flushing the main members of the coaching staff. A housecleaning to show the Angels are not turning a blind eye to whatever culminated in the tragedy whether for future legal reasons or just apearences. Not that Ausmus and his staff was directly related but they have to take the hit anyway. 

It's a shitty take but maybe there was pressure to show the league there are consequences for not keeping your house in order. Nothing MLB will say out loud but the reverberation will be felt. 

I feel kind of bad posting this because some will take it the wrong way but it's been on my mind.

I appreciate that someone posted this. I believe there is some truth to this. No matter who is at fault for supplying Skaggs the Oxy, someone has to take the fall because because the rightly or wrongly, the team ultimately bears responsibility for what occurs on their watch. Since Eppler and Moreno obviously won't or can't make every road trip, the responsibility falls on the field manager and coaching staff. If they're not setting the example, things fall through the cracks.

I hate it, and we all hate it, but someone is going to take the fall for these things. Someone has to.