Loyalty

[T.G.]

We heard it over and over again. Shohei Ohtani wants to win.  No kidding.  Every player wants to win.  Mike Trout wants to win. The difference between Trout and Ohtani is that Trout wants to win as an Angel. Ohtani just wants to win, period.

There’s a difference.

Trout wants to be a part of building a winner.  Ohtani wants to join one.

We also heard over and over again that Ohtani isn’t necessarily about the money.  Well, I see about 700 million reasons to think that isn’t necessarily true.  I’m not judging Ohtani for taking the biggest contract in the history of professional sports.  Heck, no.  More power to him. 

But… in the words of Jered Weaver, “how much do you really need?”

Loyalty. 

Weaver will always be beloved for it.

When Tim Salmon approached free agency for the first time, he told his agent to take the first offer from the Angels.  Salmon was rewarded for his loyalty with a 2002 World Series championship and became the most beloved player in franchise history.

Trout showed his loyalty when he also resigned with the Angels. He could have left.  Most around baseball thought he would.  He didn’t. 

Loyalty.

Salmon, Weaver and Trout’s loyalty isn’t lost on me.  I don’t think it’s lost on most fans.  There’s something special about players who come up through the organization and stay with the organization throughout most, if not all of their career.

Ohtani leaving, makes me appreciate Trout’s loyalty more than ever. 

I have enjoyed every moment of Ohtani’s time with the Angels. I believe he will go down in history as the greatest player of all time.  Losing him is disappointing.

I can now understand what Cardinal fans must have felt like when Albert Pujols left to sign with the Angels.  I understand how disappointed Twins fans must have been to see Torii Hunter leave as well. 

Then again – at least those two guys didn’t leave for a division or cross-time rival.

That’s the thing.  It isn’t so much that Ohtani left the Angels. It’s that he left the Angels for the Dodgers.  The stinking Dodgers.  It’s kind of a slap in the face to Angel fans. The same fans that loved and supported him through his first six years in major league baseball.  The same fans who have lived in the shadow of Dodger fans for years.

It also stings to know he asked not to be traded during this past season because he wanted to try and win with the Angels, only to turn around and head up the 5 freeway to Chavez Ravine when it didn’t work out. 

No loyalty there.

That's also not lost on me. 

Again, the main take away for me isn't so much about Ohtani.  It's about an increased appreciation for Mike Trout and his loyalty to the Angels and their fans.  It's a rare thing this day and age, especially in professional sports.

[Angelsfan1984]

Ohtani got the most money and the best opportunity to win. He would have been an idiot to turn that down. 
 

fans get caught up in the emotional side of it all. That man, made the best decision he could for himself, his legacy and his future family. You can’t judge him for that. He gave it all he had as an Angel and it didn’t work out. That’s ok.  Hope he wins another mvp and the dodgers get swept in the 1st round. 

[jsnpritchett]

I think the entire concept of "loyalty" in professional sports is kind of silly.

[mmc]

Trout’s “loyalty” has resulted in the team having an unmoveable contract and paying him the money he was worth in his elite years to sit on the IL for half the season.  He doesn’t really give a shit about winning, I’m sure it would be great but he clearly values things like comfort more

[Hubs]

600 mil with the Angels or Blue Jays and 700 mil with the Dodgers is a lot of money.

[mmc]

1 minute ago, jsnpritchett said:

I think the entire concept of "loyalty" in professional sports is kind of silly.

This, it’s a business and like every other, both the employer and the employee are going to ultimately look out for their best interests

[Hubs]

3 minutes ago, mmc said:

Trout’s “loyalty” has resulted in the team having an unmoveable contract and paying him the money he was worth in his elite years to sit on the IL for half the season.  He doesn’t really give a shit about winning, I’m sure it would be great but he clearly values things like comfort more

I disagree with this. Injuries are not under his control. He seems like he wants to be out there but more in Salmon way than an Erstad way.

Edited December 10, 2023 by Hubs

[greginpsca]

Loyalty is a 2 way street. 

[T.G.]

3 minutes ago, mmc said:

He doesn’t really give a shit about winning,

That's about the dumbest thing I've ever read on AW.

[Tank]

3 minutes ago, mmc said:

 He doesn’t really give a shit about winning, I’m sure it would be great but he clearly values things like comfort more

dude, i couldn't disagree with you more.

if you've ever spent time around a professional athlete, you'll universally find that they all want to win. sure, they want to get paid, but they value winning a lot more than we fans sometimes remember, and that includes everyone from Squid to Trout.

[mmc]

Just now, T.G. said:

That's about the dumbest thing I've ever read in AW.

You can think that just as I can think the emotional tangent about player loyalty is equally dumb.  If winning was a priority or important to Trout, there’s no way he’d be accepting of what has gone on over the course of his tenure and speaking positively about every situation and personnel at every opportunity 

[Angels 1961]

4 minutes ago, Angelsfan1984 said:

Ohtani got the most money and the best opportunity to win. He would have been an idiot to turn that down. 
 

fans get caught up in the emotional side of it all. That man, made the best decision he could for himself, his legacy and his future family. You can’t judge him for that. He gave it all he had as an Angel and it didn’t work out. That’s ok.  Hope he wins another mvp and the dodgers get swept in the 1st round. 

I agree, hell halos kicked HOF Pujols out the door. Justin Upton shown the door. Loyalty giving Dodgers deferred payments is loyalty. Angels can hope with the gloves and equipment given to kids in Japan by Ohtani will produce next star that signs with halos.

[mmc]

1 minute ago, Tank said:

dude, i couldn't disagree with you more.

if you've ever spent time around a professional athlete, you'll universally find that they all want to win. sure, they want to get paid, but they value winning a lot more than we fans sometimes remember, and that includes everyone from Squid to Trout.

No doubt Trout wants to win, I just don’t believe it’s that important to him in the grand scheme of his career.  Other things like comfort, stability, and money clearly take precedence to him.  He has every right to live his life/conduct his career that way but there’s absolutely nothing about the guy that screams “this guy badly wants to win”

[Warfarin]

@T.G., I hear what you are saying and totally get it from a fan perspecitve.  I have positive memories of those players in the same way for the way they spent their careers here.

In Shohei's case, though, I likewise totally get this move and don't fault him for it either.  Shohei can achieve something that very few ever can - he could, quite possibly, be the greatest player to have ever played this sport.  To do this, though, he needed to go to a team that both maximizes his chances at winning championships AND maximizes his own abilities, to achieve amazing statistical accomplishments for many years.

Sadly, Ohtani's chances of achieving the above, and being remembered as the greatest player to have ever played this sport, are probably less with us than it would have been with the Dodgers or teams in their tier.

[REDneck]

Loyalty is earned like respect. IMO Arte did nothing to earn Ohtani's loyalty and it appears SO is of the same mindset.

The team went to a 6 man rotation to accommodate SO...BFD!

[T.G.]

3 minutes ago, Warfarin said:

@T.G., I hear what you are saying and totally get it from a fan perspecitve.  I have positive memories of those players in the same way for the way they spent their careers here.

In Shohei's case, though, I likewise totally get this move and don't fault him for it either.  Shohei can achieve something that very few ever can - he could, quite possibly, be the greatest player to have ever played this sport.  To do this, though, he needed to go to a team that both maximizes his chances at winning championships AND maximizes his own abilities, to achieve amazing statistical accomplishments for many years.

Sadly, Ohtani's chances of achieving the above, and being remembered as the greatest player to have ever played this sport, are probably less with us than it would have been with the Dodgers or teams in their tier.

At no point have I faulted Ohtani for leaving. That was never my point.

[Stradling]

12 minutes ago, mmc said:

Trout’s “loyalty” has resulted in the team having an unmoveable contract and paying him the money he was worth in his elite years to sit on the IL for half the season.  He doesn’t really give a shit about winning, I’m sure it would be great but he clearly values things like comfort more

Fuck off with the “he doesn’t give a shit about winning”. It’s a really dumb fucking thing to say. 

[mmc]

1 minute ago, REDneck said:

Loyalty is earned like respect. IMO Arte did nothing to earn Ohtani's loyalty and it appears SO is of the same mindset.

The team went to a 6 man rotation to accommodate SO...BFD!

Yep, it’s a two way street…. If you want to get upset about a lack of “loyalty” from Ohtani, you should be equally upset that Arte refused to adequately support Ohtani during his tenure here by spending as much as he could and surpassing the tax

[mmc]

2 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Fuck off with the “he doesn’t give a shit about winning”. It’s a really dumb fucking thing to say. 

Nah I’m aight, I’m sure with his half a billion dollars he can take it

[Stradling]

Just now, mmc said:

Nah I’m aight

By aight you mean mentally retarded. 

[mmc]

1 minute ago, Stradling said:

By aight you mean mentally retarded. 

[Stradling]

Nothing like adversity to show how dumb a fanbase can be. 

[Taylor]

46 minutes ago, T.G. said:

But… in the words of Jered Weaver, “how much do you really need?”

Today was the day T.G. came out as socialist.

[Make Angels Great Again]

26 minutes ago, mmc said:

Yep, it’s a two way street…. If you want to get upset about a lack of “loyalty” from Ohtani, you should be equally upset that Arte refused to adequately support Ohtani during his tenure here by spending as much as he could and surpassing the tax

I don’t think there’s been a lack of effort to put a winning team on the field. It just hasn’t worked out yet

[Make Angels Great Again]

Also MMC, you’re cool but the trout doesn’t give a shit about winning comment is truly pants-on-head retarded. That drive to win is what makes them into the players they are