Angels' tense atmosphere nearly included Pujols, Hunter fight in 2012

[2002_halos_II]

the stuff among the players is just boys being boys. 

 

I don't think we can make any assumptions about leadership based on what is written here.  Snapshots are just that.  Everyone in the picture is smiling for the camera but in reality mom and dad are annoyed because one kid bit Mickey and the other just crapped their pants. 

 

I have no idea what kind of leader Albert is or was.  Maybe he was the go to guy in St. Louis and upon coming to the Angels suddenly became second fiddle to Torii.  Maybe that didn't sit well with him.  Maybe Torii is a bit of a psycho and hot head wanting to go to blows about every minor thing.  This team didn't win shit with Torii here.  Maybe Albert being annoyed about his performance even with a team win means he's a highly competitive professional athlete with a perfectionist mentality. 

 

The timing of this story, regardless of truth, is such to accomplish one goal - to whach the bee hive and it worked. 

 

If the team is winning, the players have passion and are coming together

If the team is losing, the same behavior is looked up as clubhouse dissent and a lack of leadership. 

The 2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim played 162 games during the regular season, won 97 games, lost 65 games, and finished in first position.

 

 

2009 = last flag

[Docwaukee]

The 2009 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim played 162 games during the regular season, won 97 games, lost 65 games, and finished in first position.

 

 

2009 = last flag

and we won 100 games during the regular season the year before with the best record in baseball yet got kicked to the curb by boston in the playoffs. 

 

I have no idea what actual effect Torii's leadership had on this team in any given year he was around but it sure didn't elevate them to winning a championship.  Maybe it was helpful to some degree but it's never resulted in him winning a WS which Albert has done.  

 

My point was, attempting to conclude anything about leadership relative to what could be gleaned from this article is presumptive at best. 

[YouthofToday]

My point was, attempting to conclude anything about leadership relative to what could be gleaned from this article is presumptive at best.

This.

[mulwin444]

The best thing that happened to Torii on the Angels is when Pujols got signed so he see fastball after fastball hitting in front of him.  Parlayed that from "I'll take a discount to play here" to taking a two-year deal hitting in front MCab...He should be sending Pujols "Thank you" cards.

[arch stanton]

I don't think Torii was actually charging Albert. It's more likely that he saw a camera and a microphone and Albert just happened to be in between them.

 

Now quick, name me 10 first ballot HoFers who were considered great teammates. I dare you.

[Inside Pitch]

So Torii punches Morneau in the jaw and he wins MVP? Maybe we can rent Torii on an off day and go roadhouse on the whole team. Including Scioscia and Dipoto.

 

Arte clearly needs a pop to the melon.

[HaloFan85]

Is this not the same guy that publicly stated they needed an upgrade at 3B when Callaspo was playing there every day and also said they needed an upgrade at 1B when Napoli was playing there every day?  This guy may have been a leader for a select few, but I seriously doubt he had the respect from the entire team.  Let's not forget all the times he killed rallies with his idiotic base running and then followed up by deflecting the blame elsewhere.

 

Teams without white players should not be allowed to honor #42, all Dominicans are impostors, throwing teammates under the bus by calling out for upgrades/trades at their respective positions at trade deadlines?  This guy was far from being a clubhouse leader.  Torii was/is nothing but a two-faced POS.

[YouthofToday]

I love how anybody who leaves the Halos or states negative things about the organization is tarred and feathered.

Some fans are just as bad as the incompetent owner.

[Splint7438]

Tori was a big part of two great seasons. But he still came up short so many times. He was on the team that finally beat Boston in the playoffs. So many times if he drove in a run early in the game you just knew he wouldn't drive one in later. He consistently did this. I know the other team gets paid to play too but tori was a superstar that was not clutch until the second half of his last season with us. Simply overrated because he has always been a good quote for the writers.

[YouthofToday]

Being "clutch" or not "clutch" is a false assertion with little, if any, predictive value.

Yes, let's destroy Torii Hunter's image any way we can because he is no longer an Angel. Awesome.

[Jay]

Arte is the best owner ever!

There's no owner I would rather have!

We're so lucky to have Arte as the Angels owner!

etc.

Well, he did lower beer prices.

[YouthofToday]

Arte is the best owner ever!

There's no owner I would rather have!

We're so lucky to have Arte as the Angels owner!

etc.

Well, he did lower beer prices.

Considering the product he is selling due to his incompetent micromanaging based in a bizarre understanding of baseball this is the least he could do.

[Brandon]

This article is more proof of Scioscia needing to be fired. No mediation? Where's the leadership from this guy? Why isnt he the one calling out people?

All Mike does is sit on his fat butt and collect a paycheck, worst manager ever.

Ummm, because it was a players only meeting.

[Jay]

It is a bit startling though, to learn that the Angels are so dysfunctional. Makes you wonder if it's even possible to recover from this. Sign Mike Trout up long term? That kid has to be counting the days until he gets out of Anaheim. Maybe that explains why every time I see Trout on TV, he looks like he would rather be just about anywhere else.

[Splint7438]

I am consistent with my criticism of Tori. I said the same things about him the whole time he was here. Clutch may not be predictive but anyone watching the games could see how many more we could have won with two or three timely hits a week. You know, those hits the Rangers get, the tigers get and this year the dodgers get. I would NEVER destroy a players image simply because he left the Angels. Unless he went to the redfux then all bets are off.

[Ohtaniland]

It is a bit startling though, to learn that the Angels are so dysfunctional. Makes you wonder if it's even possible to recover from this. Sign Mike Trout up long term? That kid has to be counting the days until he gets out of Anaheim. Maybe that explains why every time I see Trout on TV, he looks like he would rather be just about anywhere else.

 

Thanks to Arte's 20 year commitment to Albert Pujols he's now the long-term face of the franchise. Torii Hunter is in a much better position to win a championship today than he was playing with Albert Pujols. I'm sure that Torii's close friend Mike Trout is taking notice and will gracefully move on.   

[Jay]

This coming offseason will be so tumultuous, with the team having no GM and/or manager, not exactly optimal for rebuilding a franchise or trying to sign your superstar to a long-term contract.

[Ohtaniland]

Pujols and Trout reminds me that Elvis hated the Beatles.

[Ohtaniland]

 

Is this not the same guy that publicly stated they needed an upgrade at 3B when Callaspo was playing there every day and also said they needed an upgrade at 1B when Napoli was playing there every day?  This guy may have been a leader for a select few, but I seriously doubt he had the respect from the entire team.  Let's not forget all the times he killed rallies with his idiotic base running and then followed up by deflecting the blame elsewhere.

 

Teams without white players should not be allowed to honor #42, all Dominicans are impostors, throwing teammates under the bus by calling out for upgrades/trades at their respective positions at trade deadlines?  This guy was far from being a clubhouse leader.  Torii was/is nothing but a two-faced POS.

 

 

Pujols has always been about himself and he is a stat guy.  

 

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, St. Louis Cardinals star first baseman Albert Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa got into a heated exchange in the dugout during Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. With Pujols up at the plate and two outs in the eighth inning, LaRussa had outfielder Ryan Ludwick attempt to steal second base. Ludwick was then gunned down, taking the bat and an RBI opportunity out of Pujols’ hands despite the Cardinals' four-run lead. The strategy didn’t sit well with Pujols, who was visibly upset over the decision and smashed two trays of gum in the dugout to show his frustration.

 

I’ll let Strauss tell you what happened next.

 

Strauss:

 

LaRussa reprimanded Pujols, saying, "That's enough."

 

Pujols responded and, according to eyewitnesses, the exchange escalated with LaRussa telling Pujols at one point, "I (expletive) know how to manage."

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Last winter, many key members of the baseball operations department wanted to make more of an effort to re-sign Zack Greinke, but it was Moreno who steered them to free agent Josh Hamilton.

 

 

For those who want to blame Dipoto.

[Marsaka]

This coming offseason will be so tumultuous, with the team having no GM and/or manager, not exactly optimal for rebuilding a franchise or trying to sign your superstar to a long-term contract.

 

Yep, and it's going to be hard finding a quality GM/Manager that actually wants to work for Arte Moreno.

[bloodbrother]

Things can change fast and for the Halos sake they better hope it does. All this bungling by the FO over the past 4 years could culminate in this org losing the best player it's ever produced.

[Toby Ziegler]

You have to admire Moreno's passion, but he's clearly out of control. He's like Jerry Jones, Mark Cuban, and Al Davis, only without the success of any of them.

 

The contracts to Pujols, Hamilton, and Scioscia have really put the team in a bind. It should become immediately apparent to any GM who works under Moreno that if he doesn't see things Scioscia's way, it's the highway.

[YouthofToday]

As a long-time Cowboys fan I have the experience to state Moreno is way worse than Jerry Jones.

[Blarg]

Let's play the game of change the manager's name an see how the article reads.

 

Pujols has always been about himself and he is a stat guy.  

 

According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch Angelswin.com, St. Louis Cardinals Angels star first baseman Albert Pujols and manager Tony LaRussa Mike Scioscia got into a heated exchange in the dugout during Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels Dodgers. With Pujols up at the plate and two outs in the eighth inning, LaRussa Scioscia had outfielder Ryan Ludwick JB Shuck attempt to steal second base. Ludwick Shuck was then gunned down, taking the bat and an RBI opportunity out of Pujols’ hands despite the Cardinals' Angels' four-run lead. The strategy didn’t sit well with Pujols, who was visibly upset over the decision and smashed two trays of gum in the dugout to show his frustration.
 
I’ll let Strauss tell you what happened next.
 
Strauss:
 
LaRussa Scioscia reprimanded Pujols, saying, "That's enough."
 
Pujols responded and, according to eyewitnesses, the exchange escalated with LaRussa Scioscia telling Pujols at one point, "I (expletive) know how to manage."

 

Ok, now the names are changed it is obvious Scioscia doesn't know how to manage.

 

We should get LaRussa in the off season.