gurn67

By the way, Congratulations Mike Trout on being the first player since Mickey Mantle to lead the American League in Runs Scored for the third consecutive year. Next year you get a chance to be the ONLY player to EVER lead the AL in Runs Scored 4 straight years!
Also, congratulations on being only the second Angel to ever lead the league in both Runs and RBI's!
In fact, in the first 51 years of the franchise, only 3 Angels ever lead the league in runs scored. You've played 3 season and have done it 3 times!
Rickey Henderson, considered the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, only did it 5 times in his career!
However, some people around here think you kind of suck because you only hit .287 this year.

Not only that, but lets have a guy who looks like he's going to be a mainstay of our starting rotation for the next several years go out and hurt his pitching arm because he's altering his delivery to compensate for the muscle strain. That's real smart!

Honestly, they'll either hit or they won't. I saw an Angels' wild card team come into post-season and hit like the 1927 Yankees and I've seen a couple of Angels' teams that were arguably the best team in baseball come in and hit like the 2014 Padres. What they do in the last week of the season with a three day layoff won't affect them one bit.

It's because you went way the **** out of your way to complain about a bench player when the minors have nothing better for a replacement. 98 wins, home field advantage and you had to go the extra panties in a wad mile. After a while Oz all of this fatalism and bitching about the team has to come to an end. You have to just let it be the season and those guys on the bench earned it.

Supposedly he hasn't left his apartment because he's been glued to the Jeter coverage on ESPN.

Supposedly he hasn't left his apartment because he's been glued to the Jeter coverage on ESPN.

Supposedly he hasn't left his apartment because he's been glued to the Jeter coverage on ESPN.

Supposedly he hasn't left his apartment because he's been glued to the Jeter coverage on ESPN.

For those of us who remember Gene's later years when Jackie was running things and trying to preserve as much of her inheritance as possible, we are lucky to have him.

Top 10? Definitely. Maybe as high as 7. However, I'm not putting Jeter ahead of Berra. Also, After the 1964 season, Whitey Ford was 216-84!!! He lost two and a half prime years to the Korean War or he would have probably been about 260-100 at that point. I can't put him ahead of Ford either.

Lead your league in Runs and RBI's while playing for the team with the best overall record. If that doesn't get you a unanimous vote, I don't know what would. However, they'll be some guy, like that idiot Bill Conlon, that just likes to see his name in the paper by being the one contrarian. Good news is he's dead and can't vote or molest kids anymore.

Maybe I'm wrong, but this team won a World Series with Kevin Appier starting game 2 and Ramon Ortiz starting game 3. With the bullpen as deep as it is, it's going to come down to whether the offense is clicking or not.

It was the Cespedes trade. I know stat geeks will never, never accept this, but sometimes a player brings so-called intangibles to a club. Oakland stunk 4 out of 5 years before, out of nowhere, they made themselves relevant by out-bidding the large market teams for the guy. Suddenly, they become one of the best teams in baseball for 2 2/3 seasons.
If wins and losses are the only things that matter in sports, lets check the scoreboard.
 
A's win-loss record with Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 82-46
2013 83-50
2014 63-35
 
228-131 .635 winning pct.
 
A's win-loss record without Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 12-22
2013 13-16
2014 21-34
 
46-72 .390 winning pct.
 
They're not even the same team. I don't know why they are better with him than without him. They just are. I was thrilled when they traded a notorious Angels' killer and best clutch hitter. Billy Beane knows more about baseball than I could learn in several lifetimes but he f'd up royally on this one.

It was the Cespedes trade. I know stat geeks will never, never accept this, but sometimes a player brings so-called intangibles to a club. Oakland stunk 4 out of 5 years before, out of nowhere, they made themselves relevant by out-bidding the large market teams for the guy. Suddenly, they become one of the best teams in baseball for 2 2/3 seasons.
If wins and losses are the only things that matter in sports, lets check the scoreboard.
 
A's win-loss record with Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 82-46
2013 83-50
2014 63-35
 
228-131 .635 winning pct.
 
A's win-loss record without Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 12-22
2013 13-16
2014 21-34
 
46-72 .390 winning pct.
 
They're not even the same team. I don't know why they are better with him than without him. They just are. I was thrilled when they traded a notorious Angels' killer and best clutch hitter. Billy Beane knows more about baseball than I could learn in several lifetimes but he f'd up royally on this one.

It was the Cespedes trade. I know stat geeks will never, never accept this, but sometimes a player brings so-called intangibles to a club. Oakland stunk 4 out of 5 years before, out of nowhere, they made themselves relevant by out-bidding the large market teams for the guy. Suddenly, they become one of the best teams in baseball for 2 2/3 seasons.
If wins and losses are the only things that matter in sports, lets check the scoreboard.
 
A's win-loss record with Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 82-46
2013 83-50
2014 63-35
 
228-131 .635 winning pct.
 
A's win-loss record without Cespedes in the starting lineup
2012 12-22
2013 13-16
2014 21-34
 
46-72 .390 winning pct.
 
They're not even the same team. I don't know why they are better with him than without him. They just are. I was thrilled when they traded a notorious Angels' killer and best clutch hitter. Billy Beane knows more about baseball than I could learn in several lifetimes but he f'd up royally on this one.

I got two seats next to Bob Uecker for game 2. I've been to 5 Angels' post season games (1982, 1986, 2005) and I've sat anywhere from field, loge, to the upper deck of the old football seats and as long as you're in the stadium and experiencing the energy, it doesn't matter where you sit.

AN just gave 5 mistakes the A's have made and trading Cespedes is not one of them. I have never seen a level of denial like this. Cespedes arrives and a roster full of cast offs and under achievers suddenly becomes the best regular season team for 2 2/3 seasons. Dude gets traded and they all revert back to the way they should have been playing for the previous 2 2/3 seasons. I don't know what the guy has, but he's absolutely killed the Angels and the team was significantly better with him, than without him. I always think of Juan Uribe. To a stat geek, he's worthless but for some reason, the teams he's on, play better with him than without him. Who knows? Maybe Freese is that guy for us.

I just had a vision of 40 years in the future where some team rolls Beltre up to the plate in a wheelchair and he STILL goes yard on us.

I just had a vision of 40 years in the future where some team rolls Beltre up to the plate in a wheelchair and he STILL goes yard on us.

AN just gave 5 mistakes the A's have made and trading Cespedes is not one of them. I have never seen a level of denial like this. Cespedes arrives and a roster full of cast offs and under achievers suddenly becomes the best regular season team for 2 2/3 seasons. Dude gets traded and they all revert back to the way they should have been playing for the previous 2 2/3 seasons. I don't know what the guy has, but he's absolutely killed the Angels and the team was significantly better with him, than without him. I always think of Juan Uribe. To a stat geek, he's worthless but for some reason, the teams he's on, play better with him than without him. Who knows? Maybe Freese is that guy for us.

Trout was unlucky the last two years because of the Triple Crown year and not being in the playoff hunt last year. This year he's lucky because the White Sox are not in the playoff hunt and I think a lot of voters feel he's earned it with his play over the last three seasons. It would be nice though if he could put a good run together in September to make it a "no doubter", like Vlad did in 2004.

Once the post season starts, they need to put Wilson in a glass case with a little hammer tied to it and a sign that says "Break glass only in emergency."

The Angels just got finished being crushed at home by the Mariners by a combined score of 26 to 8!
 
What if on that night you knew the following facts about this team by the end of August?:
 
1. Ibanez hits .157 with 3HRs and get released after inexplicably being allowed to play 57 games.
2. Josh Hamilton gets hurt and has only 44 RBI and 10 HR (none at home).
3. Both Skaggs and Richards are on the 60 DL
4. Santiago is 4-7
5. Frieri somehow remains the closer and is eventually dumped on the Pirates with a 0-3 record and 6.39 ERA
6. De La Rosa throws 2.1 innings
7. We trade for Joe Thatcher but he gives up 7 hits in 3 IP before getting hurt.
8. Sean Burnett throws .2 IP before being out for the season.
9, Bedrosian and Maronde get shelled in limited action.
10. Pujols is hitting .245 w/RISP and .125 w/ bases loaded.
11. Howie has 5 HR
12. Trout is hitting .290 with 13 SB
13. Freese is hitting .249 with 6 HR
14. Schuck, Stewart, McDonald & Boesch hit a combined .163
15. Team, as a whole, hitting .236 after the 6th inning and .198 with the bases loaded.
 
Knowing those numbers, what if I asked the following question?
 
One of the following teams will be 83-53 and one will be 53-83. Pick which one is the Angels, and which one is the Rangers.
 
 

The Angels just got finished being crushed at home by the Mariners by a combined score of 26 to 8!
 
What if on that night you knew the following facts about this team by the end of August?:
 
1. Ibanez hits .157 with 3HRs and get released after inexplicably being allowed to play 57 games.
2. Josh Hamilton gets hurt and has only 44 RBI and 10 HR (none at home).
3. Both Skaggs and Richards are on the 60 DL
4. Santiago is 4-7
5. Frieri somehow remains the closer and is eventually dumped on the Pirates with a 0-3 record and 6.39 ERA
6. De La Rosa throws 2.1 innings
7. We trade for Joe Thatcher but he gives up 7 hits in 3 IP before getting hurt.
8. Sean Burnett throws .2 IP before being out for the season.
9, Bedrosian and Maronde get shelled in limited action.
10. Pujols is hitting .245 w/RISP and .125 w/ bases loaded.
11. Howie has 5 HR
12. Trout is hitting .290 with 13 SB
13. Freese is hitting .249 with 6 HR
14. Schuck, Stewart, McDonald & Boesch hit a combined .163
15. Team, as a whole, hitting .236 after the 6th inning and .198 with the bases loaded.
 
Knowing those numbers, what if I asked the following question?
 
One of the following teams will be 83-53 and one will be 53-83. Pick which one is the Angels, and which one is the Rangers.
 
 

The Angels just got finished being crushed at home by the Mariners by a combined score of 26 to 8!
 
What if on that night you knew the following facts about this team by the end of August?:
 
1. Ibanez hits .157 with 3HRs and get released after inexplicably being allowed to play 57 games.
2. Josh Hamilton gets hurt and has only 44 RBI and 10 HR (none at home).
3. Both Skaggs and Richards are on the 60 DL
4. Santiago is 4-7
5. Frieri somehow remains the closer and is eventually dumped on the Pirates with a 0-3 record and 6.39 ERA
6. De La Rosa throws 2.1 innings
7. We trade for Joe Thatcher but he gives up 7 hits in 3 IP before getting hurt.
8. Sean Burnett throws .2 IP before being out for the season.
9, Bedrosian and Maronde get shelled in limited action.
10. Pujols is hitting .245 w/RISP and .125 w/ bases loaded.
11. Howie has 5 HR
12. Trout is hitting .290 with 13 SB
13. Freese is hitting .249 with 6 HR
14. Schuck, Stewart, McDonald & Boesch hit a combined .163
15. Team, as a whole, hitting .236 after the 6th inning and .198 with the bases loaded.
 
Knowing those numbers, what if I asked the following question?
 
One of the following teams will be 83-53 and one will be 53-83. Pick which one is the Angels, and which one is the Rangers.