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LAA Road Tripper

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  1. True but 1980 came right off the heels of a breakthrough ‘79 season and only two years later they were a game away from the World Series. (Three times. Don’t get me started but I digress.) Everything went wrong that year but I truly can’t remember any team in any sport dealing with the amount and impact of injuries like this year’s Angels have. Couple that with the unexpected drop in starting pitching effectiveness which somehow stayed pretty healthy, a crap bullpen, subpar defense and you get what you got.
  2. Sure, trade Trout. Eat a bunch of money and restock the farm as much as possible. It’s far past the time to bulldoze this pathetic shack down to the stubs and start over. Not that I believe the current regime has the capability of building it up again, though. That would require an Arte-less future which right now looks about as hopeful as the PAC 12’s does.
  3. The Yankees lost 103 in 1908. Granted, they were the Highlanders then but it’s the same franchise.
  4. Hey, some good news! With their 63rd win, the Angels remain one of two franchises (the other is Colorado) to never lose 100 games in a season. So there’s that. BTW, if someone told me before the season that by the end of August the Angels would have a better record than both the Mets and Padres, I would have thought that we’d be looking at a pretty good season. Yeah, I would have thought that.
  5. I know that Velasquez isn’t a very good hitter, MLB.com. But you don’t gotta be so mean.
  6. All of the current 30. I got to most of them through work travel, some on vacation and I took a special trip to hit the new Texas and Atlanta parks two years ago. I’ve hit another dozen or so old stadiums, too.
  7. This is an undisciplined, dysfunctional mess of a franchise. What is particularly galling is that I see no fire, no sense of “this shouldn’t be happening all the time.” Instead, the same mistakes keep occurring, one bad play leads to a 5 run inning, etc. No accountability and a public face that shows the fans that mediocrity or worse is just fine. Can someone in this organization show us that they care? If this disaster ever turns around, I really believe it will be the Neto, O’Hoppe, Joyce group to lead them. Trout will still put up great numbers but is undependable compared to the brightness of his star and seems to hardly ever deliver when it counts, Ohtani’s gone, Sandoval’s a head case, Ward’s all over the place. Could they turn it around? Well, the talent’s there. Will they? They’ve shown no evidence that they will and a lot that it’s just business as usual. This very well be the most underachieving franchise in professional sports over the last decade. Agreed, tear it down but with Arte, Carpino, etc. still in the mix, I’m not sure it will matter.
  8. I would describe this team as just sloppy. They’re an undisciplined mess reflective of the entire franchise for the last decade. After last year’s improvement of the rotation plus the added depth in the off season, I had some legitimate hope going into the season. Would love to be proven wrong but I don’t see a playoff team here at all. And as much as I respect Trout as one of the greatest ever, if I had my choice of hitters down a run and bases loaded bottom 9, right now I would pick 20, maybe 30 other hitters in the game before him to deliver the big hit. I wish I didn’t feel that way.
  9. Not really worried about the record. Very concerned about how this team has approached the first 15 games, however. There have been so many mental errors, misplays in the field, etc. Five games already given away by stupidity, one they clawed back (the middle game against Toronto) and just an overall lack of any sense of urgency or responsibility. Disappointed by the general attitude. Obviously, it’s early but this franchise has a long way to go to earn any benefit of the doubt. I was hoping that they’d get off to a start like last year and sustain it this time.
  10. I was working at an executive suite at the City Tower, a good long walk from the stadium. I went to every ALDS and ALCS game except for Game 4 against Minnesota but got shut out when I arrived early morning to get in line for World Series tickets. So I slinked back to my office and remembered a rumor that Ticketmaster might occasionally release single tickets later in the day. So I constantly refreshed my browser and at around 2:30PM I got a bite for Game 1. Immediately I opened multiple screens and bought about 20 tickets for all four home games on credit which I couldn’t really afford. The plan, as quickly and maybe poorly thought out as it was, was to sell my brother a ticket for a couple of games, sell the rest for a profit and attend every game basically for free. I’ve miscalculated on many things over the years but this time I calculated perfectly. There’s a landscape picture of the final out from about 20 rows back of the third base dugout that is available (or was) at Art.com that I have hanging in my office. I didn’t see the photographer but whoever it was couldn’t have been more than a few feet away from where I was standing. What a tremendous time. Stan Kroenke, Joe Lacob or whoever gets this team, make it happen again.
  11. The Colorado Rockies have never lost 100 either. 32 fewer seasons to work with, though.
  12. Admittedly, I nor anyone else knows what’s going on in Trout’s head but if I were a betting man I’d predict that he will be on another roster by next opening day or by the latest, opening day ‘24. His denial a few days back was the only thing he could say when asked the question just to keep speculation at bay. As much as I would hate to see him leave, I’d have more respect for him as a competitor. I have less hope in this franchise right now by a long shot than I ever have in 45 years as a fan. Almost nothing looks promising. It very well may be the worst run team in the four major sports. It really is that bad. I would love to be wrong and next year the Angels are competitive, the young players somehow find their stroke, Trout’s happy, Ohtani buys in and re-ups, blah, blah, blah…. I’d love to. I can’t see it. Right now, about the only thing that would create some optimism in me for them to be a contender in 3-5 years short of Arte selling the team is him handing the keys over to Theo and locking himself away in a shed.
  13. If you have 95+ stuff and have confidence you can hit the upper zone, you can strike out Trout almost every time. Even when if he knows it’s coming. As great as he is, that’s been a hole in his game and it seems to be getting bigger. The pitcher’s problem is if he misses at all, he pays.
  14. The problem with this underachieving franchise isn’t about money. Never has been. It’s about priorities. In anything, when the foundation isn’t right, the whole enterprise is at risk. Since Arte bought the team, scouting, drafting, player development, all of the things consistently successful franchises do aren’t done here. That’s the story. Until they do, we’ll keep seeing the same results. Let’s make it simple. You want to be successful? Look at the teams that are, look really closely, and copy that. Notice what they don’t do and don’t do it, too. That’s how the Angels get on the right track.
  15. At this point, I’d say it’s very unlikely that Ohtani re-ups. He’s expressed the importance of winning and he sees what we all see, a long track record of massive dysfunction. Of course, none of us can look inside his head but why would he continue to subject himself to this disaster? As for Trout, I don’t believe the Angels would ever approach him on a trade. But I could absolutely see him finally so frustrated that he demands an escape and if he does, he’ll get his wish. Then we might see the first 100 loss season in team history. Or maybe we’ll see it this year anyway.
  16. Like always, it all comes down to health. Fangraphs has this team 82-80? If that happens that means, again, the Angels will have had an above average number of significant injuries. So I guess Fangraphs just factored in that it will all fall apart again. Probably the expectation you get with their track record. On the other hand, if - big if - most everybody stays on the field, 90 wins is realistic.
  17. The first line of Doc’s post is about as accurate as one could get and his description of the organization just got better from there. This is a less-with-more franchise without a legitimate excuse.
  18. Just saw Marsh’s pregame interview. Dude looks and sounds like 1969. I think he’ll add a fun element to the team.
  19. 9th inning, with a 2 run lead or more and the pitcher walks a batter. No. Never. I absolutely hate it. Aside from a double play prospect (and often especially with 2 outs they just give the runner 2nd base via catcher’s indifference) in that situation a walk and a HR are the same thing. Pitchers have got to challenge the hitter. (See Percival vs. Bonds, ‘02 World Series, Game 2.)
  20. An Angels monster inning like the 8 runs in Game 4 in the 2002 ALDS against the Yankees or the 10 runs in Game 5 in the ALCS vs. the Twins. I still remember how loud and joyous the ballpark was. That Yankee inning was so cathartic. Every hit that Saturday afternoon in the 5th inning just dropped in inches from a glove or found the perfect gap batter after batter and seemed to wipe away 1982, 86 and 95 all at once. And it happened again 8 days later. After all the years of frustration and almosts, this time - this time! - the wind is at our backs and the momentum is unstoppable.
  21. Certainly, any successful team needs talent. They’re really not that far away at least offensively. But it’s not an either or thing. The Angels also need some kind of edge which is just code for accountability. This franchise is just way too comfortable with mediocrity. They need an Erstad-like figure. No one crazy, just a strong, steadying presence. And I don’t who that is. As much as I respect and am impressed by Trout as a human being and generational superstar, it ain’t him. Fine. But someone or better yet a handful of players need to fill that role.
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