floplag

This is why the whole thing is going to be a clusterfuck... MLB has to over think it.
It doesnt need lines on the field, thats absurd.
Its simple, we all know where the default spots are, 3B or 1B cant go past where the default 2B spot is, 2B or SS cant go to other isde of the bag.  Everyone has to have a foot on the infiled dirt if an infileder. 
You dont want to eliminate shifts, it part of the game, you just want to limit the joke they have become.
If they are trying to bring back the up the middle hit then add in you cant be behind the bag but for gods sake dont draw some absurd lines on the field!

Frustration, irritation, i mean if you were him wouldnt you be fed up beyond beleif? 

I would pay to see the team try, over what they are giving us, yes.
I will not pay to see the debochle they are, superstars or not.
Do you truly enjoy seeing Trout cat a few times a night around a loss?  Thats somehow fun for you?  I bet even he would trade his performance for wins.
This logic is what got us into this mess.  People paying to see Trout, instead of the Angels. 

I would pay to see the team try, over what they are giving us, yes.
I will not pay to see the debochle they are, superstars or not.
Do you truly enjoy seeing Trout cat a few times a night around a loss?  Thats somehow fun for you?  I bet even he would trade his performance for wins.
This logic is what got us into this mess.  People paying to see Trout, instead of the Angels. 

There are only two options, not counting an absurd amount of luck, and the answer will largely depend on how fast you want the team to be competitive or reelevant again.  Ill admit up front im as negative about this team as i think ive ever been right now... too many years of supposedly working some plan to somehow get worse each year... ive realized the only real plan is line Artes pockets. 

IF you want to win in the next couple yeatrs, the only real option is to overspend.  There is no other path.  For all Artes talk about doing what it takes and the right guy yada yada, in the end the bussinessman won out, he isnt going to do that, hes gone as high as hes willing to go, thats obvious at this point.  He has completely ignored talking to the media or talking to the fans or letting anyone know what he intends for years now for exactly that reason, old news.  So, thats moot.

If you want to play the long game, which i suppose we have been it was just a lot longer than we thought, then you stay the course.  The problem with this is twofold, it doesnt work playing 500 ball, and you have no real shot and getting competitive FA to come here.  and thats before you get to the whole wasting Trout/Ohtani nonsene.

Arte isnt going to sell the team, which at this point is the only real answer to get someone who will do what it takes short term wehile building the future.  But im assuming that too is also moot.
The only real answer is a full fire sale.  Before anyone blows a gasket on me lets be honest, take the emotion out of it, If this was any other team, with any other players, would you honestly reccomend anything else?

Trade Trrout, Ohtani, Thor, literally anone not under long term control.  One year deals, gone, trade em.  If you cant win with them, why does it matter if they are here? Is watching them lose night after nioght fun to literally anyone?  Whatever the plan or model is or has been these last 5-10 years, its an astract failure in every possible way. 

Now that having been said, do i think it will happen, no, Arte wont give up the revenue streams those players create... so he will lose them in the end for nothing.  Ohtani will not extend, he has zero reason to with the universal DH, we already dropped that ball. 

If they do this they might be terrible for the next few years, but hey whats the real difference between winning 80 games or 70... either way your not relevant. 

Exactly, its about revenue, not making the team better.  And were now almost 5 out and thats of the expanded field so weve regressed even further from last season. 
They have to know by know, or at minimum have a good idea what his plans and thier options are, if they dont they are incompetent.
All im saying is that if they are not reasonably sure they can get it done, then you have to look at options.
I still care a lot more for the name on the front of the jersey, than the back, so no one should be 100% untouchable.
I would trade Trout and Ohtani or anyone else if it meant getting the angels back into winning ways sooner.   Watching two great players on a crappy team gives me personally no joy whatsoever. 
Barring some major turn around in the next couple weeks, and i mean major, you gotta start selling.  Its long passed time if this team actually cares about winning ever again.  How many years are we going to have these same absurd arguments?

They should know now, if they can or plan to keep him.  I suspect they do know the answer to that, which was probably the point of those informal conversations.
If they want to, the question really is will they.  Do we even want another top dollar deal when the ones we have appear to be preventing us from doing other things?   If Arte isnt willing to go to near lux tax payroll levels, which to date he has not been, then signing him means that much less to fill other spots. 120M to three players?  That doesnt leave much at the trough if hes only going to allow another 50-60.
If they dont or cant, then honestly, barring a monster turn around in the next 30 days, you have to deal him now.
Dont misunderstand me, i dont want to deal him, i want  Arte to extend him and still be willing to do more, but i really dont think thats realistic, does anyone here think he would do that when he hasnt to date?
Regardless, now is the time to make that decision, if were willing to go to those heights or not, and act on it to get max value in trade or lock him the heck up, if he even wants to be locked up.  

Exactly, its about revenue, not making the team better.  And were now almost 5 out and thats of the expanded field so weve regressed even further from last season. 
They have to know by know, or at minimum have a good idea what his plans and thier options are, if they dont they are incompetent.
All im saying is that if they are not reasonably sure they can get it done, then you have to look at options.
I still care a lot more for the name on the front of the jersey, than the back, so no one should be 100% untouchable.
I would trade Trout and Ohtani or anyone else if it meant getting the angels back into winning ways sooner.   Watching two great players on a crappy team gives me personally no joy whatsoever. 
Barring some major turn around in the next couple weeks, and i mean major, you gotta start selling.  Its long passed time if this team actually cares about winning ever again.  How many years are we going to have these same absurd arguments?

Exactly, its about revenue, not making the team better.  And were now almost 5 out and thats of the expanded field so weve regressed even further from last season. 
They have to know by know, or at minimum have a good idea what his plans and thier options are, if they dont they are incompetent.
All im saying is that if they are not reasonably sure they can get it done, then you have to look at options.
I still care a lot more for the name on the front of the jersey, than the back, so no one should be 100% untouchable.
I would trade Trout and Ohtani or anyone else if it meant getting the angels back into winning ways sooner.   Watching two great players on a crappy team gives me personally no joy whatsoever. 
Barring some major turn around in the next couple weeks, and i mean major, you gotta start selling.  Its long passed time if this team actually cares about winning ever again.  How many years are we going to have these same absurd arguments?

That winning strategy thats worked so well for how many years now? 
Youre probably right, if for no reason other than revenue over anything on field, but if this was any random American born player that doesnt have that attached, do you say the same?
3.5 back isnt a lot till you realize that also 3.6 further back than it would have been last youre so the expanded field is the only reason were that close. 
Can they go on a run as good as the bad was, sure, but are they showing any signs of that to you?
Lets win a damned series before we start talking about the wild card again shall we. 

Front office scaepgoat, nothing more. 
Nevin is certainly not a better manager at this point.
Maddon will get another job  and will win again, i wonder if the same can be said of ourselves.
No way were getting anyone here on the short term now or extending anyone so might as well start trading people and do a proper rebuild. 

The problem isnt AV and MD making first pitch outs, its that they were even in those spots.
when youre down to counting on cast offs and guys that shouldn't be ML starters to get the job done, youre setting yourself up for disappointment.
Our roster was incomplete and poorly constructed, as usual, to fit in the budget.

And yet its happened how many times in SoCal history?  No not in MLB but still. The diea that someone wouldn't leave, is not realistic. 
Time will tell, i hope im wrong, but if im him, yeah, im looking... from a purely business standpoint it makes absolute sense to check your options. 

I wasnt, till it started dragging out.  If hes not able to play for another week the put him on the IL and get a real outfielder up here.  This fascination with a roster of MIF playing everywhere is getting really old really fast. 

I wasnt, till it started dragging out.  If hes not able to play for another week the put him on the IL and get a real outfielder up here.  This fascination with a roster of MIF playing everywhere is getting really old really fast. 

And, we have help on the way.. Stassi coming back, Reyes, Buttrey in the pen... were in a very good place.
The only thing i find supremely irritating at this point is the glut of middle infielders playing all over the place.
 

oh stop this is not going to happen.
Every move Maddon has made is defensibly by the numbers, its defined everything hes done.
Hes made comments about old style baseball and implied he would use his gut as much as the computer but he hasnt.
That means everything hes done was basically right per the stats, he went to the guys he had at that time that fit that option... and they failed.  It isnt on Maddon, its on who gave him those options. 
What is on Maddon is becoming a peripheral to the damned computer instead of using his baseball IQ and experience as he said he would. 

oh stop this is not going to happen.
Every move Maddon has made is defensibly by the numbers, its defined everything hes done.
Hes made comments about old style baseball and implied he would use his gut as much as the computer but he hasnt.
That means everything hes done was basically right per the stats, he went to the guys he had at that time that fit that option... and they failed.  It isnt on Maddon, its on who gave him those options. 
What is on Maddon is becoming a peripheral to the damned computer instead of using his baseball IQ and experience as he said he would. 

oh stop this is not going to happen.
Every move Maddon has made is defensibly by the numbers, its defined everything hes done.
Hes made comments about old style baseball and implied he would use his gut as much as the computer but he hasnt.
That means everything hes done was basically right per the stats, he went to the guys he had at that time that fit that option... and they failed.  It isnt on Maddon, its on who gave him those options. 
What is on Maddon is becoming a peripheral to the damned computer instead of using his baseball IQ and experience as he said he would. 

oh stop this is not going to happen.
Every move Maddon has made is defensibly by the numbers, its defined everything hes done.
Hes made comments about old style baseball and implied he would use his gut as much as the computer but he hasnt.
That means everything hes done was basically right per the stats, he went to the guys he had at that time that fit that option... and they failed.  It isnt on Maddon, its on who gave him those options. 
What is on Maddon is becoming a peripheral to the damned computer instead of using his baseball IQ and experience as he said he would. 

Im kind of glad it happened if im being honest.  Weve had a lot go right, and i think we were starting confuse luck with brains.  A little kick in the nether to remind us we still have some issues to resolve is a good thing.
 

Im kind of glad it happened if im being honest.  Weve had a lot go right, and i think we were starting confuse luck with brains.  A little kick in the nether to remind us we still have some issues to resolve is a good thing.
 

Im kind of glad it happened if im being honest.  Weve had a lot go right, and i think we were starting confuse luck with brains.  A little kick in the nether to remind us we still have some issues to resolve is a good thing.
 

I cant help but think this is part of the problem.
If the players dont respect the organization, and the fans of it, how the hell are they going to perform at their best?
This team is the epitome of underachievers in recent years.. starting to wonder if shit like this is part of the why. 

Christ if nothing else play him in LF... makes more sense than Mayfield.
Find a ways to get that bat into the lineup especially if youre going to continue to play Velazquez.