AngelsSurfer

The one reason I'm okay with the larger salaries (notwithstanding the ridiculous 10 year 200 mil contracts for under-performing players) is that the owners make more .They're making their money off the backs of these players, and the career is very short-lived and fraught with injuries. Let them rake it in while they can. I'd like to see what someone mentioned above: more incentives and contract support for homegrown players. If you come up in the Angels' farm system and put in a decade or more helping various teams in the franchise, there should be some bonus for that, much in the same way other types of companies will reward long-term employees. I'd also like to see performance bonuses for players who are truly achieving. Last season it could probably be argued that Matt Shoemaker or Garrett Richards were more valuable pitchers than CJ Wilson, and that Kole Calhoun was more valuable both on the field and batting than Josh Hamilton. But Hamilton and Wilson were making the big bucks and the kids were not. It would have been nice if they'd been able to adjust those players' salaries upward or offer a bonus for their great work.

That might depend, though. If they actually pull up stakes and live in that state, yes. However, it seems as though a lot of players actually live in states other than the ones they play for and have everything set up there. If they own property and have an off-season residence in another state, and their family stays there year round, and they're the head of household for tax purposes, they might be considered primary residents there and be liable for the state income tax. So they'd miss out on the benefits of the taxless state they play for. It probably takes a good accountant to sort it all out.

I don't think the majority of players would choose to live in either the areas close to Dodgers Stadium in LA, or in Anaheim. I've read and seen interviews where many players on both teams seem to like being in the beach cities in LA or Orange County - Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, et al. Distance doesn't always translate to time spent commmuting, either. I've heard of the Dodgers Express bus from Union Station, which is, I think two miles away, taking an hour and a half to get to the stadium because of traffic. So regardless, they're probably all going to have traffic getting to work and they probably make their decisions based on a lot of factors - how they like the neighborhood, safety, price, schools (if they have kids), what the other players recommend, etc. Not the county. Just because they're an Angel doesn't mean they're in the OC; just because they're a Dodger doesn't mean they're living in LA County. Having said that, many folks, inside and outside of baseball, find moving to Southern California *in general* to be a really appealing prospect. It might raise the stock for the Angels, Dodgers and even the Padres with some players. Certainly, living in, say, Manhattan Beach has a lot to offer over living in Detroit or Cleveland, for instance...

Okay, so being gay is not a choice or a lifestyle. It's an orientation that people are born with. I have a gay relative. Everyone knew he was gay from the time he was six years old - I can't explain why, but everyone just knew. And lo and behold, even though nobody said a word to him about it, he came out when he was a teenager. Point being, he didn't choose it; it was who he was. I think that some of the comments in this thread are a good example of why people are still publicly coming out. In a perfect world it would never be newsworthy because people would feel free to be themselves without worrying. But in 29 states you can still be fired for being gay (someone wanted a link for that? Here you go:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/30/fired-for-being-gay_n_6076492.html). There isn't a single player who is openly gay. Not one. I'm sure there are those whose orientation is an open secret, and their teammates know, but there isn't a single player who is comfortably publicly appearing with his husband or boyfriend. And yes, there would be support if a player came out, but there would also be a lot of backlash. There would be parents who would refuse to let their kids wear his jersey number. There might even be other players who would hassle him. So when this umpire is coming out publicly, I think he's helping to create a safe space where players and others - managers, coaches, players, whoever - will also feel safe being open about their sexuality.

I'm surprised there isn't more support for Calhoun. He's become a great defensive player, and he's saved games for the Angels on more than one occasion with his amazing catches. His nomination is well deserved, IMHO.

I'll bite. By the hats and heads, there are 22 people at the rail. There would have been 16 members of the roster in the dugout at the time, because: - Kole Calhoun was batting at the time - Mike Trout would have been on the circle preparing to bat next - None of the relievers had been used yet at the bottom of the Sixth, so Jason Grilli, Huston Street, Joe Smith, Fernando Salas, Kevin Jepsen, Corey Rasmus and Mike Morin would have all been out in the bullpen. Since Hamilton wasn't standing up, only 15 active roster players would have been at the rail. Then we have players who weren't on the 25-man roster who were present: - Garrett Richards (you can see his monster black knee brace; he was also there for Game 2). Yep, the guy with the massive knee injury was there at the rail to support his teammates. - John McDonald (who stayed with the team even in Kansas City to cheer them on) - Joe Thatcher (ditto) That makes 18, and then there are various coaches. So it does appear that every single player who wasn't batting or in the bullpen was standing at the rail, except for Hamilton.