Duren, Duren

The Angels are an easy target to dump on. It's built up the entire length of Trout's career. Especially for east coast media. Do you think he would have such contempt for the Red Sox or Yankees in a similar scenario? No doubt there would be criticism but I doubt it would be so dismissive and polarizing. After all he has to physically hang around those environments more frequently than venturing into Anaheim other than on rare occasions. If he personally was around Trout regularly be might have a more nuanced perspective. Good player on a weak team most of his career? Happens all the time everywhere. Less so now than in the past but every sport still has multiple examples. And it's not like Trout didn't have a choice. He has his priorities and expectations for the future and locked himself in with full understanding of the risks. And there are many examples of players finding redemption very late in their careers. It might even make a better story if the Angels become elite at the very end of Trout's contract/career. Making his loyalty and perseverance more newsworthy.

He should have been! Maybe being more unique would have increased his value,

Odds are he gets called up in September or earlier if he does well at AAA and they have injuries. Herget had a decent spell a couple of years ago but regressed last year. As a lefty with a funky delivery and little velocity he needed excellent control. And didn't have it. But in the Braves system coaches may tweak something. Maybe he shows up in a playoff game, gets one out and salvages his career. He wasn't a major asset obviously but should have brought back a lower end prospect or a late draft pick. Cash doesn't do anything for the roster. Here's the ESPN story. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40074673/braves-acquire-rhp-jimmy-herget-angels-cash

What a tough way to lose. Gutsy effort by Sandoval. He could have been taken off the hook many times. Nice work by the bullpen. But ... As characterizes a losing team. 18 Ks by the pitchers. Only 2 early runs allowed. But 10 men left on base when in scoring position. Included man on third no out and one out. For whatever reason, Neto moved the wrong way. Allowing the two runs to score. Excuses can be made that it was hard hit and he was screened but he wasn't positionally alert enough. Earlier it was mentioned how he positioned himself right at the edge of the shift rule space. Read and react has to be sharper. Ward trying to steal or whatever he was doing also was a preventable mistake. A bad time for Adell to have his worst game at the plate. As usual, horrible ball/strike calls. For both teams. No wonder there were so many called strikeouts. I counted at least 20 pitches that were far from the strike zone box. Not even marginally close. The broadcasters even stopped talking about it because almost every at bat had egregious calls. I think the last mention was the called strike on Tucker that led him into a defensive swing on the next pitch. Hard to really get angry about the loss. They played competitively, had some nice things happen. The roster is getting filled by over the hill veterans just trying to stabilize the lineup and add some professionalism.

This is a byproduct of being a pro athlete. Big money = big pressure. Every athlete has to deal with the psychological side in their own way. It varies individual to individual. I don't think there is a right or wrong attitude as long as it doesn't alienate team mates, management and fans. Under performing can cut short a potential income of high double digit (or more) millions income. And the competition is fierce. So their window is relatively short if they don't meet expectations. Sandoval is in a precarious position. He's been around a few years, not a young guy anymore. Theoretically in his prime years. He's had some streaks of good play showing untapped potential. But hasn't been able to sustain it. It seems he feels the pressure more now than ever. Hopefully this little media outburst/revelation will serve as a safety valve and lessen the pressure so that he can be his best self.

What's the timetable on Rendon. Still indefinite? I was thinking that it would be a bit surreal having Rendon back without Trout. He would become the defacto veteran star (based on salary and past reputation). with a chance to show leadership by example. A unique opportunity to try and take on more responsibility without Trout as a security blanket in the lineup. But now waking up from my fantasy, I realize how unlikely that is.

Still available on MLB Extra Innings.

Wow, what a bummer. The Phillies were ripe to be had, but came back against the Angels two best veteran relievers. A feel good gritty effort falling apart at the end with supposedly their most dependable relievers. Estevez can't seem to ever have two good outings on back to back days. But what can Washington do? Moore also didn't have a great inning. And save opportunities don't come along very much any more. It could really have been a morale booster. Especially with the Trout news. And Tucker's play would have been a nice talking point. Along with Anderson's quality start, Neto's long ball, Moniak's hit and Rengifo's clutch homer. But alas. Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Willie Calhoun? Might as well bring Cole Calhoun out of retirement. Ironic that Trout still leads in home runs. Now even that little statistical competition will be over. Just speculating... The consensus is that Trout is an automatic first ballot HOFer. But will all his incomplete seasons reduce that assumption? Especially if his play continues to stagnate going forward. Add in basically no playoff resume or post season hilites. He already has built up as solid a foundation as anyone so I think the HOF is certain. But long into history I don't think he will have that ultra elite all time great status that the biggest icons share. He was on pace for getting there but obviously various things have derailed his ascent to the top of that list. Maybe he comes back and still puts in some more above average seasons. But unlikely to match his peak years. And how many healthy seasons can be expected? Kind of similar to Mantle, though Mick had serious injuries right since his rookie season. And still fought through them with great production right till his last few years. Hopefully Trout does come back relatively healthy and plays some more years. But expectations can't really be the same as his prime years.

There are only so many cliches in sports. For both good and bad scenarios. Every manager draws from the same database in media talk and sprinkles in some personal specifics about whatever the current situation is about. Washington simply is saying that the team will improve after a tough start. Everything else is just filler content referencing things till now. I've followed all time great dynasties in their glory years (Canadiens, Forty Niners) and haven't given up on them through their lean and rebuilding years. But having lived through historically great championship years does compensate somewhat for the bad times. There's always hope that the spark can be re-ignited with the right chemistry and personnel. Under savvy management. I also followed the Expos from attending their first game to the dissolution of the franchise after it was stripped bare and sold off. No championships, two strikes ruining their best seasons. At least I lived thousands of miles away by then. But all those years literally disappeared into rapidly eroding memories. I adopted the Angels about twenty five years ago.Just as they were getting close to their series win. But I even had a hat with the halo soon after they came into the league. And kept informed about their seasons. I don't enjoy the current loop of disappointment of the last ten years, but the game is still the game. Each day you try and adopt the Ernie Banks attitude. Go out there and try to win.Even as the underdog. Try and enjoy the chess match of strategy, the players, and the skills. As long as full effort and hustle is prominent you at least feel that watching the game wasn't a waste of time. If other teams are better they likely will win, but rooting for upsets adds some interest. And even the best teams lose around 60 times or more, so any given game is ripe for an upset.

Wouldn't you know it .... I must have set my PVR up on the wrong channel. After the hockey games and setting up a new Android tablet I was ready to watch the Angels and saw that I had mistakenly recorded a Reds game. Which I promptly deleted. So I miss a rarity. A come from behind Angels win. And the new kid on the block, Tucker !! Now it would really help if they stop losing series and creep closer to .500. Now -7. A sweep puts them at -5 and certainly on a potential track for a gradual climb in the standings. And a much needed morale boost. If they could just stabilize the batting order and defense, get at least some consistently respectable pitching and just enough timely hitting.

Hicks must have seen thousands of pitches in his career. But he seems totally lost now. Confused and guessing most of the time. And badly fooled. What has caused this regression? Not just in the big drop in his stats. But his generally weak at bats. Rhetorical question but speculating, I think it's a combination of a few things. Age and slowing reaction and reads. Possibly an eyesight issue too. Lack or forgotten familiarity with pitchers and their patterns. Unsettled with this team and feeling pressure. Possibly the seemingly habitual approach of swinging for the long ball rather than just making solid contact. And don't discount the often terrible ball/strike calls that have made some hitters defensive and uncertain of what will be called a ball or strike. Often from pitch to pitch. Ward too seems to be affected this way. And even Trout to some degree. Ironically, Adell has been having much better at bats and patience at the plate. It's a bit sad watching previously respectable veterans struggle so mightily. Age and skill erosion clearly are factors, but it shouldn't be so overwhelmingly devastating. Pitch recognition and solid contact ought to be at least modestly better despite Hicks' multiple issues.

So true. I still remember my dad taking me to my first NHL hockey game at the old Montreal Forum when I was around eight. And my mom taking me to my first pro football game (CFL) when I was nine. My first MLB in person game was the very first Expos game at Jarry Park when I was in high school and a few pals and I skipped classes for the game. I still have the ticket stub. With autographs from three original Expos. Bill Stoneman, John Bocabella and Rusty Staub.

You would think that scoring 5 runs with their best starter would give a pretty good chance to win. Not be the other side of a successive blowout loss. It's Groundhog Day all over again and again. Terrible embarrassing defense. Pitchers with control problems. A bullpen who pitch like it's batting practice. And Kristofak is no saviour. Though he was just mopping up. The same hitters with the same problems. Game after game. And mostly veterans who should be able to self correct by now. Or adjust with useful tweaks suggested by the hitting coach. Neto had struck out all four times he had faced Lopez before and did exactly the same his first few at bats. And yet he hits second? And even starts? Though obviously there is no infield depth. Ward has been the victim of some bad ball/strike calls and now seems defensive and hesitant at bat. Trout finally drives in a run without a long ball. Maybe that's the start of a hot streak. Though he still is fouling off fat pitches he used to crush. Still early in the season. But they already are drifting too far away from .500 to expect a dramatic reversal of form. Is there a problem with the Angels TV feed? Yesterday there was no sound and MLB Extra Innings cut to the Twins feed. Today they just started with it and kept it all game. As bad as things are, it rubs salt in the wounds listening to the gleeful opposition spin.

Starting to bring back memories of the expansion Expos. "70 in 70" was their ambition after their first season. Though I was a kid I remember that fans were just excited to have a major league team for the first few years. And made folk heroes of Rusty Staub and Mack Jones. But after about five years that wore off and pressure to win became the main focus. It was their farm system that turned them into "the team of the eighties" as the cover of the Sporting News predicted. But that never produced a champion, though they had a great run foir about half a dozen years. Easily a playoff team under today's system. Almost every star on those teams was home grown. Carter, Dawson, Cromartie, Valentine, Parrish, Rogers, Raines and more. The organization knew that free agents rarely would sign there so they built a great scouting and developmental system. Even later they were one of the first to scout Latin America extensively. This story relates to the current Angels in some ways. Especially the need to rethink and revamp their longer term strategy. And get the right people in to build rather than patch up a leaky foundation. There are some useful young players that will be part of the rebuild, but the real need is to have a deep farm system with coaches who can accelerate progress. As well as have a head of baseball ops who can orchestrate a serious systemic rebuild And once and for all, have Arte stop meddling and setting and expecting to meet unrealistic goals. Preferably having new, smart owners but if not, just let him step back and stop being part of the equation. Owner Bronfman was always generous and pro actively supportive, but deferred to the baseball people. He did try personally to entice Reggie Jackson to sign as a free agent and nearly succeeded. But that was a rarity. Head of the scouting department was Jim Fanning. A really visionary, smart guy. Reluctantly he took over as manager when they fired Dick Williams and did guide them to their only playoff appearance in the strike season of 1981. But his experience was in scouting and he only managed a short time because of loyalty to the organization. As well the Expos produced a long line of front office people who had great success as GMs in other organizations. Sentimentally I always respected Bill Stoneman. Having watched him pitch two no hitters over his Expos playing career and in his rise through various front office positions. His experience with the expansion Expos probably helped inform his system building philosophy. His time with the Angels really consolidated his reputation. So will this season stimulate serious change if it continues to implode and embarrass? Rock bottom is getting close, and a low 70s win season may be that point. At this stage it will take a major reversal of form for them to get close to .500.

Not a good omen when MLB Extra Innings switched to the Twins broadcast after the Angels feed began without any sound. Those guys began gloating when the ball/strike mistakes went their way. And it got progressively worse as you'd expect. Obviously the signs of a blowout came in the first inning and the Soriano/Suarez combo began the fireworks. But as usual, Angel defense added fuel to the fire when the score was relatively close. And the Adell and Rengifo plays were just plain bush league bad. Again as is the new normal, Trout did nothing when he had a chance to turn the game around. From there, just a pretty sad exhibition. Against a fairly average team. Not much more need to be said except that the team is a mess. For the record, another series lost. Home or away doesn't matter

With all the playoff hockey I've been PVRing the Angels games to watch later. After four hockey games yesterday the Angels game seemed to be a slow motion comedy of errors. Despite a couple of nice double plays the defense continues to create daily damage. As Casey Stengel said, " can't anybody here play this game?" And is Trout turning into a Dave Kingman? Massive home runs but poor stats and production otherwise. Trout has better speed and defense than Kingman, but purely as a hitter his regression is troubling in most clutch situations. It now seems habitual rather than an a minor deviation.

Yes. Absolute recency bias. Clearly not enough due diligence. Arguably, he may be or become the absolute worst free agent signing in franchise history in terms of production per dollars spent. At least till now. And it's really hard to envision him being any different if he is on the team for his entire contract. His body is too fragile now and his mindset is questionable. At least Pujols gave some decent production over the span of his contract though it deteriorated dramatically in the later years.

Bobby Shantz. 5'6", 139 pounds. That's why all references to him were about "little Bobby Shantz " But looking at the record books, he was quite an effective left handed pitcher. 16 years MLB career, 1949-1964. 1952 A.L. MVP. Went 24-7 with a 2.48 ERA on the Philly A's. Later on he was a useful reliever on some pennant winning Yankee teams. From what I've read in old magazines and seen in a few videos clips he relied on slow breaking stuff and was best against left handed hitters. Good luck finding many pitchers today who can play 16 years. Of course the financial incentives was important in the old days while many current pitchers can retire comfortably in half a dozen years or so.

When judging individuals you can't neglect the trends in the sport itself. For instance, here is an interesting analytic/stats based comparison between this year, last year and beyond. Seems hitters are worse off despite the rule changes. Batting averages the lowest since 1968! Maybe all the bad stats on the Angels hitters are just normalized examples found throughout the game now. https://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/offense-is-down-across-mlb-and-rob-manfred-cant-be-happy

Gotta protect the established system and the people in it and with vested interests. At all costs. Politics by any other name. Look at the Reggie Bush stupidity. I don't even want to go deep into that 'protect the establishment' scenario. And irony of ironies. When the system breaks down because of it's own internal hypocrisies they revise history a couple of decades later. After all the damage and humiliation. It wasn't just an ethical decision, but one to avoid even more derision. Baseball protecting the umps has been common forever. But with technologies available now for proof checking they've crossed the line from judgment fallibility to pure reflex systemic protection.

I never overlook the betting angle. Not a conspiracy theorist, but you just never know. Who is 'New York' anyway? Some guys we know nothing about. So easy to just make a call on a close play go the way you want. Blatant mistakes raise red flags. Close plays just a shrug and soon forgotten.

Too bad the rally fell a run short. It could have been a different game without the decision to use Suarez in that situation. Adell showed good discipline in a tough spot. But his base running is still an adventure. Beat that by an inch, barely. But New York must have bets on the Orioles. Baseball losing credibility every day. Glad Randazzo and Gubi didn't mince criticism.

4 runs on 3 homers. Not the greatest value per homer. It would be nice to actually see runs scored in other ways than the long ball. And it would add some excitement too.

Neto going beyond the warning track finally.