Duren, Duren

Rodgers was the catcher for the first decade of the franchise. His entire career spanned 1961-1969. Lifetime 3.4 WAR, 232 BA. Not much to show in his numbers, but he was a solid, all around receiver on an expansion team who managed to keep his job for the decade while the rest of the roster was always being changed. And as a manager with the Expos in the eighties he was ok. Not great, but respectable. Also colorful and quotable. Molina had the best pure catching tools. By far, of any Angel. Parrish was a better than average catcher in slow decline. Downing and Boone were fairly decent too, but had their peak years elsewhere. Parrish in his prime would have been the franchise best if he was with the Angels.

Don't forget reputation and market factors. They do influence voters. Many who see little of the west coast players in live games.. That said, baseball really does make an effort to narrow things down to the elite. With analytics, new ways of measuring careers makes comparisons more objective.

Is strategy boring? Elimination of the pitcher at bat makes the game more robotic and less interesting. The pitcher at bat makes managerial decisions much more interesting. Especially in close games. Keep a pitcher in who is doing well, but down a run when his turn to bat comes up? Pinch hit, double switch, try and sacrifice if runners are on base with less than two out? Risk losing a great pitching performance by bringing in a mediocre reliever? And having a pitcher at bat also makes pinch hitting more important. Teams with good pinch hitters are at an advantage in clutch situations and likely to pull the pitcher quicker than those without a deep bench. I prefer strategy rather than brain dead slugging. Often by fat, old players who aren't athletic enough to play on the field. The DH is almost like a field goal kicker in football. A specialist with just one skill.

Kind of interesting for MLB to experiment with a very unique one off format. Whatever form it takes. Historically the results will be inconsistent in terms of team and player stats, but the drama of a championship chase will still be fun. No one can get too high or too low based on the unusual circumstances. Still, strike shortened seasons are legitimized in the record books. And whoever wins will still be acknowledged. Something like the first and second half standings of 1981.

In Canada they replayed all the Blue Jays 1992 and 1993 series games. Plus a bunch more of that team. They finally got around to some Expos games. They showed Vlady's 40th homer game as an Expo, McGuire's 70th home run, David Cone's perfect game. As well, Dennis Martinez' perfect game in Dodger Stadium, Pedro Martinez' near perfect game (9 inning plus) and Tim Raines late career return to the franchise. Hopefully a few more are dug out. I'd love to see Bill Stoneman's two no hitters, but doubt they have complete footage from the seventies.

Frank Tanana for the Angels. Man, with Ryan and Tanana the Angels had potentially one of the best all time pitching duos. We only saw a small sampling of what could have been. Non Angels, there are many, as others here have noted. But I think of Mickey Mantle. He had a long, HOF career, but it could have been so much more in terms of stats. He was amazingly fast as well as powerful, but in the1951 World Series during his first season he suffered a devastating knee injury. The aged Joe DiMaggio called him off on fly ball to right center and Mantle had to stop abruptly and caught his foot in a drain pipe in the Polo Grounds. Despite the fact Casey Stengel had ordered him to cover the space DiMaggio couldn't reach anymore. Mantle's speed was never the same. He also had dozens of other major injuries and was often playing with pain. Yes, he had a very long career, but it could have been significantly more impressive. And Mantle's injuries and family history of early death affected his psyche and led to a lifestyle that also restricted his production. If you watch the movie '61' you get a great insight into the demons he and Maris faced during a historic season. And though not injury related, I think of Ted Williams. Also with a very long career, but he lost the equivalent of four prime seasons with military service in two wars. His numbers also would have even more amazing. There is a very good book out there about the 1941 season. Williams hit over .400 (last player to do it) and DiMaggio had his 56 game hitting streak. The argument has been made that if each played for the other team both would have been more amazing. Williams batting left in Yankee Stadium, DiMaggio batting right in Fenway.

He's talking now from a place of comfort physically. Once the grind resumes the wear and tear may change his mind. And if his numbers/playing time are reduced this season (If there is one) he may have second thoughts. But that money is pretty hard to walk away from. Maybe he asks the Angels to trade him to St Louis for a swan song? I remember Rusty Staub, Gary Carter, Tim Raines returning to the Expos near the end of their careers after being away for years. All were very short term however but were appreciated by fans. Definitely HOF as a Cardinal. No comparison between his numbers/accomplishments. His Angel time has just been about longevity, slowly reaching milestones incrementally. No reason to retire his number as an Angel. Had he been part of a post season winning team maybe there would be more sentiment.

I hardly watch any news coverage anymore. Hard to differentiate facts from political spin one way or the other. And too much speculation based on incomplete/dubious projection data. My main concern is about my mother. In her nineties, she's in a care/assisted living home, thousands of miles away. I speak to her regularly on the phone, and she isn't overly concerned about the situation. But with restrictions on visitations and confined to her room there is a feeling of isolation. Medically at least that institution seems to be thorough and careful. Spending much less money in the real world, a little bit more online. Mostly Amazon and EBay. Freaky driving by empty malls and shuttered stores week after week. The only necessary driving we do now is for groceries, some drive through food places, to the post office and pharmacy. And some short, scenic recreational excursions. Luckily we have a big athletic park across the street, so some walking exercise is possible. Lots of reading, viewing old sports events, movies for recreation. More playtime for pets. Some creative projects, but momentum has slowed down. And a fair amount of work around the house with furniture rearranging, change in decor, minor repairs/improvements. Also a chance to sort through things and get bags filled for donations to charity thrift stores. Whenever they open again. Unfortunately it looks more and more that my planned vacation at the end of July will be cancelled or postponed. I was looking forward to seeing the Angels against Seattle and/or the Jays and doing other things in SoCal. It's possible things may normalize by then, but the travel logistics will probably be complicated. I really feel sorry for so many who are being devastated economically.

Looks like a paternity leave will be in the mix if the season ever gets under way. Congrats to fatherhood, Mike. https://www.bardown.com/mike-trout-says-mlb-s-plan-to-move-all-games-to-arizona-is-pretty-crazy-1.1466731

Baseball stats from the split season of 1981 and the strike season of 1994 were kept intact as they were, and became part of the permanent records of players and teams. The only oddity was that there were 'first half/second half' playoff records in 1981 and no playoff records for 1994. No pro rating or artificial manipulation of numbers.. In both seasons, teams played over a hundred games. The schedule was adhered to in 1994 before grinding to a halt. In 1981 they just defined things into before and after and added an extra playoff round. All told, there was enough data to indicate who the better and worse teams and players were, though certainly not the same as full seasons. 1981 at least had the closure of post season play. 1994, still an enigmatic mystery. If there is a 2020 season of approximately a hundred games, it would have to be treated the same way. Unsatisfactory because of the break in continuity, but not unprecedented. But the real novelty would be if it was played without fans in neutral/unfamiliar settings. You cross the line into the twilight zone in terms of tradition. All stats would be suspect, given the disconnect with normal baseball environments. I would not add the stats from such an artificial season to the career stats of players. Compile them, but keep them separated. A full playoff routine still might be feasible, because all teams would have played under the same conditions. But the results should be isolated and not added to the official historic record. All in all the season should be considered a glorified exhibition experiment. Valid as a real competition, but more like a mega spring training deviation.

One thing this situation exemplifies is how problematic it is to blindly trust statistical models before enough data can be processed. Random themes are cool, and provide some novelty. So far as using this time of confinement, I go back and forth from creative projects, rearranging furniture and decor and binging on reading and movies. Here are a few of many baseball books that I dug out and recommend. The Bo Belinsky book is a must for Angel fans wanting to learn about the early days of the franchise. The Jim Brosnan books are Ball Four type diaries from a long gone era. Great for a window into the day to day lives of ballplayers of the time. The Coover book is amazing! A surreal fictional peek into someone obsessed with a fantasy baseball world of his own creation. Harris wrote a great trilogy, including the source of the movie Bang the Drum Slowly. Computer Sports Matchups was one of the first attempts to use stats based simulations as a methodology to create trans historical matchups. I was the contributer for the hockey chapter.

They round up numbers, so technically he is a lifetime 300 hitter. Interesting if it comes down to stats or money. Ted Williams in 1941 I think it was also was just over the decimal cusp. But of 400, not 300. One day left in the season, and the manager said he could take the day off and finish at 400. But Ted went out and played, had a huge day and finished around 407. Last player to hit over 400 though Brett gave it a good effort. With Albert there is so much money at stake that it has to be a consideration. Even if subliminal. But thinking of legacy and history, ending at exactly 300 is a nice, symmetrical exclamation point to a HOF career. Al Kaline finished an even longer career one homer short of 400, batting 297. And seven hits over 3,000. So close to pushing all his numbers over those thresholds. Hitting those milestone numbers does resonate for fans, and will as long as people care about history. Considering his age, career decline and relatively modest improvement last year it might be a good time to hang them up. Rather than risk a potentially bad season and dropping his average below 300 for all eternity.

Almost perfect round numbers for a very long career. One homerun away from 400, 297 batting average, 7 hits over 3,000. I remember him slightly at the end of his career, when he was slower and heavier, but still was a clutch hitter with great bat control. A little overshadowed by flashier contemporaries but was steadily productive at all star levels. Here's a very good retrospective. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28409418/kurkjian-late-hofer-al-kaline-do-everything-diamond

One of the ways I'm using extra time at home is creating various movie themes for watching in my home theater. Currently I'm on a Coen brothers schedule. Not sure what will follow. Probably Clint Eastwood, Astaire/Rodgers, Elvis binging this week. I also want to watch the Angels Series winning DVD. Last time I saw it was during the rain delay at the stadium a few years ago when they had it on the scoreboard. I still prefer physical media to streaming, and have a large library to draw from. Absolutely nothing beats a dedicated big screen experience with decent big picture and surround sound. And these days the costs aren't so prohibitive, even at the lower end of the market. Anything 1080p or better looks great in most cases. And there is a huge immersive difference between even an 86 inch TV and a 120 inch or larger screen. Especially if you can control the light and have a big enough space. Here's a shot of my space.

These stats based games are fun. But they are one dimensional. There is no room to factor in players playing hurt or injured, individual response in clutch moments, motivation, the uniqueness of each manager and so on. As a former game designer I was always aware of such issues, but in those days the options in design were very limited. Strat-o-matic has changed somewhat over the decades and is still fun. And much more realistic than the graphic oriented video format in terms of player rating and individual probabilities. But it's still all taking place in an ideal, non physical world.

Books. I sure wish there were digitized versions of many of these, but a lot came before that format. But a useful way to fill time in a sports deprived world. About half my book collection, scattered in different rooms on three floors. Messy as you can see. This time gives me the chance to try and organize and thin out stuff. As a former academic, lots of these books were for professional and research purposes. Also a ton of sports, entertainment and screenwriting material too. For baseball fiction I started reading 'Return to Yankee Stadium' by Kenn Neyland. A really cool concept. Part speculative fiction, part fact about Roger Maris and how he regretted being forced to retire because of injuries. The book actually was a surprise, because it was thrown in with the Maris autograph I finally acquired at a decent price.

In the 1981 labor dispute season they split the season (up to the strike, then after the strike) and added a playoff round between the two half season leaders. The strike was about six weeks. In the end the season amounted to about 110 games, not all teams playing the exact same number. In a shrewd PR move the all star game was rescheduled to inaugurate the 'return of baseball.' I remember vaguely that Gary Carter was the big star, homering and making a great tag play on a laser throw from Dave Parker in right field. Despite the acrimony of the dispute the all star game kicked off an exciting second half, with the half pennant a viable goal for most teams. If this season is to be salvaged they need a big start. Possibly some kind of all star or challenge type event to grab fan interest again. If there is a reduced schedule, it will actually make things exciting all around. The lower ranked teams will have a better chance while the top teams will have more pressure to live up to expectations.

A little satire to distract from reality. TV without baseball or any sports is no fun. The last meaningful game was the world series finale. For that game I rolled my brand new, state of the art portable 13 inch black and white TV onto the patio. Adjusted the rabbit ears and the vertical hold. There it was! Party time! Mantle hits a grand slam. The 105 win Dodgers couldn't win. The hot dogs and beer were great.

Who needs human players. Just some dice, paper and pen. And one of these old school stats games. This was big when I was in university. We had a draft, schedule and playoff system. About 25 teams participated. I was the champion one year. Loaded up on pitching, guys with high on base percentage and some sluggers. Also platooned a lot. Now you have video games and computer simulations. But there was something fun about the tactile techniques of these games and being face to face with your opponent. Here's an ad from an old magazine from my childhood.

The over extreme panic is totally media driven. Common sense caution has morphed into paranoia by the unending fear mongering. Social psychology has many examples of crowd hysteria driven by exaggeration and misinterpreted facts. There is a phenomenon known as 'pattern matching' where a preconceived idea is projected onto something else felt to match that idea. Regardless if accurate or not. Statistically the fatalities are a small fraction compared to other viral type causes. And if you study the quasi barbaric eating habits in China where this began it would put things in a clearer context. The media are largely irresponsible, and in some cases, intentionally so. A variation of 'if it bleeds, it leads.' Also, do not discount the political and economic factors. And the timing. Remember the cynical "never let a crisis go to waste" statement? These sports organizations are trying to be politically correct and conform to the media narrative. Safer for them than to be demonized by challenging the narrative.

Mentored by Gaylord Perry with his arsenal of little devices? Bat and Ball 'doctoring' had been going since the beginning of the game. With various substances and implements. Hair grease, nail files, the elementary spitball, pine tar, cork, etc. Trying to detect and enforce has met with varying degrees if success. Every player tries to get an edge. Some try these physical techniques. With mixed results. But having an outside source brings in a new angle. What was delivered? Common items or specialized whatever? Players too lazy to bring in the stuff themselves? Or unavilable through normal channels? Normally cheaters want discretion and silence about their deeds. Having an in house agent means that others will find out. An Angel employee explicitly aiding and abetting the opposition to defeat his employer's team? Willingly breaking the rules of the game? Is this a wide spread thing around the leagues? Angels need to come to grips with what's going on in and around the clubhouses.

Every team in every sport have their own way of honoring franchise greats. Names on stadium walls, retired numbers, statues, plaques, franchise or local Halls of Fame, and so on. Statues are the most memorable, but make the biggest impact when you see them in person. The Niners recently put out a great recreation of the 1981 'catch' with an exact life size statues of Montana and Clark freezing that moment in time. The plaques in Yankee Stadium are iconic. The statues in front of Staples are memorable. When you go to Cooperstown you come away with all the plaques lingering in your memory. The statue of Rocket Richard in Montreal evokes the legend. It's a great idea to recognize and honor franchise greats. Kobe had two numbers retired by the same team. Number 12 for the Montreal Canadiens was worn by two HOF players and retired for both of them (Dickie Moore, Yvan Cournoyer) in a ceremony with both present. There are all sorts of ways of respecting the great players. Objectively, Vlad wasn't with the franchise that long. 8 years with the Expos, 6 with the Angels. Same with some other greats like Jackson and Carew who were around even less. Even Ryan played longer with Houston. Trout should be treated as an individual and not have to share any #27 honors with Vlad. A homegrown player is special. And even acquisitions from elsewhere should have had significantly longer and better careers than other places they played. Even Gretzky honored as a King is a perversion of history. His impact outside the game deserves special respect, but he was immensely better in Edmonton. In L.A. he never won a championship.

Bring back more off speed specialists if you want pitchers to have longer productive careers. And teach the knuckleball! The least stress on the arm, and a great knuckleball pitcher can play forever. Hoyt Wilhelm, probably the best of them all played till he was nearly fifty. Or even the Bert Hooten 'knucklecurve.' It takes time to master the technique, and requires a specific unique grip with emphasis on the fingertips and nails. But when it works it can be effective. Mastering control is the main problem because it dips and dives all over the plate and strike zone. Lots of passed balls too, so often these pitchers have to have a catcher experienced with the way the ball suddenly moves. Even if pitchers don't use it exclusively it serves as a great changeup and lessens the need for more arm straining pitches. When it doesn't 'knuckle" properly it sails in slow and flat and can be pounded, but like any off speed pitch hitters need to stay back and get their timing right. I guess Wakefield was the most recent pure knuckleball specialist, and obviously isn't being taught or promoted. But it can prolong a career. The emphasis on power this and power that has become a macho thing too. Homeruns and strikeouts. Glorified by analytics and the media. So much of the subtle skills of the game have been overshadowed by the need for quick fix hilites. But I digress ... By contrast, the most damaging pitch on an arm also isn't used much any more. The screwball, with it's clockwise release. In the seventies, possibly the best ever screw ball pitcher won a Cy Young award. Mike Marshall, relief pitcher and stopper for the Expos and then Dodgers, where he won that award. The strain on the arm is intense, but Marshall was a student of kinesiology and knew the science well. I think he earned a doctorate and later became a professor. For his purposes he was able to execute the technique to perfection and had a long career. Doubt he could he could have lasted as a starter, but he did make more appearances than most relievers of that era.

As they say in politics "never let a crisis go to waste." Next man up. Opportunity for someone to fill this vacancy and emerge as a positive surprise. These things happen all the time. One man's injury is someone else's big chance. Wally Pipp/Lou Gehrig. Back in Angel land it's still early spring training. Time for internal competition or trades. Not going to speculate on who will emerge because it could be anyone.

Minor things like this happen all the time. Every team will have these situations. Many probably more severe. No past history of similar issues with him so no chronic weakness there physically. Better now than during the season when the rotation is set. Likely on the opening day roster with maybe a little extra caution with his use early in the season.