tomsred

On this Angels team that could have definitely happened.

He choked, I think he wanted to get through 5 innings and rack up a win. The closer he got the more outside his game he got. Also it doesn't take long for ML hitters to figure out tendencies on pitchers who are struggling. I don't know what the organization sees in this guy, he should be at AAA.

Hunter had a rare personality, I'm not sure anyone on this team could emulate him. Eventually Trumbo and Trout could be leaders, but that might take a few years. I agree with you on the catching, not enough emphasis there, but really good catchers that were available via trade or free agency have been rare the past few years. I think DiPoto missed the boat on the pen construction. He tried to build a house with a hand saw instead of an electric saw. Maybe Madsen will bail him out, but I don't expect that he will contribute much right away.

Nice!

.....and it wasn't just one umpire, all four group farted.

Things settle down on this board? You're a real optimist.

I think Wells should come back as our hitting coach, you guys need another Hatcher to keep you occupied, LOL.

They both do nice press conferences, but neither are going to the moon real soon. LOL

I disagree, you don't let everyone represent the organization with public comments because they are unskilled public speakers, and what they say can be interpreted in various ways. Think of some of the comments made by Hunter in previous years, and how unsettling and misconstrued they were. Yes, it's our right to have free speech in this country. When you wear a uniform of an organization, or you are an employee of an organization, what you say reflects on everyone in the organization. How well you say it, and to some degree what you say, can be construed to represent the opinion of the organization. That does not fly in public companies, that takes some skill and is a specialty. Now as a fan you would probably like to hear every players opinion on team performance, but many fans would take those opinions as fact and as representative of the entire organization, and make conclusions from those supposed "facts.". That is why an individual like Tim Mead exists. That's why baseball is full of cliches that are not seen as detrimental to the organization they represent. If you allowed everyone to be a public relations representative, you would be toast in the community and as an effective organization.

One other thing I would add that was handled poorly by the organization - marketing. They pushed hard this offseason in marketing the skills of the key players acquired. They fueled the expectation level for performance to an unachievable level, probably because it would help sell tickets and merchandise. I would have cautioned fans to temper their enthusiasm because it would take some time to integrate the new players, and make the adjustments that were necessary to win consistently. I don't believe the Angels marketing department, and the baseball operations communicate very well. They might not have an effective leader over both organizations that effectively integrates them.

My answer to some of your questions is as follows: 1. I pretty much agree with you, chemistry is over emphasized and tends to show well when your winning. 2. I think he was implying that the team had learned to jell well together as a team, and there was no need to make the amount of changes that were made in total. 3. I think he meant that leaders have to develop over a period of months. Managers, coaches and player leadership qualities are quite different. A manager makes hard decisions regarding who plays, who sits, many in game decisions, bating orders, etc., and must be in a position to reprimand and encourage a player as necessary. He shouldn't have to justify every decision he makes, and must be isolated somewhat from the players. The coaches fill an intermediate role, they can be closer to the players, sometimes consoling and encouraging them. Player leaders come in all types, part of it is they have to lead by example to some degree to have a much credibility. Some can be poor performers and be leaders, but I believe that is rare. 4. No one is saying that the manager and coaching staff have done an outstanding job this year. I would think their performance is under review mostly by DiPoto, and somewhat by Moreno. Not every player is playing poorly compared to their norm. Unfortunately this team has little depth, and the highest paid players on the team are under performing for various reasons. A few are injured, and there is no depth to step up and fill the void created by these injuries. Making changes to a baseball team, employees in a company, or almost any situation where team performance is required to succeed will many times set the entire team back a few steps until they learn to work with one another, not always but many times it will. I believe this wasn't taken into account by either Arte or DiPoto. I still believe this team will come together and win somewhat consistently, but not until some of the players come back from injury, it's just not a deep enough team. I've said this in previous years, you need between 40-50 effective players to win a championship. That's how many different players the Angels run out at the Major League level each year. Unfortunately our numbers 25-50 on the depth chart are very poor right now compared to other clubs.

Dan Haren > Jerry DiPoto. Jerry can't comment because Dan will say "scoreboard baby." LOL

Post your predictions here for season game #36, 5/11/13 vs. Chicago White Sox. Game time is 4:10 pm PST. Winners from tonight's game #35 vs. Chicago are shown below. 4 Points, 2 Points None 3 Points HeavenlyHalos (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) The Angels (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) Redondo (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) nando714 (Callaspo 1-4, 1 single) BatsnBeer (Trumbo 1-4, 1 single) paws (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) AngelsAndRamsFan (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) Jeff M (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) 1 Point tomsred (Trout 2-5) TCB (Trumbo 1-4) Angels_Baseball (Trout 1 run) Jellybean (Pujols 1-4) JAHV76 (Pujols 1-4) 2002_halos_II (Enright 5 ER's) notalpujols (Enright 3.1 IP)

I think he hit it 100%. I agree with everything he said.

"I'm sick and tired of those of you that claim no one is at fault except the players are underperforming, therefore, do nothing. It's not Sosh's fault, not Butcher's fault, it wasn't Hatcher's fault last year. Why have a coaching staff if they don't share in any of the blame? Someone needs to get the ax for this pattern the team has. Terribly slow starts, no sense of urgency, no one willing to accept blame for their part, player or coach." --------------- No one is saying to do nothing. They need to act strategically, and with some plan, not out of emotion and trying to punish someone. Put a plan together, execute it, and do it at the absolute best time. To react just because fans are emotionally frustrated is stupid. Everything should be reviewed carefully, and discussed thoroughly. Change will occur, but right now is a silly time in my opinion to make changes because the alternatives are slim. All you will do is make more mistakes, and probably some that will ensure failure for even longer than we all want to endure.

Whatever.

I guess you missed the constantly changing lineups from the last few years.

This year's edition is an interesting problem. Hamilton and Pujols are far different to me than Hunter and even Wells in personality. They seem more introverted, and explain things through God in an abstract way. Hunter and Wells were openly encouraging and enthusiastic toward other players. I think it is almost impossible for Scioscia alone to fill a leadership void. He has to be the bad guy at times as well. Picciolo, Eppard, and Butcher don't seem to effectively connect to the players like a Maddon, Roenicke, or Black. A more effective coaching staff might fill some of the breach between veteran leadership and developing players. Or they could shake things up by replacing some of the older players with much different personality types. The timing stinks rights now. We are virtually stuck with what we have until around mid-season. Any replacements for player, or coaching staff, would be choosing from a very limited available base right now as opposed to later in the year, or at the end of the season.

All that said, we might not have one of those either. Effective leaders most of the time have to be trained to fill that role. Many study it in college, or do extensive reading on the subject, or learn it directly from others. Baseball players don't generally work on that skill, they want to play and work on their physical skills. Once secure in that role then maybe they have the interest, ability or inclination to work on being an effective leader. I'm not sure we have a lot of mental giants on this team, or players who want to accept that role. Could that lead to this team's performance problems, definitely yes. Wrong mix of players, or missing maybe one key player who is good at leadership, and who is the go to guy for encouragement, example and knows what to properly discuss with his co-players. That's DiPoto's job to make sure we have someone like that, not just a mis-matched bunch of players who have good past stats. Scioscia also needs to keep an eye on what's happening between the players, and step in when when necessary, but he can't do it by himself.

I don't think some of you understand effective leadership. Leadership is not constantly "calling guys out." Leadership is encouragement, setting a positive example, helping others with their problems, emphasizing teamwork, and helping them stay within their capabilities to perform effectively. It's not yelling and screaming, embarrassing, and booting people in the a** all the time. Yeah, there are some few moments when that is necessary, but that's usually done in private, one-on-one, and usually ends with something encouraging said.

Trout 2-5, 1 single.

Post your predictions here for season game #35, 5/10/13 vs. Chicago White Sox. Game time is 5:10 pm PST. Winners from tonight's game #34, 5/9/13 vs. Houston are shown below. Also below is the updated Predictions Scoreboard that is also posted in the Pinned Thread above. 4 Points, 3 Points, 2 Points None 1 Point Angels_Baseball (Vargas 2 walks) Mark68 (Vargas 7 K's) Tank (Kendrick 1 double) 2013 PREDICTION GAME SCOREBOARD [Year to Date Through 5/9/13 - Season Game 34] 1. JAHV76.....30 (7) 2. Ray McKigney.....28 (7) 3. Redondo.....28 (7) 4. Mark68.....28 (5) - "April 2013 Player of the Month" 5. The Angels.....25 (5) 6. AngelsAndRamsFan.....23 (3) 7. Angels N Skins.....22 (6) 8. TCB.....22 (4) 9. HeavenlyHalos.....22 (3) 10. SoCalSportsFan.....22 (3) 11. Jeff M.....20 (4) 12. paws*.....19 (3) 13. Jellybean.....18 (2) 14. 2002_halos_II.....17 (2) 15. AZMike.....17 (1) 16. GoodTimesGoneBad.....16 (3) 17. Jeff S......16 (2) 18. notalpujols.....15 (3) 19. katrinab.....15 (1) 20. Troutipoo27.....15 (1) 21. Torridd.....14 (2) 22. Angels_Baseball.....13 (2) 23. tdawg87.....13 (2) 24. True Grich.....12 (3) 25. Ochocinco!.....12 (2) 26. Peyton.....11 (2) 27. SoWhat.....11 (1) 28. tomsred**.....11 (1) - 2010 Champion 29. Lawrence.....10 (3) 30. ZachMartin1994.....10 31. Pbonetheman.....9 (1) 32. BatsnBeer.....9 33. Jimmag.....8 (1) 34. HaloFromVegas.....8 35. Kenny.....7 (2) 36. Jammer36.....7 (1) 37. Tank.....6 (1) 38. m0nkey.....6 - "2011 Champion" 39. bigfish27.....5 (1) 40. scooby10672.....5 (1) 41. George.....5 42. nando714.....5 43. hk47.....4 (1) 44. EDinTUSTIN.....4 45. Geoff Stoddart.....4 46. ispy45.....4 47. stemyn.....4 48. GalericX.....3 (1) 49. nate.....3 (1) 50. poker1.....3 (1) 51. StephenGlansberg.....3 (1) 52. Jim.....3 53. Primitive.....3 54. The Dude.....3 55. Eric.....2 56. LBHalos17.....2 57. open_speed.....2 58. Waller.....2 59. Agalloch.....1 60. Angel Dog and Beer.....1 61. CaliAngel.....1 62. Cory.....1 63. Dochalo.....1 64. ELEVEN.....1 65. Eric Notti.....1 66. ettin.....1 67. ineedanap.....1 68. Kody Mac.....1 69. RallyTime.....1 70. STLCardinalsFan.....1 71. TrumBomb.....1 Following each player is the year to date points total, along with the total of 3 and/or 4 points wins shown in parenthesis. * Not eligible to win prizes (conflict of interest) **Administrator, not eligible to win.

Aybar 2-4, 1 run.

Post your predictions here for season game no. 34, 5/9/13 vs. Houston. Game time is 5:10 pm PST. Winners from game no. 33 vs Houston on 5/8/13 are shown below. 4 Points, 2 Points None 3 Points Ray McKigney. (Trout 2-4, 1 single) Angels N Skins (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) The Angels (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) JAHV76 (Aybar 1-4, 1 single) Redondo (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) Jeff S. (Kendrick 1-4, 1 single) True Grich (Trout 2-4, 1 double) SoCalSpotsFan (Trout 2-4, 1 single) 1 Point Tank (Callaspo 1 single) AZMike (Trout 2-4) TCB (Aybar 1-4) Troutipoo27 (Blanton 6 K's) notalpujols (Trumbo 1-4) GoodTimesGoneBad (Blanton 3 ER's) Ochocinco! (Aybar 1 single) ZachMartin1994 (Blanton 6 K's) katrinab (Aybar 1 single) STLCardinalsFan (Pujols 1 single) Jellybean (Pujols 2-4) HaloFromVegas (Trout 2-4) Jeff M (Callaspo 1 single) ispy45 (Trout 1 single) BatsnBeer (Trumbo 1-4)

Aybar 2-5, 1 run.