dimitrig

That'll do, pig. That'll do.

Angels traded for Greinke, though, which is why I bring him up. We gave up assets for the chance to sign him and still couldn't.

Undervalued just means a guy that his current team doesn't think of as highly as you do. It could be because of crowding at a position or because of financial reasons. The Angels seem bad-to-average at evaluating talent. It's why when guys get here they don't "perform as expected." They probably perform exactly like their old teams expected, just not what the Angels expected. That's the definition of a mediocre front office. The Angels win some trades here and there but their roster (and payroll) are also cluttered with fail - especially when it comes to their track record with free agents. For example, I know pitching isn't our biggest problem but it sure would be nice to have Greinke right now instead of Hamilton's contract.

F'in Stoneman!

The best GMs signs and trades for guys that are undervalued. We haven't had enough of that.

Good call. Who do you have in the Belmont?

Fat trout

Cal Bears win the Rose Bowl! Go Bears!

Yes, it was a fluke. Most of us follow the team pretty religiously and I am not sure anyone predicted 98 wins from that group - especially not with Hamilton out of action most of the year and Richards getting hurt. The team performed well above expectations. I mean, Shoemaker? Come on! That said, they did win all of those games fair and square. Too bad they coughed up a hairball in the playoffs.

Giants won how many titles with pitching and no offense? We're building the team the right way.

Because their catching skills are valued more than their hitting skills. Guys who can't hit can still make it into the majors if they can catch.

Think we can lure Bob Boone out of the front office?

I will always remember that home run! Be well, Kirk!

Is it zero tolerance or isn't it?

So if Mike Trout is busted with an ounce of cocaine next week the Angels are going to have a "zero tolerance policy" for this "illegal drug use?" Bullshit.

Do you really think no other MLB players (Angels, even) do illegal drugs? The guy wasn't busted by the cops. He admitted to it.

Hamilton hasn't quit MLB AFAIK. At least not yet he hasn't. A better analogy is that you saw what a poor job the painter had done on the first half so you tell him not to finish the second half but you will only give him half of his pay. You might be justified in doing so but that is the sort of thing that ends up in court for a judge to decide. That is where this thing was headed and so the Angels decided to offer him his salary and send him on his way.

He happened to get his payday, but the Angels were trying their best to void the entire thing. Vernon Wells was an albatross as well, but the Angels did not have an "out" so he was in the lineup sucking every game. Maybe they should have hooked him up with some coke.

The reality is that if Hamilton was raking the Angels wouldn't have "zero tolerance" about the relapse, they would be trying to get him help, and they would have been praying MLB did not suspend him. However, because his play has been poor they threw him under the bus and looked for any excuse to rid themselves of him. That's the reality and it is incredibly mercenary even for professional sports.

The Angels made it clear they did not want Hamilton and were trying to void his contract. They pulled no punches. It was pretty despicable the way they went about it. Of course Hamilton had a poor attitude by that point. I worry that it has damaged the organization's reputation in the eyes of players. Maybe the trade to Texas is an attempt to salvage that by giving Hamilton "what he wants."

Low risk deal for Texas. Not sure why the Angels bothered. Almost better to keep him under contract if you are going to pay him $20M/year anyway. Not that he will return to form, but he might... for a divison rival.

Dislike Hamilton, but think the Angels look pretty low class in all of this.

Are you agreeing with me? I think baseball is headed toward the same demographic.

Not so much as a starter...

Baseball: Too many games which take too long and are sometimes boring I say this as a fan. It is a sport that takes some time to appreciate, like soccer.