MacNasty

Re: Cozart he looks like he's gonna be a miss. But yeah all GMs gonna miss here and there, really what I believe sets the great ones apart is the manager hire.

Appreciate the tip. ?

Here's an interesting before & after for San Diego and Petco Park (link). Not sure of the exact years the photos were taken, however before that revitalization the downtown was terrible and now its a gaslamp district that is one of the finest downtowns you'll see. Stadium project is a windfall for the right area.

I don't think it has to do with expectations. I think it has to do with his fundamental approach at the plate that he seems to have regained. And I think it's an interesting coincidence that happened with a change at the top with a new skipper. Alluded to this in the other thread, and I believe he is going to have an improved season. Not one of his old monster seasons necessarily, but definitely a better one.

What it is going to do in addition to speeding things up is increase runs scored. Which is another move meant to attract more casual fans in their greater numbers. I hate it. Now when a reliever gets on the mound and you get that sinking feeling and realize he doesn't have his stuff you're gonna have to buckle up. That sucks. Not sure I will enjoy the game as much with this rule in place in fact pretty sure I won't.

I love that area of Long Beach, so much that we bought a condo adjacent to the proposed site after the housing bubble. So this would be incredible if it happens, although unfortunately I'd have to hang over the railing to see a game from the unit (it faces east dammit). But the downtown there has really been improved since I was a kid and nothing brings in more investment capital like a stadium project. For those of you old enough to remember San Diego prior to the Padres stadium being built downtown, it's absolutely stunning to see what it helped to do for what is now the gaslamp area and one of the most beautiful cities and ballparks.

The players union will go after the luxury tax, with an eye towards reversing the youth movement the cost concerns created. It's gonna be a showdown no matter how early they start discussing it.

I agree his decline is strongly related to his plate approach. And I also suspect we're going to see a change there, interestingly enough. Course it's not like he'll go back to being the old Pujols or anything but I do think he will have a better than (an Angels) average season this year.

He seems like one of those guys who needs a bit more time to settle in once he moves up to tougher competition. I'd rather see them give him a look next year or even this year once they throw in the towel.

It went wrong with the replacement of Stoneman. Arte hasn't had a real GM since, although there's a chance he has one now even if I question whether he'll let the dude do his job. Look at that staff Stoneman put together under Sciosh to get us that championship. It's been bandaids and duck tape since. Arte needs to give Eppler the green light to clean house and hire a staff under a new coach that is his choice. If he doesn't trust him enough then sell the team or get another GM he will trust that much. The Scioschia era is over, ownership just doesn't realize it.

I think Sciosch needs to go. This team needs some new energy and leadership to pair with a GM who made some solid moves this past offseason. I know it's early but I'm so damn tired of the same old thing. The moment the Cubs hired Maddon I knew they were going to rebound quicker than what was discussed in the media. If I'm the GM right now I'd have my eye on a coaching change and would be ready the moment I see someone I want.

With a name like that he's gotta end up in the bigs. And hopefully he'll pound the strike zone.

It's still about the pitching. If the pitching can give them enough good outings they'll be in the division mix. If not, well, gonna have to put up a new picture of the fat man on my dartboard.

Should have had the GIDP last at-bat too. Dude is where base runners go to die.

90. Think we're due to see some health in the staff and given that I like the look of this team.

His body of work in a difficult situation in Tampa pretty much speaks for itself.

Yeah man. Joe Maddon is why we won that championship. He was what made that staff special, not the man running it. For years I was all over the fat guy's nuts, but not any more. It's time to go get a great young manager who can bring energy to this team and make the staff around him better. Hopefully we have a GM who can restack it right.

I used to be a huge fan of Sciosh but I've cooled a lot on that. Now I'm of the mind that his "brilliance" in our championship run had more to do with Maddon than anything else. If Eppler keeps him around he is probably going to need to restack his staff.

We gonna call him the Imp?

I think this question relates to what we're seeing in this draft. New GM prioritizing hitters with a certain range of tendencies, i.e. good plate discipline and ability to put the ball in play. Seems like your answer is there, at least from Eppler's perspective. I like it too, for the record. If I were stacking an org, I'd favor coaching up those raw kids myself, and if I had concerns about my coaching staffs with those minor league teams producing disciplined hitters I'd favor those tendencies in the draft. Seems like how Eppler's leaning at least from my arm chair.

I think the Angels see him as a quick riser through the minors who can play LF. Hard out which will play nice with Trouty. Dude has a lot of pop in that bat and sees a lot of pitches, definitely a very dangerous hitter.

When a team is bad the injuries tend to multiply. And this team is bad.

Corey Ray is my favorite player in this draft but of course he isn't gonna last till 16. Maybe 10ish, so I'm gonna watch round 1 just to get my hopes crushed. He won't be in the minors long in my estimation. Either way what matters is they hit on a good prospect, so yeah BPA is the way to go. Let the teams above them prioritize the position, the lefty arms and the polished collegiate hitters then make a great pick.

That's one helluva good day on the mound. Glad to hear it.