The Angels

I'd ask for a signed photo of me with him an the HR ball.
 
I'd really hope the Angels organization isn't so cheap as to only give the fan who caught it a hat. I don't care how big a piece of baseball history a HR ball is, it still takes a lot of generosity and sacrifice from a fan to simply give away an item they rightfully own that is worth thousands of dollars.

I'd ask for a signed photo of me with him an the HR ball.
 
I'd really hope the Angels organization isn't so cheap as to only give the fan who caught it a hat. I don't care how big a piece of baseball history a HR ball is, it still takes a lot of generosity and sacrifice from a fan to simply give away an item they rightfully own that is worth thousands of dollars.

Is anyone else really bummed by this news? He may have had a down year, but when he's on he's without question one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball. I was hoping he could have an Ervin Santana like year and lead our rotation. I must admit, my excitement for the season just took a big hit with this horrible management decision. Blanton did the Angels a huge favor when he signed for a relative bargain price of only 2 years and 15 million. I'm sure he could have gotten much more, but he wanted to play for the Angels. And this is how we repay his loyalty? Jerry Dipoto, GTFO.

Is anyone else really bummed by this news? He may have had a down year, but when he's on he's without question one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball. I was hoping he could have an Ervin Santana like year and lead our rotation. I must admit, my excitement for the season just took a big hit with this horrible management decision. Blanton did the Angels a huge favor when he signed for a relative bargain price of only 2 years and 15 million. I'm sure he could have gotten much more, but he wanted to play for the Angels. And this is how we repay his loyalty? Jerry Dipoto, GTFO.

Is anyone else really bummed by this news? He may have had a down year, but when he's on he's without question one of the absolute best pitchers in baseball. I was hoping he could have an Ervin Santana like year and lead our rotation. I must admit, my excitement for the season just took a big hit with this horrible management decision. Blanton did the Angels a huge favor when he signed for a relative bargain price of only 2 years and 15 million. I'm sure he could have gotten much more, but he wanted to play for the Angels. And this is how we repay his loyalty? Jerry Dipoto, GTFO.

The problem isn't that we gave out big contracts to free agents. The problem is we gave big contracts to the WRONG free agents. Both Pujols and Hamilton were probably going to start declining no matter where they ended up. If DiPoto signs Fielder and Greinke instead, this topic doesn't exist. Look at the Detroit Tigers - the bulk of their key players were acquired via free agency (Fielder) or trading away highly touted prospects to acquire proven major league players (Miggy, Sanchez, ect.). Take away those guys and their lineup is pitiful.

The failures of this team are more related to player analysis than they are to the organization philosophy of buying expensive free agents. It's basically hit or miss either way you approach it. Remember the mid-2000's when we had to live through failure after failure of highly touted, "in-house" prospects like Wood, Mathis, Kotchman, and McPherson? All of those guys could have been used to acquire impact major leaguers who would have helped us get over that hump toward a second WS title. At one point, they probably would have been enough to net us a guy like Miguel Cabrera. Most Angel fans were asking just the opposite of what we want now - to sign FAs and use unproven prospects to acquire sure things at the major league level. Also, Vlad Guerrero, the heart and soul of what was probably the most consistent Angels team in franchise history, was an expensive FA signing (don't forget guys like Torii and Colon either).

IF he were as "clever" in his nicknames as the folks on Angelswin, everyone would think he was an asshole:
 
"The ball wasn't coming out of JoeBlah's hands well today, but Peter Oforfourjos made a good play to bail him out."

Jumping out of a boat in the middle of the ocean and hitting water. Blanton is an absolute beast.

Game over. Rangers won't get anything with Joe Blanrichal on the mound.

I'm currently reading this book. I like it so far, but as an avid reader of many other Angels and MLB books, there hasn't been a whole lot of new information I've picked up so far. The best book on the Angels, in my opinion, is Anaheim Angels: A Complete History by Ross Newman. Very, very informative down to the small details.