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The Machine Age: Adorn Yourself Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:54:00 +0000

Not attending the Spring Training Fanfest? Here's a shirt for you!

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Order today and step into The Machine Age!

A Preview of the "Managers Roundtable" feature with Mike Scioscia, Joe Maddon, Bud Black and Ron Roenicke on the MLBN (Friday, 1/27 @ 6 PM PT)

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:34:00 +0000

MLB Network will feature an in depth interview with the four big league managers and former members of Scioscia’s staff…It airs this Friday (1/27) at 6 PM Pacific. Set your DVRs!

A representative from the MLB Network contacted me today and provided me with a teaser of what's to be aired Friday at 6 PM Pacific time on the MLB Network. Check it out!

On coaching together

Bud Black: The broad base of knowledge is so immense here that on the pitching side, here I am in charge of the pitchers, and these guys all had opinions about the pitchers. … I learned so much from these guys about pitching.

Mike Scioscia: We challenged each other. … There’s no doubt that these three guys challenged me and I would challenge them, just with a conversation to make sure we were moving in the right direction. That’s how a guy like David Eckstein ends up playing shortstop for us. Alfredo Griffin was in the room and we were all looking at each other like, “You are kidding me.” Alfredo’s saying, “This kid can play shortstop.” I said, “What are you smoking? There’s no chance, Alfredo.” And he stood up, he said, “I’ll tell you guys right now, this guy can play shortstop,” and he was so adamant about it that we said, “We have to give this a shot.”

Ron Roenicke: We butted heads at times but even when we got mad which happened once in a while, we were such good friends and had such respect for each other that when we left that room, honestly there was no bad feelings at all.

Joe Maddon: Organizations miss that when they don’t have the ability to have that discussion, sometimes heated, and then be able to walk away as friends. Too many times in today’s world, people take it way too personally. It’s not a personal attack, you’re just trying to get this right, and I think we did that really, really well.

Scioscia on the 2002 World Series team: We talked about it afterwards, is that the team that’s going to spoil us. It happened in our third year and it was the first championship for the Angels. That was such a team in every aspect of the word. I played on the ’88 Dodgers and this even went deeper. These guys were just talented, we had every component that you could want, and the team kind of evolved as the season went on. It changed, it morphed from the bullpen to some of the things that happened with the rotation, to the lineup. I just think, if you talk about Game 6, we were actually down to eight outs. The first guy makes an out in the seventh inning, so we’re down to eight outs now and we end up scoring six runs within five outs and get a lead. [It’s] probably the most exciting game I’ve ever been a part of, outside of Kirk Gibson’s home run in ’88, and it rivaled what happened this year in the World Series. … That was a special group of guys.

Maddon on his least favorite part of being a manager: I don’t know if there’s a difficult part, they’re just different. I enjoy all the different components of what we do. Obviously it starts off with the planning during the day on a daily basis, whomever we’re playing. The first game of a series is always a little bit more vital. I would say that the part that takes you away from what you’d like to do best is maybe the media kind of stuff. At the end of the day though, quite frankly, I do enjoy the exchange with a lot of our guys, media-wise. Actually a lot of times they may point something out in conversation that you haven’t even thought about yet that can kind of push you in the right direction, too. So I do enjoy that, but that’d probably be the part that you least like to do during the course of the day. You want to do the rest of the stuff.

On what they love most about managing

Scioscia: I think it’s an outlet to still compete. I love it. It’s fun, there’s a definite comfort level I have with going into a clubhouse and bringing guys together and hopefully working towards a goal. I just think it’s still baseball.

Maddon: Everybody benefits when this thing turns out well, so I think you have this responsibility to try to drive it in that direction.

On whether managing players now is different than what it was when he was playing

Scioscia: Baseball is baseball and this game will humble anyone making $30 million a year or anybody making $10 a year, it doesn’t matter. If you’re playing this game, this game will refocus you and humble you if you’re not applying yourself. Obviously there’s a lot more zeroes after some of the salaries now, but I think that grassroots game is the same in the way you go in there and you want to teach and you want to set that environment so guys feel they can achieve.

Maddon: The social perspective is different with the Twitter accounts and whether you’re Facebooking or you see your guys sitting at their chairs in the locker room all on their iPads maybe playing Words With Friends across the room. So all that stuff is a little bit different but at the end of the day, the way I want the Rays to play, the way [Scioscia] wants the Angels to play, etc., is pretty much the same as it was 50, 60, 70 years ago. I think that’s where it’s the same, but there are differences too.

On what’s ahead for each in their careers as a manager

Roenicke: I hope that I have the choice that I can retire when I want to. When you start off managing, you’re just looking forward to hopefully getting the chance to do it for a few years. Mike’s certainly getting close to that area where he’s got so many years in that he can make decisions on what he wants to do and when he wants to finish up managing. I’m just starting out so I’m looking forward to getting those years. You look at La Russa this year and what he did and certainly 5,000 games, during the season I looked at it and I think about 5,000 games managing, that’s incredible.

Black: It’s a great challenge and I think we all thoroughly enjoy it. I’d like to do it as long as possible. When I look at [Tony La Russa, Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, Lou Piniella], there wasn’t a better day for me to look over and see Bobby or Tony or Lou or Joe. You felt that you were in a special place in a ballgame with those guys. I think we’re all lucky to be where we are and I don’t think any of us want to shut it down anytime soon.

Maddon: I want to do it as long as they’ll let me. You work very hard to get to this particular point and for me the word “retirement” is not a very desirable word. So, for me, I’d like to be able to do this as long as somebody will have me.

Scioscia: This game never gets out of your blood. I think all of us in some capacity are going to stay in this game until we still have a breath left. I’m 53, we’re all about the same age, and if we have a crystal ball, and you look 25 years in the future and you say, “What did I manage? Was I 70 when I stopped managing?” I can’t imagine that. I’m just going day to day but I don’t know if I’m going to have the staying power that Bobby Cox or Tony or Joe Torre [did]. These guys are approaching 70 and these guys were strong all the way through. I don’t know. I love it now. All I can say is I love it now, I love the challenge now, I’m not looking that far ahead. This game’s in our blood though, that’s for sure.

The Arms Race

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Henry Kissinger once said “The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the other, whom he assumes to have perfect vision.”

Over the past two years, a new cold war has developed in the A.L. West. The Angels and the Rangers have emerged as the superpowers of the division. With all due respect to Oakland and Seattle, they are secondary players, capable of inflicting damage on the superpowers, but not strong enough to contend on their own.

Like the Cold War superpowers, the Angels and Rangers spent the offseason in a major arms race. The Angels fired the opening shot by signing C. J. Wilson. Wounded, Texas responded by signing the Japanese star Yu Darvish. Like two heavily armed men feeling their way around a room, the Angels and Rangers both believed that the other had a clear vision on how to win the A. L. West, and acted accordingly.

Since last Wednesday, I’ve been asked many times what I think of the Rangers signing Darvish and how I see that affecting the race in the A. L. West. In short, as an Angels fan, I am happy that the Rangers signed Darvish because I believe that it will only make the Angels stronger as they go into the post season in 2012. And, it doesn’t make the Rangers as strong as if they signed Prince Fielder.

How can Darvish make the Angels stronger? Simple. As Andrew Carnegie once said “while the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for the race, because it ensures the survival of the fittest in every department.”

First off, I believe that Darvish will become an above average pitcher for the Rangers—not elite—but above average. He won’t be as good as Wilson was for them, but will be an upgrade nonetheless. I would have wanted the Angels to have signed him had they not signed Wilson. However, I’m not certain he will perform at the elite level as he did in Japan because he will be pitching on shorter rest and in the Texas heat.

So, how does an above average pitcher for the Rangers make the Angels better? Simple. The Angels have been operating under a flawed analysis of how they won the World Series in 2002. The Angels assumed that the goal was to just make the team good enough to win the division and then hope for the best in the post season. They misunderstood the role of playing the season—which is to spend 162 games making the team stronger for the post season—and acted as if all that mattered was just making the team good enough to get there.

For most of the last decade, the A. L. West has not been a strong division. While there have been “competitive” seasons, up until 2009, the Angels could essentially count on winning the division fairly easily. Years that were “competitive” resulted from the weakness of the Angels rather than the strength of their opponents. As a result, they didn’t become hardened as a team like they were in 2002.

As we all recall, in 2002, the Angels fought all season long to keep pace with the Athletics. The Angels had to learn how to win close games and manufacture runs as a team. They had to gel. If you think the Angels have a good shot to win the World Series like they did in 2002, then Bet on the Angels to win it all.

Over the course of that season, many different heroes emerged on the team. Each night, a different player stepped up to make the key play. All those close games fought to keep pace with Oakland forged the 2002 team into hardened warriors capable of beating the best. As a result, the entire team was better prepared to explode in the post season. And, as fans we saw that with their “frenzied hitting” and outbursts from the likes of Adam Kennedy or dramatic homeruns from Spiezio, Glaus, Salmon, Erstad, etc.

However, in the absence of that fierce competition over the course of a season, the Angels teams that emerged over the remainder of the last decade did not have the same competitive spirit as the 2002 team. They looked overmatched in the post season, and often exited in the first round. They were cut down by teams such as the Red Sox, who had been bloodied all season long with their competition with the Yankees and Rays. The Angels were flaccid whereas their opponents were wily because they each faced differing levels of competition over the course of the season.

As a fan, I would rather see my team enter the post season fewer times, as long as they win it all more often. While it was fun seeing the team win the A. L. West for most of the last decade, it wasn’t fun watching them exit the post season early. I want to taste champagne, not settle for an after-taste.

All of this brings me back to Yu Darvish. By signing him, the Rangers improved as a team. However, they did not improve as much as what they lost in Wilson. What they did do, though, is they maintained the higher level of competition that the Angels will face over the course of the season. By winning the division twice in a row, the Angels are the underdogs and will have to go out and prove themselves as a team. This will make them better as a team, much like 2002 did to that team.

More importantly, by signing Darvish, the Rangers were unable to afford Prince Fielder. While Darvish makes the Rangers better, adding Fielder into their lineup would have had a greater impact on their team than Darvish. Fielder would have taken their lineup from being one of the most potent in the game to one of the most potent in history. With that lineup, a mediocre pitcher would have success in their rotation. There would be far less risk for their team because the offense would be less likely to vary and the pitcher that they signed would have been a more known commodity. With Darvish, a lot of their team’s success depends on how well he adjusts to pitching in the A. L. West.

Thanks to the developing Cold War and attendant arms race in the A. L. West, the Angels are going to be a better team long-term. No longer can they take winning the division for granted. For the foreseeable future the Angels will have to fight to win the division. But, in doing so, they will become better. The Angels teams that emerge won’t be one-and-done teams—They will be World Champions!

AngelsWin.com Offseason Fun Facts Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:28:00 +0000

AngelsWin.com is pleased to announce our first ever “AngelsWin.com Member Fun Facts Contest!"

Since 2003, AngelsWin.com has maintained one of the most active Angels fan communities on the Internet. Over the last 9 years, members have shared a lot of stories and insight about their lives. How much have you been paying attention?

From now until the start of Spring Training, we will be posting a Fun Fact question about one of our members. The first person to correctly answer the question within the contest thread will win that day's round. At the end of the contest, the person with the most correct answers will win …

· Any item of their choosing from the AngelsWin.com store! (http://www.cafepress.com/angelswin)

· A 3 point lead in our 2012 Game Day Prediction contest! (The winner of that contest receives a $100 gift card to the Angels Team Store!)

The contest starts Tuesday, January 24th at 12:00 pm Pacific Time. Good Luck!

Where are they now? Mo Vaughn

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:44:00 +0000

By Brian Waller - AngelsWin.com Feature Columnist

Mo Vaughn…just saying the name will cause most Angel fans to wince and shake their head in disgust. Vaughn will most likely go down in Angels’ lore as one of the biggest disappointments the organization has ever experienced. Prior to his stint with the Halos, Vaughn was one of the most feared hitters in the game. Selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 23rd pick of the 1989 amateur draft, Vaughn spent only a season and a half in the minor leagues before making his debut during the 1991 season. During his 8 seasons with the Red Sox, Vaughn averaged 28 home runs, 122 runs batted in and had a batting average of.297. Vaughn garnered Most Valuable Player votes six out of the eight seasons he played in Boston and actually won the Most Valuable Player award in 1995 when he had 39 home runs, 126 runs batted in and had a .300 average. An ongoing feud between Vaughn and Red Sox General Manager, Dan Duquette, prompted the All-Star player to test the free-agent market after the 1998 season. Duquette made it known to the media that he was concerned about the Vaughn's alcohol use after Vaughn flipped his truck while driving home from a strip club the previous winter. Vaughn, acquitted of drunken-driving charges in the incident, complained that Duquette was trying to wage a smear campaign against him. In August 1998, Boston's powerhouse hitter announced that he was leaving. The Angels, having come off an 85-77 record, were in the market for a power hitting first baseman after having released Cecil Fielder in August 1997, signing Vaughn seemed like a match made in heaven (no pun intended). At the time, Angels General Manager Bill Bavasi had not had the greatest luck in acquiring players. Signings such as Eddie Murray, Omar Olivares, Shawn Boskie and Cecil Fielder hadn’t worked out and trades involving popular Angels Damien Easley and J.T. Snow seemed to favor the other teams in the long run. Bavasi however, with the blessing from the Disney ownership group, made a strong push for Vaughn during the offseason and finally signed him December 11, 1998. The contract was a 6-year $80 million whopper with an average annual salary of $13.33 million, just topping the $13 million Mike Piazza was set to average under his new $91 million, seven-year contract with the New York Mets. Vaughn’s new contract made him the highest paid player in baseball and it was also the largest contract ever offered by the Angels at that time. Vaughn would join an already potent line-up that included Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, Garrett Anderson and Troy Glaus. Expectations were very high in Anaheim as many fans firmly believed that the Angels were now a serious force to be reckoned with in the AL. The Angels were hopeful they finally found the bat and clubhouse leader to get them to the playoffs.

All seemed well in Anaheim as the 1999 season approached. The Angels had a fearsome batting order to go along with a respectable pitching rotation lead by Chuck Finley and a flame throwing closer named Troy Percival. The Angels were poised to make a run at the AL West title but as opening day arrived, the above mentioned match made in heaven didn’t seem so heavenly after all. During the first game of the season, on his first defensive play wearing an Angels’ uniform Vaughn drifted into foul territory in an attempt to catch a pop fly. Unfortunately Vaughn drifted a little too far and went flying down the stairs of the visiting dugout, severely spraining his ankle. Vaughn was limited to only 9 games that April but rebounded nicely that season hitting 33 home runs and driving in 108 RBI's. Vaughn’s .281 batting average however dipped below the .300 mark for the first time in six seasons. The Angels finished a disappointing 70-92. It should be noted that after Vaughn’s opening day tumble, many stadiums around Major League Baseball put fences in front of their dugouts to avoid any future injuries of this nature. The following 2000 season, Vaughn again put up solid offensive numbers hitting 36 home runs and driving in 117rbi’s. Despite the power numbers, Vaughn’s batting average dropped again, falling to a .272 mark that was his lowest since batting .234 over 355 at-bats in 1992. The Angels again failed to make the postseason, finishing 82-80.

During his time with the Halos, Vaughn mostly kept to himself and traveled to visiting ballparks via a limousine rather than with the rest of the team on the bus. It was starting to become apparent that Vaughn was not the clubhouse leader Bavasi and the Disney ownership envisioned when they signed him to the most lucrative contract in team history. The growing friction between Vaughn and the team would only increase when it was discovered he would miss the entire 2001 season with a ruptured tendon in his left arm. It was during this time the team started to feel that Vaughn was homesick for the east coast where he was born and raised. After never fully being embraced by the fans or his teammates and now disenchanted with the former MVP, the Angels front office actively sought to trade Vaughn during the 2001 offseason. Despite missing the previous season, the New York Mets were willing to take a chance on the former fearsome slugger agreeing to send pitcher Kevin Appier to the Halos in exchange for Vaughn. Following the trade, Angels closer Troy Percival spoke out to the media saying "We may miss Mo's bat, but we won't miss his leadership. Darin Erstad is our leader." Percival’s comments prompted Vaughn to respond with a profanity-laced tirade, saying that Percival and the Angels "ain't done (expletive) in this game." Vaughn also commented, "They ain't got no flags hanging at friggin' Edison Field, so the hell with them." Funny how things work out, the 2002 Angels would go on to stun the baseball world beating the San Francisco Giants in the World Series. While the Halos went on to win the first championship in franchise history, Vaughn’s weight ballooned after fracturing his hand in 2002. Vaughn went on to play two sub-par seasons in New York in which he hit a total of 29 home runs, 87 RBI's and batted .224. Vaughn finally was forced into retirement in 2003 due to chronic knee pain. For Angel fans still bitter about the negativity surrounding Vaughn’s departure from the team, in an October 2007 article he would go on to clarify that he did not want to leave Anaheim because of the fans or his teammates, or because he was home sick. Vaughn clarified he wanted to return home because his parents always attended all of his games, never missing one and due to 9/11 he did not want his parents flying all the time and he wanted to play closer to home on the east coast. Take it for what it’s worth Angel fans. In December 2007, it was revealed in the Mitchell Report that Vaughn had purchased steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs from Kirk Radomski in June 2001, the same time he was rehabbing from the ruptured tendon. Mitchell requested a meeting with Vaughn in order to provide Vaughn with the information about the allegations and to give him an opportunity to respond; Vaughn never responded.

For those wondering what happened to Vaughn after retiring from the game of baseball…he is now 42 years old, married and the proud father of a 5 year old little girl. The family currently lives in the New York area where they are very active in the community. Vaughn traded in his baseball uniform for a business suit. He currently owns and operates OMNI New York LLC which has bought and rehabilitated 1,142 units of distressed housing in the New York metropolitan area. The company also manages these properties to provide low cost housing using government tax credits. Vaughn has also been involved in refurbishing the Whitney Young Manor in Yonkers, New York, a development first constructed by a company owned by his hero Jackie Robinson. Besides the New York metropolitan area, his company is also involved in projects in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Miami, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada and has also expressed an interest in working in the in the Boston area. In addition to OMNI, Vaughn is also the president of Mo Vaughn Transport trucking company which operates out of North Ridgeville, Ohio. When he is not tied up with his business endeavors, Vaughn still actively participates in youth baseball camps in the Boston and New York areas and even recently traveled as far as Kazakhstan (located in central Asia) to speak with young players. Vaughn also makes it a point to regularly speak with local college students, specifically baseball teams, about his experiences not only on the field, but how he had to adjust after to life his successful baseball career was cut short.

After writing this piece I can honestly say that I am happy for Mo Vaughn, I am happy he has dedicated himself to helping inner city families as well as taking part in youth baseball camps. I came to the realization though that I will never be a Mo Vaughn fan. His short time with the Angels seemed more like a distraction than anything else. How fitting was it that the onetime feared slugger, who showed little respect for our franchise, was traded for a veteran pitcher that would go on to help the Halos win the very championship Vaughn taunted the team for not having.

Forget Yu! (Radio Edit Version) t-shirt is here!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:27:00 +0000

We are very pleased to announce a Cee Lo Green radio edit version of the best selling shirt in AngelsWin.com history! Just like Cee Lo's song "(Otherwise known as) Forget You," we give you the "Forget Yu! We got Pujols" version! Enjoy!

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New AngelsWin.com T-Shirt for Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 22:57:00 +0000

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Angels Announce 2012 ST Non-Roster Invitees

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:06:00 +0000

ANAHEIM, CA - The Angels today announced the list of non-roster players invited to 2012 Spring Training in Tempe, AZ. The announcement was made by club General Manager Jerry Dipoto. Below is a list of the 20 non-roster invitees:

PITCHERS (8)
Ryan Brasier, RHP
David Carpenter, RHP
Eric Hurley, RHP
Matt Meyer, LHP
Francisco Rodriguez, RHP
Matt Shoemaker, RHP
Daniel Tillman, RHP
Loek Van Mil, RHP

CATCHERS (4)
Jett Bandy
Robinzon Diaz
Carlos Ramirez
Alberto Rosario

INFIELDERS (4)
Jorge Cantu
Taylor Lindsey
Efren Navarro
Darwin Perez

OUTFIELDERS (4)
Kole Calhoun
Doug Deeds
Ryan Langerhans
Matt Long

The Angels will open Spring Training on Feb. 19th. The 2012 Spring Training reporting dates are as follows:

Feb. 19: Reporting date for pitchers/catchers
Feb. 20: First workout
Feb. 26: Position players report
Feb. 27: First full squad workout
March 5: First spring game: vs. Oakland at Phoenix Municipal Stadium (12:05 p.m. PST)

Trumbo, Conger set to swing for charity

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Angels Sluggers To Participate in Charity HR Challenge

What: First Annual Trinity Bat Co. Home Run Challenge
Who: Past and Present Big League Stars & YOU!
Where: El Dorado High School Baseball Field (Placentia, CA)
When: Jan. 21st, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Finals /Main Event @ 2 p.m.)
Why: Benefiting the Cory Hahn Fund

ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels have announced that infielder Mark Trumbo and catcher Hank Conger will be part of a group of past and present big league stars who will compete in the Trinity Bat Company’s First Annual Home Run Challenge, Saturday, January 21st at El Dorado High School.

Trumbo and Conger will be joined by Mike Carp from the Seattle Mariners and Danny Espinosa of the Washington Nationals, amongst others who will put on an unforgettable hitting display and compete for bragging rights alongside future big league talent.

In addition to the Major League Home Run Challenge, the event will also include competitions at the high school, college and open (adult) levels.

Chick-Fil-A will be handing out sandwiches and more during the Challenge and fans will have a chance to listen to Rex “The Wonder Dog” Hudler’s live radio show, enter raffles and auctions to win exclusively signed memorabilia, and meet many past and present big league stars and have fun while helping Cory fight!

Proceeds from the event will be donated to the Cory Hahn Fund.

For more information, tickets, and participant registration, visit http://www.trinitybats.com/.

Where are they now? Chad Curtis

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

By Brian Waller - AngelsWin.com Feature Writer

If you are a relatively new fan of the Angels you may not remember Chad Curtis. It’s understandable; after all he only played three seasons with the Halos. Curtis can be described as somewhat of a journeyman, having played for six teams in ten seasons. Curtis was never the biggest, the strongest or the most skilled player on the diamond but a case can be made for him being one of the most dedicated. In fact, he was so dedicated to the game of baseball that in 1990, while playing for the Class A Quad City Angels, he got married in his baseball uniform and played 30 minutes later in Davenport, Iowa. From the beginning, Curtis never attracted much interest from college baseball recruiters, much less pro scouts. He paid his own way to junior college and three years later was drafted in the 45th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Curtis made his Major League Debut in 1992 and put up solid numbers batting .259 with 10 home runs, 46 runs batted in and stealing an astounding 43 bases. During his three years with the Angels Curtis batted .267 and compiled 27 home runs, 155 runs batted in and 119 stolen bases. Despite relative success at the major league level, the Angels were looking for veteran leadership and they viewed Curtis as the piece to acquire it. On April 13, 1995 Curtis was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Tony Phillips. Trading away a quality outfielder is never easy but Curtis’ departure would provide a young Jim Edmonds the chance to become the everyday centerfielder for the team and put him on the path to becoming one of the game’s best ever defensive players.

After leaving the Halos, Curtis bounced around between the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cleveland Indians before finally winding up in New York Yankee pinstripes during the 1997 season. From 1997 to 1999, Curtis embraced the role of occasional starter / bench player. Despite not being an everyday player during his entire tenure with the Yankees, Curtis was an important part of the Yankees World Series teams in the late 1990’s. It was during game 3 of the 1999 World Series that Chad Curtis had perhaps the biggest game of his career, hitting two home runs, the second one a game winner. Curtis’ heroics helped lead the Yankees to their third championship in four seasons.

Curtis was never one to bite his tongue. During his playing days he had notable disagreements with several of his teammates. While with the Yankees, during a 1999 brawl with the Seattle Mariners, Curtis became upset when teammate Derek Jeter was acting nonchalantly off to the side with Mariners then shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who at the time was a close friend of Jeter’s. Curtis felt Jeter should not have fraternized with an opponent like Rodriguez, especially during an on field scuffle.

Curtis later confronted Jeter near the dugout and in the clubhouse. With teammates and reporters watching, Curtis scolded him. Curtis told Jeter he was a good player, but that he did not know how to play the game. The confrontation understandably angered Jeter and coincidently, Curtis was traded at the conclusion of the season to the Texas Rangers. The “honeymoon period” in Arlington didn’t last long though as Curtis’ lackluster on-field performance and strong personality wore thin on many in the Rangers’ organization. During the 2000 season, Curtis had a verbal altercation with teammate Royce Clayton over music that was being played in the clubhouse. Clayton would later take his feud with Curtis public claiming Curtis had too much self pride and did not respect others in the clubhouse. Clayton further insinuated that since Curtis had arrived in Texas the team chemistry had diminished. Although the two never became friends, Clayton and Curtis were able to co-exist with one another for the remainder of the 2000 season. Perhaps the most important topic Curtis candidly addressed was the topic of steroids in baseball, something the rest of Major League Baseball was comfortable ignoring. It was in 2001 that Curtis vocalized his concerns during a preseason meeting with Player’s Union boss Donald Fehr. Curtis took the opportunity to explain to Fehr that the use of steroids was becoming rampant throughout the league and created an unfair advantage for players that were using. Despite Curtis’ concerns falling on deaf ears, he was one of the few during that time that openly discussed the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. Curtis continued to speak openly about steroid use in baseball during the 2001 season and even claimed that he believed that 85% of players used performance enhancers. At the conclusion of the 2001 season, Curtis was granted free agency and retired from the game of baseball.

For those wondering whatever happened to Chad Curtis…After retiring from Major League Baseball in 2001 Curtis decided to refocus his attention on completing his college education in an effort to become a teacher. Curtis returned to Michigan and began teaching and coaching athletics. In 2004, Curtis began teaching at Forest Hills Eastern High school as a physical education (PE) teacher. In 2007, Curtis was hired as the Athletic Director and weight training instructor at NorthPointe Christian High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Curtis immediately reorganized the school's football program and after only two seasons under Curtis’ direction, the newly formed varsity football team advanced to its first ever playoff game. In addition to the success of the varsity football team the school’s equestrian team won state championship honors. As we saw in the previous Tony Phillips article, old habits sometimes die hard. In the case of Chad Curtis, he again found himself in a situation where he couldn’t resist speaking out and voicing his opinion. In fall of 2009, despite the success of the athletic department, Curtis was removed as the Athletic Director. Although school officials offered no explanation to the public, Curtis explained he did not see eye to eye with school superintendent James Hofman. Curtis further explained he was treated dishonestly and he was let go because he was looking at other professional opportunities. He said the school tried to paint him as "unethical" and asked him to quit. Following his departure from NorthPointe, Curtis accepted a job with Lakewood in the Michigan school district where he currently coaches an equestrian team as well as youth baseball.

Sign up for our 2012 Spring Fanfest Event Today!!

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:04:00 +0000

Join us for the AngelsWin.com 2012 Spring Training Fanfest!

This annual event is a blast for the whole family! Meet your favorite AngelsWin.com members, talk Halos baseball, enjoy food and drinks with everyone in attendance!

As always, we'll be having surprise guest speakers! In years past we've enjoyed stories from Rex Hudler, Victor Rojas, Dennis Kuhl, Terry Smith, Darren Chan, Tim Mead, Steve Physioc and Jose Mota (to name just a few). Some of the Angels farmhands have also joined us over the years, mingling, eating and drinking with AngelsWin.com members & Angels fans joining us for the first time.

Here's the information on the time to attend, dinner menu and pricing information.

Time: 5 pm gathering
Dinner: 6pm - 8pm Pasta Buffet along with Pizza and soft drinks
Cost: $15 Adult $5 Children under 15
Note: Beer & Alcoholic Beverage will be served as cash and carry

Please have all payments in by February 25th. Payments can be made via PayPal to angelswinevents@gmail.com

To attend our fanfest weekend and event on March 10th, RSVP here or LIKE US on Facebook and click on the join button in the upper right. https://www.facebook.com/events/224525447630716/

Hope to see you there!!!

Extension Signing Analysis: Howie Kendrick

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:19:00 +0000

By Robert Cunningham - AngelsWin.com Contributor

What a significant turn of events over the last 3 months! The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim secured their second base position for the next 4 years by signing Howie Kendrick to an extension totaling a reported $33.5 million dollars.

Previously I discussed the impact of the Albert Pujols signing here. In that article I discussed the immense value that signing an already legendary player like Pujols adds to the leverage the front office can exert in its financial dealings. The Howie Kendrick extension is a perfect example.

First of all Howie Kendrick is an above average, Major League, second baseman, ranking in the top 10, at the position, over the last 3 seasons with a slash line of .284/.327/.436 and above average defense. Quality second basemen are a commodity, currently, and Howie provides good value in the position.

Secondly this was good for both the Angels and Howie from a financial point of view. The open market could have easily paid Howie upwards of 4 years/$38-$40 million or more. However, through the leverage gained by signing Pujols, Howie and his agent accepted a club-friendly 4 year/$33.5 million contract. Why would Howie accept less?

The answer for Howie is two-fold. To start, every player carries the risk that an injury can occur, sometimes unexpectedly. By accepting this multi-million dollar contract Howie has secured his financial future for he and his family. Less importantly, but just as thoughtful, is the fact that Howie understands that by hitting in front of Albert Pujols for the next 4 years his numbers should maintain and quite possibly improve over the length of the contract. This will set him up for an additional payday at 32 years old (and I believe he will be wearing a different uniform after that unless he becomes the batting champion he was projected to be) that could be for even more than the contract he just signed.

From the Halos point of view this contract should be quite safe. Even if Howie doesn’t live up to last year’s offensive numbers, he should still provide production that exceeds the average annual value that a player of his caliber would command on the open market.

One thing that is still unclear is whether Howie received a no-trade clause. It seems that Howie did not receive one which would be to the Angels benefit. If that is in fact the case the Angels, if they are not contending for one reason or another during the 3rd or 4th years of Howie’s contract, could use Kendrick as a strong trade chip if they have a prospect or trade opportunity to replace him. Even if Howie does have a no-trade clause the Angels have limited exposure for the 4 years and have very little downside in offering this contract.

Again the draw of playing for a contending team, a great owner, a respected manager, and with one of the greatest players to ever wear a Major League uniform is a recipe for success.

That is the power and ripple effect created from the Pujols signing and the best part is that it is not over!

Go Halos and great to see Howie in an Angels uniform for another 4 years!

Where are they now? Tony Phillips

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:47:00 +0000

By Brian Waller - AngelsWin.com Feature Columnist

If you were an Angels fan back in the mid-90’s, then you definitely remember Tony Phillips. Phillips could easily be described as having a “competitive nature”, unfortunately that “competitive nature” often displayed itself in arguments with home plate umpires over balls and strikes, some of which resulted in suspensions. Phillips, who broke into the league with the Oakland Athletics and rose to fame with the Detroit Tigers in the early 1990’s, was as outspoken of a baseball player you will ever find. Phillips had two stints with the Halos; the first in 1995 where he contributed a career high 27 home runs in spite of the infamous strike that delayed opening day and shortened the season to only 144 games. Phillips had a second run with the Angels in 1997, which was cut short due to an arrest late in the season for cocaine charges. On August 10, 1997, Phillips was arrested in Anaheim and charged with buying a small quantity of free-base cocaine. Phillips had been found in a hotel by local police with $30 of cocaine along with drug paraphernalia. Phillips had been arrested by undercover officers as part of an on-going investigation into the street level sale of cocaine. Phillips plead guilty to one count of felony cocaine possession which was dismissed after completing drug counseling and staying clean for one year. After leaving the Angels via free agency at the conclusion of the 1997 season Phillips bounced around Major League Baseball from 1998 to 1999 playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and finally the Oakland Athletics. In November 1999, Phillips was granted free agency and subsequently walked away from Major League Baseball after not signing with a team.

For those wondering what ever happened to Phillips, he actually spent 9 years out of the game of baseball, retiring to Scottsdale AZ. During his absence from the game, Phillips developed a new focus on life as well as a new dedication to caring for his family including his newly born grandson. In 2008, Phillips had an overwhelming desire to return to the game of baseball. It was then he reached out to his former Angels General Manager Bill Bavasi, who was now the GM for the Mariners. Phillips made it clear that he wanted to assist any way he could during Spring Training, he even offered to do it for free.. Bavasi, having a self proclaimed soft spot for Phillips, gladly welcomed him to camp. Despite never playing for the Mariners, Phillips assumed the role of Special Instructor, teaching the players from his 18 years of baseball experience. At the conclusion the 2008 Cactus League Phillips returned to his Scottsdale, AZ home where he again focused on his family as well as his golf game. It wasn’t until 2010 that Phillips got the “itch” to return to the game yet again, this time as an instructor for the Cincinnati Reds. This time Phillips reached out to Dusty Baker, who at that time was the Manager of the Reds. Again, despite never playing for the Reds, Baker welcomed Phillips aboard in the role of Special Instructor. Upon his arrival to Spring Training Phillips made the comment to the players “This is the reason God didn't give me any sons. I got about 100 of you guys here.” It started to become very apparent, that even if you were never a fan of his, Tony Phillips truly did have a deep love for the game of baseball. Again, after the conclusion of the Cactus League in 2010, Phillips returned home to his family. Rather than use his free time perfecting his chip shots on the golf course, Phillips decided to become a coach for a nearby youth league. For those thinking that coaching youth baseball would keep Phillips satisfied you’re wrong. One day, while taking part in baseball drills, Phillips and his players began some lighthearted trash talking when one of the players commented that Phillips was past his prime. Not liking that comment, Phillips proclaimed to his players he could still play at a high level and vowed to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Of course this proclamation was received with doubt from his young players, however being a man of his word Phillips dedicated himself whole heartedly to returning to the diamond as a player. In July 2011 at the age of 52, in an attempt to get back into playing shape Phillips signed with the Yuma Scorpions of the Independent North American League where ironically his manager is his former Oakland Athletics teammate, Jose Canseco. If all goes as planned, Phillips hopes to use his time in the North American League to prepare for the competition in the Dominican Republic.

In August 2011, during a scheduled league game, Phillips’ “competitive nature” again reared its ugly head as he and Chico Outlaws manager, Mike Marshall, got into a volatile altercation. The trouble began when the Chico bench barked at Phillips for taking, what they thought, was an unnecessary timeout while in the batter’s box. The following inning Phillips returned to his defensive position at third-base. Marshall, who was in the third-base coach’s box, began exchanging words with Phillips. Philips approached Marshall, tackled him to the ground and landed a punch. The two were separated and Yuma Manager Jose Canseco chose to forfeit the reminder of the game giving Chico a 9-0 win. Yuma’s season concluded with Phillips batting .269 in 78 at-bats with 0 HR’s, 1 RBI and 0 SB’s. The altercation also lead to Marshal pressing battery charges against Phillips. As of this writing the battery charges are still pending and Phillips has yet to sign on with a winter ball team. It is unknown at this time if Phillips will wear a Yuma Scorpions uniform next season or not.

In all honesty, before writing this piece I viewed Tony Phillips as a hot headed, drug using, self centered person. Now, I embarrassingly admit that I was wrong. Phillips may be hot headed and he may have made a few mistakes in life (who hasn’t?) but he has a great passion and love for the game of baseball, something I think we can all appreciate. His desire to share his 18 years of baseball knowledge with the up and coming major leaguers as well as his youth team is commendable. Although I definitely don’t agree with some of the choices Phillips has made in life, after writing this piece I do have a new appreciation for him and what he has accomplished on the diamond.

*Kristen Gibson from AngelsWin.com also contributed to this story

Next Up: Chad Curtis

Where are they now? Dave Hollins

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:03:00 +0000

By Brian Waller - AngelsWin.com Feature Writer

Dave Hollins was a hard-nosed ballplayer with an old school mentality who had great success in the early 1990’s with the Philadelphia Phillies, garnering MVP votes for his 1992 season and being named to the 1993 All Star team. During the 1994 season Hollins was diagnosed with diabetes, a condition he would play with throughout his career. After leaving Philadelphia, Hollins played with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners before becoming a free agent after the 1996 season. Hollins entered free agency coming off a productive year where he hit 16 home runs, 78 RBI’s and batted .262 for Seattle and Minnesota combined.

After finishing the 1996 season with respectable production at the hot corner from George Arias, Tim Wallach and Jack Howell, the Angels sought some stability at the third-base position going into the 1997 season. The Angels turned to former all-star free agent third baseman Dave Hollins. Hollins played two seasons with the Halos, hitting a total of 27 home runs, 124 RBI’s and batted .265. On March 30, 1999, shortly before the start of the regular season, The Angels traded Hollins along with cash considerations to the Toronto Blue Jays for Thomas Perez. Hollins would never again achieve the success he had in the early 1990’s with the Phillies and would also never come close to replicating the solid numbers he put up while wearing an Angels uniform.

For those wondering what ever happened to Hollins after leaving the Angels, he would play in only 43 major league games before finally retiring in 2003. Hollins did have success however in 2001 for the New York Mets Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bison. Hollins hit 16 home runs, 67 RBI’s and batted .273. It seemed Hollins’ Triple-A success would translate into a storybook ending to his playing career as he signed back with the Phillies in 2001 as a free agent. Hollins even made the Phillies 25-man roster out of spring training in 2002 but collected only 17 at bats during the season. Hollins suffered several dangerous spider bites that aggravated his diabetes rendering him incapable of playing. On May 21, 2003, Hollins officially retired to his hometown of Orchard Park, New York where he lives with his wife and five children. It wasn’t long after retirement that Hollins felt the urge to return to the diamond; so in 2005 he became the hitting coach for the Binghamton Mets, a minor league affiliate for the New York Mets in the Class AA Eastern League. After one season with the Binghamton Mets, Hollins returned to the Phillies as a scout, a role he currently fills today.

Next up: Tony Phillips

10 Things Angels Fans Can Look Forward To In 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:49:00 +0000

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

With the new year getting underway, Angels fans have every reason to be excited for the coming season. A new era is about to begin for the team—one that will see the Angels returning to the World Series several times.

With all respects to David Letterman, here's a Top-10 List of Things Angels fans can look forward to in 2012.

10. Albert Pujols. Did anyone really believe he'd be a Halo at the start of the offseason?

9. An Improved Bullpen. One of the most underrated moves that the Angels did may have been signing Hawkins. Fixing the pen means that games won by the starters stay as wins in the win-loss column.

8. Peter Bourjos. Is there anything more exciting than seeing him make highlight-reel plays on a regular basis?

7. Howie Kendrick. Hitting in front of Pujols, he should become the hitter we all thought he'd be.

6. Mike Trout. At some point next year, we will see him in the outfield, and he should be sticking. The kid is good. Really good.

5. Mark Trumbo. Who cares where he plays on the field, the kid hits bombs and only gets better with experience.

4. The New TV Deal. A steady source of revenue that's more than double what we had before? We now have the money to compete with any team and make any deal that makes the team better. And that money will be coming for the next 20 years!

3. The Four Horsemen: Weaver, Haren, Wilson, and Santana. How would you like to be coming into a buzz-saw like that?

2. The Post-Season. Yes Angels fans, we'll be eating hot dogs in October because . . .

1. Albert Freakin' Pujols. He’s an Angel, he’s a stud, and he’s the guy who will put the team over the top. With him in the lineup, the Angels will win it all in 6!

Happy New Year Angels Fans! It’s time to start getting excited about 2012.

The Three Wise Men of Angels Baseball

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:06:00 +0000

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

It was late one night near the end of December,

When I received a call, I will always remember.

It was from my good friend Rob, calling to discern

The meaning of the holidays, he asked what I learn’d.

He talked about frenzied people chasing every last toy,

And forgetting that holidays were meant to bring joy.

We talked about people screaming in one another’s faces.

Fighting over trivial things, like close parking spaces.

As we sat there talking late that cold night,

I said to myself, this surely is not right.

The holidays mean more than Rob’s sad talk

Of gift buying and fruit cakes drier than chalk.

As I sat there thinking, trying to comprehend all,

My mind became empty, so I thought of baseball.

When all of a sudden, I heard a knock at my door,

Then to prove it was real, the knock came once more.

Standing before me were three wise men.

Angels of course, but not sent from heaven.

They said “we are here to give you words of advice

On what makes the holidays so special and nice.”

The first one to speak had a smile that was most bright.

He was gifted and fleet and said “In the field I play right.”

I grabbed my recorder to capture his words.

To miss this chance would be utterly absurd.

Here’s what he said, the man they call Torii.

He spoke of his childhood and the miracle story.

Somehow he made me laugh with talk of green men.

But alas, unfortunately his talk came to an end.

Next up to speak was the man they call “skip”.

In the dugout, he’s at the helm of the ship.

For his speech, he counted his blessings.

And of family feasts with great table settings.

Last up spoke a man, who was one child of eleven.

The owner of the team, thank goodness, thank heaven.

Thank you Arte say his fans one and all.

Next year indeed, we shall see October baseball.

So Rob, there you have, there’s more to the holidays

Than frantically shopping and avoiding the praying.

Family and food, that’s what makes the holidays best.

At least according to three from the A.L. West.

To AngelsWin.com Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah too!

All are welcome here, whether you are Christian or Jew.

May your New year be blessed, may it be prosperous!

May good health be yours, may the fates smile upon us.

Master Stroke

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:25:00 +0000

By Robert Cunningham - AngelsWin.com Columnist

Genius. Flawless. Perfection.

In one fell swoop, the acquisition of Albert Pujols has completely changed the landscape of the American League West and the Angels organization both now and into the foreseeable future.

The Team

The addition of Albert Pujols to the Angels line up will create an immediate impact to our offensive and defensive arrangement. Not only does he bring a feared, middle-of-the-order bat, but he brings above average defense to the position and established team leadership.

Albert’s impact on his teammates should be significant. First of all anyone hitting in front of him should see more fastballs and strikes as the opposing pitcher does not want a player to be on base when Albert steps up to the plate. Ideally Mike Scioscia should have hitters with great on base skills bat ahead of Albert so he can drive in runs. Putting men on base in front of Albert makes him very lethal at the plate. I suspect that we will see Bourjos lead off, followed by Howie Kendrick, and then Albert.

Secondly, if the opposing team chooses to walk Albert he will need protection hitting behind him. Those players hitting behind Albert should either have great contact/power skills to drive in any runners on base. I say players because whomever hits behind Albert and whomever hits behind that player should possess some hitting talent. Here I think, assuming Kendrys is ready, you will see one of Morales, Hunter, Wells, or Trumbo hitting behind Pujols. If Kendrys isn’t ready you will see Wells here I suspect (and he did well in 2010 behind Bautista in Toronto).

Third, Albert brings an above average glove (and at times gold glove caliber) to first base. Although Mark Trumbo did fairly well last year, it was only one year whereas Albert brings 11 years of premium defensive knowledge to the table. This will improve our defensive arrangement a bit and allow slight adjustments (shading left or right for all of our defensive positions) to our infield and outfield, dependent upon the hitter, which can only help our team prevent runs.

Also, Albert brings a leadership dimension that cannot be adequately measured but most definitely has an impact! Every player on the Angels team now knows that they do not have to shoulder all of the responsibility to lead and support their fellow players. This is particularly important to players like Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Vernon Wells as they do not have to put pressure on themselves and push so hard, like they did last year, to lead by example (of course Vernon had a disastrous year but I do expect him to rebound to a certain degree).

Lastly, Albert can be a mentor to several of our young players by sharing his vast experience, especially with hitting, which can only improve talented athletes like Peter Bourjos, Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, and Mike Trout.

Leverage

One very important aspect regarding the Pujols signing is the immediate impact it makes (and will continue to make) on recruiting and signing new talent and free agents, trades with other teams, and the finances of the team. In other words leverage.

The immediate impact was made with the concurrent signing of C.J. Wilson and the aftermath financial deal Arte Moreno penned with Fox Sports West (FSW, see Financial Impact). You have to believe that when Jerry Dipoto called C.J. Wilson up and asked him to wait, because they had “something special planned” that Wilson had some direct/indirect knowledge that Pujols would sign with the Halos. Simply by hiring, perhaps, the greatest hitter in the modern era, the Angels were able to sign a great starting pitcher, below his market price, providing additional value saved to the club long term.

In fact, by building a family atmosphere for his players here in Anaheim, Arte has created (and is continuing to create) a dynasty that should last for many years to come. One only needs to look at Jered Weaver’s extension a few months ago as a prime example of a player loving the experience in Anaheim and being unwilling to walk away from that experience. Albert recognized this aspect too and realized the Angels were the only team who would give it to him. As the added bonus, C.J. Wilson also saw how great a franchise the Angels are and wanted to be a part of the Angels tradition as well.

Lastly the impact to our future is tremendous. Our ability to convince players selected in future amateur drafts to sign with our team just dramatically increased. Like future free agents, the amateurs drafted will look at our team as a favorable place to sign their next contracts, possibly at a discounted rate.

The opportunity to play with Albert and win under Mike Scioscia will be a powerful draw and will provide an unquantifiable value in terms of savings to team payroll. Also it will be a potential boon in trades as there are several players in the league who have partial/full no-trade clauses in their contracts and, if presented with a trade opportunity to the Angels, might preferentially defer their no-trade status to play with us rather than another team.

Financial Impact

As mentioned above the immediate financial leverage, from the Albert Pujols signing, allowed Arte Moreno to finalize a deal with Fox Sports for a $3,000,000,000 deal over 20 years!

Moreno’s business savvy and ability to time the market is impressive. The Dodgers, run down by the McCourt divorce and the broken deal with FSW, are a mess right now. Additionally, Fox, which is in a battle with Time Warner, was in desperate need of a Summer sport. FSW couldn’t afford to wait for the Dodgers to find a new owner, risk losing the bidding war to Time Warner, and potentially losing the Angels too. So, by signing Pujols to the mega-deal, Moreno greatly increased the value of the Angels to FSW.

By striking this deal the Angels will, beginning in 2015, start pulling in a reported, unconfirmed $85+ million per year. Additionally it is believed that the Angels will have an ownership percentage in FSW which can be used as an investment vehicle, cashed out at a later date, or used as financial leverage to build a new stadium (and this will probably have to happen sometime in the next decade as Angels stadium is getting old). This deal, if confirmed, clearly trumps the Rangers recent TV deal with Fox Sports SouthWest and goes into effect only 1 year after the Rangers deal begins.

The other advantage for FSW making this deal will come in the form of advertising revenue from commercials. I can only imagine that SoBe is possibly thinking about doing some more Jered Weaver ads. The market is wide open for Albert Pujols to sign some advertising deals and have those commercials run, prominently, during every televised game. This was a no-brainer for FSW and Arte knew it!

Game, Set, Match

Arte Moreno has set the bar even higher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Just like George Steinbrenner did in New York, he has built a new empire in Southern California. The reverberations of this signing have turned the Angels into a powerhouse franchise in the West. Along with the financial muscle, the Angels have pulled it all together in a short 2-month period of time: Hiring a new GM, assembling a new front office staff, signing two top free agents to put the Halos back firmly into contention, and doing it all without unnecessarily sacrificing our young talent.

Arte Moreno is painting a new picture and landscape for Angels fans everywhere. When we look back on this period in the team history I think everyone will truly appreciate how, with one signing, Arte elevated the Halos and completed his vision and portrait of our past, present, and future. In other words, his master stroke.

The Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson Press Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:55:00 +0000

In case you missed one of the greatest days in Angels history, or in case you wish to relive one of the greatest days in Angels history, AngelsWin.com has the entire press conference for Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson.

Click below to watch it!

Albert Pujols Interviews with Media Privately

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:14:00 +0000

After the public press conference the Angels' Albert Pujols answered some questions from the media inside the stadium, including a question from our very own David Saltzer from AngelsWin.com.

Listen to the 17 minute audio clip of the media-only interview with Albert Pujols that you couldn't hear from today's live broadcast below.

Offseason Primer Addendum: Arte's Big Splash and the Dipoto Era

noreply@blogger.com (jonathan) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:53:00 +0000

By Jonathan Northrop - Angelswin.com Columnist

Welcome to the Dipoto Era

A few weeks ago I was looking forward to the coming of the Trout Era, to begin in Anaheim, California, as soon as this coming year or in 2013, when phenom Mike Trout works his way into the Angels lineup as an everyday player. Then the Albert Pujols signing occurred and I thought, almost sadly “This must be the Pujols Era.” But then I decided, no, scratch that: This is the Jerry Dipoto Era.

This article was meant to be an addendum to my seven-part Offseason Primer, but with the flurry of activity at the Winter Meetings, I had to completely re-write my draft and start again.

“Flurry of activity” is an understatement. Let’s look at the last eight days. These are the moves made by new GM Jerry Dipoto:

December 1: Traded Tyler Chatwood to Colorado for Chris Iannetta.
December 5: Traded Jeff Mathis to Toronto for Brad Mills.
December 7: Signed LaTroy Hawkins to a one-year, $3MM contract.
December 8: Signed Albert Pujols to a 10-year, $254MM contract.
December 8: Signed C.J. Wilson to 5-year, $77.5MM contract.

Jerry Dipoto has been a very busy boy. All of this occurred just over a month after he was hired to replace Tony Reagins as the team’s GM on October 29. We can only imagine what transpired in the Angels front office during the the month of November, with Dipoto arriving in the conference room starting with the phrase “I Have a vision…”

And oh what a vision it has turned out to be. In eight days the Angels have been transformed from a team teetering on the verge of rebuilding--seemingly hobbled by aging players with too-large contracts, particularly the trio of Vernon Wells (three more years for $63MM), Torii Hunter ( one year at $18MM), and Bobby Abreu ( one year at $9MM)—to re-asserting themselves as the team-to-beat in the AL West, loudly declaring that they will not go out quietly into the night; they mean to be a powerhouse for years to come, right up there with the Yankees, Red Sox, and yes, Rangers, as the dominant teams in the American League.

Arte Moreno’s so-called, and much-maligned, “big splash” comment from over a year ago has turned into something else…a tsunami.

Where’d the Money Come From?

That’s a question I cannot answer, nor will I try to. Arte Moreno claims that he “did it for the fans” and in a couple phone conversations with Pujols, said that he plans on doing whatever it takes to win another World Series. Certainly we can take Moreno’s comment as authentic, but he is a savvy self-made billionaire and wouldn’t have promised $330 million to two players unless he thought that he could make up for it through revenue streams that can’t be quantified by what happens on the field. In the salaries I mentioned above, we can see that after 2012 the Angels have $27MM coming off the books in Hunter and Abreu. That’s only one year, but it does takes the burn off the $40 million a year that Pujols and Wilson will cost.

Rumors are that the Angels’ TV deal is being bumped from $50 million to as much as $150 million; that, also, helps pay the bills. Some have commented that Moreno is taking advantage of what seems to be a neighboring LA Dodgers franchises in the throws of redifinition and re-grouping, and is trying to take a larger chunk out of the Los Angeles market.

But let’s look at the two new big name arrivals, because they’re both going to pay for themselves in different ways.

“Straight Edge Racer”

C.J. Wilson will be paid an average of $15.5 million a year for the next five years, his age 31-35 seasons. That’s a bit less—but very similar to—what A.J. Burnett and John Lackey make, and just a hair short of Jered Weaver’s 5/$85MM extension, which most view to be club-friendly. Both Lackey and Burnett have been disappointments for their clubs; is there reason to fear that Wilson will be the same for the Angels?

First of all, Wilson has only been a starter for the last two years, so he’s logged many fewer innings than Lackey or Burnett. Furthermore, he’s joining a team that plays in a relatively pitcher-friendly park compared to the outright hostile confines at Arlington. Thirdly, he’s going to have a Gold Glove caliber center fielder in Peter Bourjos, after this year another Gold Glove caliber outfielder in left in Mike Trout, and two above average defenders up the middle in Erick Aybar and Howie Kendrick.

Finally, Wilson improved overall in his second year as a starter. While it might be a bit much to expect that Wilson, at age 31 next year, will continue to improve, we can hope that he won’t decline right away or, at the least, his decline will be slow and gradual. It should also be noted that Wilson has the 9^th highest WAR of all major league starters over the last two years, right after none other than Jered Weaver and Dan Haren. At the least the Angels got a legitimate #2 pitcher which, at $15.5 million a year, is a solid deal.

“The Machine”

And now we come to Prince Albert, aka The Machine. And here is where we start to get worried. Whereas $77.5MM to C.J. Wilson over five years is a relatively small risk, $254 million guaranteed for a player in his age 32 to 41 seasons is a huge risk. Or is it?

First, let’s look at Pujols in context. His current WAR total right now is 87.8, which is good for 34^th best of all-time among position players, right between Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer and eventual Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. If Pujols averages around 5 WAR for the next ten years he’ll finish with 135-140 WAR, which would put him in Eddie Collins, Rogers Hornsby, and Stan Musial territory—around 10^th all time, and best among all first basemen. As it stands right now, Pujols is probably already the third best true first baseman in major league history, and has a good chance of passing Jimmie Foxx (112.3) and even Lou Gehrig (125.9) in WAR before his career is done.

To put it another way, Pujols is not only one of the best first basemen in baseball history, he could be the best—and he’s one of the ten or twenty best players in baseball history.

It Ain’t Over

Just because the Angels signed four players, including one of history’s greatest players ever and the top free agent starter on the market, doesn’t mean Jerry Dipoto is done. The Angels still have one notable question mark--third base—and now an excess of first basemen in Mark Trumbo and Kendrys Morales. There are three likely scenarios that I could see unfolding:

The Angels take a risk and assume that Trumbo can learn third base between now and April, and go into the year with Pujols at 1B, Trumbo at 3B, with various platoon combinations (perhaps platooning with Callaspo and/or Izturis, Abreu with Morales at DH)
The Angels package Trumbo in a deal for a “real” third baseman; with Ian Stewart now a Cub, Chase Headley might be the most likely candidate (we could discuss Hanley Ramirez and Ryan Zimmerman, but that would just be getting greedy).
The Angels sign Aramis Ramirez.

What will happen? With Jerry Dipoto in charge, who knows? What we can be certain of is that Dipoto, with Arte Moreno’s obvious support, will do whatever he feels is best to improve the team. If a trade for a third baseman happens, however, it might not be until the Angels have a chance to see how Trumbo can handle the position, and that is still a couple months away. So don’t be surprised or disappointed if the Angels don’t trade for a third basemen until deep into the 2012 season (Furthermore, if Luis Jimenez does well in AAA Salt Lake, he’s also a possibility for a mid-season call-up).

How Good Are The Angels?

As far as I can remember, the Angels have never improved so drastically in a single day in recent history. Certainly the offseason between 2003 and 2004 saw radical improvement with the signings of Kelvim Escobar, Jose Guillen, Bartolo Colon, and Vladimir Guerrero, but that was over a span of months.

So let’s take a look at what the team looks like right now:

C – Iannetta
1B – Pujols
2B – Kendrick
SS – Aybar
3B – Callaspo/Trumbo
LF – Wells
CF – Bourjos
RF – Hunter
DH – Morales
Bench – Abreu, Conger, Wilson, Izturis, Romine, Moore, Trout
Rotation – Weaver, Haren, Wilson, Santana, Williams
Bullpen – Walden, Downs, Hawkins, Thompson, Takahashi, Cassevah

The Angels also have a ton of minor league pitching depth that could see major league time in 2012 in Richards, Bell, Kohn, Mills, Berg, Geltz, Meyer, Carpenter, Shoemaker, Reckling, etc.

With the signing of Pujols and the Angels wanting to give Wells another chance, Mike Trout will almost certainly start the year in AAA, ready to take over if anyone falters or is injured. At the least, Trout will be up at some point and then be the full-time left fielder in 2013, with Wells moving over to RF with Torii Hunter either released or platooning with Wells in RF and DH, depending upon how Morales and/or Trumbo do. But that’s a year away.

That’s a pretty good team. The Angels have effectively replaced Mathis with Iannetta, Trumbo with Pujols, Pineiro with Wilson, and Rodney with Hawkins – all moderate to massive upgrades, and by a conservative estimate, at least a 10-game improvement. Given that the team won 86 games last year, a very moderate estimate would put this at a 95+ win team, assuming similar performances across the board.

Now if the Angels add a Chase Headley or Aramis Ramirez, they add another win or two. The point being, in a span of eight days the Angels have gone from being a team likely headed for another second place finish with 85-90 wins, to a team that may be the division favorites and one of the best in baseball. It still has some weak spots, but it is a very good team, even a borderline great one (“great” being a 100-win team).

One protest to my optimism might be that you never know what sort of injuries or regressions we’ll see. Maybe Haren starts aging, maybe Trumbo or Bourjos can’t ge on base, maybe Santana gets injured. But we have to balance all those negative maybes with positive ones: maybe Wells returns at least somewhat to form; maybe Torii Hunter shakes his early season bug and hits like he did in the second half; maybe the young players continue to improve. And so on.

Where There’s Light, There’s Always Shadow (or is there?)

What is not to like? A few things come to mind. First, the Wells Problem hasn’t gone away. He’s still signed for three more years at a total of $63 million. However, one thing that this offseason has proven is that Arte Moreno is not a stickler with money; don’t be surprised if, whether in 2012 or 2013, he’s had enough and dumps Wells, tens of millions and all.

The other moderate concern is Albert Pujols’ age, whether as written or “allegedly.” He’ll be 32 and has shown slight decline in recent years, with a big drop-off last year. There is also the nagging worry that he’s actually two or three years older; a 10-year contract for a 32-year old player is already risky, even if that player is one of the greatest of all time(and assumes some loss in value in the latter half of the contract), but a 10-year contract for a 34 or 35-year old is madness, and could look very, very bad for the majority of the contract.

First of all, as one sportswriter noted, one would think that at some point over the last decade the Cardinals would invest the few thousand dollars to hire a private investigator to verify Pujols’ age before offering the 9-10 year contract that they did. Secondly, while Pujols had his worst season ever last year, this was largely due to a very slow first couple months that was possibly due to contract squabbles with the Cardinals. I would be very surprised if Pujols did not hit .300+/.400+/.570+ with 40 or so HR next year, and for at least a couple years after. Furthermore, most truly great players decline slowly and when you’re as good as Pujols is, you have farther to fall from. Even assuming gradual decline from here on out, Pujols will still likely be hitting around .290 with an .850+ OPS and 30 HR in the second half of his contract.

One other note of concern about Pujols, is that he’s been playing and maintaining a ligament tear in his elbow since 2003. At one point it was thought that he’d need Tommy John surgery, but he opted not to. He has had relatively minor surgeries to remove bone spurs and a nerve transposition, but has missed relatively little time—Pujols has never played less than 143 games in 11 seasons, so let us hope that his fortitude continues.

As for C.J. Wilson, there are two concerns. One is that he’s only been a starter for two years. But as Mike Scioscia pointed out, this also means he’s had less wear-and-tear on his arm. Among all major league starters, Wilson has the 9^th highest WAR over the last two years, right behind Weaver and Haren, giving the Angels three of the top ten starters in baseball over that span of time. What’s not to like about that?

The other concern is his “inverted-w” delivery, which is the same delivery that Stephen Strasburg and Mark Prior had. But again, given that Wilson has logged relatively few innings overall, we shouldn’t be too concerned.

A New Era

In 2002, the Angels ended 41 years of disappointment, heartache, and generally mediocre ways with their first World Series appearance and victory. After a decline the next year which led us to believe that it was a one-time occurrence, new owner Arte Moreno retooled the team with a series of signings which led to postseason appearances in five of the next six seasons, but no World Series appearances. This short era of previously unseen success (the Angels had only gone to the postseason three times in their first 41 years) ended with the departures of Chone Figgins and John Lackey via free agency, and the decline and then subsequent departure of Vladimir Guerrero a year later.

Over the last two years, the Angels have won 80 and 86 games, finishing in 3^rd and 2^nd place. With much of the 2004-09 team either departed or aging, and a new crop of young players coming up—coupled with the disastrous Vernon Wells trade—the team looked like it was within a period of at least a few more years of rebuilding for the coming Trout Era. What made matters worse was that the Texas Rangers finally had their missing starting pitching and had a deep and productive farm system that set them up for years of dominance. I for one thought that it would be at least 2014 until the Angels could once again vie with the Rangers, and maybe not even then.

In eight days, Jerry Dipoto and Arte Moreno changed that. The Angels will go into 2012 much like they went into 2004: with a team that can win ball games and has a strong chance at not only making the postseason, but winning in the postseason. As with 2004—and unlike 2008 and 2009—the Angels will have company in the division. In 2004, they won the division by a game over the Oakland Athletics, where as in 2008 they won by 21 games and 2009 by 10 games.

Let us be honest with ourselves: The Rangers aren’t going away and, at this point, it is too early to tell who will be favored to win the division next year. But at the least we can say that the Angels will be very good and highly competitive, which is something that we couldn’t say two weeks ago. And, perhaps best of all from a purely baseball standpoint, the AL West will be an exciting and highly competitive division for years to come, with an emerging rivalry between the Angels and Rangers that will lead to years of sorrow, heartache, and joy for fans of both teams.

When the 2010 Angels finished the year with an 80-82 record, and the 2011 team also failed to make the postseason, it seemed that the Golden Age of Angels baseball was over and that alll we could do was watch and wait and hope for the next wave of greatness which seemed years away. We need wait no longer; the Golden Age never ended, it just had a lull in the middle as the team transition from one phase to the next. Welcome, fellow fans, to the Jerry Dipoto Era.

What A Great Day To Be An Angels Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 08:41:00 +0000

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

I’m still in shock. I know it’s true, but I still don’t believe. Not only is C.J. Wilson is an Angel, giving the team the best rotation in the American League, Albert Pujols, the greatest position player in this generation (and one of the greatest hitters ever), is an Angel.

I still can’t believe I’m typing that.

Wednesday night, I had a tough time falling asleep. The thought of hearing David Courtney say “Now batting for the Angels, Albert Pujols” gave me chills. I dreamt about sick lineups and monster homeruns. I tossed and turned as I waited for more information. I was mad at my new phone for not giving me updates fast enough, and couldn’t pull myself away from the computer keyboard.

Around midnight, my phone chirped away with this little tidbit from Bob Nightengale “BNightengale: The #Angels say that they can afford to sign both Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, shelling out in excess of $300 milliion. [via Twitter]” While I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, that didn’t help me inability to fall asleep.

So, on less than 4 hours of total sleep, I awoke to THE NEWS: the Angels had signed Albert Pujols. Shortly thereafter, I got MORE NEWS: the Angels had signed C.J. Wilson.

I nearly exploded with joy.

Like many Angels fans, I wore an Angels jersey to work today. Throughout the day, people who hadn’t yet heard the news stopped to ask me why I was wearing an Angels jersey in the winter. When I told them THE NEWS, they too were in shock. They too were in awe. They gave me high-fives and we talked baseball in December. We felt like kids.

People who knew THE NEWS pointed and waived. They gave thumbs up and high-fives as they saw my jersey. They stopped to talk baseball. They too felt like kids.

My friends and family from all over the country called and texted. Whether they were Angels fans or not did not matter. They just wanted to talk about THE NEWS and bask in the joy.

Years from now, I know that I will have a conversation with my sons about the greatest days that I have experienced as an Angels fan. While nothing will ever top Game 7, December 8, 2011 will be a close second. That’s because December 8th will forever be the day the Angels took a monumental leap forward as a franchise and set themselves up for the next decade.

On behalf of Angels fans everywhere, thank you Mr. Moreno.

P.S. Albert, thank you for signing with the Angels. I really didn’t want to hate my new smart phone, and since it delivered THE NEWS to me, I’m back to loving it.

Albert Pujols (or Why I Hate My New Smart Phone)

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 08:24:00 +0000

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

For years, I have wanted to upgrade my old flip phone (yes, an old Motorola) to a new smart phone. But with three small boys, the cost to better my phone surpassed my desire to upgrade.

Last month, for our anniversary, my wife finally got me a new smart phone. It was the phone I was drooling over—the HTC Rezound by Verizon. When I got it, it was everything that I had wanted—I could finally surf the net at the blazing speed of 4G. I thought I’d love checking email and surfing the web a few times a day when I had some down time.

But not anymore. Now I’m starting to hate my smart phone and it’s all because of one man—Albert Pujols.

How can Albert Pujols make me hate my smart phone? Simple. The thought that such an awesome player might play for the Angels has me addicted to my new smart phone in a way that I never thought possible.

When word first broke that the Angels were negotiating with Pujols I sloughed it off as misinformation. I was in a meeting at the time and got a text from a friend. When I had a chance, I logged onto AngelsWin.com, caught up on the story, which appeared to confirm my suspicions, and then got back to work. No harm, no foul.

But then, on Wednesday, word got out that the Angels were in serious negotiations with Pujols, something happened to me. I became fixated on my cell phone. I couldn’t put it down. I was hitting refresh on AngelsWin.com faster and faster to get the latest update on Pujols.

While eating dinner, I must have hit refresh at least 20 times. Luckily wife and kids didn't notice. After dinner, I tried to put it down, but couldn’t. Like Angels fans everywhere, I had to be in the know about this potential deal.

When I wasn’t reading updates on AngelsWin.com, I was texting my friends. When that wasn’t good enough, I called them. At times I was on the phone AND hitting refresh on AngelsWin.com to keep up with the breaking news and tweets.

It got so bad that my wife finally made a comment to me about it. I tried to put it down in another room, but then found myself making excuses to wander by it and hit refresh. That didn’t make her happy.

And that’s when I realized that I was addicted to my smart phone, and it was all Albert Pujols’ fault. Worse yet, I imagined what would happen if the Angels actually did sign Albert Pujols. I’d be glued to my phone for the length of his contract. Not only would I watch every one of his highlights in the stadium or on TV, I’d watch replays of them on my smart phone afterwards.

Not only does signing Albert Pujols make perfect sense for the Angels, it would be a transformative event for the team. It would take the Angels from a large market team to an elite team. It would make the Angels odds-on players to win the World Series every year he’s a member of the team.

Furthermore, he is the type of franchise player that the Angels need—a player who can lead by example. With Dipoto’s desire to increase OB% throughout organization (especially in player development) who better to demonstrate that skill than Albert Pujols?

Finally, signing Albert Pujols would essentially pay for itself. With the Angels’ TV deal with Fox up for renegotiation over the next few years, the Angels would have an elite superstar to market that would drive up the value of their broadcast rights. While the Angels would surely get more for their TV rights in a new deal, they would get substantially more with Pujols on the team than without him. And that doesn’t even include all the additional revenue from ticket sales, merchandizing, etc.

As a kid, my friends and I would play a bragging rights game called “got it” wherein we would try to one-up each other about something. When it came to baseball, how far I got in the game depended on who was on the Angels. With Grich, DeCinces and Downing, it was easy. In other years, much more challenging. If the Angels sign Albert Pujols, I will have to call up all those guys for one more round of “got it” because nobody beats Albert Pujols.

Once upon a time, Arte Moreno opened the wallet for Vlad, and the fans responded in droves. Nobody left their seats when he came to bat because nobody wanted to miss the excitement that he brought to the plate. His jerseys flew off the shelves and fans poured into the stadium to see him play.

Signing Albert Pujols would bring back all of that joy tenfold. Just thinking about the chill going through the crowd when he comes to the plate is titillating. The potential that he could become an Angel has me on pins and needles to the point where I’ve put my smart phone next to my bed so that if an alert happens tonight, I can hear it.

Because of Albert Pujols, I hate my new smart phone. It's an addiction that I will have to break some other time. Keeping up on all the news on AngelsWin.com is just too important right now.

Catching the Trifecta

noreply@blogger.com (Dinsle) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:34:00 +0000

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer

One of the rarest feats to accomplish in all of baseball is the unassisted triple play. A lot has to fall into alignment for a player to make such as play.

For a GM, one of the rarest feats to accomplish is the trifecta — a move or series of moves that simultaneously: 1) improves the club; 2) pleases the fans; 3) doesn’t deplete the farm or budget. With his first two moves on the job, Jerry Dipoto caught a trifecta.

By trading Chatwood for Iannetta, Dipoto addressed the biggest hole on the Angels’ roster. He improved the team’s offense and made Jeff Mathis expendable. However, rather than non-tendering Mathis and getting nothing in return, Dipoto traded Mathis for Brad Mills who essentially replaced Chatwood.

When the trade for Iannetta was first announced, I was a bit surprised at how some fans reacted to the news. Some complained that by trading Chatwood, the Angels created a new hole—pitching depth—in an effort to solve a different hole. This was rather shocking because even with two openings (presently) in the Angels’ rotation, Chatwood was most likely going to open the year at Triple-A. On the organizational depth chart, Chatwood ranked behind Williams and Richards, and, was facing some tough competition from Shoemaker and Reckling (assuming they both remain with the club after the Rule V draft).

But, with Mathis for Mills trade, Dipoto essentially replaced Chatwood. Granted, Chatwood is the better prospect (being younger and still more projectable), but, the Angels have a need for left-handed pitchers, such as Mills, particularly at the upper levels of their organization. Mills could be converted into a reliever or could continue to provide depth in the organization until Hellweg and Pena arrive in Triple-A.

Looking at these two moves in total, there is no way an Angels fan could not be happy. As I wrote in the “What I’d Do as the New GM” article, “Jeff Mathis still has to go . . . Unfortunately Mathis has become the focus of the fans’ anger and frustration with an anemic offense.”

Whether one is a fan of traditional stats or modern stats, Iannetta is a major upgrade for the team. Having a catcher who can get on base should result in about 3-4 more wins for the team next year. That would place the Angels right back into contention for the A.L. West. With more moves to come (hopefully another solid arm for the rotation and a solid bat), the Angels will be more than ready to challenge in 2012.

Considering that Mills and Chatwood would play similar roles for the organization next year, the total cost to the team amounts to the difference in Iannetta’s and Mathis’ salaries. That difference should only be about $2 million. That is a paltry sum to pay for a 3-4 game improvement and hardly a shock to the budget.

When I interviewed John Carpino about hiring Dipoto, he described Dipoto as “an opportunist”. With these two moves, Dipoto clearly showed that type of thinking. With Colorado signing Ramon Hernandez to be their catcher, Dipoto picked up Iannetta—who was essentially unnecessary in Colorado—on the cheap. And, with other clubs in need of a catcher, Dipoto was able to take advantage of the limited market for catchers and traded Mathis to recover his costs in the Iannetta trade. This is the type of out-of-the-box thinking that I like to see as a fan and what will help return the Angels to a championship club.

One final thought: As much as fans disliked Mathis’ poor performance on the field, they should try to separate their frustration at his poor hitting abilities from their comments about him as a person. From all accounts, Mathis was very well liked amongst the players on the team. He did not have any major scandals as a player while with the team, nor has he insulted the fans in departing like other players have done. He did the best he could as a player.

While we all would have preferred more offense from him, we should not use that as an excuse to attack the man personally. Mathis took the time to be interviewed by AngelsWin.com at the height of his struggles and we should all wish him well with his new club.

Postseason to Remember or Not?: 1986 LCS’s

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Angels fans, the guys at the MLB Network were kind enough to send me behind the scenes footage of what is to air this Sunday (Dec 4th) titled "The Postseason to Remember - 1986 LCS". The feature will air at 2:00 PM PT on the MLB Network.

This can't miss segment will be hosted by MLB Network’s Bob Costas & Tom Verducci who will analyze both the 86 ALCS & NLCS, including new in-studio interviews with Gary Pettis, Bruce Hurst, Calvin Shiraldi, Dwight Gooden and Billy Hatcher.

I tell fans both new and old that you truly cannot appreciate the Angels 2002 World Series Championship and victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of their home crowd in 2009's ALDS unless you've been through the painful loss of the 1986 LCS. If you were not an Angels fan in 1986, or you just started following the Halos after the 2002 Championship or Arte era, watch this segment to truly understand what us old guys have been saying and feeling for years. If series losses in '79, '82 and '86 provided scars, 2002 and especially 2009, was the ointment to heals those scars.

Here's some Quoutable Highlights from the ALCS Segment...

Bruce Hurst on heading into Game Five: "My mindset was I couldn’t give up any. I know that one [hit] could be too much."

Gary Pettis on Dave Henderson’s 9th inning home run in Game Five: "That right there was definitely a low in Angels’ history. I remember as soon as he hit the ball, [I was] in centerfield, I just put my head down and went, “Oh, no.”

Calvin Schiraldi on Dave Henderson’s 9th inning home run in Game Five: "I was in the bullpen screaming at the fans because we were so mad with the horses and the cops coming through the bullpen that all the fans were screaming at us. That ball goes over the fence and everybody in that entire bullpen is up on the railing screaming at the fans."

Gary Pettis on Game Five losing pitcher Donnie Moore: "In Anaheim the next year, when we came back, when he stepped on the field before the game walking to the bullpen, there were a lot of boos. It really bothered me to see that the fans would react towards him that way because he had done a lot of good things for us."

Here's a video highlight of what you'll see on Sunday's episode as Mike Witt sits down with the MLB Network and remembers the 1986 postseason.

Three Offseason Moves to regain the AL West Crown

noreply@blogger.com (Chuck Richter) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:42:00 +0000

By Chuck Richter - AngelsWin.com

Yes it would be nice to add a big bat such as Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols, but if that type of signing results in not improving other areas of the club that failed miserably in 2011 I don't think it's worth it. That said I wouldn't complain if Dipoto is able to reach deep into Arte's pocketbook this winter and sign or trade for a difference maker on offense along with my suggestions.

So, here's a quick look at three areas of focus I believe the Angels should look at to improve their club this winter. Three areas of weakness that saw the Angels fall short of winning the AL West for the second straight year to the hands of the Texas Rangers.

1.) Relief Pitcher - If the Angels can add a couple of solid bullpen arms in hopes of improving a shaky 2011 bullpen that led the league with 25 blown saves, there's a good chance they add 10-15 wins in the standings in 2012. Scott Downs was solid as usual, but while Jordan Walden has closer stuff he hasn't figured out how to put away hitters consistently late in the game, having trouble locating his high 90's fastball and slider. The Angels' bullpen was already better after the last game of the 2011 season just by the subtraction of Fernando Rodney, but adding a couple arms from the following: Heath Bell, Juan Cruz, Mike Gonzalez, Francisco Cordero, Kerry Wood, Ramon Ramirez, Jeremy Affeldt, Rafael Betancourt, Ryan Madson, (if the price is right) would solidify the Halos bullpen in 2012 and put them in a good position to overtake the Texas Rangers for the AL West title.

2.) Catcher - The Angels catching core across the board, in 2011 especially Jeff Mathis (.174/.224/.259) who played in the majority of games behind the dish (93), was a gigantic hole in a lineup that was held to two runs or fewer 51 times this past season. Signing Ramon Hernandez or trading for Chris Iannetta to start 65 % of the games in a time share with Hank Conger would be a boost in production.

3.) Starting Pitcher - Why would the the Angels who were 58-42 in games started by Weaver, Haren and Santana, who combined for a 45-30 record with a 2.98 earned-run average and 568 strikeouts in 7022/3 innings need another starting pitcher? Here's why. If the Halos shore up the bullpen, add some offense at the catching position, and add another starter like local product C.J. Wilson, it would not only cripple the American League Champs by signing the ace of their staff, but improve yet another facet of the Halos game which was so awful in 2011 and make them strong contenders in 2012. Tyler Chatwood and Joel Pineiro were terrible in the #4 and #5 spots. Joel Pineiro posted a 5.13 ERA and 1.51 WHIP, while Chatwood had his moments as a rookie, he posted a 1.67 WHIP and 4.75 ERA and put Angels in a terrible position to start many games as the offense was behind 4-5 runs early on. The Halos could boast the league's best rotation in the game if they sign C.J. Wilson to go along with a resurgent Jerome Williams who posted a 2.95 ERA in his nine appearances in six starts from the 5th spot of the rotation.

Conclusion: If the Angels can shore up these three needs before the 2012 season – to go along with an addition of Kendrys Morales in the lineup – I believe they will put themselves in a good position to overtake the Texas Rangers for the AL West.