Tag: angels

Teixeira Signs With the Yankees

An Angel Fan’s Viewpoint:

As a fan of the team that got the short end of the stick in this, here are my observations and conclusions:

Does anyone doubt that The Boss remains in charge of the Yankees? Maybe not the day-to-day operations of the team, but the BIG decisions. Who do they spend the money on? How much money is spent? Maybe even whether Joba starts or relieves. I think that The Boss still makes the big decisions.

I also think he was embarrassed last year to spend all that money and miss the playoffs. And he has vowed that IT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. Maybe he was even pounding on the desk.

Meaningless DonS Observation: One way to make it less likely to happen again is to have a third baseman who is less interested in chasing Madonna and more interested in chasing the pennant, but that’s just MY opinion. Well, mine and Nick’s.

Two Other Interlocked DonS Observations: 1) I hate The Boss – in nice way, as “The One, The, Only Groucho” used to say. “Say the secret word and a duck will come down and give you fifty bucks. It’s a common word, one that people use every day.” 2) I wish The Boss owned a team that I root for, because he settles for no less than victory…and spares no effort to achieve that victory. I think he would be spending similar money even without the New York financial advantages that he enjoys, because he is the most competitive owner in sports.

Who says “money can’t buy me love?”

KROD: TAKE THE MONEY & RUN

The New York Mets, desperate for a closer, signed the best in the business, making KROD the highest paid relief pitcher in the game. The ink isn’t dry on the paper, but the deal is a reported three year, $37 million dollar deal, with a vesting option (dunno what that means) for a fourth year. I can still remember when starting pitchers were expected to & paid to complete games, it was an insult to the starting pitcher to pull him, not any more, not in this day of specialization. Francisco Rodriguez, won’t turn 27 until next month, he set a record last year with 62 saves with the Halos.

In 2008 the NY Mets converted only 43 saves out of 72 save opportunities. They were relying on Billy Wagner, who needed a ligament replaced in his pitching elbow last August. Even without a closer, NY finished the season with 89 wins, three games behind the Phillies in the East, and only one game behind the Brewers for the Wild Card. Aaron Heilman, Luis Ayala, and others in the Mets pen didn’t cut it, making getting a closer a top priority. There were some choices out there, Kerry Wood, Brian Fuentes, and alltime saves leader Trevor Hoffman, but in the end NY went with the best.

It will be interesting to see how KROD makes out in the Big Apple, it’s a long way from the Los Angeles Anaheim Angels. There’s going to be alot of pressure on Rodriguez to perform, he’s got an electric fastball & a slider that breaks out of sight. Francisco needs to get ahead of hitters in order to get them to bite on his breaking ball, usually in the dirt, control is not his strong suit. Besides that, the Angels had a pretty deep bullpen (Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields, & Darren Oliver), getting to the closer, we’ll have to see how the Mets setup men will bridge that gap. Last year’s signing of Ace Johan Santana was supposed to put the Metropolitans over the top, let’s see if KROD can do it.

K-Rod for the Save!

K-Rod: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K (SV)

Seattle was Francisco Rodriguez’ victim as he broke the all-time single season record for saves. 

F Rodriguez (S, 58)  was the entry in the boxscores this morning as K-Rod eclipsed Bobby Thigpen’s old record of 57.  Rodriguez will most likely be the first 60 save reliever.  Who was it that had the all-time record BEFORE Thigpen?  I’ll give you a second to think about it.

While I do, check out Baseball-Reference’s Progressive Leaders for saves (the answer’s there).  B-R’s Progressive Leaders board is fun to look at for any stat.  It lists 4 columns for EACH year going back to 1876; career leader, single-season leader, active player career leader, and yearly leader.  It sounds rather mundane as I describe it but when you look at all four columns together, you get a sense of how the stat (in this case, saves) "progressed".  Try other stats, too!

Oh, the answer is Dave Righetti with 46 saves in 1986.

Powerhouse Angels first to clinch

angels_logo Congrats to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for being the first MLB team to clinch a playoff berth.  A special congrats go to my buddy DonS who is an avid Angels fan. 

With a current 87-57 record, the Angels won all season, everywhere, anytime.  Their road record was even slightly better than their home record (.606 to .603).  Not counting their 0-1 March, their worst months were May and August when they had a winning percentage of "only" .536.  Their first half they won 60% of their games.  To follow up, they now have a .612 winning percentage in the second.  Win, win, win.

They have to feel to feel good about the fact that they currently have a 8-1 record against the Red Sox.  Hopefully, that will bode well if they face them in the playoffs.  And oooh, a 3-6 record against the pesky Rays. 

Francisco Rodriguez got his 56th save against the Yanks in today’s important game leaving him one behind Bobby Thigpen’s single-season record for saves.  I’m not a fan of the save stat but count me in a one fan rooting for K-Rod to break Thiggy’s record. 

Nice going, Halos!  Way to get the job done quick!

GAME ONE – SOX at ANGELS – 05/12/08

It was nice of the White Sox to let my Angels win one in this series.  ;–)

Seriously, if I were to pick which of these games the Angels were most likely to win, Buehrle vs. Adenhart would NOT have been the one. That’s why baseball is the most fascinating game of all.

Did you know that Buehrle has only beaten the Angels once in 15 career starts? I would think that his skill package would give the Halos trouble. Wouldn’t you? Changing speeds and taking away the stolen base completely.

Tonight is Jered Weaver vs. John Danks. I have referred to Weaver as “a right-handed Danny Jackson.” No one understands that this is a compliment.

“First Pitch – Strike One” is a key for the Halos tonight. They won last night despite NOT doing this. 4 double plays won the game.

Orlando Cabrera had good things to say about Mike Scioscia: “With all due respect to managers around the game, I think that Scioscia is on another level,” Cabrera said. “This guy dominates the opponent, the thinking,
all the things that they do, the scouting reports. He has an advantage. I think he’s the smartest guy in the game right now, no doubt.”

I can sincerely return Cabrera’s compliment to Scioscia. Ozzie Guillen’s in-game baseball strategy, more often than not, is what I would do. I think he is real solid in that area. He can’t field for Joe Crede or get hits for Nick Swisher. The players have to come through to make the manager look good.

DonS.

Nick Adenhart

Nick Adenhart has been called up by the Angels and will start tonight’s game against Oakland.

I saw Nick pitch 6 scoreless innings (3 hits) in spring training. It was the day I went to Tempe Diablo while the rest of the group saw the historic “first-ever Dodgers in Arizona spring training game” against the White Sox at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Adenhart (age 21) is 4-0 at Salt Lake City with an ERA under 1.00. He is the Angels Number One pitching prospect.

He will start in Dustin Moseley’s spot. Moseley has been moved to the bullpen, but not before costing NickV a couple of bucks.

I’m sure the plan is to start Adenhart 3 times. Then Lackey will be back and Adenhart is slated to return to AAA.

But what if Adenhart is 3-0? Would the Halos think about keeping him, going with a rotation of Lackey, Weaver, Saunders, Santana and Adenhart?

“Dreaming is free”– Debbie Harry.

DonS.