Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Marcus Stroman challenges Nascar driver Kyle Larson to a charity MMA bout because Stroman thinks Larson “needs his ass beat.”
Angels News and Opinion
Mike Trout sees a lot of red flags about the Arizona plan. Meanwhile, Brian Goodwin reflects on his first full Major League game he played on Jackie Robinson Day 2019 with the Angels. ZiPS projects the Angels to be a .500 ball club in the Cactus League West, beating out only the White Sox in that division.
Baseball Versus Coronavirus
Dr. Anthony Fauci adopts a wait and see approach as to whether there will be baseball in 2020. So does Rob Manfred. This public health expert thinks gatherings at sports events cannot happen until the fall of 2021. Arizona’s Governor thinks his state can handle the plan for an isolated MLB season in Arizona. It’s the players I’m worried about. The Governor hangs out in an air conditioned office. Major League Baseball teams (some but not all) are participating in a coronavirus study to test about 10,000 people for antibodies. It is unclear whether the Angels are participating.
If Joe Buck won’t do it, let’s give Gubi a chance. Can’t wait for “Trust your stuff. Stay within your mechanics. Change her eye level.”
https://twitter.com/Buck/status/1251193698731393024
Wonder how Joe could work in Derek Jeter and The Yankees into his play by play?
Probably something like, “…I haven’t seen anyone get to a ball like that since Jeter in ’99.”
Wouldn’t that get old after having to say it about Simba a couple of times a game?
or something like “this is going to end in a gift basket”
I haven’t seen anyone swing a bat that hard since Big Papi in 2004!
Whoa! He had to go deep in the hole to get that one!
‘Light that baby up!’ ‘Sho-time!’ and ‘drive home safely’
Love Stroman’s fire but live that betting props are already available even more. What a world, ha ha.
45 pound weight difference means not even UFC would sanction it and they tried to pull off a card on an Indian reservation last week.
Hey, I don’t know how long it’s been there, but I just noticed the new site logo. I love it! Great work, guys!
It would make a pretty nice t shirt or sweatshirt.
I’ll take a Large and an XL.
And just like that, i found their link to where you can order the T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Hoodies, etc. Down to the right on my computer they linked a store from their twitter feed. Since I don’t twitter, it could have been there for months without me even knowing about it.
Thanks for smartening me up!
There will be no Angels regular season game this year. Book it.
OT: Give this headline writer a raise. The jokes within the article don’t stink, either.
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/3-thieves-try-to-make-clean-getaway-but-are-arrested-anyway-in-heinous-toilet-paper-caper-port-hueneme-pd/
.500 sounds about right. Maybe next year we can haz pitching?
If they go heavy in the draft on pitching, get lucky on one or two, then they may have pitching in 3 to 4 years. Here is a list of possible free agents. Which one are you wanting to go after? Chatwood? Richards? Stroman?
Mike Minor, Robbie Ray in addition to Stroman and (possibly for sentimental reasons, and providing his arm holds up) Richards. I really hope someone picks up Fiers – hate to see him blackballed for calling out the Astros.
That’s a big “if,” but I’d love it. Pitching just hasn’t felt solid for a few years now. As for free agents, I like Matthias’ votes. I’m not too big on Richards, though. We got what, 3 months of healthy Richards when he was with us? /s
Do you only mean in 2018? He was great for us in ’14 and ’15, and I am hoping he can return to some of that form.
In Trout’s comments, he expresses concern for not seeing family members and being stuck in his hotel room. Which is quite realistic. There’s so much money involved that baseball will have to be played during the summer, but we’ll see what the MLBPA agrees to. These guys signed up to play baseball, not to be indentured servants.
People need to remember that it’s just a game. Health and safety of the players is the priority. If that means we don’t see baseball for a year or more then we will get over it.
I’d hate to see a player catch it and die from playing a game.
Hey if Fauci said it was possible, I doubt they don’t charge ahead with some plan.
Possible, sure. Actually getting the players on board and figuring out the specifics is the issue.
I still see too much potential for transmission. But I trust Dr. Fauci, so if he clears it i’ll hope for the best.
since there’s no school couldn’t entire families move to Arizona during the season? (whatever “the season” might be). Generally they wouldn’t because they wouldn’t want to take the kids out of school.
He’s going to be a father this summer. I wouldn’t trade all the ultrasounds and being in the delivery room for anything. Not even Trout’s 2020 salary and that probably goes tenfold if I’d already made as much as him.
Welp, I’m never moving to Maryland.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/maryland-police-remind-residents-wear-221128631.html
Retirement is summed up in just two words. Pants optional. Then again, it’s getting warmer up here in the desert. I shift over to cargo shorts only about this time of year.
According to CNN Roy Halladay had quite a few different drugs in his system the day he killed himself. Man had 720 hours flying time and about 52 on the plane he was doing aerobatics in when he crashed. There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are very few old, bold pilots.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/us/roy-halladay-ntsb-accident-report-spt/index.html
Sounds like he had a very difficult life post-baseball.
Almost makes you wonder if it’s worth it to let people put their bodies through that kind of torment for our enjoyment.
I’m 26, I played sports from age 5 to when I graduated high school. I have my share of aches and pains. Especially my knees. Can’t imagine after a 20 yr career.
Combine Doc with Skaggs and it just gives me pause. How many other players are abusing substances and haven’t been found out?
On the other hand, it’s absolutely crazy that some athletes devote their entire lives to sport and then are done at 25-30 years of age. I can’t imagine loving something so much, working that hard at it, and then being told that after a third of my life, I can’t do it anymore.
Definitely. The dream you’ve had since you knew what sports were is just ripped away. You can easily see the path they walk down. Easily see how all the injuries and failure cause depression and substance abuse.
I’d read on r/baseball that he was flying an A5, which is a small plane so fun to fly that people often forget the safety part of it. But as DG mentioned, it sounds like Halladay had deeper, underlying issues, too.
Also sounds like he had a rather joyless childhood.
Todd Marinovich on the baseball diamond?