LA Angels Wednesday News Crash: Goofus And Gallant MLB edition

Good morning Angels fans! Hope you are enjoying Garret Anderson week. There will be more today, so until then have some links!

Angels News

Arte Moreno may need to talk with his staff about driving home safely as Tony LaRussa was arrested for a dui while still in the employment of the Angels. You would think the Angels would not let this happen more than any other team.

Speaking of Arte Moreno, he has spoken with Fox Sports West about the needs for the team. A few holes to fill is not the wording I would use.

You know what we need? Trout Porn. Below is the chart for most Fangraphs WAR since 2012 for position players.

From r/baseball user slee-p

Around Baseball

Tony LaRussa has been digging himself deeper every day now. He faces possible jail time for a dui, and his comments in the police report don’t make it any better. Yes, even HOF managers are subject to the law.

Bringing in such an old, previously retired manager was a risk and it isn’t looking good right now for the White Sox. Marcus Stroman has stated he will not sign with the White Sox because of it. Oh and the team knew about the dui den hiring him.

New Mets owner is hungry for a ring. So much so that not winning one in the next 5 years will be a disappointment. Also he supports the BLM movement. No wonder Arte Moreno didn’t want him to be an owner.

As for the management style, the new Mets owner is going to be hands off. Arte Moreno scoffs at that.

Alex Corra apologized for cheating while still being the new manager of the Red Sox. Again. Still more sincere than the Astros somehow.

Former SF Giant is suing due to career ending injuries thanks to the bullpen mounds in foul territory. Putting them there was always a stupid idea.

Milb teams are getting dumped rather harshly. First it was the blindsiding of the NYY affiliate and then Columbia gets informed via Twitter. At least Columbia seems to have bounced back already.

Don Mattingly won NL Manager of the year. Remember kids, getting sick and spreading it to others is a-ok as long as you are famous.

Kevin Cash is the AL Manager of the year. He won the pennant, makes sense.

Image from @Angels Twitter

Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!

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ihearhowie3.0
Super Member
3 years ago

It’s really interesting they brought back Bane to talk to, Rojas got a sit-down and now Hollander makes it to the final round.

Not sure if that’s good interesting. I think new blood would be good to turn the place upside down and shake things up. Move the furniture around. Hollander may be the right guy but my gut feels like someone who was here during mediocrity will just fall right back into old habits. People around him will feel no change, they’ll feel familiarity etc.

VictoriousVIC
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Remember that article that Jeff posted about considering Victor Rojas for the GM position? Well it looks like Arte did just that. Victor just tweeted and confirmed he was interviewed and didn’t make the final round. I would embed the tweet but unfortunately am on mobile. Definitely give the tweet a read. He posted the last page of his presentation.

ihearhowie3.0
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  VictoriousVIC

Good on him for shooting his shot. Not the right guy for this moment IMO but I see no reason guys like him shouldn’t have some sort of voice at the table. As he explains, he has a rich history in baseball and is more than just a media guy.

Selfishly glad he will keep calling games. He’s been the best.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

Happy Veteran’s Day and a huge thanks to all of you who served. Arte belongs on that list as well.

shach1
Newbie
3 years ago

I am family friends with Perry Minasian. He is a great guy. He has a good shot at the position.

Warfarin
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  shach1

Well that’s neat to hear. I am hopeful that we’ll find out who is hired by the end of this week. The rule 5 deadline is 11/20, so I’d like to think our new GM is in place by then, as that’s an important decision to make.

Minasian is actually my #1 preferred candidate of the 5 listed, based on his extensive time working under Anthropolous, who I consider a top 3 PBO/GM in the game.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

Yes. Tony La Russa got a DUI in Arizona because he wasn’t aware (after his first DUI) that drinking and driving should not be mushed together because the Angels FO didn’t tell him so. Having a crap history with substance abuse and DUI sadness should also totally make an organization full of individuals making their own decisions outside the workplace somehow magically more responsible in and of itself for said decisions. I have received your signal. My pearls are totally clutched.

For the record, I still don’t understand what La Russa did here…. other than, apparently, drink in Phoenix.

Jeff Joiner
Editor
Legend
3 years ago

His attitude with the police pretty much showed he does whatever he wants to do and thinks his status as a manager gives him the right to do so.

Thankfully nobody was hurt. In my DUI classes they said you typically get caught once for every hundred times you deserve to (my ratio was easily 10 times that). Makes me wonder if police have helped him home other times.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Yeah. La Russa’s a tool. Seemed like a tool in St Louis. Don’t know why we needed that tool here other than to stable goat for Albert? If he is fired in Chi I hope he just disappears to South Florida where America’s retired assholes congregate before death shows em who’s boss.

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago

Win or lose we booze! Grab another Ale.

admkir
Trusted Member
3 years ago

5th guy is from Atlanta

admkir
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Stroman accepts QO

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  admkir

Nice, dodged a bullet or maybe a salvo.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  admkir

Obviously Arte doesn’t care about winning and refuses to spend on championish pitchers. My nostrils are totally flared. Now, unless Bauer comes here, it is super serious x-ray obvious Arte won’t spend on pitching and only wants 3 millions fans and to hang out with yes men.

But I is on to him.

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  admkir

Seems like a smart move. There is a lot of uncertainty about how reluctant owners will be to spend this off season. I wouldn’t want to be a free agent with a loss of draft pick attached. He gets a nice one-year pay day and a chance to re-enter the market in a better salary environment.

Also good for Bauer, as now teams can’t use a chance at Stroman as an excuse for not bidding top dollar for him.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago

If Arte were the captain of the Titanic, he’d say, “We have a good ship, we just have a few holes we need to fill.”

The Angels have more holes than a block of Swiss cheese.

h27kim
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Designerguy

About 15 to 20 on the 26 men roster (will that be the norm next year, or will MLB do something weird again?) We have a couple of really good players, though.

Mia
Legend
Mia
3 years ago

OT: We finished Ted Lasso the other night. If you want a fun, wholesome sports show with some heart, I highly recommend it.

Fansince1971
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Mia

It is absolutely fun and Sedakis helps with the blues we all are feeling.

If you want a show about a ‘sport’ of a different type, try The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. It’s superb.

Mia
Legend
Mia
3 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

I’ve had multiple people tell me they weren’t fans of Queens Gambit, so i’ve been hesitant.

New season of The Crown is coming soon, though. Should be good. Gonna get Diana, Falklands, Etc..

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Mia

The Queen’s Gambit is really well done…. all it needs is a story. If you want to spend ten hours watching a plot that can be summed up with “This girl is smarter than everyone. Men suck. This girl is still smarter than everyone.” and then realize half way in that a series about a made up chess genius playing chess gets tedious after a while no matter how good it looks, then The Queen’s Gambit is for you.

But it is really well put together, and that is cool. Still, The Crown and Ted Lasso are way better. On amazon Prime I watched that Stellan Skarsgard show River…. that was really good. Brockmeir is also a good baseball famine winter show to watch…. sans the kids.

Mia
Legend
Mia
3 years ago

These damn shows trying to make up for the lack of female representation for little girls everywhere, I tell ya. The nerve. 😉

Stellan Skarsgard is just fantastic, as are his sons. Loved him in Chernobyl last year.

Last edited 3 years ago by Mia
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Mia

There are some really really good shows/movies that “make up for” all the damage done to little girls by all those awful male actors of the past and their entertaining stories, but also don’t suck. It’s pretty easy to figure out what is fluff and what isn’t. I just ask, would I watch this if this were about a man/boy or would I realize that this is a boring or down right stupid story? Queens Gambit didn’t pass that test.

But stuff like The Crown, Big Little Liars, Homecoming, Absentia, GLOW, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Alias Grace…. plus shows where GASP! BOTH men and women are allowed to be good at their jobs, like GOT (first few seasons), Counterpart, The Fall or House of Cards…. all those shows and a bunch more are making it so that when a female character is underdeveloped a show or movie feels kind of like it has a limp. It feels off, and that’s a pretty good development.

Actually, speaking of River, Nicola Walker, the lead actress in that show, is a pretty good go to when it comes to women who tend to get cast in really good productions. Chernobyl was friggin great.

h27kim
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Mia

Agent Scully as Thatcher. That would be, eh, interesting.

Mia
Legend
Mia
3 years ago
Reply to  h27kim

They managed to make Gillian Anderson not drop dead gorgeous.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Mia

She’s an alien. How did she get hotter the older she gets? Plus she can turn an English accent on and off? No fair.

Warfarin
Trusted Member
3 years ago

So, given that 4 of the 5 finalists are known – who do we think is hired?

Seems like the favorite would be either McLeod or Porter.

Greatjake
Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Warfarin

I don’t particularly like the Cubs drafts while McLeod was there so he falls to the bottom of my list. They nailed a few 1st rounders (Bryant, Schwarber) but failed to draft/develop a single impact arm in 7+ years. They didn’t even have a pitcher of note who was traded and developed in another system. Pitching heavy draft strategy is what I’m hoping for.

Porter scares me a bit because he’s known as a MLB level talent evaluator. My mind goes directly to button the farm and trading prospects for major leaguers. Maybe irrational but it’s my gut feeling.

Not sure about the other two but I’m look into them today. Right now I’m going with the mystery box.

FungoAle
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Warfarin

I’m leaning to think that it will be someone who Maddon likes. Arte is smitten with Maddon. Feels like McLeod but I hope I am 100% incorrect. I would not excited by this selection. I don’t like any of the Theo’s cronies.

Last edited 3 years ago by FungoAle
rez2405
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Me too.

I’m really hoping for Porter. Hes been on my short list of guys that included Owens and White.

Warfarin
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  rez2405

My favorites would be Porter and Minasian. Minasian is a dark horse candidate, but he’s worked alongside Anthropolous for 3+ years now. I consider him as one of the very best in the business, along with Friedman, so poaching from his system seems to be an ideal place to start, at least.

rez2405
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Warfarin

Yeah im reading up on Minasian.

I definitely agree

Warfarin
Trusted Member
3 years ago
Reply to  rez2405

Yeah. I know people are leery of “green” candidates, and he would certainly be the most inexperienced of the bunch, but I don’t think that should be held against him. Who he has worked for and his pedigree are important considerations.

Minasian spent a lot of years working with Toronto, back when Anthropolous was their GM, and he was hired as Anthropolous’ right hand in Atlanta. Given how strong Atlanta currently is (farm system + MLB team), I would consider Minasian a very good hire, at least based on his experience.

The more I dig into his pedigree, the more I would actually rank him as my #1 choice, with Porter second.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Warfarin

Yeah. It’s pretty strait forward. If your elevator pitch is “I helped build the current Blue Jays and Braves organizations.” then I am interested. If you are saying the same thing about the Cubs and D-backs I am less excited. Minasian would be my preference, though with all these green guys, who knows which prospects they were really in on drafting, etc? I have also seen plenty of people learn from failure and then get really good at stuff, so it’s totally possible a guy from the Cubs could be good.

Warfarin
Trusted Member
3 years ago

Yeah. I mean while I have my preference about who is hired, I won’t pretend to know any better or be outraged by whoever they hire, as any one of them could end up being great.

I have always been on the “hire someone from LAD/TB/OAK” bandwagon, but since it doesn’t appear we are on that route, then someone with extensive ties to TOR and ATL seems to be pretty good to me, given the impressive youth pipeline in both teams. And spending many years working with Anthropolous would seem to be a definite advantage, to me.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Warfarin

We won’t be outraged. Plenty of people will be outraged for us probably. It doesn’t seem like a lot of LAD/OAK/TB guys are all that interested in leaving those teams right now…. maybe to be a GM in NY, Boston or Chi but probably not for the California Mets. I was also kind of hoping maybe a guy from the Twins could be lured since they kind of have a top heavy FO but it seems like no dice.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  Warfarin

Welp, it ain’t gonna be Victor Rojas

https://twitter.com/VictorRojas/status/1326610622688202752

red floyd
Legend
3 years ago
Reply to  Designerguy

Sorry for him, but great for us fans.

Designerguy
Super Member
3 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

Was looking forward to having Gubi as pitching coach.

Mound visits would sound something like this…

Gubi — “Trust your stuff. Change his eye levels. Stay within your mechanics.”
Pitcher — WTF?