Since the two man lead team of Matt Vasgersian and Daron Sutton was announced we’ve been wondering how the play by play duties would be split. I have an answer directly from Sutton: they simply make it work.
There is no science behind the scheduling. Matt has day jobs with MLB Network and ESPN. Darron is still the driving force behind Perfect Game. The producers simply coordinate with both men to ensure they have coverage for all games; a formula which works thanks to the lack of ego of all involved.
Gubi and Jose Mota are the glue that holds the broadcast team together. On deck in case neither of the marquee names are available are Mark Langston and Tim Salmon. Look for a split of about 50/50 Matt and Daron in May. The schedule for June isn’t set yet.
If you missed my interview with Daron Sutton, please give it a watch this weekend. The Angels have scored yet another class guy in the booth.
Sutton and Gubi making some kids day at the Big A. I love moments like this.
As far as actual baseball news, the Angels are on the road in an early AL West swing. These type of road trips play a big role in who plays in October and who watches from home.
Who is the most irreplaceable player in 2021? As always, the interesting part of the list is who is second to Mike Trout.
Getting Anthony Rendon’s bat back into the lineup will be huge, and that day is dawning.
The prospect of Shohei Ohtani writing baseball history is making fans of everyone, including longtime sports writers.
Who might be joining this star studded group in the future? Taylor Blake Ward stopped by to talk prospects this week.
Getting off to a hot start is one thing but what Corbin Burnes is doing in Milwaukee is simply incredible.
There are legitimate arguments against the shift. I personally wouldn’t go with “It ended Jay Bruce’s career” as one but the data included is worth a read.
A story that seems so familiar here and must be devastating for Lamet and San Diego, the kid is down again with injury. If this does mean TJ, that will be 2 in 3 years.
Feel good story of the week: Bo Bichette hit a ball out of Fenway and it landed in front of the building in which his parents met.
I looked for a good clip of Dante Bichette highlights and found what is likely the worst highlight video I’ve ever seen. What it lacks in video quality it makes up for in irrelevant music. What ever happened to Dance Dance Revolution anyway?
I kept going down the rabbit hole until I found this epic channel, Classic MLB1, which has a 1979 Friday Night Baseball game featuring the Angels vs. Yankees. Nolan Ryan on the hill. Presented by Lowenbrau, so you know it was classy.
I doubt that Javier hit Trout deliberately, to avenge Bregman’s HBP, but I have a new superhate for the Houston fans who are not only supportive of cheaters but appear to be incredibly stupid, too.
You hit one of ours, two of yours best have nimble reflexes in the batters box…
But alas, the Angels never retaliate….
Noe Ramirez
Disconcerting Angel stat of the day: Since 2018 Post trash can years -(allegedly) The Angels are 4-14 at Minute Maid Park. Can we finally stop being the Asstros little bitches?
Seriously.
We have a losing record vs the rest of the ALW except the Mariners since 2014. 😆 😫
Well it appears the first two weeks joyride of this 2021 season ( 2018 season all over again ……13-3 start in April that year ) is over.
Has there been an update on Mike Trout?
Yes. He’s still fat.
Actually nothing as of 5 minutes ago. Maybe game time decision?
In the lineup!
YAY,
And…now he’s not… =(
Oh crap!
Day to Day
Aren’t we all…
Right?
Better than last year at this time when we were Beer to Beer
I hope that last night’s game is the last YouTube/Facebook/Social Media game The Angels play this season. I think I’m becoming a grumpy old dinosaur ready to shake my fist at clouds, but that YouTube game platform is just annoying to me. My 11 yr. old kid didn’t like it either. Even worse when The Angels played like they did.
What a terrible broadcast and equal performance by the Angels. That was one of the few games against a Texas team that I got to watch (I live in Texas so those games are blacked out) but unfortunately it was a crapfest.
To Jeff; Daren Sutton is one of the nicest of guys to come down the pike, the issue with is why he cannot keep a Play By Play job, he just is not that good. I am happy for you to have gotten an exclusive with him, but he just is not what I would call a Major League grade level voice. At age 52 he had no job and we needed someone fast, so now he calls our games. He relies on numbers constantly, he praises everyone all the time so that it sounds unnatural, he sounds unprepared in the telecasts, every night he has the same information. His stories and their delivery do not hold the listener. He does not come across very professional as he tries to hand off a soft pitch question to either Jose or Gubi. So in a wrap up, his second round with the team has been no better than his first round and I hope he is on a one year contract.
But he really loves the Angels.
Actually Daron was working with the Pac 12 Network and continues to work with Perfect Game.
As far as broadcasters, those are a personal taste.
I really enjoyed Daron back in 2000-2001. I think he just needs to get back up to speed. He has a very subtle sense of humor that needs to be brought back up to speed.
Totally agree Grandpa!
I’m fine with Sutton for now, I’m of the “small sample size” outlook and will give him through next season to get his confidence and style to mesh with Gubi and Mota. I remember some people complaining about Victor when he first came on board.
Victor is a hard act to follow but I don’t mind Daron. I find his voice pleasant, not grating. As far as him giving a lot of numbers, for me, that is a plus. I’ve listened to A LOT of games on XM radio hearing many many announcers from other teams. Believe me, Daron is way better than many I have heard.
Yeah that has been my experience, most other announcers are just plain bad. Right now I’d put Sutton in that category. I don’t care where the player has been to college nor their stats from that time either-for example.
Gary Sheffield on modern baseball…
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/former-mlb-star-gary-sheffield-says-he-no-longer-watches-baseball-theyve-changed-the-game-so-much/
I guess “they’ve changed the game so much” can technically apply here, but I, and I would assume most, thought that “they” referred to MLB policy changes, rather than stuff teams actually did themselves. He cites strikeouts and shifts as the major reasons, but those are not things that HQ changed. They evolved organically.
First off I don’t believe him that he no longer watches the game, so his son is what?, not worth watching. Complaining about how the game has changed, from someone who was a moody Steroid user. Steroids changed the game more than Manfred ever will.
Well, except for the whole “runner on second to start extra innings” thing.
And 7-inning doubleheaders.
Yes, that too.
There’s some merit here. My buddy calls baseball “stand ball” because guys spend most of their time standing around.
I think we’re all in agreement more balls in play would be nice. Even malcontent Sheffield.
Yeah, one of my old-time Angel fan pals has turned his back on MLB baseball for the same reasons, although I am constantly telling him he should come back for Trout and Ohtani-san.
This whole thing about needing to change the rules and ban the shift because it ends the career of a one dimensional hitter is another step towards everyone getting a “Participant” ribbon / trophy. Work on your craft / job and learn to hit the other way or bunt. if you are a slow runner, look for ways to overcome that physical trait. Don’t ask for the rules to be changed so you can look like a better player, improve yourself, don’t ask everyone else to “not try as hard” so you look better. If it leads to a league with more David Fletcher types and less Big Papi types, then that would be just fine with me.
The shift will go away, if it is no longer an effective strategy. Changing the rules to prevent the shift? Why should they do that? I understand changing rules to protect players being injured, but not to protect the egos of the slow, pull hitter. No thanks.
Baseball is no longer the team game of manufacturing runs. The 3 outcome ball is definitely boring as well as the shifts. While banning the shift is extreme, maybe limiting the extent of how far in the outfield one can go or amount of players on the side of a bag might be the way to go.
I still like Maddon’s idea, deaden the baseball. Why not add lowering the mound again rather than pushing the rubber back another foot. That will help players adjust and put the ball in play to the opposite way. Bring back run manufacturing (bunts, sac flys, hit and runs, and all the styles we were taught growing up) and it will bring back the balls in play. Rather than just swinging out of your rear every AB.
What is the consequence of defending on the wrong side of second, or how far they can go in the OF? Does the runner get a free base? Extra runs? Bonus popcorn for the fans?
There is no mechanism to monitor the position of the players in the field. If they are in an effective place to stop a run scoring, they are doing their job.
Make the hitters hit effectively.
Now, if you want to change the mound, or the rubber, that is fine. Still means the game is the game and the players react within the confines. That I can be on board with.
I fully agree. I only mentioned those cheesey softball style rules as an idea. Batters haven’t adjusted their approach to a shift granted it’s hard to do at 95mph. But every pitcher makes mistakes and the batter needs to be ready rather than an all out swing every time.
Once batters start adjusting to the shift patterns (slap hits, bunts or anything to make the D work) hopefully the extreme shifts fade out.
I hate the tinkering of the game to make it appealing to the non fan. You like baseball, you watch it. If not, no worries. But make it exciting with more balls in play. Deaden the ball and do what you need to do to the mound if you have to.
Look at that Joey Gallo RBI bunt the other night. That’s how you beat a shift.
In order for Davis Fletcher to beat the shift he needs to hit the ball to at least the warning track.
Yeah, I have to admit that I applauded Gallo for that.
Yeah and unbelievably the pitcher got butthurt, like wtf?
Then same pitcher gets shelled the next day
I’d love more contact.
Thing with the shift is how much goes into it. The hitter is facing fielders put into place by a computer and a pitcher whose pitch selection is hyper focused on one result. That’s a lot to overcome at 95 mph.
Hard for a hitter to go the other way when a pitcher is only using the inner half of the plate.
I mentioned below Maddons idea of deadening the ball. Add lowering the mound a few inches rather than pushing it back a foot. Keeps the integrity of the field dimensions, while allowing more balls in play.
Bring back team offense of run manufacturing.
I read a cool breakdown on moving the pitching mound. It basically stated that guys are throwing so much harder now than they were 30 years ago that moving the mound back a foot gives the hitter the same average reaction time as a hitter 30 years ago.
So the math makes sense to me, even though I am hesitant to change the dimensions of the field.
I saw it (or maybe heard it on a podcast) that lowering the mound further wouldn’t move the needle much in terms of helping hitters. I don’t recall what the study was so take it with a grain of salt.
But I do think that moving the mound back makes sense to me. I’m all for it. Move the mound back, deaden the ball, put the bases a little bit closer together. I’m generally not a huge fan of that much change, but the strikeouts are crazy. I would much rather move the mound back and move the fences back and be done, but moving the fences back is a non-starter for most teams since that eats into seating capacity and would cost a ton.