The Angels signed outfielder Dalton Pompey to a minor league contract. It looks like Perry Minasian is still sifting through the chaff trying to solve the Angels problems in the outfield.
Mike Trout is apparently still good.
Links From Around Baseball
Ryan Buchter discusses his mental health journey in an article about the “crippling gig economy” of relief pitching.
Jacob deGrom is now on the IL with right side tightness.
This article explores all the problems facing baseball, including idiotic blackout rules, constantly changing the rules, and the “unwritten rules.”
In weird news, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso donned a hat and sunglasses to assume the alter ego of “Hitting Coach Donnie Stevenson” at a hitters meeting before they faced Zack Wheeler on May 1, 2021. Donnie Stevenson’s advice was, “Let’s stop over-thinking things. Let’s just go out there, stick to our strengths and let it rip.” The Mets are 7 and 2 since Donnie Stevenson appeared with 43 runs.
Finally, there’s something you don’t see every day, Chauncey. Feel free to comment below on the age old question of whether pitchers are athletes.
Photo credit: Rex Fregosi
Noe’s back. Lets drill some Trashtros tonight.
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1392237137303523329
What does this mean for Pena?
Has he already cleared waivers today?
yes
SF beat the stRangers, the cellar is full.
Fletch starting at SS again, what’s up with Iglesias?
TFW you see other commenters making jokes about non-pitchers on the Angels needing Tommy John surgery and then…
https://twitter.com/RhettBollinger/status/1392233193021997057
This is so Angels.
Detmers tonight. He’ll be better than last time because, as the Beatles sang, “it can’t get no worse”.
Steve Wendt (@steve_wendt) Tweeted:
Right-hander Jack Kochanowicz is expected to start for @66ersBaseball tonight at Lake Elsinore. Drafted by #Angels in ‘19 but official debut long delayed. Pronounced Koe-Hahn-oh-witz (not ko-Chan-o-witz). https://t.co/5DwzSfyXnh
https://twitter.com/steve_wendt/status/1392138685370429443?s=20
That double play in Atlanta was great. I saw that on Sunday night.
A’s relocating?
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31427293/oakland-athletics-start-looking-relocating-elsewhere-sources-say
I’m not surprised Oakland is blowing it. Quite possibly the worst run city in CA, and that’s saying something.
The team has tried to get the City off the hook for their debt at the Coliseum for years, has tried to get several plans passed, has tried to make it work.
Now they’ll leave and Oakland will be left with massive debt on an empty stadium and a massive budget shortfall.
not Portland. There’s no park
Vegas, baby!
I would think we all would go “what about Pete Rose?” if Las Vegas had an MLB team. I picture Manfred instituting a new stat, Net Gambling Profit of the Young Rising Stars. It would “attract the younger crowd”.
A handful would. Really, you can gamble on games through phones nowadays. Having gambling in the open rather than through a shady bookie doesn’t really change the access to gambling.
The key is Rose bet on his own games which gave him incentive to throw them. You still have to ban players from gambling and if anything having 24/7 video footage of sports books available would help with that. Rose’s bookies didn’t keep video footage.
All those opening days and finishing the season in Oakland might be moved to LV?! Yes please.
Montreal is comical. That city wishes it was California’s worst run city
A’ss have been talking about moving for the past 20 years.
Funny if they move to LV and end up sharing a stadium with the Raiders again.
I vote for Montreal, just so they can known as the Montreal Eh’s.
AAA affiliate would be located in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan…called the “Milk Bags” eh.
Unbelievable 😫
How hard is it to find a serviceable RF or LF? Billy Beane can do it shit faced drunk and yet we can’t!!
Some trAditions last for generations. Just ask Rahul.
https://www.halosheaven.com/2017/4/11/15261432/quiz-can-you-name-the-angels-left-fielders-from-2014-2016
if it’s not multiple choice there’s no way.
Isn’t this signing just a move to shore up the Bees?
Probably. Trout, Upton, Ward, and Lagares are the guys for now. This is a good thread for general clowning around and ranting.
Don’t forget Da Judge.
Pompeii?
Stromboli is down in A ball……..little Italian SS with some pop.
I was thinking only calzone is actually Italian, while Stromboli is actually an (Italian-)American invention.
Stromboli abused Pinocchio:
“You will make lots of money… FOR ME! And when you are growing too old, you will make good FIREWOOD!”
―Stromboli
No, POMPEY…
Beware Egyptians behind your back?
Albert would still been a Halo if he was not so adamant about not starting that night and if he did not attack Joe’s managing style. Add in not agreeing with reduced playing time. This was as much Albert’s doing as it was the Angels doing. Let the world be upset, but Angels fans know that we carried him for 5 years longer than we should of because of that ridiculous contract. But did we learn? Nooooo, look at the Rendon contract.
Given that the report was from Bob Nightengale, I am inclined to take it with a grain of salt. I’m not sure if that would be Albert’s style or not.
I can understand Albert being frustrated at not getting a crack at a pitcher he’d pretty much owned in recent years. In fact, I expect a competitor to want a shot under those circumstances.
Pujols should’ve been released years ago, no doubt. But on that night, he was right to be upset. And if we aren’t going to play him on the rare night he has a legitimate chance at success, we might as well cut him.
One of the articles I read somewhere said that Pujols wasn’t played because the Angels had already decided to inform him he was being released after the game.
So, what, they dint want him to go 3-4 with a home run and double-only to be released after the game?
You had me up until you just had to slip in Rendon…. completely disagree 1000%
The world is astounded that the Angels released a future HOF’er in Pujols but then you watch last nights game and see Walsh going 4×4 and making plays at 1st that Albert hasn’t done in more than 10 years
The Angels were more than kind and generous to Albert. For example, after one of the worst seasons in MLB history by a full time player (2017) Albert received almost 500 ABs in 2018 allowing him to reach the 600 HR milestone. After an awful 2018 – Albert was given almost 550 ABs in 2019. I don’t know of many organizations that would have been so patient and deferential to a player who has been terrible for a long time. The Angels didn’t bench him – they played him which allowed him to reach career milestones by attrition.
The press is being extremely unfair. Yes it ended in an unfortunate manner but that was after Albert was given the longest leash and most deference possible. When he refused to accept the role he should have been relegated to 3 years ago, he had to go. I believe he is being the ungrateful one 250-plus million dollars and every opportunity later.
It is possible that multiple points of view are correct in this circumstance: the Angels gave Pujols multiple opportunities to prove he was an everyday player, Pujols is no longer able to perform at even MLB “replacement level”, Maddon is an average manager at best, and Carpino and crew screwed up how the DFA was handled.
As for the press: they stopped being fair a long, long time ago……
This is my opinion as well. Yes, the Angels hung onto Pujols long after he was a useful player on the field (although his off-field contributions might have helped that decision), but they also handled this situation poorly. At least, it seems that way. It’s certainly an ignominious exit for one of the greatest players in baseball history. Maybe Albert’s actions didn’t give them a choice, but we know Arte and Carpino have made some curious decisions in the past.
It seems like all sides could have done better in this.
I think his attempted tagup from 1st to 2nd was the last straw.
Time for people to realize Pujols days are numbered. The guy is at least 42 years old and probably about 5 years older than that. He can’t run and his hitting is going down the drain.
Is Donnie Stevenson baseball’s version of Tony Clifton?
I’m erupting with joy over the signing of Pompey!
Careful you might hurt yourself.
Or I might get covered with ash.
Always liked “Would you like to come up to my place? I am no longer infected!”
The greatest python line of all time precedes this one: “Take off your panties, Sir Richard. I cannot wait until lunchtime!”
I’m glad the Angels won, but there’s no reason why a 5 – 4 game should last over 4 hours.
Our own starting pitcher was 34 seconds between pitches and that adds up inning after inning. Should there be a pitch clock? I think so as much as I am against clocks in Baseball.
Definitely a pitch clock of some sorts. Not really sure about the logistics, but the best way to speed up the game is to go in between pitches.
Alex Wood dealt last night.
Get rid of the cheat sheets in the hats and back pockets that the pitchers are constantly stopping the game for so they can look up what pitch to throw next.
I did try to convince you that we would win in Houston last night. We will win tonight and the big guy pulling us through will be Shohei as he is over due for a big night.
Great out at third last night, but why was Gurriel even there on a lousy slide attempt? We watch a weird game but we won.
Go Angels !
Because , despite Jose Mota’s man crush, Yuli Gurriel is a moron
😂 Yuli running in that situation, and then that way too early slide was comical. I doubt the 3rd base coach sent him.
I wonder if Kenny Mayne does PxP, he is gone from that trash network, ESPN due to salary cap issues. Would make a great addition to MLBN. Good luck Kenny where ever you end up.