Good morning Angels fans, how are you today? No Angels baseball today, so have some links.
Angels News
The Angels won last night. You can read about it here. Stassi is back and he is the key to all of this.
Injury updates! C-rod close to returning, Churches too, Stassi started last night, and Trout is out of the walking boot!
Ohtani is nasty as a pitcher and has the highest called strike whiff percentage in baseball. (swinging and called strikes in the zone)
The Angels have 2 giant contracts on the team, Mike Trout is hitting good, Anthony Rendon, not so much.
Around Baseball
Tony La Russa cannot stop being in the news. The dashcam footage of his drunk driving has been obtained.
Josh Donaldson has some deep fake skills as he deep faked his manager into Austin Powers. Technology is weird, and scary.
The Giants will be the first MLB team to have pride colors on their uniforms, with a patch on the sleeve vs the Cubs this month.
MLB is celebrating players who played 10 years by making them into X-men like superheroes.
Cutouts are fun, Baltimore made a new one on their OF wall.
Want to know the history of ump signals? Here is your chance.
Another day, another pitcher injury. Jack Flaherty on the IL now.
Olympic qualifying is happening now and Cuba has been eliminated! More games today.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes.
Has anyone heard from a rep or otherwise what angels are doing for blue jays away/home doubleheader (7 innings each game) on august 10th?
You can only currently buy tickets for the 2nd home game. Last time they had a 7 inning doubleheader you had to leave the stadium between first and second games (having purchased tickets for each).
If they can charge for 2 games, they will charge for 2 games and clear the stadium between games.
On Lou Gehrig day,
Please allow me to ask you all to donate to an ALS charity. Mine is https://www.alsa.org
If you do donate, and you would like to make it in memory of someone, please consider making it in memory of Sue Neugroschl.
Thank you from me, while remembering Mrs. red.
Apparently they’ve changed their URL. It’s now https://www.als.org
If ten years in the MLB makes you a superhero, what does 16 years in (Mathis) make you?
Lucky
Premium
On this first Lou Gehrig Day, with no Angel game to watch, allow me to offer this highly appropriate alternative: https://archive.org/details/Rawhide_
(It’s Rawhide, a movie starring Smith Ballew (a fave in our household) and Lou Gehrig.)
Rolling rolling rolling…………rawhide!
We need the Senator to pick up the mic
R.I.P. Iron Mike Marshall, I will always remember you for your 1974 season.
RIP to Mike Marshall, one of the most Interesting Men in baseball history.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-01/la-sp-mlb-mike-marshall-dies-dodgers-cy-young
Watching the French Open, one notices how little the countdown clock has an impact on the game. It also helps matches flow much better. MLB needs to get on that, especially with 0 runners on base.
Baltimore’s new wall cut out is Hilarious!
We have weak schedule for basically the rest of June. Gotta capitalize on it if we want to have any chance of getting back in the race!
TLR fires off the “I’m legitimate, I’m with The Angels, I’m a hall of famer” in the police car. Well, that should be good for marketing your brand, Arte.
Day off today is OK, because sometimes we fans can use a night off. Antony Rendon has to have a long leash because we have no choice. I have noticed for the last few games he is pulling out of his first stance quicker so he is ready to hit and is hitting the ball. Running is improving some as doubles are not just a single.
I was glad to see Shohei get some rest as he is going to wear out if not rested. With him doing Superman stuff with pitching and hitting his Kryptonite is running out of strength.
Is our Bullpen starting to get better?
Our starting pitching is surprisingly good with the weak spot being Bundy, go figure.
Time to put a different line-up out there, Fletcher, Walsh, Ohtani, Rendon and then all options available.
Stassi looked good in his return.
CRod close to returning and Good Bye Sleggers.
I am glad that Ward is playing and would like him to get his AVG up to .270’s with Fletcher to return to .30.
JUp has surprised at lead off, but I’m over it now.
GPB out.
I’m not concerned about Rendon yet. When he smashed his knee I think most of us assumed he would not even be playing right now so I’d like to see how the season goes before we assume he’s Vernon Wells or something.
Lindor for the Mets though? Yikes.
Agreed re Rendon. Evaluation in October. I will say that my personal feeling is he continues to get used to pitching in the AL. His defense is rock solid. I don’t worry about him.
I’m with you. Anthony had THE best hit tool coming out of Rice. Just in a little bit of a funk and dealing with some nagging issues. Love having him at the corner.
Somebody here was saying a couple of days ago that we should rename him RenDONE.
I have no worries about Rendon. Dude was the best player by WAR metrics on the team last season. That’s saying something when you’re up against Trout. He’s dealt with some freak injuries this year. He’s a great defender and he’ll get going with the bat. I would like to see him be a little more patient. I think he’s trying to do a little too much right now. I feel like I’ve seen him swing at over 50% of first pitches. His game is making the pitcher work and capitalize on a mistake. Worked last night though!
Yeah, I think he’ll be fine in the long run. I, though, think we should be looking for trade suitors. That and salary dump Upton. He’s got no future here, let the kids play.
Not a very good chance he okays a trade
I believe players with no trade clauses have waved them way more often than not.
That notwithstanding, Upton is an asset with a very negative value.
So we can’t trade him to Arizona for Madbum?
I am not sure I would do that at all if it was on the table.
Madbum would hit the DL within 27 pitches of his first appearance on The Angels. TrAdition.
We wouldn’t even have to change his nickname.
I’m not concerned either…understandably reflexive as Angel fans to assume every new contact will become an Albert-tross. Laying heavy money he will NOT be a bust, we won’t be paying his salary while play for another team anytime soon. Slow start this year and last, coupled with injuries, make us panic. Once he got it going last year he was great, using the Great-Meh-Suck ranking system. Long Live Tony 2 bags!
If you thought our minor league system was bad (at any level), at least we aren’t the A’s
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/31550268/athletics-call-food-served-minor-leaguers-totally-unacceptable-say-cut-ties-vendor-weeks-ago
No wonder they play so hard to stay in the Major Leagues!
TLR is like one of Andy Reid’s sons, just older and without the get of jail free cards La Russa does. I have no clue why the White Sox’s named a beer pavillion after him with his two deuces and replaced Loretta’s lounge (a blue collar employee for 6 decades). Coupled with Tony’s managerial style (publicly admonishing a player and even saying it’s cool to throw at him) and you have the biggest douche in baseball (for me) this year. The only reason Ozuna isn’t there is because him and his (ex)wife went eye for eye in domestic violence charges (wife last year, ozuna a few days ago).
He’s a F’ing asshole, in so many ways.
https://youtu.be/VCAFiTloj9Q
Very nice come from behind win. USA 8 DOM 6
https://olympicbaseballqualifier.wbsc.org/en/2021/e-2021-americas-baseball-olympic-qualifier/schedule-and-results/box-score/13272
Next game vs PUR 4pm today. USA! USA! USA!
Rain delay or postponement?
First game was only 8 innings.
Looks like an 8am start manana.
DOM? For you unix geeks…
/* You are not expected to understand this */
6-1 USA Top 5
Game summery says:
“Game has been canceled
Est Restart 1400 EST
Weather Delay”
Does that mean back to 0-0?
Or only an inning to be official?
https://olympicbaseballqualifier.wbsc.org/en/2021/e-2021-americas-baseball-olympic-qualifier/schedule-and-results/box-score/13275
Who is “PUR” ??
The team name must bet the cats. Ha.
When Heaney was good,
He was very good indeed,
But when he was bad he was horrid.
All Hail the Good Heaney!
HeanDog is much better than HeanCat
Needs to be dealt soon,
With a good playoff team maybe he can win 12 games. His best year was 9-12 with us.