Good morning Angels fans, how are you today? Do you feel productive? Or at least more than MLB is? ANyway, have some links!
News
As the MLB HOF voting ballots trickle in, Jeff Fletcher sent in his. You can keep up with the public ballots here, wow, Ortiz is getting a ton of love.
Kimera Bartee has passed away. The Tigers 1B coach was 49.
A’s got their new manager, Mark Kotsay. Huh, first time manager.
Remember those Trout drawings? The guy is not stopping. Are these getting worse, or better?
New Mets manager and former Baltimore, NYY, and Texas manager Buck Showalter thanks Maddon and Tony LARussa for his new job. So that’s what he’s gonna do now…
Life has not been good for MLB freelancers. Or any freelancers recently, or MLB recently.
MLB does give money for tornado relief. They can be good when they want to after all.
The Cleveland Guardians are celebrating their new name with a new part owner. Why would someone who owns the New Jersey teams want a part of Cleveland?
Are taller and shorter players being treated unfairly by umpires? Statistics say yes.
Remember Ohtani’s 2021 season? It was even more impressive than you think.
The Lux tax numbers are out, Dodgers and Padres have to pay up. No one else went over the threshold.
Meanwhile, multiple teams have a payroll last year under 60 million. The players union will certainly discuss that.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes!
The MLB Hall of Fame is a collection of massive assholes. I just don’t care who they let in anymore. It has always been partially about integrity and the best players…. and partially about collecting as many good players from NYC teams as they can in one place. I got a book on the HOF as a kid. I saw who was in it back in 1989. I have never really taken it all that seriously as a “hallowed place” since. Hell, the first class had a psychopath (Ty Cobb) and a self absorbed, rapey, hoe killin, STD ridden man whore (Babe Ruth) in it. Just go ahead and add a few more puckered starfish to the tank in Cooperstown. I hate Ortiz, but getting all angry about it is pointless as f*** and the day I don’t have something better to worry about is the day I should just eat my barbiturate apple sauce and be done with it.
I do wish the Angels had a HOF…. or something like it that also celebrated the PCL. That would be cool.
The PCL Angels history is very much worth celebrating. A few of their teams are considered among the best ever assembled.
Jeff Fletcher has always been a good and positive voice for the Halos. But really, voting for ARod, Barry Bonds, Clemens, Ortiz and other cheaters is over the top for me. Steroid players knew that they cheated as Bud looked the other way and has put MLB in question when it comes down to the integrity and credibility issues facing the game even today. No one that was known to use Steroids should be in the hall.
Excuses such as “everyone was using” is answered by “that is not true”. Love this one too, “The Hall of Fame does not have the best players enshrined”. Yep, not having cheaters voted in makes going to the HOF just impossible for me to visit as I want to see the cheater’s plaques hanging on the wall. Smack my head!
OR, the MLBHoF has allowed other cheaters to enter. Justifying bad behavior with bad behavior is just not right and you know it.
Sorry Jeff I just have to disagree with your choices as MLB has had just enough of them to question the integrity of the game that it needs. Manfred is spineless enough to add to those who question the honesty of the games.
I don’t agree with most of Jeff Fletcher’s reasoning on why, but it is at least worth a read:
https://www.ocregister.com/2021/12/21/a-baseball-hall-of-fame-ballot-with-no-consideration-for-character/
So this is embarassing
– two years ago i did my own ballot and then compared it to see which members of the BBWWA perhaps matched mine -only one did – Ross Newhan’s – lol. (Our eyes have seen a lot of baseball games. and we don’t like cheaters also.)
But just because you agree or disagree with writer’s ballot, doesn’t mean he has plenty more to offer or offend.
Fletch is a decent writer and a decent guy – we are fortunate that he’s been around – i don’t like him voting for cheaters either but my opinion of him is he still is a good baseball writer.
I’ve decided some of the voters are idiots. These are the guys who didn’t vote for Bonds or Clemens but voted for Ortiz. How do they justify that? I figure a voter should either be let ’em all in or let none of them in.
Yes!!!!
BA posted their Top 20 list of prospects today – its depressing to see their middle infielder 2025 lineup projection but resigning Shohei is good. Where did Thor go? That 2025 Pitching staff looks too familiar. Its looks like a young club except 3B, LF, C
Catcher: Max Stassi (34)
First Base: Jared Walsh (31)
Second Base: Kyren Paris (23)
Third Base: Anthony Rendon (35)
Shortstop: David Fletcher (31)
Left Field: Mike Trout (33)
Center Field: Brandon Marsh (27)
Right Field: Jo Adell (26)
Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani (30)
No. 1 Starter: Shohei Ohtani (30)
No. 2 Starter: Reid Detmers (25)
No. 3 Starter: Patrick Sandoval (28)
No. 4 Starter: Griffin Canning (29)
No. 5 Starter: Jose Suarez (27)
Closer: Sam Bachman (25)
That’s their age in parenthese at the end.
Thor will either be Matt Harvey, in which case he’ll be gone, or he’ll be Thor, in which case he’ll be gone.
Kimera Bartee, RIP. Passing away at 49 is young.
the guy we traded away for Chone – one of the most lopsided trades in Halo history
I would add to the list of unnecessary any video that shows umpires can’t call the strike zone. I’m sure it could be done with any player, not just Aaron Judge. I’m also fascinated that this guy who made the video complained about close pitches that were called correctly.
It certainly will be interesting when RoboUmps that some scream for come into use. No wiggle room at all.
Maybe the International Vast Conspiracy of Umpires to Only Screw the Angels will finally be a memory 😉
So someone refresh my memory. what recent success is Soggy Old Joe getting credit for again?
Why would someone who owns the New Jersey teams want a part of Cleveland?
Because they’re both suburbs of Hell?
At least they’re not Detroit……or Baltimore
https://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM?t=40
Because Artificially Big Fatty knew how to schmooze the press, so they loved him.
Just looking quickly, Baseball Reference says revenue sharing amounts for 2018 were $118MM each team. Pirate payroll was $50MM? Yeah, MLBPA is going to want to discuss this at length.
some pretty nice pirating going on, indeed.
In the three year span I reviewed for my CBA piece the Pirates owner pocketed well over $100 million in other teams money. That is just from revenue sharing. Add in the $90 million the league gave each team in 2019, the 52% of local revenue he gets to keep, and Nutting has made himself fabulously wealthy by fielding a shitty team.
I understand he has business expenses, a lease on the ballpark, etc. But a ton of that money is going straight to his pocket.
I discussed this in my piece on the CBA. A floor tied to revenue sharing should be a no brainer. It doesn’t affect the bottom lines of the big market clubs. It puts money into the pockets of players. Only a handful of repeat offenders will care and those guys suck.
Maybe a lot went into scouting and player development…….IDK since I ain’t beat writer or Steel Town sportscaster, obviously they’re not as well run as OAK, TB, or MILW. Just a guy with a sordid opinion……ask RF, GGOMP, CB26, SJB,Tweety bir. But many bad owners do in fact hide their books and operations…….because they’re often also just bad people too! See Donald Sterling, most of us already knew he was schmuck even before V Stiviano and Instagram Gate!