LA Angels Tuesday News Crash: No News On CBA

There is still no talk of having any talks about the Collective Bargaining Agreement, or lack thereof. Is it too early to mention “irreparable harm to fan enthusiasm”? MLB Trade Rumors is running a lottery for people to predict the end of the lockout. Good luck, ladies and gentlemen.

Max Scherzer, for his part, remains non-committal about when this will all end. Blah blah blah … working out to be ready in case Spring Training goes forward. Blah blah blah … protect the integrity of the game, etc.

Ken Rosenthal is out of MLB Network as a result of acrimony between he and Rob Manfred. This seems rather petty. He still keeps his other jobs. (Link found by Mia)

Former MLB relief pitcher Jim Corsi reveals he has terminal liver and colon cancer. Former major league outfielder Larry Biitner has died at the age of 75.

Is keeping Mike Trout healthy some the Angels can “resolve” to do?

Somehow the Angels get a “C” for their 2012 draft even though they did not have a pick in either the first or second round.

Cameron Maybin just announced his retirement as a player, but he will still be around the sport in other capacities.

Photo credit: Rex Fregosi

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Designerguy
Super Member
Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  Designerguy

Extremely cool!

Hope she finds success

FungoAle
Super Member
2 years ago

Per the Athletic, so long Rich Waltz.

FungoAle
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

More change coming to the Angels booth: Broadcaster Rich Waltz not brought back for the 2022 season – The Athletic

Agree, don’t pluck Lodge off the radio, leave Patrick O’Neal with post-game mop up duty and stop with the Mota garbage.

Arte, this revolving door is pissing off your fans. Find someone that we can grow with and connect on a daily basis. Does not need to be a big name. Just stop with hired guns like Matt V. who tries to be cute on his delivery.

steelgolf
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

I would not mind having Patrick team up with Gubi. As for Matt V., I wasn’t really a fan of his broadcasts, I would rather have Mota than him. But, in the grand scheme of things I can always just listen to the radio broadcast or turn the volume down.

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

I say we hire some retired SOF dads and repatriate Victor to the Big A

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  FungoAle

Stop pussy footing around and just hire Sam Elliott.

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago

When the fireworks in your rock pile go off, then your score is as cold as the Rockies

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Mia

F yeah.

Look at the worst case scenario. The Angels lose a game. But at the end of the broadcast SE says, “Well Angels fans, our boys lost this one, but tomorrow’s another day….” with his Sam Elliott voice.

I’d be like “F**kin A right Sam. Tomorrow is another day and I’m ready for it baby!”. Sam Elliott could read off all the names on the Angels IL list and I’d feel all warm and tough inside.

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

I liked Rich :/

LanaBanana
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Mia

I liked him, too.

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  LanaBanana

Hope you had a good holiday season, Lana!

LanaBanana
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Mia

Hi Mia! Yes, I did, thanks. My best friend and I had an “Our Three Sons” party – my two sons and her one – the three boys grew up together, so we got them and their families together at my house. It was very fun! How are you? Did you enjoy the holidays?

YOUknowulovetheIE
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Damn, I actually enjoyed him.

Marcotor
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Gee, too bad – not really. I’m too old, I don’t need the person telling me what I am seeing pimping every home run like it’s some historic event. Tell me the game, give the score once in awhile, be entertaining if you can, but most importantly learn something all the great broadcasters knew… when to shut the hell up.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

Regarding the question of whether fans are affected by the lockout, in my opinion it is way too early for that metric to apply or be meaningfully measured. Most fans are out of sight, out of mind. It’s only a small percentage of us who actually care about baseball during the off-season.

The rubber wi hit the road sometime in mid-February to early March when Spring training is delayed. At that point, presuming a new CBA has not been reached, there will be a lot of press and social media focused on these issues while the lockdown continues. It is at that point that the large majority of people will take notice of the lockout and will be emotionally affected by it. Until then, it will only be us diehards who fret. And that’s part of the reason neither the owners nor the players feel much pressure right now.

The larger question is whether the game of baseball itself is affecting fan enthusiasm. Many find the game increasingly boring and slow paced and watch only the highlights including strikeouts, RBI producing hits and home runs. I’ve always felt the pace of the game of baseball is beautiful. Unfortunately, I am in the great minority these days.

Given the fact that baseball is increasingly losing marketshare to other faster paced sports such as the NFL, I would think that at some point the players and the owners would realize that an extended lockout/strike is the last thing the game needs. However, the question remains whether their considerable egos can be put aside in order to try and find middle ground before spring training is scheduled to begin. My belief is that that will not happen and the lockout will extend into April. I hope I am wrong.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

I’ll add that an interesting question is when the players will have maximum leverage versus when the owners have maximum leverage. My guess is that both sides will hold off on negotiation until they believe their leverage is highest.

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

Just a nitpick. I’d argue that NFL is actually slower paced than baseball (check the amount of “action time” in a typical game.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

I agree. I find the NFL basically unwatchable. But the unwashed masses seem to disagrees.

red floyd
Legend
rspencer
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

I completely agree.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Fansince1971

An interesting side note from a sport I don’t care about….

Is anyone aware of the huge changes Cricket has made so that it is watchable? I mean, that is a sport that is at least as stodgy and traditional as baseball, but man have things changed from traditional week long matches to the faster test matches to the fast paced Indian/Asian matches with explosions and cheer leaders and time limits so there’s a result in a set time.

They’ve actually salvaged their sport and have young people interested. I wonder if baseball will ever morph like that.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

Really interesting. I remember being in England as a kid with my parents and being really bored. I turned on the tv and discovered cricket which I watched for about 2 hours and then realized the same batsman was still batting. That particular test match went for 5 days.

Last edited 2 years ago by Fansince1971
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Fansince1971

What’s crazy is apparently test matches were a “BOLD!” and semi-offensive change to “proper” cricket that could apparently take a lifetime to finish one match. Now you have the nearly satanic T20 International and even Six-per side cricket….

I still don’t care. But it makes me wonder what changes baseball will have to come up with as the years go by. Honestly, I am not nearly as up my own ass about Manfred’s tinkering as some (even if I hate some of the ideas) because at least someones thinking of things to try. I am an older guy who loves baseball and even I am pretty bored with it at this point. Now that there’s a strike on I am even less excited about the sport. If I feel this way baseball better be prepared to make some fairly effective changes soon or it will go the way of horse races.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

It’s funny – baseball is reticent to change but likely needs to change the most to stay relevant. I don’t like it and would prefer for it to stay the game of my youth. I could argue that it should never change to keep the integrity of the game. But those are the words of conservative, cranky old people who are increasingly irrelevant in today’s world.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

4/29/22 was my lottery entry

Twebur
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

put me down for…..4/30/22

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Twebur

Price is Right!

Twebur
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

the closest without going over……please have your pet spayed and neutered.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Twebur

Ha!

FungoAle
Super Member
2 years ago

Prayers for the Corsi family. He passed away this morning after coming forward two days ago announcing his terminal liver and colon cancer. Gone too soon. #F-Cancer

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

The weather is warming, so get out there and enjoy yourself. To those elsewhere other than SoCal stay safe. GPB out.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

The Angels Front Office has to acknowledge on fact very soon Mike Trout is an old 30-year-old player made of glass. Injuries for Mike Trout go hand in hand like Cookies and Milk and Mikey just can’t stay away from them. What would I consider doing to stem off mother nature? Working Trouty out at first base and Walsh in at the RF position. The team needs MT’s bat to get 180 – 190 hits, 100 walks 40 HR, 120 R/S, 120 RBI and lead the team to the playoffs and advance to the WS. Mike reminds me of the movie Christmas Story when the “Old Man” reads on the wooden crate the word Fragile as Fra-jill-lee and the wife corrects him and informs him that it’s “Fragile dear” oh yeah, fragile. Well, that’s Mikey, Fra-gil-lee. As athletes keep getting bigger and stronger more injuries will keep occurring and we really do need to figure ways of keeping our Big Guy healthy.

matthiasstephan
Super Member
2 years ago

Trout has been injured, sure – but all on the bases, right? Calf, Wrist, Hand. What would be the benefit of playing him at 1B? The corners make some sense (less wear on the legs and arm) – but he isn’t even yet a liability in Center.

Are we suggesting he doesn’t run the bases?

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

Ken Rosenthal was the guy you could trust in reporting the inside scoop. Does anybody, and I mean anybody trust Rob Manfred? Manfred has done nothing, and I mean nothing but screw things up in MLB since he arrived to take his old boss’ desk and try to run things.

Look, Bud Selig was a very corrupt individual who looked the other way in the steroid era and at his retirement put himself in the MLBHOF, but he knew about how to deal and compromise with the Union and do give and take with them and in doing so acrimony lasted 26 years and the fans for the most part hung around. So, this new group of Owners and Players have not learned from history and have allowed Greed to seep in and tear past compromise and trust away. The only hurt people are those who will pay out of pocket and that is the fans. Soon pay checks will stp coming in along with the revenue from day-to-day operations. And if the 2 sides do come together the hurt that was caused may be unrepairable for some. Owners are thinking the Players will cave when the revenue pipeline shuts down. Players believe most Owners will cave when their money pipeline is turned off. Such a waste greed is. Sit down and get this done right now, this week as a matter of fact, the fans have not left the building as of yet.

YOUknowulovetheIE
Trusted Member
2 years ago

Manfred, can go fuck himself. (Oct f bomb)