Good morning Angels fans, enjoy 2022 so far? Have some links!
News
So when Ken Rosenthal was fired for ‘Allegedly‘ being critical of Manfred, fans and reporters came to his defense. Even guys from the NBA.
And the attack on the media continues as Rich Waltz won’t be back for the Angels. What the hell, Arte? Athletic link.
Detmers is again getting love. He is vital for the 2022 team.
The Melbourne Aces sign a female pitcher, a first for Australian Baseball. Pitching is where any female Baseball player would most likely find success. Good luck!
Mad Max still out there criticizing teams for not trying to win. Ow, I mean he is right but still…
Jim Corsi has died of cancer. The former player was 60.
Former Angel Cameron Maybin is retiring. Was better than Upton in recent years.
Mets hired a 3B coach. Yes news is slow.
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes.
I actually like Patrick O Neal. I was able to talk to him during a game a couple years back when he was preparing for his post game show in the Diamond Club. Despite being the offspring of Hollywood elite he seems like a real down to earth passionate sports/Angels fan. His post game show work is entertaining but his staccato abrupt PxP delivery during a couple of Angel broadcasts llast year were almost unbearable for me to listen to. It wasn’t as annoying as Darin Sutton but I’ve felt the Angels can do better
I think Pat O’Neal is just inexperienced from a PxP standpoint. He has broadcast a total of around 10 baseball games. Give him time to get more comfortable and develop a style. There are a lot of guys who start out with staccato as they are trying to keep up – including our beloved Victor.
We were heavily spoiled for the past 20 or so years on TV broadcast with Rory and then Victor.
Agreed. I LOVED Rory
Had a brief text exchange with Waltz. He again said he enjoyed his time here and was glad he did our interview.
It’s a business. Decisions get made. He’s still a cool dude.
that was a good interview.
too bad he wont be doing any Angel games. I didnt warm to him immediately but quickly grew to appreciate him as time wore on, and now I’m kinda disapponted.
Thanks. Interviews are easy when the subject is easy going and talkative.
Over the years Vic became a pretty good friend. I kinda felt the same would happen with Waltz.
He had a great rapport with Gubie, he should be proud of his time here. Hope he lands somewhere.
I liked that Waltz knew a lot about Angel history.
Rich still does college sports so it is not like he is out of a job. I was good with him and after Jeff’s interview, liked him even more.
What irks me is the hired gun approach, get a guy off the national airwaves to pinch hit and call games. The LA Kings hired someone w/o a large history to take over for Bob Miller and the same with the Dodgers pertaining to Vin Scully. I prefer to have continuity from game-to-game, series-to-series. Thank goodness we have Terry White on radio. If Arte wants to keep cost down, make it a simulcast and sign more bullpen help.
Terry Smith, not Terry White.
*White – I stand corrected.
Back in the 1930’s and 40’s and early 50’s Baseball games were broadcast remotely from ticker tape off AP or Mutual and then read over the air with crowd noise controlled by a dial as the local announcer read the game. Then as the fan base grew and became more knowledgeable more and more the team sent the announcers to do PxP duties. Today the past repeats itself with announcers staying home and doing PxP just from watching the TV instead of ticker tape. So, the Angels can be in Cleveland with the Play-by-Play announcer in New York City, Color announcer in the parking lot in Anaheim and using the Guardians TV camera crew for the fans watching both in SoCal and in Cleveland. Screw this Covid Pandemic and return to the good ol’ days of modern broadcasting. Strange new sports world we live in.
Except it’s pretty much Covid saying Screw Us.
I’m waiting for them to announce that the next announcer will be that idiot who takes the calls in the afternoons before the game.
Roger that.
I believe that Patrick is a good choice as a PxP announcer for the Angels. He and Gubi were great together.
Matt Vascursian (sp?) will be doing more games. The more I heard him, the less I liked him. He’s got that really fake game show host kind of voice. But I guess that’s what Arte considers professional. And I cannot stand the way Matt says “repertoire.” And he says it A LOT. Waltz spoke with a pretty every-day conversational kind of cadence, which I personally prefer. It doesn’t seem fake. But maybe Arte considers that unprofessional. Victor was a good blend of the two styles. I think that’s why he made everybody happy. And just for the record, you longtimers already know this about me, but I’ll restate it – I hated Vin Scully.
😬😳😱🤯
Scully was amazing in his prime, but slowed down too much as he aged. Then again, I hated Victor.
https://youtu.be/29i1oZWhI9I
Being that he was in his 80’s slowing down was acceptable so long as he made the game.
Well, even earlier than that. He was best in the 1960s and 70s.
There was never a time that for me he was not the best as I enjoyed pulling up my chair.
If the dodgers weren’t playing the Angels, I would only check in to their games occasionally because I wanted to hear Vinnie
Vin Scully had my dad purchasing more transistor batteries than cold beer. I fell asleep to Vin and Jerry and would just allow the little radio to keep going. Also took my little transistor radio to games, but then the whole stadium brought theirs too. I grew up with Vinny doing games.
I loved how every 20th fan in the stands back in the day had a radio tuned to the game so you could hear the broadcast wherever you were sitting. Prefer that so much over the canned music and sound effects that are blasted over the stadium’s sound system now.
We did that too!
Really, “hated” Scully. Considered the GOAT. Hated. Hmm.
Just shows that opinions are never universal.
I can’t stand “Hotel California” for example.
Hotel California and Fleetwood Mack…. I dislike them so much I should be kicked out of California.
No, really. Would someone please kick me out of California?
I’ve got snow and wildfires out here, and love Fleetwood Mac, wanna switch until spring?
Jk, kinda.
Were you at all affected by the fires, Mia?
Thankfully not, but a few family on my wife’s side of the family had to evacuate. Luckily they still have their home as far as I know.
So glad to hear this!
Thanks!
I was going to reply to your holidays comment in the other thread, but I didn’t know if you’d see it, so I’ll do it here.
My entire immediate family came out and spent Christmas and New Years bunked in our house. Having both families together was great, we had a blast. Happy they are back home now 🤪🥴
So happy to hear you were able to gather with loved ones ❤️
❤️
Can you even have a smoke sesh in SoCal without someone playing Hotel California?
Pretty sure it’s illegal.
Well… Sublime…. another barf bag band from California.
This makes it sound like I hate bands from California, there are plenty of good ones. I think it’s just bands from California you smoke weed to…. 311 sucks too…. yeah, it’s the weed thing.
Ain’t nothing but a weed thang.
When you’re high it’s more about the vibes and what everyone is able to groove with.
Like when you’re drunk with friends and all loudly sing-a-long to Bohemian Rhapsody and Don’t Stop Believing
I know. For me, that’s what old jazz like Ahmad Jamal and Eric Dolphy are for…. because, on the inside, I am 106 years old.
So I was bored and went to listen to Ahmad Jamal, it’s definitely nice soothing music. Kinda like elevator or mall music, tho…
Weed and jazz are great. Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, the Miles Davis Quintet…if you’re super mellow a little Bill Evans Trio.
Most of my weed days were hip hop, house, and a lot of DJ Shadow. That was my era.
It has to be playing in dive bars and pool halls at all times.
Smoke seshes are free, however.
Whoa. I hate every single thing about the dodgers – EXCEPT Vin Scully.
Ok, and maybe Kershaw
Are you wondering if you are an old man? Here’s a test…
VIN SCULLY WAS OVERRATED AND SUCKED FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES.
Did you feel a little prick of anger? Did you make a little blustery noise with your mouth? Did you instantly start mentally preparing your response stuffed full of memories of yesteryear that I don’t care about? Were you about to equate doing something for forever with being good at it?
Rest easy. No really, you need to rest. You are an old man… or woman.
Still, the Manatee is also right, MV sounds like a tool and comes across like he knows the Angels have Trout, Ohtani…. ummmm. Fletcher….. Rendon? Yeah, Rendon…. and, ummmmmm…. Aybar? No. The black guy…. oh, and beard boy….. also Joe Maddon, what a card!
Article in The Athletic about one trade candidate for each team- ours is J.Up. They mention that he has a no-trade clause in his contract. They discuss the salaryissue and the wisdom of getting something for him instead of waiting two months and DFA dumping him like Albert. I wonder if it would make sense for Perry to call his agent and mention that if he wants to play more than once a week, he needs to waive that one. When it’s legal to actually talk, that is.
Might have to buy him out like how some of those deadline deals go down where teams are adding veterans (w/no-trades) for the stretch drive.
The reaction here and at the Athletic is almost universal in wanting Waltz back. I think Arte and Co, as usual, either misread the fans or didn’t consider us.
I liked Rich on the mic and in our interview. He would have been like Vic and done interviews pretty regularly.
Waltz did not do it for me personally and most of the Angel favs I know and hang out with were very ‘meh’. Everyone always seems to get their panties in a bunch when something like this happens. But really, what’s the big deal. He wasn’t Vin Scully or even Victor Rojas.
He was better than Sutton, but not even Vasgersian is a suitable replacement for Victor.
We were spoiled for a decade, now we just need to learn to live with mediocrity until another talent like Victor comes along.
I’m not at all pleased to hear that Vasgersian will be doing more games, or even any for that matter. It won’t change my fandom, though. Maybe he’ll grow on me?
While I believe he is a true professional and do like him, he has no real roots to the Halos and my thinking is let’s have more of Patrick.
I agree he is experienced and professional but his love for the A’s, whom I hate, was too obvious. I never felt like he was really rooting for the Angels like we true fans do even when we weren’t playing the A’s. He was like listening to a nationally televised game where the announcer is not a fan of either team.
I was really excited when he was announced, lessened the blow of losing Victor at the time. But as the year went on I enjoyed him less and less.
We need someone willing to commit full time. The one foot out the door schtick got old.
Also hopefully we can move on from the remote game calling.
I agree. I thought he would be a decent Victor replacement. But that was not the case.
I’ll say it again. Sam Elliott. California boy. He’s so anti-one foot in and one out that when he comes to a door he throws a pair of boots through it first then steps booth feet into the room so it’s like he has four feet in the door.
Just imagine his voice saying “Mike Trout” or “Shohei Ohtani”. Does he know anything about baseball? Who cares?
Then enjoy a steak.
Sam. Elliott.
Too bad Morgan Freeman doesn’t do PxP.
Dennis Haysbert doing his Pedro Serrano accent.
Hell yes.
Or Chico Escuela!
Biesbol been berry berry good to heem.
I’m sold.
Anybody would have been better than Sutton.
Even Hawk?
But I’m not wearing pants right now! Does that redeem me at all?
Time off for good behavior, so you’re only in the cornfield for two weeks.
I know there will be some hatred directed towards this opinion but I like O’Neal and would be happy to have him do PxP with Gubi. They have a good chemistry and I think O’Neal will get better and grow into the position – much like Victor did. The games last season were the first games Patrick ever did PxP and I think he shows promise.
With Waltz – there is little room for improvement. What you see is what you will get. He is an experienced broadcaster who is unlikely to grow into the position.
I did like Waltz as a human being and I wish him the very best.
I liked O’Neal also. I think he and Gubi had a familiarity between them so the broadcast seemed effortless and natural.
I liked O’Neal as well.
Ditto on O’Neal.
Yeah, he was fine.
On another note, related to Kenny. His Athletivc column today after his martyrdom?
The Angels coaching – seriously – that was his column.
Looks like we’d like to get Adam Eaton on the staff – can’t though yet because he’s a member of the union. And that’s why we can’t announce anything yet.
Gallegos may not be bench coach next year, and Benji Gil is coming back. Nevin looks to be coming too confirming an earlier report.
Bill Haselman is the new catching instructor – he served last season as bench coach for the Dodgers’ AAA in Oklahoma City, a team he managed from 2016 to 2018.
Benji Gil coming back to witness another championship 20 years later!
Waltz seemed pretty good to me. Most other teams I’d say maybe we trust they know what they want and that a better option lands here but after seeing how they’ve handled this process post-Rojas it’s hard to trust anything this management team does. What a mess.
Is it time for Arthuro to sell the team?
No it’s not time to sell, it’s time to keep spending and say F the luxury tax.
Also, what’s your favorite pie flavor? I like banana. Do you?
Rich Waltz will not return. Sad. Really Sad. What numskull decided this move? At this point who that is good will want this position with the Angels.
“Forgive and forget”, “Turn the other cheek”, OK I just cannot allow myself to do so when it comes to Robert Manfred. I miss coming here completely or arrive late on Sunday games because I worship with friends and family on Sunday’s. I try to be a God loving Chistian as I navigate through life. When Robert Manfred is mentioned, I just can’t seem to achieve forgiveness. I dislike and distrust this man and have no compassion or respect for him as I have witnessed what in my opinion has been his dismantling of a sport that I love.
I remain very insistent that the Owners hire someone from the outside to be point man for the game of MLB that has some integrity like Ken Rosenthal.
The game would be better off without Robert Manfred running things. He is the “Best” that Major League Owners can come up with? Really. Every chance the fans get he is booed. What are the owners thinking? Get rid of this clown. He is not a leader!
Manfred is the worst kind of control freak.
I think thats a goal of the owners, having their commissioner unliked and taking all the shots from the fans/media/players is by design. Much like Goodell in the NFL.
Arte voted against Manfred as commissioner. That was a very good call.