LA Angels Thursday News Crash: Next Generation

Mike Trout thinks we owe it to the next generation to work out a proper CBA and get back to playing baseball.

I am going to try to find some links that are something other than players and management complaining about each other not coming to an agreement. There are also lots of links about writers and the fans complaining about the lockout as well. It’s fairly monotonous. Meanwhile, here is the updated analysis of where each side stands in the CBA negotiations. Supposedly negotiations will resume today in New York, or so says Bob Nightengale. I guess the floggings will continue until morale improves.

Anthony Rizzo says he will miss the fans. Ahem! What if they never come back? There are only so many foreign players who can go to Japan and Korea. America’s pastime could become past tense the way this situation seems to be going. There’s always college baseball.

Andy Schatzley has been promoted to manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. He says they are the best run affiliate in baseball.

What has Victor Rojas been up to? The Frisco RoughRiders plan to honor the Dallas Black Giants of the Negro Leagues this year.

ESPN is reportedly wooing Derek Jeter.

Photo credit: Rex Fregosi

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WhoseOnFirst
Newbie
2 years ago

Apparently, there were 4 Teams / Owners who voted against the last offer given to the MLBPA.

  • Cincinnati Reds
  • Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Detroit Tigers
  • Los Angeles Angels
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  WhoseOnFirst

Makes sense. Teams that were already bumped up on their payroll limits (such as they are) of late and didn’t win anything. I’m sure there are a bunch of teams like the Gaurindians, Rays, A’s, Brewers, Twins and about 20 other teams that aren’t “against” a higher CBT because they are never going to come close to it either way.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

This is CtPG. I thought all we do around here is monotonously complain about the same things constantly.

Speaking of same wanks, ESPN sucks. They should just throw the pickle next to their suck sandwich and hire Jeter. Then I can continue not watching them for the past ten years.

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago

Excuse me, sir.

We also repeat the same five jokes daily, thank you very much.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Mia

get of my lawn

Eric_in_Portland
Legend
2 years ago

well, you do have your template.

RexFregosi
Super Member
2 years ago

Maybe a TBT to spice things up:

Can we bitch about Taylor Featherston?

Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  RexFregosi

There’s no way he’s just gonna stay on the roster all year, right. RIGHT?!

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  RexFregosi

taylor never gets old

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  RexFregosi

Good old Tay-tay.

ScoopleDoople
Trusted Member
2 years ago

Though I did send a nasty fan letter to MLB via mlbexecutiverelations@website.mlb.com, to be absolutely truthful I don’t watch very many complete games on TV nor attend games any more.

I get up at 4:30am for my day job and watching anything on TV after 8pm, I am usually sound asleep in my Archie Bunker chair by then.

If I watch games or parts of them it is 99.9999% only the Angels.

Since 2014, medical issues made it super stressful for me to drive on crowed freeways or streets. Heck we live 5 miles from Dodger stadium, my wife is a Dodger fan, and we have not gone in 5 or 6 years because of course its the Dodgers, but by the time we have driven thru the gridlock, bought any kind of decent tickets where I don’t need binoculars and an air bag, paid for parking, bought hot dogs drinks etc, I have spent a $200+ for a game, and always thinking I could be sitting/asleep on my recliner for free.

Maybe I am just getting old (I am getting old!). I used to go a lot and did hour + drives to Angel stadium, but not so much any more – sadly I have become an armchair quarterback it seems.

So technically if they don’t play, I wont miss a lot. Most of the games I watched each year are the Spring Training games that are almost all in the day and I have them up on my iPad while I work.

BUT what I would miss, and am really involved in is reading these entries in Crashing The Pearly Gates daily, multiple times a day, year round, day in and day out, on busy work days, on vacation days… reading these posts for over 10 years. That I would miss if there were no baseball discussions.

RexFregosi
Super Member
2 years ago

Alternate headlines if there wasn’t a Lockout

Syndergaard pulled after three batters in split squad game against the Padres, elbow tightness. Will rest his arm for a few days and get an MRI.

Upton and Rendon are still considered day-to-day after colliding their knees chasing a sky-high pop-up in shallow left. Both MRIs came back negative. Both are expected back to action by mid March.

Adell finally got a hit today after starting off the Spring with 10 straight Ks.



Mia
Legend
Mia
2 years ago
Reply to  RexFregosi

Scouts from 10 teams were in attendance to watch Brandon Marsh today

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  RexFregosi

I like…”Upton has been designated for assignment.”

Fleckstein
Trusted Member
2 years ago

I’ve felt for a while that with the expanded playoffs that exist now, it would make sense to cut back from 162 to 154. It would also be a way to ignore some of the records of the steroid era, sorta like the old asterisk on 61 homers. So if a deal did get done today or tomorrow, maybe I accidentally got my wish??
I am still sticking with June 1st as my hope for a start (will save some Angel arms!). But I keep turning around in my head a Player’s League. Some of the players have enough cash to do it, and it might scare the crap out of the owners to finally get a deal done.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Fleckstein

What makes you think they are even negotiating today?

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

Thank you for that info

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

I thought that said “Dan Haren” for a moment…

Guess I hung around with 5th/Goose too much back in the day.

Designerguy
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

You just lit up the Bat Signal. 5th may drop in for an appearance.

Let’s see if we can smoke him out..

comment image

Last edited 2 years ago by Designerguy
red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Designerguy

Does he even know about the new site?

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  red floyd

Yes. His heart is with the White Sox now. And that’s fine. He has to live hi best life. YOLO. I’m not bitter at all. I will love him in my heart forever. I’m not mad even a little. Namaste.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

So what really makes you think they are even negotiating today?

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

I can understand MNT’s point, but the problem I have is that these players, even the average ones, have it pretty darn great. The stars are made into hundred- millionaires. These guys are not curing cancer. They are not inventing things that change society.

The best players are the ones the fans come out to see and the ones attracting the television revenue. So they should be paid – they generate revenue. The average player – not so much. The idea that a mediocre pitcher earns $10m-plus per season bothers me way more than an elite pitcher earning $30m. One earns his keep, bringing attention to the ball club and generating revenue, and the other does not.

Even in the last version of the CBA, good players had it pretty great. And if the deal offered by the owners were accepted, the good players would continue to have it pretty great. Even average players and bad players can’t really complain.

The only players that could arguably say they are being treated unfairly are the young stars pre-arb. But is that not the system that is generating the enormous salaries when those players get beyond their first few years. Do you think MNT is upset because he earned the minimum for a couple years on his way to becoming a half-billionaire?

All of this is to say – the MNT statement rings hollow to me. It’s like someone eating filet mignon and lobster complaining there is no king crab or caviar. These players have been sold a narrative that the owners have been abusing them and treating them unfairly by self-interested folks like Boras. The players have lost serious perspective on the reality. They demand a ‘win’ rather than a fair negotiation.

I am no fan of the owners either – but I do understand that they are the risk takers with guaranteed salaries and a game that is becoming less popular. They cannot and should not give into all of the players’ demands just to get MLB baseball back on the field.

Last edited 2 years ago by Fansince1971
Simba
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Fansince1971

The best players are the ones the fans come out to see and the ones attracting the television revenue. So they should be paid – they generate revenue. The average player – not so much. The idea that a mediocre pitcher earns $10m-plus per season bothers me way more than an elite pitcher earning $30m. One earns his keep, bringing attention to the ball club and generating revenue, and the other does not.”

Reminded my of the famous Buzzie Bavasi quote about replacing Ryan with two 8-7 pitchers. We went to see Ryan, and Tanana. That was about it.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Simba

Exactly. Just because a 7 WAR player earns $35 million does not mean 0 and 1 WAR players are worth $5m-$10m

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Fansince1971

I wish both sides would just put their money where their mouth is. We have the ability to at least calculate a ballpark value for a player’s performance. Get both sides to agree on what one WAR is worth. Agree on a fairly high minimum per game on the roster salary (so that a low paid player still makes say 1M a year). Pay everyone that amount monthly during the season. At the end of the year, pay each player their “WAR Money.”. If Owners say they want to pay players what they’re worth but not overpay, there you go. If players want a fair shake for all the players of all ages, there you go. The players don’t want to admit they all want to get paid like Pujols when the play like Pujols. The owners don’t want to admit they want to pay Juan Soto 3M a year for ten years and then release him. But if being paid fairly for performance while not being overpaid is the goal, we have the technology.

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago

So do players with a negative WAR pay to play?

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  red floyd

You are not negotiating in good faith

RexFregosi
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  red floyd

i like it-

we resign Pujols, then we can afford Cole, Correa and Story.

GrandpaBaseball
Legend
2 years ago

Good morning, nothing special going on today except the future of MLB and the hundreds of thousands of working American jobs. Let’s git ‘er dun today, what da you say you old boys, not one of ya will go broke ya know.

Fansince1971
Legend
2 years ago

When you say ‘get er dun’ – are the Union and owners meeting today? My impression is they were taking a break after 8 straight long days.