LA Angels Monday News Crash: Substitute Teacher Edition

Me on in for Monday links? Yep. I’m covering for Charles today. Call me Mr. Substitute Teacher.

First I’d like to take a minute to reflect on the 21st anniversary of 9/11 yesterday. There are a handful of moments that will link you to a time and place forever. 9/11 is it for us and I hope we never forget not only the day but the feeling of unity in the days following.

Back to sports, mostly baseball….

Something big happened yesterday. Yep, that’s right, the new Baseball PhD podcast dropped with yours truly as the featured guest discussing all things Angels.

I was all geared up for tough questions and forgot Ohtani’s age. Also, this was taped last week so my “we play the Astros coming up” comment was correct at the time.

The story of all stories will be the Angels sale and the names of billionaires in the bidding will drip in slowly. LA Times owner and cancer drug pioneer Patrick Soon-Shiong is contemplating a bid.

Turk’s Teeth speculates Soon-Shiong, already a minority owner of the Lakers, would like to expand his media assets along with his sports holdings. We believe the Angels sale will come complete with AM 830 and the team’s interest in Bally Sports West.

Soon-Shiong’s group was the runner up in the Dodgers sweepstakes of 2012. You know, the team that already clinched a spot in October.

The other big news in baseball over the weekend is all the new rules for next year. Apparently quite a few players aren’t happy with them.

Baseball fans are among the most ardent purists in all of sports. There will be backlash for sure. There always is. Here’s a cool history of MLB rules changes and how they compare to their counterparts in other sports.

Want to catch some playoff baseball? Head to the IE tomorrow night.

What’s this? A real class by the sub? Nah, I’ll leave you with this just because Trout’s swing is so fun to watch.

Have a great Monday and link what I missed below. Going to be a great week of afternoon baseball leading up to the stacked Canelo vs. GGG 3 card. If you haven’t seen the Bam Martinez kid who is the co feature, he’s absolutely amazing.

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FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago

First pitch today, 3:10 PM. Set your watches and chill your beer.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  FungoAle

……and make sure you have back-up plans for beginning around 3:20PM when the game is out of reach for the Halos

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago

LOL…are we thinking this could be another campaign for Generalissimo Marte?!

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  FungoAle

El general Marte está listo para volarlo por los aires!

Last edited 2 years ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky
FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago

Any truth to the rumors that Nevin allowed Trout to sit out yesterday so he could watch the Eagles in the clubhouse? That might be the only legit excuse cuz not playing to extend his homer streak was just wrong.

Senator_John_Blutarsky
Legend
Reply to  FungoAle

Plausible, even likely.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  FungoAle

Wrong? the one day of R & R actually allowed him to EXTEND his homer streak.

I see nothing wrong with that.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

Ung. Friggin baseball people. How about this MLBPA? Are the majority of fans keening for the preservation of watching pitchers dramatically think about the decision to throw the pitch the catcher just called for, ponder the emotional state of the runner on first, throw over to first, get angry about the throw over to first, walk around the mound a little and collect themselves after this horrible experience, rub what ever body part is covered in sticky goop, get back on the rubber, give the viewing public five seconds to realize how pressure packed this bottom of the third with 2 outs AB really is, get angry when the batter calls time, walk around the mound and make sure the cameras catch how much you wanted to throw a pitch but were stopped, get back on the rubber, stare at the catcher, stare at the 1B runner, stare at the catcher, make sure everyone watching can see how your job is as complex as eye surgery while piloting a space ship, take a moment to summon the spirit of your ancestors, throw ball four outside?

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MOAR CAN’T MISS EXCITEMENT! What MLB fan could possibly allow the chance to watch the hitter strike out or poop a ground ball up the middle or in the pull side hole for an out after waiting 12 minutes for something to happen in said AB?

Thank Gah there are true architects of excellence like Max Scherzer and the MLBPA to protect what everyone loves about the game from the meddlesome owners. Everyone’s obviously happy sitting around for three and a half hours waiting for the six minutes of actual action the game currently provides. Why would we want to mess with that?

How much you want to bet if the MLBPA gets offered some sort of concession that = $$$$ they will suddenly get way less worried about this?

It’s been scientifically proven that watching baseball “hitters” try to deal with the shift f***ing blows. The only thing that sucks more is watching Pedro Baez spend longer figuring out which of his two pitches to throw than your average child spends learning to read. They’ve tested all of these rule changes in actual games with real humans playing baseball and no one died, in fact, fans seemed to enjoy them. Even fans whose greatest joy is having stuck butt about everything will enjoy having something to be angry about and getting to mention “back in their day” and stuff. Win Win STFU MLBPA.

Soccer. It’s coming for you baseball, and it’s not really all that easy to make the argument that your sport’s more exciting to watch these day. But don’t you go changin.

MarineLayer
Super Member
2 years ago

Maybe if that LATimes guy makes a bid, they will actually start covering the Angels instead of running AP wire copy.

ihearhowie3.0
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Yep. Even Angels fans check out annually when the team is tanked by June. Can’t be much readership.

BruinsAngelsKings
Trusted Member
2 years ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

The LA Times is still in business?

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend

That was my thought. I know they’re in business…. slowly dying as the Baby Boomers age out and become food for dirt. But is a guy who is heavily invested in dying media going to be the fella that fixes everything for the Angels?

There’d still probably be a 50/50 chance since he’d likely just lead a partnership. But this would be an owner with a lot of money tied up in print media which is trying to become new media. How often do yall subscribe to the LA Times or even disable your ad blocker to read something?

That’s what I thought.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

Not that we have any say, but do we really want a new Owner who would purchase a dying media publication as an investment?

Is this the condemnAtion of TrAdition?

Last edited 2 years ago by Cowboy26
gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  Cowboy26

I think our expectations need to pretty much be…

Try someone new?
Ok.

And that’s about all we can expect. We have no control, just gotta see what comes out of it all. we can’t even assume new owners mean rich owners mean bigger payroll. I mean, Disney is huge and….

steelgolf
Legend
2 years ago

There still in business because he moved them into a building that he owns already in El Segundo. And they have cut staff.

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  MarineLayer

Sorry, Mia already won the internet with her comment about this…

They still won’t cover the team. 😂

Last edited 2 years ago by red floyd
halofansince1978
Super Member
2 years ago

With him passing A-Roid Gramps is the all time Latin HR Leader.

I say cancel the retirement party come back and go after the Babe.

Only 17 to tie…he clearly has the skills to DH against left handers!

Pretty sure the Cardinals would (butts in the seats $$$$) cooperate.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago

I doubt MLB pitchers will be so accommodating next year.

Charles Sutton
Editor
Super Member
2 years ago

With the shift eliminated he will have a harder time padding that all time double play record of his.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Charles Sutton

Bastards

Angels2020Champs
Legend
2 years ago

Over an hour of Angels talk, that’ll be a great listen!!
Cool guide to rule changes.

steelgolf
Legend
2 years ago

So, reading the link on the rule changes, the new larger 18” bases are going to be offset from their center post? That sounds like an issue waiting to happen, as my remedial math tells me the difference between the bases being 15” to being 18” should bring them 3” closer to each other, not the 4.5” that the article claims. Hmmmm.

halofansince1978
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

And they said you would never use algebra.

steelgolf
Legend
2 years ago

😂 If what the article says is true, then I foresee some issues with the bases not being installed properly and the orientation being incorrect. And somehow, Angel Hernandez will be involved.

Cowboy26
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Joiner

Plus the players are getting larger. How the hell is the Thicc King going to play first base in Anaheim with those puny bases? The bases need to be at least as big as a large pizza.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cowboy26
red floyd
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  Cowboy26

comment image

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

They can’t increase the size of 1B and 3B toward the foul lines without screwing up the foul lines, but they can increase the size of 2B toward the outfield. Thus, the entire 3″ increase for 1B/3B will have to be toward 2B, while the increase in 2B will be 1.5″ toward 1B/3B and 1.5″ away. That results in a reduced distance of 4.5″ between 2B and 1B/3B.

The question is whether they will add the 3″ to 1B/3B on the home plate side, the outfield side, or split it, resulting in 3″ closer, 0″ closer, and 1.5″ closer, respectively. I suspect they’ll do 1.5″ on each side so as to keep the bases in-line with 2B.

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
2 years ago
Reply to  AnAngelsFan

Oh, the video said they are keeping the back of the base 90 feet from home, which would mean 1B/3B will be 3″ closer to home plate.

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  AnAngelsFan

It’s still a square.

AnAngelsFan
Super Member
2 years ago

I never said it wouldn’t be. From what I read and saw in the video, it sounds like 1B will increase by 3″ on the bottom and left side (when viewed from home plate) and 3B will increase by 3″ on the bottom and right side.

Second base, in contrast, will increase by 1.5″ on each side (assuming the 4.5″ distance change between 1B and 2B is accurate). That means straight lines drawn from the bottom of 1B and 3B will no longer intersect at the corner of 2B.

steelgolf
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  AnAngelsFan

Someone is going to install one incorrectly, it is inevitable.

Angels2020Champs
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

How’s this going to affect the kid stealing 3rd at home between innings? The added weight?!? I’ve seen one lil fucker run towards second base and they had to stop the clock 3 times/redirect twice for him to get a base!

red floyd
Legend
2 years ago

Not an issue. It’s not a real base anyways — no post.

I remember a few timeswhen the kid had to lift the post and it got stuck

gitchogritchoffmypettis
Legend
Reply to  red floyd

They should let something toothy chase those kids… add some stakes to the game…. doesn’t have to be a tiger, just like a very angry woodchuck.

FungoAle
Legend
2 years ago
Reply to  steelgolf

If it lasted over 100 years, just leave it. The world will survive.