Good morning Angels fans. This is this last day of the regular season, and perhaps the last game with Ohtani as an Angel. Have some links.
Angels News
Angels lost 2 in a row, as the bullpen blows it, again. Loup and Tepera really are going to be good again once they get to another team.
Mayers, Ford, and Sierra have cleared waivers. Watch as they leave and become good.
Kurt Suzuki has officially retired, catching his final pitch in Oakland. He started his career there and he left with a standing ovation.
Angels being bad makes Trout sad. Me too, me too…
OHTANI STARTS TODAY! WATCH AT 1 PM!
Around Baseball
Welp, Judge did it, he hit 62 home runs. The legitimate record is set for the first time in decades. And he will likely win MVP now.
The 2022 Postseason bracket is set. Mets blew a huge lead in the division, however, they still get to go to the playoffs. It’s not fair.

Braves haven’t been swept all year, last time no one got swept all year since the 2004 Braves. However, they did sac bunt.
Stroman still thinks Ohtani should win MVP. Pitcher respects pitcher.
Old people are being great as Verlander is likely to win Cy Young and Pujols is using his devil magic to be good again. That makes me feel angry.
Stephen Strasburg may not pitch in 2023. Nats really had everyone fall apart after 2019 huh?
Anything I missed? Post below for upvotes.
Nevin will be gone when a new owner is in place. Probably Perry, too.
What’s one more year, it’s not like we will contend next year.
But I did call him staying a few days ago 😉
So usually every single time, the incumbents are kept around for a year or two when sports franchises change hands in order to show them the ropes. Where’s the coffee maker, what day to put the trash out, etc.
PTP will be here in 2024 i think for certain.
Nevin has a chance to stick – he’s been handed a very decent club that has a chance and if he wins, he might stay longer. That young pitching really came along and it was the injuries that did us in more than anything else.
And that’s what I get for commenting with pure speculation.
Lol.
a lot of people are saying PTP hits the pavement right away once the new owner is in place.
PTP is here for two more years i’d wager even if the new owner is Billy Beane.
Perry with an owner willing to spend bigger than Arte could be successful.
Just seems like a new owner might want someone more experienced guiding his new multi-billion dollar baby.
We’ll see what happens.
A healthy lineup and some consistency from the starting pitching and bullpen is much needed. Starters took a leap forward this year.
Add a decent hitting coach in the mix and any manager could hold down the fort.
Definitely need a massive step forward from Adell or Moniak to take the LF spot.
Hope the new owners invest in a proper medical staff and scouting dept as well.
We must NOT go into next season with either as a starter. They are 4th OF’s at best.
I proven upgrades at 1B and OF. Abreu and TBD for me.
They hired the #2 guy from the med staff that won the World Series LAST year. What they need to do is hire the #2 guy from the emd staff of the team that wins it all THIS year. That will be really proper instead of semi-proper.
Maybe they really like him and like playing for him.
I do believe player input is important and should have some weight in the decision making process. However, nobody should pretend that Nevin got this extension based off his knowledge of the Xs and Os or actual in game tactical acumen. As far as I’m aware of, there is zero evidence to actually support the club improved under his care when Maddon departed. That wouldn’t be a big deal if the guy in charge of roster construction was leaving or losing his job, but it doesn’t appear Perry is in any danger of that at this time.
Why should the fans be excited about this move considering we have already seen the ugly 80 game picture these 2 have painted together?
I here that he lets Trout play Nerf basketball in the clubhouse.
and gives him Sundays off to watch the Eagles play
So, I never heard this kind of support regarding Ausmus and Ol’ Burnt-Ass Joe
I think, if 2023 is an “adrift” season, it would be smart to either try something crazy, like a 22 year old Pakistani girl as manager, or just try the pink fella we have that the players (and I assume FO) likes out for a full year…. hopefully with healthy players.
LOL, that would be fun. We can wait until the new ownership arrives to roll out Erstad and the “Tough as Nails Crew.”
“EERRRRRRRSSTEEEEEEEEEE! We neeed him inside us…. err, I mean in our organization…. soooooo bbaaaaaddd. He’s so nails, no way he’d ever put up with a guy in the starting line up with a 93 OPS+! And he’s waiting, like the bride of Christ herself, for the Angels to approach him so he can gently cup our lineup card in his hands. Pretty much every team in baseball has surely been trying to pull his shirt off and make him their manager, but ney, he saves himself for us like Penelope saved herself for Odysseus.
“EERRRRRRRSSTEEEEEEEEEE!
I’d prefer Persian smoke shows, personally.
I don’t care if she’s hot as long as the 22 year old lady wins ball games.
I want to believe !!!!
I’m such a dufus that I’ve been thinking all along that there was one more series vs Texas after this one. I know it is already October, but I just thought the schedule was weird. And I think I was thrown off by the mid-week ending, as opposed to the usual Sunday ending.
I was wondering if we had tomorrow off, and then a 3 game set, or a 4 game set.
I was wondering why such a big send off for Suzuki last night, when it was possible we might need him in the final series, if someone got hurt.
I was wondering why people kept posting goodbye-to-the-season statements, when we still had another series left.
Well, it all makes sense now.
Oh well, I had a choice of going to last night’s game, or today’s game. I did last night because of course it is way harder for anyone to take off work. If I knew this was the final game, maybe I might have taken the free ticket and gone today too, even if by myself.
Though I guess there isn’t really anything different in seeing them play last night vs today, except the sentimental idea of it being possibly “the last” for a bunch of things. (Like last game ever for Ohtani as an Angel, perhaps.)
I will say, though, that I’m thankful I got to go to a game this year, the first since 2019. Seeing how easy it is for the world to change, I’m reminded what a privilege it is for me to sit at the park and enjoy the sport we all like so much.
Even if we lose on a freaking walk-off-walk. Seriously?
Man, Ohtani almost got that 3R HR too.
Five bonus points for use of the term dufus. A forgotten gem.
any points for “dork”?
Dork’s pretty phenomenal too.
Would I have gotten any points for “shmuck” or “putz”?
I’ll go with “muppet”
Oh…. British…. classy
Too bad, 35 looks nicer for my stat geek @$$ than 34
When is opening day for Rosterbation season?
4 months ago
Ugh…terrible decision to keep Nevin around.
Nevin will take us to Heaven
By killing us?
🤣
nah, that was BBB
I will miss watching Shohei pitch this season. Those games are truly an adventure and enjoyable to watch.
This must be a scary time for some of us. The season’s over. What will we complain the same daily complaints about now? Who can we blame for that gnawing sense that we ourselves are a loser instead of ourselves? Arte’s selling the team. What will we complain the same daily complaints about now? Who can we blame for that gnawing sense that we ourselves are a loser instead of ourselves? Shohei may be traded. Who can we hold up as a proxy victim of the things we constantly complain about so that we don’t have to dwell on the fact that most of us are a total waste of food and opportunity?
Oh. Trout. Thank gah! We can weep for the wasted years of Trout still. And I think we can safely complain about AndrArte for a couple of years after they are gone too.
Thank gah. We were THIS close to maybe having to suffer through some introspection instead of being able to photoshop Arte into all the memories of fathers and bosses who we blame for the way our lives turned out.
Trout. Who says modern athletes aren’t still heroes to kids? Kids ages 2-75.
At least I have the Steelers…. oh…. shit. At least the Celtics are still…. oh.
C’mon Arte is still around, and PTP and Nevin will still be doing things. There will be plenty of things to get spun up about for the next 6 months.
As long as I don’t have to recognize that the only constant in the equation of my life’s total failure is me we’re all good!
we just witnessed the greatest season ever by a ballplayer.
its fans of other teams that should be questioning the futility of their life today as they head into the bleak dark days of winter
“we just witnessed the greatest season ever by a ballplayer.”
That’s some pretty serious homer history bending man….
Actually, what’s wild is he pretty much tied Ruth’s 1919 WAR, the last year Ruth pitched much at all….
https://twitter.com/JeffFletcherOCR/status/1577725081685561359
I just burst out in a hearty gaffaw and scared the nurse who was printing stuff in my office.
Well, there you go! That was fast
Yoi and Double Yoi
the Mets didn’t really blow their huge lead. Atlanta finished 78-33 while the Mets went 67-44. Atlanta just overtook the Mets.
There are a lot of teams I am happy to watch (and watch win) this post season and that’s nice. The Guradindians, Blue Jays, Astros, Padres, Rays, Braves, Phillies, Cardinals… even the Mets (once every 30 years) would all be fine with me. I am also rooting for shameful and pathetic humiliation for the Dodgers, Yankees and Mariners because I am a sad and petty human being.
I am getting excited for the post season and the Braves mad rush has been a nice lead up.
Anyone still angry Arte didn’t “get it done” with Strasburg?
The missed deal that still hurts is Beltre.
Yep, the Beltre thing was one of the biggest whiffs in our history.
Probably along with one of the big “proposed” trades for Brandon Wood. Like wasn’t Miggy on the table? Good grief. That was pre-Triple-Crown.
Strange, but way long ago I still remember seeing the transaction report where we sent away Bartee and got Figgins. I remember I was sitting in my former work cubicle when I read it. At the time, my reaction was just “wow, unusual names” and that was about it. I don’t understand why I remember that one thing so well, especially when it seemed so unimportant at that time.
You mean Patrick Corbin right?
My perspective on Arte was that he was ok (those Division Titles are still flying) but he just made 7 wrong moves.
Six of them are players he shouldn’t have signed.
Not signing Beltre was the 7th.
Pretty much. Pujols/Hamilton was the big era of disaster. He really ate a ton of money then, to the point that he couldn’t sign pitching. That was right at the time when the era of solid pitchers reaching free agency at all really dwindled. So when he had money again he had hardly anyone to throw it at.
That really screwed him. He should have just thrown a few million per year at scouting and developing pitchers back in 2010.
Hell I’m still pissed off that the Cowboy didn’t resign The Express back in 1980 & again in 1989.
should Ohtani win today to go 16-8 we could replace him with two 8-4 pitchers except 8-4 is a lot harder to find than 8-7.
Seriously, that Bavasi quote might be the stupidest thing anyone connected with the Angels ever said. I found this nugget while looking up the quote:
“The lackluster Angels backed him by averaging 1.95 runs in his 121 losses, 60 times scoring one run or fewer”. Ryan was 138-121 for us. With any decent support….
By a landslide, Ryan not getting resigned and watching him leave was a disaster.
Currently the Angels, Cubs and Diamondbacks have the same record. Does anyone know how they determine draft pick order if teams are tied?
im shocked im saying this but i will….
i’m ok bringing Nevin back for 2023.
I’m not. We won some games at the end against miserable teams. Otherwise this team underperformed as much under Nevin as with Maddon.
It all depends on the timing of a team sale. If Arte is hoping it happens somewhat soon, I don’t think they’ll make any changes so the new owner can do that type of thing.
Loser.
Depends on who is available. The decision yesterday to IBB a runner with two on and Tepera on the mound was a bonehead move by Nevin. Tepera’s control sucks (as I noted in the gamethread) and he ended up walking in the winning run (which I fully predicted). Nevin has been better lately after a shaky start, but there are probably other names that should be considered as well.
Eh. I’m less worried about Nevin. Managers are pretty much just “boss buddy” now days other than when they make out the line up and change pitchers…. and even that’s done with a lot of coach input now days.
Maddon was good at being his own buddy and golf, only winning when he could set a bunch of healthy and hot hitters on autopilot, and that was the problem. Been the problem since he went to the Cubs. Nevin may not be great, but he’s clearly better than Maddon was, and we also don’t really want to sign a manager to a multi-year contract right now.
Players seem to like Nevin, which means he is probably capable of supplying encouragement and criticism effectively. Nice. So meh, keep him I guess?
Wise seems to be an OK pitching coach too. He’s markedly improved since last year. Honestly, I’m a little afraid to ditch him now as he looks a little like a guy we all shit on his first season, then won’t acknowledge as good his second, who gets let go and we all complain about losing when he goes to the Rangers and dominates for a decade. I kind of want to see if he makes another big step forward this season.
The other coaches need to go away. Far, far away.
Mike Trout said essentially this, no? I think Mike personally liked that Nevin had his back Obviously, all that suspension from the Seattle mess made the team even worse, and it happened during their worst stretch of the season, but it was a sign to the players that they’re important to Nevin and he will fight for them, I guess.
Mike coming out on his behalf + change in ownership, had something to do with it. I’m happy it was not Montgomery.
I’m cool with it. The players seem to like him and that’s all that matters to me when it comes ro coaches.
I believe your comment was what put Nevin over the top, per Jeff Fletcher’s tweet.
I have to give credit to #27 too because his endorsement carried almost the same amount of weight as mine did. Mike got him close then I closed the deal with PTP.
AFL – The league started Monday. Paris and Blakely are the two most interesting prospects we have here. Angels play on the Scottsdale squad.
Blakely played Monday at 3B, Paris played yesterday at 2B.
One of our long national nightmares in ending (the 2022 season), while another (consecutive years missing the playoffs) proudly marches forward.
trAdition!
Gump! Why did you go to Philadelphia?
To Win! Drill Sargent!
Happy for Brandon!
great picture – hope he shines brightly on the October stage
Marsh in the playoffs.
Angels going home.
Happy for BMarsh! The man gave it all while he was with the Angels.
Last Day for listening to Patrick getting excited for no reason while kissing Gubbie’s ass, last day for the Blowpen to screw up, but wait, there’s more.
Last Day for Shohei to blow us away with maybe an immaculate inning in his good bye day while adding 2 HRs. Last day to see Trouty and his best last month of the season of his career.
Last day to see the team strikeout 10+ times in a game.
Last game of the 2022 Angels season along with Wards career year or Soto to leave a strong impression.
Last day of the season to see Fletcher get a 5 hit day or Renny hit another HR.
Last day for Phil to manage the Halos or the last game day for me to write stupid stuff on a game day in 2022. 😎
Excited…while kissing ass? Grandpa is a bit frisky this morning!
Patrick could feign excitement while describing the maintenance crew adding a new coat of paint to the rocks in his brotastic way:
IT’S! A! CLEAN! COAT! OF BROWN! OHHHH! WOWWWWWW!
It wouldn’t actually be interesting or exciting, but that phony smiling while talking politician (or Disney employee) doublespeak comes to mind.
hmm brotastic… I wonder if he talks about “his boys” and wears his Angel cap backward
As a kid I hated the last day of school from 7th grade through High School. Summers were always fun with all my neighborhood pals as a kid waiting for the Ice Cream truck to swept through with not just the frozen treats but also the Topps Baseball Cards that we traded with one another in my front yard under a big old shade tree. Like all fun things, that came to an end and followed by back to school. Transistor radios snuck into class to listen to the WS was fun too.
Hated School to come to conclusion, then summer break to wrap up, followed like clock work soon by Baseball to run its course followed by just not being excited by the sports page as much. As I grew wiser, and youth fell behind, we all were rejuvenated by 2002 and haven’t let go. We know the rules, no guarantee that our Shohei will return, or even us for that matter, but we do have CTPL as a home of sorts with just one more game to go.
Shohei will pitch well and finish second in the CYA race, second in the MVP race but finish first in our hearts. Then come “What would I do if I was PTP. Winter meetings, trades and signings, and then ST. The cycle repeats. Wait until next year. 😃
So…. you hated when school would end? Or hated when school would start? Or just were an angry ball of hate hanging out under a tree as a boy? I am confused.
“This is this last day of the regular season, and perhaps the last game with Ohtani as an Angel. ”
So how far out are these posts queued up?
Please just win this game.
At least the Ducks beat the Kings last night, even if it was a pre-season game.
The season will be over by the time I wake up, so… it’s been real, it’s been fun, but this season hasn’t been real fun. Just gotta tip the hat and turn the page to hopefully playing meaningful baseball in October come next year. Have a safe and great off-season, everyone.
Sayonara Brent, sleep well. A lot of us will be here during the Playoffs and WS, and still post thru the Winter. We don’t close shop to hibernate. While as a team disappointed us, Shohei came through.
Wrote this around midnight.
Do you think Ohtani will be gone next season, even with the 1 year extension?
It’s not really an extension, but anyway I don’t see Arte making that kind of big move without the consent of the new buyer.
Or even if there is no buyer, I don’t see Arte starting a multi-year rebuild by selling Shohei and sacrificing 2023 dollars.
And yes, I am ALL IN for 2023.
It was avoiding arbitration early, not an extention.
Everything depends on how fast Arte sells. If he sells before spring training, Ohtani will be gone unless the new owners are somehow able to get a great impression on him fast.
If the new owner doesn’t come until the season starts Ohtani will last until the trade deadline. If Arte can’t sell before aAugust, he will be on the team until the end of next season
I think you’ve seen it wrong … the 1 year deal takes away the unpleasantries of an arbitration hearing and gets him locked up for easier trading immediately.
… as opposed to sometime in February when arbitration hearings are held.
Saw it that way too. Sets the sticker price for the winter meetings.
Until next year, boys.
https://youtu.be/8JeUCW51s8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv0noMoJKPE
This song immediately makes me feel like a child again. Sitting in the back seat of my dads truck with the windows down, blaring KLOS.
Great f*cking song!