Not a ton to link this week outside of the World Series. It kicks off tonight at 5 PM Best Coast time.
Between the star power on each team and the fact they are both big market teams with huge fan bases, tickets for this World Series are the most expensive ever.
Yes, to behemoths in the Series is being lauded as “good for baseball” by writers mostly encamped in NY or LA. And I do expect ratings to be solid for the Series.
What is missing is a David. We have Goliath vs. Goliath. Personally, when my team isn’t in it, I like finding an underdog to cheer on.
Unfortunately there is a dark cloud over the Series. LA icon Fernando Valenzuela passed away way too young this week. The Dodgers will honor him with a patch on their uniforms.
Sporting rivalries are sporting rivalries and there are some Dodgers I respect immensely. Clayton Kershaw for his charity work as much as his wicked curveball, for example. Well, Fernando connecting Latino fans to the game and turning LA into a baseball town is huge. He changed not only a franchise, but a city. Much respect to the legend Fernando Valenzuela.
The universally loved Dodger is Vin Scully. I hear his voice and I’m back to childhood. I can almost sense departed loved ones there with me. Vin and Fernando shared a special moment on the hill that is worth remembering.
If I had half a heart I’d want the Dodgers to win one for Fernando and make so many of my family and friends happy. But I don’t, ha ha. At least not when it comes to rooting for that dreaded team in blue.
And with fellow Central Valley boy Aaron Judge being the greatest Dodger killer of all time, I might be on the winning side on this one.
In Angels news:
Logan O’Hoppe played a ton of baseball in 2024 and is using those lessons to prepare for 2025.
I took a look at what the Angels have in Mickey Moniak.
And I’m hoping Jack Kochanowicz can live up to my expectations when I took a look at him.
Friend of the site Davis Daniel is more than holding his own in the Arizona Fall League.
Enjoy your weekend and link what I missed. We’ll be celebrating my wife’s birthday and our anniversary. The fact they’re the same day means I’ll always remember them, ha ha. The fact she deals with my Angels obsession is pretty incredible.
Game thread is up on the main page.
Iām predicting Dodgers in five. Will also post in the game thread if we get one
I want a Game 7.
Skanks in seven!!
Just read Jeff’s article on Moniak, and as always, he’s spot on. His observation about the trend of strikeouts after days off shows real attention to detail. Meanwhile, I often forget why I even picked up my phone.
It seems like Judge could be in for some regression against the Dodgers.
Here’s to rooting for any team taking on the Yankees!
Thanks. I was looking through is game logs and the pattern stood out because he seems to have a disproportionate amount of games with multiple K’s. And many of them were after days off.
Happy birthday! Happy Anniversary!
Happy Birthday Mrs. Joiner and Congratulations and Happy Anniversary to you both.
Thank you.
I was wearing Halo gear & trolling latrine fans in Walmart this morning…GOOD TIMES!!
It’s not really trolling if the team you’re wearing is just flea on the big dog.
I talk smack to every latrine fan I see…yes, I troll them.
What smack could you possibly talk as an Angel fan?
āWe had Ohtani firstā
āThe World Series is not that big of a dealā
Iām just wondering what you could say that overcomes the obvious disparity between these two teams.
Oh yeah- congrats to the Joiners! BTW your kiddos are full-scale adorable. Really enjoyed meeting you at the game meet-up.
Thanks. I only have the 1 kiddo. Those other two cuties are AngelsChamps. The three are friends, thanks to this site.
Was great meeting you as well. I’ll set up a meetup for early next season as well.
You know the only drawback is we might have to watch an Angels game. Bummer.
A few years ago we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Phil. They performed Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, a piece with spoken word quotes from Big Abe. Vin Scully did the speaking. Three standing ovations for him, including from the orchestra and chorus.
Fernando left us entirely too soon. That man was one of the most incredible phenoms in baseball history. He just grabbed an entire city and took it along for the ride.
I remember when Vin was doing the recitation of Lincoln Portrait. Almost drove down to hear it. Wish I had.
As a composer myself, Copland is my North Star. That piece is wondrous. Vinny would have been a brilliant narrator and that we share a last name (Scully here) I kick myself for not attending.
I was always assumed to be related to Vin as I grew up in SoCal.
Love the Vinny and Fernando video! I was in O.C. back then but never really appreciated it as much as I should have due to my dislike of the Dodgers.
I now know that Enberg, Drysdale and Scully were the soundtrack of my youth.
Enjoy your celebrations this weekend! As my brother advised when I was a young man: “It’s a big, cold world. Find someone to go through it with”.
BTW: Our wedding anniversary and anniversary of our first date are five years apart. I’m certain that has saved me from both expense and unnecessary drama over the last 37/42 years.
That’s a cool alignment of dates. 42 years with the same partner is awesome. Congrats.
I daily thank God for her ability to put up with me. Somehow she still seems to like me.
Nice. My wife changed my life around more than I can say. I was a wreck, now I’m not. And that’s really thanks to her.
I also thank God for my wife daily.
I didnāt decide to become an adult until just after I met my third wife.
I was 52 years old and she might have something to do with it. `;~}}
We are coming on eighteen yearsā¦congrats to you and yours Jeff!!
Chili Davis appropriated this quote that I always liked: “Getting older is inevitable, growing up is a decision”.
Lots of boys in man suits in our world today. My wife will tell that I am still fourteen but I still take care of my business like a man.
Youāll may have noticed that I have a wacky side to me.
I’m a redhead and everything they say about us is true.
The best thing about number three is she lets 78 be 78.
Irish redhead mom and a ginger son for me. We often tease about his lack of a soul.
That is great. I love it.
Back in my day most of us would have been dead by now.
any other team could’ve had him for a bag of Doritos
BYE!!!!
ļ»æ šŖ ļ»æļ»æ šŖ ļ»æ
Well, it’s how you finish that counts so good job! ļ»æ š ļ»æ
Thanks. Congrats on yours as well.
We actually met 18 years ago so we’re kind of on the same track.
It also coincides with when I stopped dating women in the program.
I know you’ve heard two wrongs don’t make a right…#3 is a normie.
Iām not sure how much of this WS Iām going to watchā¦ I almost wish there was a loser camera/stream that only showed when los doyers or skanks shit the bed.
Happy birthday Mrs Joiner and congrats on your anniversary!
Thanks.
congratulations Jeff and to all the wives that tolerate the Angels
Thank you.
If you’re unsure who to root for or against, then go with the Giant Meteor (preferably hitting the Bronx).
Go Giant Meteor!!!!
I prefer Cholera out break…. something that will hit fans and players of these asshole teams but won’t kill some poor schmo who doesn’t give a crap about baseball at all. It would be awesome if the latrine actually caused the series to be cancelled because everyone there got sick from it, for example, but no one else gets hurt.
From BR:
The Angels began the process of clearing space on their 40-man roster today, sending six players outright to Triple-A Salt Lake: right-handed pitchers Carson Fulmer, Andrew Wantz, and JosĆ© Marte, and infielders Charles Leblanc, Jack LĆ³pez, and Michael Stefanic. Evidently, all six players were designated for assignment and cleared waivers earlier this week. They will be eligible to elect free agency and seek new opportunities in free agency this winter.
Best of luck to those guys. Iād like to keep Fulmer around as a mop up guy.
i have a feeling there’s an Angel game in 2025 where Lopez is SS, Leblanc is at 1B, the Plumber at 3rd, and Fulmer, Wantz, and Marte pitch in it.
I had the same thought. Or even just a traditional bullpen arm. He was pretty serviceable this year.
Yep. he’s the only guy on that list I could see the Platypus inviting to Tempe.
Go Skanks!! Set the tone…win the first one!!
Go Doyers with only 2020 to show for billions of dollars of payroll spend! Let the spirit of “small dick, fast car” continue to reign in the Blew Crew!
Go #17!!!!
I love to see former Angels players and team execs fail upward!!!