LA Angels Monday News Crash: Big Deal – Crashing the Pearly Gates

Super Member

YOUknowulovetheIE

1 month ago

All of Perry’s moves are that of a guy who has no plan to be here after 2026.

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Super Member

2GA2Join

1 month ago

Jon Heyman on B/R: “I think [the Angels] liked Murakami. My understanding is they never got the OK for a bid from Arte Moreno on Murakami.”

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Super Member

2GA2Join

1 month ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

Arte suddenly needs to save about $100MM….

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

I’m shocked, shocked, SHOCKED

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Eric_in_Portland

1 month ago

Reply to 2GA2Join

I don’t understand why Perry would need the ok to go after any specific player. Set the budget and let the GM do his job

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

Haaaaaaaa haaaaaaa haaaaaaa. Sorry can’t stop laughing

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

If Trout wants to play centerfield, I say let him play there as much as he wants. He seems to get injured not playing the OF, like jogging around the bases or swinging a bat. Since we are going nowhere this year and his contract is essentially lost money anyways, if he gets injured, it’s no loss anyway.

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FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to MarineLayer

My vision of having a CF who can help the pitching staff, by covering ground, who is willing to go all out and dive for balls in the gaps have ended with the Minaisan interview..Same ol’ s…

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to FungoAle

I mean, the fruit is still there for the picking. If Moreno was willing to maintain last year’s payroll, the team is still about $35M shy of that. If they were industrious enough to jump the hurdles and defer Rendon’s salary over 2-3 years, they could add another $18-24M to that.

That’s enough for a Bader ($16M?), a trade for Senga ($15M) and one of Okamoto or Suarez ($15-22M). Outside of the bullpen, that solves most key gaps.

Do I expect them to do any of this? Nope. But there are paths forward that keep them payroll status quo if ownership were willing, and Minasian went after it.

Last edited 1 month ago by Turk's Teeth

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Super Member

tanana40

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

That’s a lot of work and creativity to expect of the Angels management!

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to tanana40

Maybe? But it’s just two free agent deals, one trade for an available pitcher, and the reworking of a single year of an existing underwater contract.

Basically every major market team pulls off as much almost every season. None of those free agents are Kyle Tucker – this is not tough hoeing.

Last edited 1 month ago by Turk's Teeth

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Eric_in_Portland

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

I think he’s in waning mode, choosing to lower payroll. I think we’re looking at 2028. No extra spending this year, maybe no baseball in 2027. I’m in favor of lower payroll if it means stocking the farm but I don’t trust Perry to get the right guys

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FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Eric_in_Portland

I feel this way too but then I think, AM/PM only gave Suzuki 1-year contract. That would mean they are planning to tank his inaugural and last year as a manager? What a nice Xmas present for the Suzuki’s. I’m sure Kurt would still take the job knowing this (likely to not get a managing gig else where) but I would have asked for more than 1-year as a sacrificial managerial lamb. He’s set up for failure as it stands today.

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

The A’s are landing Jeff McNeil.

Will be interesting to see the details on this one but I liked Turk’s idea of adding him here.

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

That is a head scratcher. They have plenty of middle infielders and outfielders. I’m not sure what they are trying to accomplish. The Mets are happy because they got him off the books.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to MarineLayer

It’s 2B. They had no one work out there yet. They can play him there or the OF when needed. He spreads out their line up. He also adds a little payroll, keeps the MLBPA away even with the Mets sending money.

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

They have Zach Gelof. I don’t think McNeil is much of an upgrade. The rest of their OF and Brent Rooker are better as well. I don’t see the point, but I give them credit for at least trying.

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to MarineLayer

They realize you need more than one of everything because injuries happen. They also have a really young team, so adding a consistent hitter/veteran type is a good thing.

It does seem odd for them to pay $10 million to add him, but see gitcho’s MLBPA comment above and it makes a little more sense.

Notice how the A’s and Pirates are both spending right before the CBA is up. That isn’t a coincidence.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to MarineLayer

Gelof’s supposed to be the man…. but he was pretty weak last year

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

Seemed like a good clean fit for the Angels. SoCal guy, former Dirt Bag. Lefty. Plays LF and 3B as well as 2B. Reliable 2 WAR regular.

Only a one year commitment with an option for a second. Clearly the Mets were willing to eat a little salary, so he’s affordable. Would have allowed the Angels some latitude to move Moore around and let him develop, maybe introduce him to left field.

Senga is the other guy that the Mets seem to be ambivalent on that’s a natural target for the Angels.

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Super Member

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Reply to Turk's Teeth

Angels just don’t want to spend any money at all this winter so far.

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Super Member

PedroCerrano

1 month ago

I’ve been busy elsewhere but the Murakami miss seams to be a head scratcher. He signed for a reasonable number and went to a crappy team. Angels check those same boxes but his life expectancy and weather would both improve in Anaheim.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

For me, the weirdest thing is that he’s going far away from the west coast…. though it’s not THAT weird. But yeah, if you just want to hide out on a loser team for two years, why not LA?

I just don’t care because I think he’s got a solid chance of being a 1B with really sketchy OBP issues. We don’t need that even if it costs less than we expected.

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Super Member

PedroCerrano

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I’m not losing sleep on it but hail mary’s seem to be the playbook. He actual has a high OBP in Japan but swing and miss is a big flag.

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

It’s just a completely different pitch environment in the NPB, much less velocity, and it’s with higher velocity pitching that Murakami looks really exposed.

Almost every analyst agrees that he’s a 1B – the arm and range are just not there for 3B long-term. I think the upside case for Murakami’s bat is likely a left-handed Jo Adell – big power, below-average batting average, lots of whiff. If the Angels want that, they should probably just convert Adell to 1B and extend him, while moving on from Schanuel.

Fangraphs has done a lot of great work on evaluating and projecting Murakami. Jordan Rosenbaum’s projection (.221/.345/.448) is probably the most optimistic – solid, but not transcendent for a first baseman. Longenhagen’s scouting report is much more cautious, however:

(T)here are scary underlying indicators surrounding Murakami’s contact ability that are something of a red flag when projecting his MLB future. For one, Murakami’s bat path is long and often leaves him too late on good velocity. His contact rate tanks against fastballs 93 mph and above (just 63% since 2022) and, more recently, Murakami’s contact rates versus secondary pitches have also plummeted. In 2025, Murakami had just a 51% contact rate against all secondary pitch types combined, much lower than any consistent, impact big league hitter. Contrast that with 2022-2023 Murakami, when his contact rate was 62% — not great, but better than 2025 by a meaningful margin.

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MarineLayer

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

Apparently, he doesn’t really solve our third base problem and we would have a log jam at the positions he can play. I’d rather spend the money elsewhere if we’re pretending we’re trying to win this year.

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

I wasn’t all that interested in him due to the lack of defense and propensity to K, but at that price tag I’d be very interested in him.

Really I’m far more upset at the Song whiff. Defense can provide consistent value while the bat hopefully develops and 3 years of Song will cost less than 1 of Murakami. That was the miss in my eyes.

Time will tell.

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Member

dontbatvlad4th

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

I think it makes more sense when you realize Arte won’t be spending much again this off-season (or next…)

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Super Member

Angelz4ever

1 month ago

Reply to dontbatvlad4th

Oh, but they are all in on <Insert improbable player name here>

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FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to PedroCerrano

The Japanese players to get end up with the Dodgers with Ohtani and Yamamoto in Friedman’s ear. LA could have been in on Murakami or Okamoto but chose to re-sign an aging Muncy.. Tells me all I want to know about Okamoto.

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Super Member

RexFregosi

1 month ago

ESPN Fan Misery Index –
Halos no longer #1?? I vehemently disagree that the Pirates, Mets and Twins fans have it worse than us.

4. Los Angeles Angels2024 ranking: No. 1
It never ends for the Angels. Let’s see what happened in 2025:
• A 10th consecutive losing season.
• The third-worst run differential in the majors and worst in the American League.
• Manager Ron Washington had to step down in June due to health concerns.
• Yusei Kikuchi publicly complained about the lack of air conditioning in the team’s weight room. (At least the Angels then posted a job for an HVAC technician.)
• The Angels finished last in the majors with a .225 batting average and first in strikeouts.
• The bullpen was one of the worst in Angels history.
• The ongoing Tyler Skaggs trial.
• The ongoing Anthony Rendon saga. He didn’t play at all in 2025 and is still owed $38.5 million in the final year of his contract, so there will be some sort of buyout. Don’t expect a goodbye ceremony.
Bottom line: The Angels drop in the rankings only because this chaos is now the norm. As one Reddit user put it: “This team has zero chemistry, a losing culture, a clueless GM, a terrible owner, way below average MLB pitching, zero grit, zero leadership.”

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Trusted Member

max

1 month ago

Reply to RexFregosi

But 6-0 against the Ohtanis

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to RexFregosi

Terrible rankings. Twins have a very interesting farm and are just in the middle of a typical rebuild. Pirates have a great pitching pipeline.

There’s an argument with the Mets, give ROI on investments, but unlike Moreno, they gave an owner who spends to win, even if it hasn’t planned out yet.

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

The Angels trading young talent for 35 year old expensive Arredondo would be so stupid and meaningless that it almost seems like something the Angels would do.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

It’s really inevitable, it checks all the boxes Arte craves:

well-known player with name recognition, the type of player that helps support the illusion that he (Arte) is trying to winplays at a marquee positionwas previously an all-starlikely (borderline?) Hall of Fame inducteeis still owed big money ($74 million through 2027)

Last edited 1 month ago by Senator_John_Blutarsky

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Super Member

HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

What about something like this: (We could exchange either Schanuel or Burleson to the Yankees.) Just a thought.

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

Would suck to lose TGA but that at least fills multiple roster spots for a couple of years.

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

I think even this would be a bad deal for the Angels from a monetary standpoint with the owner that we have. That Arredondo contract at this point is not dissimilar from Vernon Wells when the Angels gave up Napoli and Rivera and assumed all monetary responsibility.

Additionally, there is a very little chance that a deal like this would happen, even if it is supported by the trade simulator. Those two pitchers are very unlikely to be part of the deal.

A deal for Arredondo would likely be something like the Angels assuming all responsibility for the monetary portion of the deal and sending one or two middle level prospects to the Cardinals. No thank you.

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Super Member

HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

The simulators say you get value for taking Arenado – you don’t give it up.

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

The simulator is often wrong. Why would the Angels want a $27 million contract for next year from a player who produced a little bit over one WAR and who is 35 years old? It’s so silly. It’s not like this guy is going to really add anything except a perceived marquee value. Do we just want the Angels to do something regardless of how stupid it actually is?!

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HalosFanForLife

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

Nobody is taking Arenado without getting something in return. Nobody. Taking him in – even if we were to go more for a prospect instead of now value – we get something and he comes off the books in two. We have no bench in the minor leagues so it’s going to take money to get out of it. We can’t get around that. Take the hit now for having huge flexibility in 2028. Gives a perception to the unknowing that they are trying, but the plan is to have a lot of cash in two years. Just my reason why. But let’s face it, we’re missing too much on our minor league system and nothing will change until we fix that. Both of these guys could be traded next year at the deadline which I will be a big proponent in doing heavily next year. One year we need to really be sellers.

Last edited 1 month ago by HalosFanForLife

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Fansince1971

1 month ago

Reply to HalosFanForLife

I understand your thought process and respect it. That said, I don’t see any reason why this team would take on a contract of that size for a 35-year-old fading veteran. I just don’t think it serves any purpose and I’m skeptical about the return that they would get for taking that contract.

The whole basis for the speculation in the News stories is the idea that Rendon might be willing to negotiate a buyout. That is a huge question mark.

So it’s all just wild speculation during a period of time where there is very little news.

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Super Member

RexFregosi

1 month ago

Reply to Fansince1971

a local kid who will look good on a billboard and sell tickets.

it makes 100% sense in the Haloverse where Marquee value is much better than OPS+

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to RexFregosi

I love you guys and your “sell tickets” thing. It’s not Pujols. No one thinks old Nolan is filling any seats. There is no conspiracy here. Nor was there with Koochie. The Angels, just like Japanese people and other baseball fans, are aware that Ohtani and Kooch are two very different people.

If they pick up Nolan it’s because they are stupid and think he’ll solve 3B.

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Super Member

tanana40

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

and trading away a player in the minor leagues that the average fan has never heard of it, it is nothing but a win-win from Arte’s view.

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Super Member

clover_black

1 month ago

“ It’s starting to become clear what the Angels’ strategy is this offseason.
They’ve gone after players with an element of risk but also with some upside.”

This is every offseason.

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Editor

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to clover_black

Moreso since Perry got here. And it makes sense to a degree. I’d rather see if Moniak, Peraza, and Grissom can capture their prospect ceilings than see over the hill veterans cashing one last check before retirement.

The constant is the lack of talent flowing from our farm to MLB to avoid having to acquire so many players each off season.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Jeff Joiner

I appreciate the upgrades at Madison, Rancho Cockroach, Pasco and “the lab”. I appreciate getting Maddox to coach. I can see that, compared to past years, we are doing more internationally. That’s all nice.

This “flyer taking” at the upper levels would be a lot easier to sell to at least SOME fans like myself if their last draft hadn’t been such a boondoggle. I like Bremner, but the rest of that pile isn’t bad but also isn’t impressive. If this next draft, and even the chatter before it, is some sort of “man, the Angels have a lot more scouts out this year” and then they go out and take a big pile of healthy gambles that look like they have a plan, that would be a nice step.

Ad some trades for prospects. Make some announcements and noises about system wide coaching and training plans, etc. Push info about prospects doing well.

I’m fine with a kid like Grissom. But I’d actually be less critical of the team if they were to just come out and say they are working on a bunch of foundational stuff from the farm up and that sausage making can get ugly.

Sure. Mike Trout and Old Man Demandachamp will be sad. I don’t care. Cardinal fans seem to be surviving Blooms plan OK.

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tanana40

1 month ago

Reply to clover_black

which translates that they acquire players who I think, “that player was once good or a prospect” and then I look up stats and they were last good four or five years ago.

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Eric_in_Portland

1 month ago

Reply to tanana40

They might still be good. Covid threw off their training and probably caused the injuries that made them terrible or kept them from playing. Maddux will fix them

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to tanana40

Four out of five of these guys will be washed. Thankfully, the Angels, Bees and Pandas are in a spot where we can give about 20 of these guys a try and see if we can get four players out of it.

“Oh no! Grissom may block Kyren Paris” isn’t a thing… and it’s all we’ve got.

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Oh no. Set up to make the proverbial “one big deal”…..also known as “Perry’s Next Big Splash”

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FungoAle

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

Classic, LOL. if you freeze the gif, looks like many big A insignias on her swim suit.

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WallyChuckChili

1 month ago

Don’t know what it says (paywall) but Title says it all.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2025-12-22/should-angels-fans-give-up-join-dodgers-bandwagon

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steelgolf

1 month ago

Reply to WallyChuckChili

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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Senator_John_Blutarsky

1 month ago

Reply to WallyChuckChili

Wait…give up?

The LA Times – Chavez Latrine wiping material. Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!…

It ain’t over now, ’cause when the goin’ gets tough, the tough get goin’. We’re going to ride this all the way down to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Who’s with me? Let’s go! Come on!

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

Why don’t LA news fans just give up and get their news from the internet as a whole instead of paying the LA Times?

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Super Member

PedroCerrano

1 month ago

Reply to Senator_John_Blutarsky

LOL, I wish I knew how to not care. This team IS teaching me to not like baseball nearly as much as I once did.

I often find myself watching random games from other teams just for the experience of watching good baseball when it doesn’t result in Angel loses.

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Trusted Member

CAoldskoll

1 month ago

Reply to WallyChuckChili

It’s Ok to follow out of town teams, or because you like a lot of their players. Heck, some people I know became a fan simply because the ‘’Reds’ were their first little league team. But bandwagon’s just suck period. Shows you have no loyalty, and your priority is following the winning team. We’ve seen a bunch in LA, the from Bulls fans to all the Niners football. It’s also a flex thing; wearing that winners jersey or cap around. That article is stupid. If there are Angels fans that don’t have brand loyalty, go ahead and jump ship to the enemy blue. Thinking we already had one who everyone liked that did. Goodbye!

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to CAoldskoll

Let’s go Diamondbacks! Or Padres! Hell, go root for the Marlins. The Angels will still be here…. sucking.

I just don’t understand how a human roots for the Angels, then goes and roots for the Doyers, then maybe goes back to the Angels. I’d just feel like a total shitbag.

It’s easy to explain that my team sucks, so I watch the Royals and Tigers and Reds because they have players I really enjoy…. but I still want the Angels to beat them when they play and I want the Angels to get better.

The “I root for LA” type thing is pretty candy ass. You mean like all those fans that love both the White Sox and the Cubs? Or the Mets and Yankees?

All you have to do is listen to how Doyer and Laker fans talk about the Clippers and Angels and their fans…. it should be clear there is a side to take and if you’re “both” you kinda suck.

It’s interesting, with the NFL. As a kid I loved the Raiders and the Steelers. The Raiders left, so I couldn’t see them on TV every week and Al Davis sucked. So I became a Steelers fan full time. Still am. That guy in Detroit 100% deserved to get smacked in the head by Metcalf. Why? Go Steelers.

But I am happy LA has football. I’ve always been fine with both the Rams and Chargers. I watch both teams. But as the season’s go by it’s becoming more clear to me, I don’t like the “Whose HOUSE!” Rams fans all that much. I don’t like the Ram’s personality as much. It’s like rooting for Applecorp. The Chargers are an AFC team…. but I’m starting to like them more than the Rams, even if I’m still at the point where I watch the Rams with my parents and usually want them to win.

Give it another few years. I’m probably a Chargers fan. Mostly because the Rams just feel more like a team whose fans I don’t want to be like, even if the team itself is fine. At that point I’m not likely to be in the “I like both teams” camp. I’ll always want the Steelers to win, but if I’m backing an LA team I won’t be comfortable rooting for both soon.

I face an even bigger problem because I want to get a job out of state badly. A lot of jobs in the Dallas area. I just can’t even pretend to be into the Cowboys.

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Jeff Joiner

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

UCLA baseball is pretty highly ranked and rosters the current #1 prospect in the land.

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Super Member

Turk's Teeth

1 month ago

Reply to gitchogritchoffmypettis

I’ve *tried* rooting for the Dodgers, year after year. I mean, I’ve lived in Echo Park, within five minutes of the stadium, for a quarter century. I just don’t think it’s possible for an Angels fan to get from A to B. I don’t hate them – I’m just indifferent.

Rooting for the A’s or Padres…much easier. But I’m not realistically going to get to those games more than once a year.

So I root for prospects and MiLB clubs, and watch college games. YMMV.

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gitchogritchoffmypettis

1 month ago

Reply to WallyChuckChili

Sure. If this were 1988 and I had no personal standards. But why would I become a simp for that group of assholes when I can just become a fan of any other team now?

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clover_black

1 month ago

Reply to WallyChuckChili

If I could do that, I would.

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