It was awesome watching the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee celebrate their first World Series title. For those of us who were around in 2002 it was special and something we will always treasure. To see great fans get that experience warmed my heart. There was one more thread I found. We missed the Singing Cowboy and the Brewers missed Bob Uecker. Just barely.
The two teams in the final got there on the strength of old school baseball. Pitch well, put the ball in play, and play great defense. Those who did not watch the Fall Classic will see a 4-1 win and not realize how great 3 of those games were. The margin of victory was so slim that a single here or there for the Rays and it could have been a different story.
Only one game was a beatdown, and that was game three. That beatdown was the result of an incredible 2 out rally that pushed the game from close to laughable. FanGraphs broke down the rally in their usual epic fashion.
And now it is time to look forward. Like in 2002 this has been a long time coming and is reason for celebrate. The last season of Arte Moreno’s ownership is over and the transition to a winner can get started.
No Arte, but there is Arjun. The kid keeps mashing.
I say we raid the defending champions for some front office talent. I’ll take any or all of these guys.
Statistically, there were two huge differences between the Angels and Brewers this year. Fixing those two will determine the fate of the Angels next year.
Fixing flaws is what the off season is all about. So far, two players have been outrighted and Kyren Paris was lost to the Mets. Was not that long ago KP was a top 5 prospect in the organization, which mostly says a lot about the farm at that time.
Ah yes, the off season. One under the direction of Stan Kroenke. I will not get tired to typing that. What might that look like? I took a look at how he runs the Rams for some insights.
So I’m learning a bit about Google trends and how to publish pieces that will get some looks. Dropping that ditty on a Sunday before the Rams game worked. Now I just need to up my social media game. If you know of a college kid looking to intern, send them my way.
Seiya Suzuki is an absolute stud and it would be nice to recapture some of the Japanese fan base. But the Angels absolutely must pass on him this off season. There are a couple of low K/low key outfielders that would work perfectly, however. Unfortunately the article on them publishes an hour after this one.
There’s zero chance Nick Martinez duplicates his 2026 season. But I’d take him in a heartbeat if he can duplicate his 2024-2025 run and given his profile I think that is a reasonable expectation.
Among all this searching, Alec Bohm is by far the most logical free agent candidate for the Angels. Just don’t block Jake Munroe for more than a year or so.
And here’s a bit of a longform read for you. My second highest trending article of the week. Believe it or not, Darin Erstad is a legitimate candidate for the Angels managerial job.
And, oh my Lord, how I loved this show and song when I was a little boy.
Tried firing up an episode a few years back and it is absolutely horrible. Best left to nostalgia. Apparently a cool theme song and a dude who can’t really fly is all it took to impress preschool me.
From around baseball:
The Mets adding Mariano Duncan to their coaching staff was really cool. I’d forgotten all about him but he was a solid utility player and I like to think he learned enough tidbits and tricks along the way to make him a decent coach.
The Astros are going to interview old school GM Mike Rizzo for their GM gig. For once, the Angels owner is not the backwards thinking meddlesome one looking for a front office guy he can bulldoze.
Guys who win the Roberto Clemente Award deserve more publicity. Francisco Lindor took the crown this year.
In case you forgot, Zach Neto was the Angels nominee this year and I ran a story on that (complete with quotes from Neto) when it was announced.
And, finally, the best thing I’ve ever linked. Our friend Victor is battling prostate cancer but things are looking good for him.
Have a great weekend and link what I missed. I am attending a wedding for my Muay Thai coach tonight and am supposed to give a speech/lead a toast. My old sparring partner will be there, some guy named Rampage Jackson. I kid, he’d kill me, but I did drill with him when he was in camp to fight Shannon Briggs and have a couple of stories about putting in my mouthguard, lacing up the gloves, and throwing some punches with the legend. But the real story is congrats to Anthony and Mindy.
