Rocky Season Comes To A Close For The Halos

As I sit here and watch the Angels wrap up their 2010 season against the AL West champion Rangers, I am compelled to look back on the Halos season of disappointment and its hopeful season of redemption in 2011.

With such short memories and attention spans these days, too many fans expect their team to be in the playoffs contending for championships every season.  The problem with that type of expectation is that it’s simply silly.

Only 8 teams make the MLB postseason, meaning 22 teams are left on the outside of the playoff picture every year.  In other words, teams have a much better chance (73%) of missing the postseason rather than playing (27%) for a World Series title.  So ease up, Angels fans, having gone to the playoffs each of the last 3 years is a pretty good run.

Having said that, I know for a fact that missing out on the postseason this year does not sit very well with owner Arte Moreno, GM Tony Reagins or manager Mike Scioscia.  All three have indicated that a thorough examination of the organization will start immediately so a plan can be put in place to get this team back on the road to a World Series title.

Based on some of my conversations with team personnel, players and coaches, here are some things that must happen before the 2011 season gets underway.


foxsportswest.com: Rocky Season Comes To A Close For The Halos

ALL-STAR GAME COACHING STAFFS APPOINTED

Charlie Manuel Names San Diego’s Bud Black, San Francisco’s Bruce Bochy to N.L. Staff;

Joe Girardi Appoints Host Angels Manager Mike Scioscia, A’s Skipper Bob Geren

NEW YORK -- National League All-Star manager Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies and American League All-Star manager Joe Girardi of the New York Yankees have announced the managers who will serve as their coaches at the 81st All-Star Game, to be played on Tuesday, July 13th at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Manuel has appointed San Diego Padres manager Bud Black and San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy as the N.L. coaches.  Black was an N.L. coach at the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, and he also participated in the 2003 All-Star Game while serving as the pitching coach of the Angels, a capacity in which he served from the 2000-2006 seasons.  Bochy, who managed the N.L. All-Stars in the 1999 Midsummer Classic at Fenway Park, will be an N.L. coach for the fourth time, having also done so at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, the 2001 Midsummer Classic in Seattle and the 2007 All-Star Game at his home ballpark, AT&T Park.  Manuel’s Phillies coaches – bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer, pitching coach Rich Dubee, first base coach Davey Lopes, bench coach Pete Mackanin, third base coach Sam Perlozzo and hitting coach Milt Thompson – will assist with batting practice and other field duties.  Sean Cunningham, head athletic trainer of the Florida Marlins, and Keith Dugger, head athletic trainer of the Colorado Rockies, will round out the N.L. staff.

Girardi has named Angels manager Mike Scioscia and Oakland Athletics skipper Bob Geren as the A.L. coaches.  Scioscia, a two-time All-Star as a player, managed the A.L. All-Stars in 2003 and served as an A.L. coach in 2002.  Geren, a San Diego native, has led the A’s since 2007 and will be in the A.L. dugout for the Midsummer Classic for the first time.  Girardi’s Yankees coaches – pitching coach Dave Eiland, bullpen coach Mike Harkey, first base coach Mick Kelleher, hitting coach Kevin Long, bench coach Tony Peña and third base coach Rob Thomson – will comprise his staff along with Angels head certified athletic trainer Ned Bergert and Seattle Mariners head athletic trainer Rick Griffin.

The 81st Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX Sports, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and Le Reseau des Sports, and around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8:00 p.m. (EDT)/5:00 p.m. (PDT).  ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage.  MLB Network, MLB.com and Sirius XM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Game coverage.

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Scioscia In No Hurry To Make Closer Change

To no one's surprise, Angels manager Mike Scioscia was peppered with questions regarding the team's closer situation Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Brian Fuentes gave up 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk for his second blown save of the season.  Luckily, the Angels were able to pull out the victory in 11 innings, but despite the win, the fans and the media were still screaming for a change at the end of the bullpen.

Fuentes has obviously struggled this season, evidenced by his 7.04 ERA and his three home runs allowed in just 7 2/3 innings.  Those numbers kind of make it hard for fans to remember that Fuentes led the majors with 48 saves last season.  However, last year is last year, and as Janet Jackson once sang, fans want to know "What have you done for me lately?"

It's a good thing for Fuentes that Scioscia is a little more patient than the fans and media.  The Angels manager spent the better part of 20 minutes Tuesday not defending Fuentes, but rather defending his choice to wait a while longer before doing anything drastic: i.e., handing the closer duties over to 8th-inning specialist Fernando Rodney.

"It's a little premature to make wholesale changes," Scioscia said. "If things progress and we feel we'll be stronger making an adjustment, we'll do it, but right now we want this thing to play its way out with (Kevin) Jepsen, (Scot) Shields and Rodney and then Fuentes."

Scioscia has long maintained that the Angels bullpen is at its best if the rotation is laid out the way he describes.  Plus, he thinks the major issue is not whether Fuentes is the closer or the setup man, but rather how he well or poorly he's pitching.  As the Angels manager points out, if Fuentes is struggling in the 9th inning, there's a pretty good chance he would struggle in the 8th inning.  Struggles are struggles, no matter what inning in which you are pitching.

But even with that being said, the fact remains that Rodney has been quite successful in the closer role, both previously and this year with the Angels.  Last season in Detroit, Rodney saved 37 of 38 games.  This year while Fuentes was recovering from a sore back, Rodney was a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities--thus, giving even more fuel to the "Swap Rodney For Fuentes" calls from the critics, but don't expect Scioscia to be easily swayed by the pressure.

"We'll shuffle the deck if we have to, but right now there have been a couple tough appearances from Brian, but we feel we need to have our guys lined up the way they are," Scioscia said. "It's our best look and we want to see if it will keep moving forward."

ANGELS MANAGER MIKE SCIOSCIA TO HOLD YOUTH BASEBALL CLINIC

WHAT:  Angels Manager Mike Scioscia is reaching out to children in the community to
teach them the proper fundamentals of the game of baseball.

Scioscia and the Amateur Baseball Development Group (ABDG) will host the Mike Scioscia/Howard’s Youth Baseball Clinic presented by Howard’s Appliance & Flat Screen Superstores on Saturday, May 15th at Angel Stadium.

This event will be a lecture type format with an autograph session to follow.

The clinic is free and open to the public, with a focus on children ages 5-14.

WHEN:     Saturday, May 15th from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. with registration starting at 8:30 AM at Gate 1. Participants are encouraged to arrive early, and bring a maximum of two (2) Angels items for an autograph session at the conclusion of the clinic. No baseball equipment will be needed for the clinic.

WHERE:  Angel Stadium of Anaheim – Enter through Gate # 1
2000 Gene Autry Way, Anaheim, CA 92806

WHO:      Angels Manager Mike Scioscia along with select Angel players, coaches and
broadcasters.

***For more information on the Amateur Baseball Development Group, please visit their
website at: www.abdg.org***

--ANGELS--

Pitching Comes Around and So Does Angels’ Record

What a difference some good pitching can make.
 
When the Angels started the season 2-6, most fans started to get a little restless and were wondering if the Angels knew that spring training had ended the week prior and these games actually counted.
 
The poor play had infected just about every aspect of the team. Starters were giving up too many early runs and not getting deep into games.  Relievers were bringing gasoline cans to the mound instead of water hoses. Hitters couldn't get enough key hits in timely situations.  And the defense and base running -- two staples of the Scioscia era -- were equally lackluster.
 
One person who didn't jump on the panic bandwagon, of course, was manager Mike Scioscia.  He knew the talent he had on his ballclub and had complete confidence that things would turn around sooner rather than later, but he wasn't about to just sit by idly and wait for the Angels to flip the switch and start playing better.  

foxsportswest.com: Pitching Comes Around and So Does Angels’ Record 

Angels Trade Matthews To Mets In Exchange For Stokes

This move may come as very little surprise to those who follow the Angels closely.  After his first season in Anaheim, Gary Matthews, Jr. and Mike Scioscia were like oil and water.  Their personalities didn't work well together, and they rarely viewed things the same way.  

But even beyond that dynamic, from a baseball standpoint there just wasn't enough room in the outfield or the lineup for Matthews.  It was something he noticed immediately after the signing of Torii Hunter, and that's why he's been open to trade scenarios for quite some time.  And who can blame him?  The guy wants to play and compete.

ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels Friday acquired right-handed pitcher Brian Stokes from the New York Mets in exchange for outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. in an announcement by General Manager Tony Reagins.

Stokes, 30, comes to the Angels after making 64 relief appearances with the Mets in 2009 going 2-4 with a 3.97 ERA (70.1 IP – 31 ER).  New York purchased Stokes from Tampa Bay on November 28, 2007. In two seasons with the Mets, Stokes compiled a 3-4 record with a 3.82 ERA in 93 appearances, including one start.

The Montclair, CA native was originally signed by Tampa Bay as a non-drafted free agent in 1998.  He saw Major League time with the Rays in 2006 & 2007, combining for a 3-7 mark and a 6.46 ERA (86.1 IP – 62 ER) in 64 appearances (4 starts). In four seasons at the Major League level, Stokes has posted a 6-11 mark with one save and a 5.02 ERA in 157 appearances (5 starts).

Stokes graduated from Jurupa High School in Riverside, CA and attended Riverside Community College.

Matthews Jr. was signed by the Angels to a five-year contract on Nov. 22, 2006 and spent three seasons with the Halos.  In that span, he appeared in 369 games batting .249 (312/1255) with 30 home runs and 168 RBI.

www.angelsbaseball.com

Don't Believe The Hype Of The Curse

I know some of you have already been talking about it, but I don't want to hear it. I know it helps you deal with the pain of yet another playoff loss, but I don't want to hear it. I know it's the only reason you can come up with to explain why this keeps happening, but I still don't want to hear it.

THERE IS NO BOSTON RED SOX CURSE ON THE ANGELS!

Just go ahead and get that nonsense out of your head right now. There is no curse. It does not exist. It never has and it never will.

A curse is not the reason the Angels lost this series. A curse is not the reason why Reggie Willits didn't catch that ball in Game 2. A curse is not the reason why the Angels had 20 hits in the first two games but only one of them went for extra bases. A curse is not the reason Erik Aybar missed the bunt on that suicide squeeze.

The Angels lost because they didn't play well enough. It's that simple.

We've seen it countless times across countless sports. The best team doesn't always win, and it's always for the same reason. They simply didn't play well enough to win.

Mike Scioscia and the rest of the team will be the first to tell you. They had their chances, but they didn't take advantage of them. You can get away with that sometimes during the regular season, especially in the AL West. But in order to advance in the playoffs, you have to make the most of each and every opportunity.

Now, the Angels will be faced with some serious decisions in the off-season. The futures of Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Teixeira, Jon Garland, and Frankie Rodriguez will all be determined by either Arte Moreno and Tony Reagins or, in some cases, the players themselves. This winter will go a long way in shaping the Angels chances of a return trip to the playoffs to pursue yet another World Series title.

But if you want to do your part to help the Angels this off-season. Do everyone a favor and get that damn curse out of your head. Holding on to such nonsense is not good for the soul or the team. Just ask the Cubs!