Halo Wheelhouse

Angels Come To Terms With DH Hideki Matsui

2009-12-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's being reported by mlbtraderumors.com that the Angels have signed World Series hero Hideki Matsui, 35 to a one year, 6.5 million dollar deal. The Matsui signing signals a likely end to the Angel career of Vladimir Guerrero who had served in the DH role this past season, and is a free agent.

Assuming that Guerrero is gone, the Angels went 0 for 3 on resigning their superstar players Chone Figgins, John Lackey, and Guerrero.

They also missed out on the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee (who knew?) sweepstakes. Reportedly, they are still in the running for BoSox OF Jason Bay (who would be the 7th outfielder), but what is their plan for pitching?

Not only have the Halos watched their team become diluted by exiting talent, but they have also sat on the sidelines and watched their AL West rival Seattle Mariners add serious talent to their squad in utility man Chone Figgins, and SP Cliff Lee.

Have we been bamboozled?

2009-11-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Angels, Abreu come to terms

The outfielder agrees to a two-year, $19 million deal to stay with the team.

By BILL PLUNKETT -- THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER Friday, November 6, 2009

ANAHEIM -- The last is first.

Veteran outfielder Bobby Abreu, left out in the cold for most of last winter's free-agent season, didn't sign with the Angels until the eve of spring training.

Aberu established himself as one of the best bargains in baseball this past season, and he and the Angels agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract Thursday on the first day eligible players could file for free agency. The agreement will pay Abreu $9 million each of the next two seasons with an option for another $9 million in 2012.

The third year vests if Abreu makes 550 plate appearances in 2011 or a total of 1,200 over the next two seasons. The Angels can buy out the option year for $1 million.

Abreu played this past season for $5 million plus $1 million in incentives.

"We have a number of decisions to make. This was definitely a significant step," Angels general manager GM Tony Reagins said of signing Abreu, one of seven potential free agents the Angels have this offseason.

"We felt Bobby was someone we definitely wanted back. He really transformed our lineup. He really brings so much to our lineup and to our clubhouse."

Abreu, 35, hit .293 with 96 runs scored, 15 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 103 RBIs and a .390 on-base percentage in 152 games.

He reached a number of milestones with those numbers: 12 consecutive seasons of at least 150 games (five players in baseball history have done that), seven consecutive 100-RBI seasons (only Albert Pujols among active players can match that), a fifth season of 30 steals and 100 RBIs (only the fifth player in baseball history with that many) and more than 2,000 career hits.

But it was Abreu's influence on the Angels hitters that proved as valuable as his production. Abreu took 67.6 percent of the pitches he saw this season, second most in the majors, and his patience and disciplined approach served as a positive example for other Angels hitters.

The fact that his approach was appreciated by the Angels went a long way toward making him want to return, Abreu said Thursday.

"If you see this season, the last three or four seasons have been the same (statistically for him)," Abreu said. "This year, I've been more recognized by the fans and one of the reasons is the Angels let the people know what I'm doing here.

"It means a lot to me this year to have a lot of respect on the field. This is a team that gives you an opportunity to be in the playoffs. My first time with them, I was very close to the World Series. Why not stay?"

Convincing the Angels' other free agents of that will be Reagins' task over the next two weeks. Teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents for the first 15 days after the conclusion of the World Series. For the Angels, that list includes John Lackey, Darren Oliver, Vladimir Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Robb Quinlan and Kelvim Escobar.

Abreu's quick signing would seem to make it less likely Guerrero will return. But Reagins said one free-agent decision does not preclude another.

"This is just Step One. It doesn't make our other decisions any more difficult or easier to make," Reagins said. "This just means we know we have Bobby in the fold. He can play right field, left field or DH. So one of those holes is filled."

Prelminary contract discussions with Abreu's agent had been going on for weeks before things were finalized in the past 48 hours, Reagins said. Discussions with the Angels' other free agents have not progressed nearly as far but "things can change quickly," Reagins said.

The other free agent likely to be as easy to re-sign as Abreu is Oliver. The veteran left-hander has said he would consider retiring after the 2009 season but Reagins said Oliver, 39, indicated to him that "he's interested in playing next year" but "that decision was not 100 percent made."
If Oliver wants to continue playing, the Angels have significant interest in re-signing Oliver, Reagins said. Over three seasons with the Angels, Oliver has a 15-3 record and 3.09 ERA.

Hex Shmex!!

2009-10-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

For all the talk of Boston having the Angels number, they looked absolutely helpless last night at Angels Stadium.

John Lackey hadn't won a Playoff game since Game #7 of the World Series in 2002, when he was still a rookie. No matter!! Big John was pounding the strike zone, throwing darts, fooling Red Sox batters and scattering 4 singles into the 8th inning when, he was replaced with Darren Oliver. A huge standing ovation from the crowd enduced a snappy tip of the cap, almost signifying a "Thank You" to crowd and a "Take That!" to the opposing dugout.

On the hitting side, the biggest blow of the night came in the 5th inning when Torii Hunter ripped a 3R Home Run into the rockpile in Center Field. His emphatic flip of the bat, fist pump as he rounded 1st base and helmet slam and scream as he walked through the dugout served notice that he would not allow his team to fail. Not this night... Not against this opponent...

The energy in the stadium was electric and the fans were loud, loud, loud!! Unlike past postseason series against the Red Sox, the crowd was 99% Halo Power with just a few sprinkled Red Sox fans. Having managed only a few base runners the entire game, the few that were there were eerily silent, slumping over as batter after batter failed to make an impact on the game. Three errors by the BoSox summed up just how unprepared the players were for this crucial Game #1. Many felt the Angels had to win convincingly to show that they would not allow the past postseason failures of 2004 - 2008 to the Red Sox to repeat themselves. That they did!

Knee Operation To Knock Shields Out For The Remainder Of The Season

2009-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

Angels middle reliever and major innings eater has decided to get knee surgery which will shut down the rest of his season.

According to the LA Times, "Shields said he made the decision Saturday night after consulting with Dr. Lewis Yocum, the Angels' medical director."

This continues the Halos pitching blues that have been marred by injury and tragedy to their pitching staff.

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Goodbye Howie!

2009-06-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

This blogger is briefly lifting his self-imposed ban of acknowledging Howie Kendrick's existence to tell you that he has been sent down to the Angels triple A club. This blogger could not be happier.

As a fan, there's times when you just know that the so-called experts are wrong about somebody, and this was one of those cases. According to everyone who knows anything about baseball, Kendrick was a sure fire great hitter in the making. And this trip to the minors doesn't mean he won't be.

But you can just tell when a guy looks like the real deal, and in my viewing experience, Kendrick never did. I hope the Angels bring up Brandon Wood today, and judging by every other Angels blog I've ever seen, most of you agree.

Lackey Throws Two Pitches And Is Ejected

2009-05-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Recently off the DL, Angels Ace John Lackey throws two pitches and is ejected from the game.

The delayed due to rain game in Texas saw Lackey take the mound, throw his first pitch behind Texas Ranger Ian Kinsler, and then nail him in the ribs with his 2nd.

The Rangers have hit well against Lackey in the past. The box score from Lackey's last start against Texas was 2.2 innings pitched, 12 hits, and 10 earned runs.

Starters Getting Healthy, Bullpen Relieved

2009-05-13T14:46:00.000-07:00

ANAHEIM -- Angels ace John Lackey made it comfortably through 80 pitches and five innings on Sunday in his second Minor League rehab start for Triple-A Salt Lake, putting him right on schedule to go against the Rangers this weekend in a three-game series.

Ervin Santana, also having sailed through two Minor League rehab outings, threw a bullpen session before Tuesday night's game against the Red Sox and also could be activated when the Angels hit the road for a swing through Texas, Seattle and back to Los Angeles for an Interleague Series at Dodger Stadium against the Dodgers.

"We're making some decisions as the day's moving on," manager Mike Scioscia said. "There are a lot of things we're looking at. John's ready to pitch for us. He's going to throw a bullpen tomorrow or [Thursday]. Ervin, we're going to look and see how he comes out of this 'pen. He feels great."

Lackey, having yielded three runs against Portland in his five innings, left no doubt that his recovery from a strained right forearm has him strong enough to challenge the Rangers' explosive lineup in the series that opens on Friday night.

"I feel good," Lackey said. "Definitely, I think I'm past it. I threw 78 pitches [on Sunday] and felt like I had 10 or 15 left in me. That was a good sign."

Another positive sign was maintaining his stuff and command throughout, to the finish.

Asked about getting the call on Friday on his native turf, Lackey said, "Yeah, I feel like I am where I'm ready. I've been around the block once or twice. I even threw a couple of good changeups. I don't even do that here."

Lackey got enough outs with fastballs and curveballs in 2007 to finish third in the Cy Young Award balloting and win a career-high 19 games along with the league ERA title.

Having missed the season's first six weeks for the second year in a row with arm issues -- it was a triceps strain that cost him eight or nine starts in 2008 -- he's understandably eager to get started.

Santana wasn't as expressive or definitive as Lackey, saying only that he feels good in his recovery from a sprained right elbow ligament.

"I don't know when I'm pitching," Santana said. "That's not my decision. But I feel good. We'll see what happens."

Santana was an American League All-Star in 2008, emerging as one of the game's dominant starters with a 16-7 record, 3.49 ERA and 214 strikeouts (second in the AL) in 219 innings. He also was fourth in batting average against at .237.

"If they're ready to take that next step," Scioscia said, "it's going to be with us."

Two other Angels starters -- Kelvim Escobar and Dustin Moseley -- are in Arizona in extended spring training.

Escobar, eligible to come off the disabled list on June 4 in his recovery from shoulder surgery last July, pitched in a camp game on Monday and "threw very well," according to Scioscia.

Moseley, on the disabled list with tightness in his right forearm, had his first appearance in game conditions postponed by "a little issue up in his neck," Scioscia said. Moseley is being treated and it is not considered serious, the manager added.

Source: http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090512&content_id=4688664&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana

Angels Give Washburn 100th Loss After Giving Him His 100th Win

2009-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Angels have not yet been able to win consecutive games this season. They did however blank the division leading Seattle Mariners 8-0 today and hand former Halo starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn his 100th major league loss in the process.

The interesting thing about this is that a mere 11 days ago, Washburn beat the Angels 11-3 which happened to be his 100th big league victory.

The Angels are 7-11 in April with 3 games left in the month which guarantees this month will break the Halos' streak of winning months that dates back to June 2006.

I say good riddance to this April month which has been so tragic and surreal.

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Pitching Dilemma Worsens For Angels

2009-04-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

There's an old blues song that goes "if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all." That is a pretty apt description for the Angels current starting pitching predicament. Except for them, the double negative doesn't make a positive.

The Angels currently have 6 pitchers on the DL. Yesterday, the stopgap solution of using RP Darren Oliver was thwarted when Oliver was placed on the 15 day DL with a strained left triceps.

Yesterday SP Kelvim Escobar was moved from the 15 day DL to the 60 day DL, negating the hopes that he would be part of the solution.

The recently called up relief pitcher Matt Palmer scored his first major league victory tonight against the Detroit Tigers. Even though the 30 year old retired 12 consecutive batters to win 10 - 5, he isn't our long term fix.

John Lackey and Ervin Santana are expected back within the next 3-4 weeks, but most likely the solution is to add an arm from outside the club.

Former Angels pitcher Paul Byrd says he could be ready with two weeks minor league play. This is a 180 from his former stance of stating he wanted to play after the All Star break.

Pedro Martinez also says he could be ready in two weeks, but is determined not to back off his asking price of $5 million to play for the season. At this point in Pedro's career, he has to be considered less than a stable commodity.

We could grab one of these pitchers, or package Gary Matthews Jr with a prospect to make a blockbuster trade. Matthews wants out anyway.

If it wasn't for bad luck, we wouldn't have no luck at all.

Ideas from the stands: Try Shields as a starter

2009-04-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

Scot Shields was terrible last night, getting the loss during a 12-10 slugfest against Detroit. He gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and couldn't get an out.

Here's a wacky idea - let's throw Shields out there as a starting pitcher and see what happens.

Let me justify. As Angel fans, we know Shields, we love Shields, and we know he goes through a few stretches from time to time where he is absolutely BAD. He's not one of those super unpredictable guys who could be great on day 1 and awful on day 2. His hot and cold stretches are much more long and drawn out.

The Angels are desperate for starting pitching right now - I have never even heard of the guy who is scheduled to start tonight's game. Why not just throw Shields out there and see what happens? We know he's got a rubber arm, five years ago they were talking about how he had earned a role in the starting rotation but he's too valuable in relief.

Maybe entering the game as a starter is just what Shields needs to shake him out of his slump, and maybe he can fill our biggest hole right now.

Angels Reach Out For Possible Pitching Relief

2009-04-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

In a change of philosophy, the Angels reached out to a trio of pitchers to check their situation.

GM Tony Reagins confirmed that he contacted unemployed starting pitchers Pedro Martinez, Mark Mulder, and former Halo hurler Paul Byrd.

The beginning of the 2009 season has found the Angels' starting pitching roster decimated by injury and tragedy.

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Sweet MLB Justice

2009-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

Major League Baseball handed down a stiff 6 game suspension to Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Josh Beckett today for his role in hurling a baseball at Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu's head in Sunday's game.

This is a solid action even after factoring in the fact that it's for 5 games and not 5 starts, and that Mike Scioscia, Torii Hunter, and Justin Speier all were also fined as part of this determination.

Many don't like the unwritten rules and long memories that is the tradition of baseball. Trust me that this event has not been forgotten and will be revisited in the future.

Boston has become the Angels arch rival even though Angels management and players downplay it. They've punked us in the postseason far too many times, and this event underscores the rivalry that exists on the field.

We need to figure out how to keep the BoSox faithful from taking over our yard everytime they come to town.

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Suspect in Adenhart's death cries during court hearing

2009-04-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

By EUGENE W. FIELDS -- THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Monday, April 13, 2009

FULLERTON – The arraignment of a San Gabriel man charged with three counts of murder in connection with a car crash that killed three people, including Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, was postponed to June 8.

Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, put his head down and wept as Judge Roger B. Robbins read the three second-degree murder counts against him. Gallo is accused of driving with a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the collision in the early hours of Thursday, police said.

The van Gallo was driving was going about 65 mph in a 35 mph zone when he allegedly ran a red light at Orangethorpe Avenue and Lemon Street and struck a Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Courtney Frances Stewart, 20, of Diamond Bar. She was killed, along with Adenhart, 22, and Henry Nigel Pearson, 25, of Manhattan Beach.

Jon Wilhite, the lone survivor of the crash, remained hospitalized Monday at UC Irvine Medical Center, his condition having been upgraded over the weekend from critical to serious.

Police said Gallo fled the crash scene, leaving his injured stepbrother in his wrecked van, but was apprehended about two miles away.

For previous coverage, video and photos of the Fullerton crash that killed three people click here.

In addition to the murder counts, Gallo is charged with felony counts of fleeing from the scene of a traffic collision involving death or permanent injury, driving under the influence causing injury and driving with a .08 percent blood alcohol or higher causing injury. Gallo has a prior conviction in San Bernardino County for driving under the influence in 2005 and was driving with his license suspended at the time of the crash, authorities said.

Gallo also faces sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily harm. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum sentence of 54 years and eight months to life in prison, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said last week.

Deputy District Attorney Susan Price asked Robbins to increase Gallo's bail amount to $2 million from $1 million, saying Gallo's behavior made him a flight risk. Robbins approved the bail increase.

“He was under a court order not to drink and drive and he disregarded those court orders, so that gives you a little bit of insight as to how he would treat future court orders,” Price said. “Secondly, this defendant fled from the scene of this collision.”

Gallo entered a courtroom holding cell wearing an untucked white button-down shirt. As he looked into the gallery, Gallo made eye contact with a member of the audience, turned his head and began to cry.

Defense attorney Randall T. Longwith called the crash a “terrible accident” and said Gallo's tears spoke to the level of his client's remorse.

“He's as distraught as can be,” Longwith said. “I doubt that he can get a fair trial in Orange County or anywhere in California, for that matter.”

Stewart's mother, Carrie Stewart-Dixon stood up and looked at Gallo as he walked into the holding cell. Stewart-Dixon was wearing a T-shirt bearing a picture of Stewart and the words “In Memory of Courtney Frances Stewart.”

“I didn't want to look at him, but as soon as I walked in, I wanted him to see her mom, so I stood up and looked right at him,” Stewart-Dixon said. “I don't know if I want to see him again.”

Adenhart had pitched six scoreless innings against the Oakland A's hours before the collision. Stewart-Dixon said her daughter was taking Adenhart to a dance club, In Cahoots, less than one block away from where the crash occurred.

“That was her place to go on Wednesday nights,” Stewart-Dixon said. “That was going to be their celebration for Nick after the game.”

Scioscia Sounds Off

2009-04-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sunday's game against the Red Sox saw BoSox starting pitcher Josh Beckett hurl a ball at Angels outfielder Bobby Abreu, start a benches clearing near riot, and then callously blame it on the Halos being emotional because of the recent tragedy.

After an extended check second, check home, check second routine from the mound, Abreu called timeout and Beckett continued his motion toward home, and threw a BB that barely missed Abreu's grill.

Then dugouts and bullpens emptied, the initial fracas died down and then experienced a couple waves of revival that saw Angels RP Justin Speier fire up, Mike Scioscia get electric, and Torii Hunter go ballistic and get tossed. If you saw the Fox coverage, it was initially reported that Sciosh was ejected in error.

So a day afterwards, bygones are bygones, right? Don't be so sure.

"I don't think it was handled very well," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Both dugouts emptied and yet our side [got] the wrath of the umpires."

Four members of the Angels were ejected to zero Red Sox. Fortunately, the Halos also finished ahead on runs 5-4 to win the game.

Of course the umpires disagree and as of this writing, MLB has made no official comment.

This incident was good for the Red Sox/Angels rivalry, and potentially deadly or career ending for Abreu.

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Slain Pitcher's Father May Throw Out First Pitch Tonight

2009-04-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Less than two days after the tragic car accident death of Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart by a drunk driver, it is being reported that his father Jim Adenhart may throw out the first pitch at tonight's matchup between the Halos and Red Sox.

Since the untimely death of the 22 year old, shocked Angels fans and have been mourning his passing by visiting a pitcher's mound erected near the gates of the stadium and leaving posters, rally monkeys, cards, and flowers, and other forms of tribute.

Adenhart's alleged killer, Andrew Thomas Gallo 22 of Riverside, was charged today with three counts of murder, driving under the influence and causing bodily harm, driving with a blood alcohol level of over .08 percent causing injury, and personally inflicting great bodily injury.

Gallo is facing 55 years to life.

Angels' rookie Nick Adenhart killed in accident

2009-04-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Angels rookie right-hander Nick Adenhart died early Thursday morning after a hit-and-run car accident in Fullerton, Calif.

The Angels said that Adenhart, 22, died as a result of his injuries after undergoing surgery at University of California-Irvine Medical Center. No other members of the Angels organization were involved, the club said.

"The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said in a statement issued by the club. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick's family, friends' loved ones and fans."

A man and a woman were killed and another person was seriously injured in the accident, which involved three vehicles. Authorities were blaming the accident on a motorist who ran a red light with his van and then fled the scene on foot. He was later found and taken into custody.

Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside will face charges of manslaughter, felony driving under the influence and hit-and-run, he said.

A gray Mistubishi, hit by the van, slammed into a light pole. Two of the occupants in the Mitsubishi were declared dead at the scene. Adenhart died just after 6 a.m. PT on Thursday.

Adenhart made his season debut against Oakland on Wednesday night, shutting out the A's for six innings in a game the Angels eventually lost, 6-4.

A 14th-round Draft choice in 2004, Adenhart made his Major League debut on May 1 last season and made three starts, winning one of them.

Adenhart is survived by his father Jim and mother Janet. His family released the following statement:

"Nick's family expresses sincere gratitude for all the help the Angels have provided. He lived his dream and was blessed to be part of an organization comprised of such warm, caring, and compassionate people. The Angels were his extended family. Thanks to all of Nick's loyal supporters and fans throughout his career. He will always be in everyone's hearts forever."

5th Man Out?

2009-03-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Gary Matthews Jr. is feeling like his wings have been clipped and he may be heading out of Angeltown.

After a meeting with Angels Skipper Mike Scioscia and GM Tony Reagins, Matthews refused to comment to reporters other than saying "Give me a day, OK guys? Thanks."

When asked if he was being traded he said "No". But he waived his no trade clause, and would like to go to a team that would let him start while paying him the remaining $33 million from his original 2007 $50 million contract.

The sand in the ointment for Matthews is the fact that he is 5th on the Angels' OF depth chart meaning that barring an injury, he won't even see consistent DH duties. He is currently playing behind Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Humter, newly acquired free agent Bobby Abreu, and Juan Rivera.

The unspoken frustration that Halos fans feel is that we spent a lot of money to get Matthews, who was coming off a career season in Texas. We paid $50 million dollars only to receive a player that wound up in the center of his own performance enhancing drug controversy, lost his ability to consistently produce, and became injury prone.

That HGH is a heckuva a drug.

Brian Fuentes Responds To Rough Performance

2009-03-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

New Angels closer Brian Fuentes got pushed around by the San Diego Padres in an exhibition game yesterday. He gave up 5 unearned runs in only 2/3rd of an inning of work Tuesday but said, ""Physically, everything is OK. I'm trying to work through some things."

3 time All Star closer Fuentes was acquired by the Angels during the offseason for $17.5 million or more for up to 3 years.

He has to fill the shoes of last year's record setting save king and closing pitcher Francisco Rodriguez, who left to the New York Mets in free agency.

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Economy Is Bogging Down Lackey Talks?

2009-03-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Angels GM Tony Reagins told USA Today that "The economy will affect any negotiation: "Attendance, corporate sponsorships and advertising are each trending (down)."

While not specifically mentioning the current negotiations with Halo starting pitcher John Lackey and his management, the timing seemed to lend itself to exactly that.

John Lackey is the ballclub's ace and anchor of the Halo pitching squad.

George Brett Wants To Be An Angel?

2009-03-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

Not in the way that tricky headline grabs you, but George Brett and his brother Bobby are purchasing the Angels' Class A club, the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

The well attended Inland Empire club feeds the Angels' farm system and provides locals an opportunity to see pro baseball without making the drive to OC.

The Brett family has a lot of experience owning minor league baseball clubs and see the farm club as a great opportunity to add to their portfolio.

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Oakland A's sign SS Orlando Cabrera

2009-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

After acquiring Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies and signing Free Agent Jason Giambi for 1 year at $5.25 million from the Yankees, the A's just signed SS Orlando Cabrera.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AruP3pdAth.4ZO9xTdwM8IIRvLYF?slug=ti-cabrerasigns030209&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txathleticscabrera&prov=st&type=lgns

Goodbye to GA, Thanks for the Memories

2009-02-24T06:01:00.000-08:00

Reports are that Garret Anderson is going to the Atlanta Braves for one year, 2.5 million dollars. As a fan, I wish he could have ended his career as an Angel. But, it is really not so bad. We've seen it happen to Percival and Erstad - guys that wanted to continue their career after they were no longer in the Angels plans.

From the Angels' viewpoint, buying out Anderson's 14 million dollar option for 3 million turned out to be a really smart move. Had the Angels been able to bring back Texieria, I wonder if they would have been more likely to give GA 3 million or so to bring him back. But after losing Tex, getting Abreu for 5 million is a better upgrade than going with the same lineup we had last year pre-Texieria.

GA's name is all over the Angels's recordbooks, and it is hard to imagine anyone coming up through the ranks now who will have the longevity and the diverse skills to overcome him. Vlad would have to stay healthy through 2015 to even consider topping GA's RBI totals.

As an Angel fan, we would love to give Anderson the retirement celebration he deserves, much like we got to give Tim Salmon. There's so many Angels who have deserved that, and yet have left on bad terms: Brian Downing and Darin Erstad top the list. And now GA.

Angels Re-Sign Ervin Santana

2009-02-15T21:34:00.001-08:00

In a touching Valentine day agreement, the Los Angeles Angels re-signed starting pitcher Ervin Santana.

The 26 year old signed a 4 year, $30 million dollar deal, with the Halos having an option for a 5th year (2013) at $13 million.

After a very poor 2007, Santana bounced back last season with a 16-7 record and 3.14 era.

You will never see this written about anywhere else, but a non-stat, non-scientific factoid about Santana is that his team often struggles for offensive production on his starts in an eery Murphy's Law kind of way.

You'll only get that analysis here.

Angels Reportedly Closing In On Abreu

2009-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

Granted it seems to be highly circumstantial, but most rumors are at this stage of the Hot Stove season.

According to this collection of factors, the Angels are reportedly closing in on outfield free agent Bobby Abreu. It has a timeline, so it must be legit, right?

Most fans and baseball talking heads alike feel the Halos are one to two marquee hitters away from being able to push deep into the playoffs.

Abreu, who most recently played for the New York Yankees is still considered to be a consistent hitter even though at 34 he is on the backside of his career. His play has made him an All Star twice, and a Golden Glover once.

Through the 2008 season his he holds career stats of .300 batting average, .903 slugging pct, 241 HR, 1084 rbi, and 318 stolen bases.

Angels Interested In Abreu And Dunn?

2009-02-08T15:50:00.001-08:00

According to FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, Angels GM Tony Reagins has not ruled out interest in 1B, OF, DH Adam Dunn or OF Bobby Abreu.

Reagins has stated that the Angels are in no way interested in free agent Manny Ramirez, with speculative conventional wisdom saying is due to the double whammy of Manny being Manny, and Scott Boras being Scott Boras. Remember that player agent Boras was also Mark Teixeira's agent and played with the Angels emotions and intentions.

As Rosenthal points out, the Angels seemed to be short a hitter last season and the loss of Teixeira to the dreaded New York Yankees doubling the problem.

The problem with both of these players is that you'd be basically bringing in offense only.......for the most part.

Angels Load Up WBC Rosters

2009-01-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

15 Angels players are on active rosters for various country teams in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

The players and teams lay out like this:

USA - Joe Saunders, Brian Fuentes and Scot Shields
Dominican Republic - Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Arredondo and Ervin Santana
Mexico - Freddy Sandoval
Venezuela - Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera
Puerto Rico - Luis Figueroa
Panama - Kevin Ramos
Italy - Mike Napoli and Kasey Olenberger
Australia - Rich Thompson
Netherlands - Hainley Statia

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Matsui For Figgins?

2008-12-27T23:40:00.000-08:00

I came across a headline online that basically stated as rumor that Matsui may be coming to the Angels. As I bored myself to tears reading the linked story in a New York fishwrap, I found this was the purest of speculatory mention in a New York Post hack's article.

It's really not his fault he reports on New York sports (tragic as it maybe) or that I busted my forehead on my desk when I dozed off trying to get to the part that mentioned the newsworthy part......The Anaheim Angels.

I just laughed when a major sports media conglomerate that also happens to be named after an animal created filler for one of it's websites, or more apropriately online sports portal, by skimming his article, using two lines ("The Angels, after losing out on Teixeira, could use Matsui's production, and so might Texas or Oakland." and "In trades, the Yanks should now try to add multi-dimensional players who can help across the diamond such as the Angels' Chone Figgins (who might even be able to start in center)") to concoct the possibility. This was purely the columnist speculating on what he felt was a fit for his team.

Big media first ripped the sports blogging community as dudes sitting in their Mom's basements in their underwear. Then when they realized that bloggers leveled the playing field and antiquated their daily pulp distributions (check out last week's headlines regarding the state of newspapers around the country) they started blogs and also hired the larger named bloggers effectively taking them mainstream.

Now they create filler by taking a line or two of opinion, and then try to spin a title with a question mark at the end like this one was ....... "Yanks Hideki Matsui to Anaheim?"

Gotta go. My Mom is calling me from upstairs.

"Manny Will Not Be An Angel"

2008-12-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

That according to Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim GM Tony Reagins.

So the "Hot Stove Report" that once looked like it could contain names like Sabathia, ManRam, or Teixeira now looks to wait for the sister "Microwave Trade Report" (copyright applied for so don't even think of using that) down the road a bit.

The Halos lost record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez, and most likely will not bid for Angels lifer OF Garret Anderson's services.

The only notable action was last week's resigning of outfielder Juan Rivera to a new 3 year deal.

True, on paper, the Angels are still a squad of studs. But which Angels fan among us after tasting a World Series enjoys going back to killer regular seasons that fizzle out in the playoffs again like Paris Hilton's latest romance? Is that the perennial dance we do now?

Between injuries, slumps, and HGH users that had huge seasons right before arriving, it's beginning to look a lot like........................................the '90's. Except I don't see Tim Salmon coming out of the dugout anymore.

Back to the Boras v. Moreno matchup. And that's really what this latest snubbing of Ramirez is. I already revealed the reality of Boras going used car salesman and using the Angels front office like tools. And I can't say I blame Arte for taking a strong stance, or overpaying a player and signing him for too many years (8). But how are Halos Fans expected to be fired up over this latest round of overpromising and underdelivering?

I will admit that this drama is intriguing. But it's intriguing like the current stock market is intriguing.

Looks like we are all going to have to work longer and harder to dig out of this too.

Angels Rescind Offer For Teixeira

2008-12-21T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Angels are “out of the Mark Teixeira derby” according to team spokesperson Tim Mead.

No word on what has prompted the latest action in this ongoing saga. Teixeira's agent Scott Boras is well known as a leveraging negotiator. At one point it was reported that Boras was pushing a package deal of 1st baseman Teixeira and BoSox catcher Jason Varitek.

Later this past week, it was said that Boras was pushing for a deal for Teixeira with the dreaded evil empire New York Yankees. The Yanks came out and said they would not pay more than $160 million for Teixeira.

At the recent owners meetings in Las Vegas, it was reported that the Halos offered an eight year deal, but at the time monies offered were not disclosed.

I'm not a detective, I only play one on this blog. But it seems odd that the previous $160 million that the Angels reportedly did offer and was not disclosed before is now the exact amount that the Yanks claim they would not exceed to land Teixeira. The Yanks also seem to have backed off.

Connect the dots and you don't have to be Oliver Stone to see that Boras took the Angels' offer and used it to shop his client around.

Boras is like the kid on your block that did shady things to trade baseball cards with you. You hated to even talk to him and wished you never had to trade with him.

But he had the best cards. And they were ones you needed.

Story Source

Boston out of Teixeira hunt?

2008-12-18T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm watching my local New England news tonight. Five minutes ago, the sports caster was reporting on the prospects of the current meeting between the Red Sox and Mark Teixeira. But just now, he reported that the Red Sox are no longer a factor. Good news for the Angels!

Peavy Reported To Be Off Block

2008-12-16T21:14:00.000-08:00

It was reported today by the Los Angeles Times that the San Diego Padres expect to start the 2009 regular season with their ace pitcher Jake Peavy on their roster.

Peavy has been the talk of possible deals during this offseason, but of most important to Angels fans, recently was said to be at the center of talks that would land him in Anaheim.

Supposedly Peavy wanted to stay in the NL, which if true may have been a reason the deal could not be made. Peavy has a complete no trade clause in his contract which gives him the right to veto any move to another team.

The San Diego Union-Tribune quotes Padres CEO Sandy Alderson as saying “We are no longer actively pursuing any trade for Jake, which is not to say someone won't approach us.”

Story Source

Mark Teixeira Offered Six Year Deal

2008-12-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

According to Sports Illustrated, Angels spokesman Tim Mead revealed that the Halos extended a whopping 6 years to their primary free agent target in 1st baseman Mark Teixeira.

The financial details were not revealed in the deal that was offered during the recent MLB owners' meeting held in Las Vegas.

Teixeira is a hot commodity due to his Golden Glove defense and solid homerun and rbi contributions. Other teams that are reportedly interested in the corner infielder are Baltimore, Boston, Washington, and of course the budget busting New York Yankees.

Should this free agent get away from the Angels, an offseason that looked like it would bring a big name to town may end in disappointment to Angels fans. The Halos stated all along that Teixeira was the top priority in the offseason, but that if they were unable to get him signed they could pursue starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, and outfielders Manny Ramirez and Raul Ibanez.

Sabathia and Ibanez have signed with other clubs, and Manny could go any day. Last week their were conflicting messages from Angels brass when GM Tony Reagins said the Halos were not interested in Manny, and Skipper Mike Scioscia saying he'd be a welcome addition.

Meanwhile veteran left fielder Garret Anderson has filed for free agency and closer Frankie Rodriguez signed with the Mets.

K-Rod Leaves To New York

2008-12-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

It was reported today that Angels record setting closer Francisco Rodriguez has agreed in principle to a 3 year, $37 million deal with the New York Mets.

Last season the 27 year old reliever set a new MLB record by notching 62 saves.

Story Source

More thoughts on the Loss

2008-10-08T07:23:00.001-07:00

As any Angel fan reading this knows, we are all pretty bummed about letting this season slip by without getting a ring (or at least a world series appearance).

I'm gonna go ahead and play the blame game for a moment, but not in a "let's fire the manager type of way," - but I think this ALDS loss hangs solidly on manager Mike Scioscia. And it's not just because of the suicide squeeze play - if you know Scioscia you know he's going to try that time and time again, so I'm prepared to live with the consequences.

Really, I think Scioscia is at fault for not knowing that Howie Kendrick was simply not ready for this series. (Yes, I'm acknowledging Kendrick's existence again, but only temporarily.) I don't think Kendrick was playing hurt, but his timing was terrible. Kendrick only got 18 at bats in the whole month of September. Some guys can come back right away from that (e.g. J.D. Drew), but Kendrick clearly couldn't. Not only did Scioscia start him the entire series, but in game 1 he had him batting sixth! Does anyone have an explaination for that?

In Kendrick's first 10 postseason at bats, he went ofer, he struck out five out of those ten times, and six out of those ten were with men on base. I truly believe that either Sean Rodriguez or Brandon Wood would have come through at least once out of those six times. By the end of game 3, Kendrick appeared to have his stroke back, but we were already down 2 games to none at that point. This is the divisional series, we can't wait for someone to find their timing again.

I'm not even going to get started on all the little moments Kendrick cost us in the field, I think we're all well aware of those shortcomings. In the end, I'm just really surprised that Scioscia didn't have a better grasp of Kendrick's readiness.

Why did the Angels lose?

2008-10-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Don't say it was the Suicide Squeeze play... That was just one play! That one play didn’t decide the series, regardless of how I would have made the call.

So why did the Angels lose? Why did a 100 win team that absolutely handled the BoSox during the regular season lose? The Angels got plenty of hits and had plenty of base runners. The Angels pitching was pretty solid, although their two best bullpen guys, Francisco Rodriguez and Scot Shields, each gave up a couple of runs and each picked up a loss. Defense, maybe? There was the crazy bloop 3 run single by Boston, several bobbles and miscues in the infield and outfield. The Boston mystique? I seriously doubt there was one Angels Player or Manager that felt that Boston had a better team.

Nah... It was none of that? The reason why the Angels lost comes down to a handful of letters... HRISP! (Hits with Runners in Scoring Position) They had plenty of baserunners, but were absolutely unable to knock many of them in… 13 Runs scored in four playoff games, won't normally get it done

Let's break down the numbers... In the series the Angels had a total of 154 ABs, with 42 Hits and 15 Walks. Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Teixeira, Torii Hunter had 21 of those hits and 9 of the Walks. The Angels left 14 men on base in Game #1, 20 men on base in Game #2, 23 men on base in Game #3 and 8 men on base in Game #4. That's a total of 65! SIXTY FIVE in four games!!

If I were to write the headline for this series, it would be "Missed Opportunities"

-------------------------

One more thing to note: The team has so many question marks going into next season. Mark Teixeira, Francisco Rodriguez, Jon Garland, Juan Rivera, Darren Oliver, etc are all Unrestricted Free Agents. John Lackey, Vladimir Guerrero & Garrett Anderson all have Team Options. Who knows what this team may look like in 2009?

Howie Kendrick is dead to me

2008-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this during game 3 of the ALDS, at the end of the second inning. Kendrick just let a pop up fall between him and Torii Hunter to score three runs. He's already come up to bat six times with a total of 13 runners on base; he's 0 for 10 in the series at the time of this writing.

He's killing us on offense, he's killing us on defense. Howie Kendrick is now dead to me. I will not acknowledge his presence in any future blog posts. As far as I'm concerned, there we be an empty hole at second base for the Angels next season.

I will allow him back into my perception of the universe if he were to actually complete a season without a disabled list appearance.

My Observations from Game #1 of ALDS

2008-10-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

#1 - Boston's Chone Figgins is better than the Angel's Chone Figgins

Ofiicially 3 for 5, Jacoby Ellsbury was on base 5 times with 2 SBs, 1 Run, 1 RBI and an ESPN Highlight diving catch of Mark Teixeira's sinking fly ball to center field. Chone Figgins was 0-5 with 3 Ks.

#2 - The Angels seem unable to kick into that higher gear in the Playoffs

Finishing with a franchise mark of 100-62 and a 9-1 record against Boston in the regular season means nothing if they can't match Boston's intensity in the Playoffs Combining the Game #1 loss, the ALDS Sweeps in 2007 and 2004, the Red Sox now have a 10 game playoff win streak against the Angels dating back to 1986. (Tying the major league mark)

#3 - The Middle of the line-up can only do so much

Garret Anderson, Mark Teixeira, Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter were a combined 8-15 with a BB, a Run and an RBI. The rest of the starters were a combined 0-20 with 9 Ks. (Howie Kendrick had 6 men LOB and does not look like his timing is there.

#4 - The Halo Fans were awesome!

The energy in the ballpark was amazing at the start of the game, with Rod Carew (Celebrating his 63rd Birthday) throwing out the first pitch! The folding noisemakers they passed out to the fans entering the ballpark made more noise than thundersticks and this was not a game that everyone was yapping on their cell phones. 95% of the crowd stayed until the very last pitch was thrown.

#5 - The Angels are a better team than they're showing

Lackey didn't deserve to lose this game and I know Santana is going to be lights out tomorrow in Game #2. I am looking for some fight and energy from the team because the fans gave them all they could handle and more last night. If they want it, they need to show that they want it and take it to the BoSox.

Go Halos!!

Pierzynski and Eddings at it again

2008-08-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

It's about time Major League Baseball looked into this strange relationship between A.J. Pierzynski and Doug Eddings. All of you Angel fans know exactly what I'm talking about. These two hooked up for another scandal Sunday afternoon, read about it here.

Angels Sweep Yanks At Home

2008-08-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Halos secured a sweep of the New York Yankees for the first time at home since 1995, by beating the Bronx Bombers 4-3.

The Halos came from being down 2-0 since the first inning to leading 3-2 in the 3rd inning.

The Yanks tied the game 3-3 in the fourth and the score did not move after the top of the 9th.

In the bottom of the 9th, legendary Yanks closer and future MVP Mariano Rivera (0.31 ERA in save situations this season), gave up a walk off single to Angels 3B Chone Figgins. Figgins also won the first game of the series with a bases loaded walk in the 9th inning of that game.

The Halos season record after this game improves to 74-43.

Not Quite Invincible

2008-08-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest, after our three game shellacking of the Boston Red Sox in their own park, I thought this Angels' team might be invincible. But splitting a four game series with the Yankees, a team we normally own, brought me back down to earth.

Of course, there are some reactionary concerns about the defense after yesterday's debacle involving 10 unearned runs. I don't think it's anything to get too upset about. The Angels are a team that depend heavily on defense, since they regularly play in one run games and only a few of their pitchers churn out strikeouts at a high rate. But as for yesterday, I think we know that Figgins has his moments at third base, and he'll make up for it sooner rather than later. As for Gary Matthews Jr. in center field - that man is The Mole, I don't know why Scioscia let's him out of the dugout . . . ever.

Being a gazillion games over the division might have the rest of the baseball world thinking the Angels are on cruise control, but I have a few reasons they should be trying to shut down the competition all they way through September:

The year of 1995. It still brings back so many terrible memories. Some of you might not have been fans of the team back then - so let me remind or inform you: The Angels had a near double digit lead on everyone in the west and any other Wild Card contender. Their peak record was 66-41, not a far cry from their current mark of 69-42. It all came crashing down. We must remind ourselves so that it may never happen again . . .
The collective chip on their shoulders. In Fenway Park, this team played like they had something to prove - and it worked. They ought to continue this trend. The next two months feature several match ups against potential playoff foes: Tampa Bay, Chicago, Minnesota, and New York. They got swept in Tampa earlier this season, Chicago still brings back memories of 2005, and against New York they've got to make up for yesterday's incident. As for Minnesota . . . I got nothing.
A chance at history. No Angels club has ever posted the best record in the American League, let alone the entire MLB. This team is on pace, but it'll take a lot of focus.

Mark Teixeira Joins Angels

2008-07-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Word just leaked that the Angels traded Casey Kotchman and a minor leaguer for Mark Teixeira.

WOW. I'm shocked. I'm so used to the Angels NOT pulling these moves, I don't know what to say. I think Teixeira could very well turn out to be the piece that the Angels were severely lacking for a World Series run this year, so I'm pretty pumped to see them pull the trigger. On the other hand, this leaves us without a first baseman for next year, not to mention the fact that I'm pretty bummed to see Kotchman go, he's been a big part of our success this year.

Sound off, Halo fans, tell us what you think.

Vlad Won't Defend HR Title

2008-07-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Vlad Guerrero has recanted his previous statement about going to defend his Home Run Derby title over the All Star break. He's said he'll be spending the break with his family.

I've gotta say I'm relieved. It was a joy watching him win it last year - but I can't help but think that Vlad only has a finite number of violent swings available for every season. Last season was one of his lowest home run outputs in years, could it have been a direct result of wasting them in the derby? Get your rest, Vlad.

Kotchman A Slumpbuster?

2008-07-04T10:58:00.000-07:00

Angels Skipper Mike Sciosca hopes so.

That's why Kotchman was moved to the 2nd slot in the batting order last Tuesday during the Oakland series.

Kotchman is the 7th person to bat out of the 2nd position as they desperately seek a spark plug to correct their offensive slide that has them 12th in the AL in batting and runs scored.

Kotchman and the Angels will be tested against tough pitching later today when they begin a series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Story Source

Lackey is the AL June Pitcher of the Month

2008-07-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Lackey's June boon earns him award
Right-hander earns Pitcher of the Month honor after going 5-0

By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com

07/02/2008 8:59 PM ET

ANAHEIM -- The strained triceps Angels right-hander John Lackey sustained before the season is a clearly a thing of the past.

The big 6-foot-6 Texan has been nearly untouchable since his return from the disabled list on May 14, and in June, he had one of the best months of his career, going 5-0 with a 1.16 ERA.
Lackey was honored for his performance in June on Wednesday when he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month.

Lackey won all five of his decisions and never allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts. He also pitched at least seven innings in each of those starts.

Even Lackey has been somewhat surprised by the way he has pitched since returning from a shoulder injury.

"Maybe a little bit surprised," Lackey said on Thursday. "I definitely knew I was ready to go and prepared. I wanted to come out and pitch well from the get go and make every start count because I missed several to begin the season."

But his battery mate, catcher Jeff Mathis, who has caught four of his last six starts, said on June 10 that he wasn't surprised by the way Lackey has dominated since his return.

"He was injured but he was keeping himself in shape," Mathis said. "Surprised isn't the right word. We knew he'd be ready."

The 29-year-old allowed a total of five earned runs on 23 hits with 34 strikeouts and seven walks in 38 2/3 innings.

His best start came on June 29, when he pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers while striking out a season-high nine batters. He also defeated the Rays' Scott Kazmir and the Mets' Johan Santana in consecutive starts on June 11 and June 17, respectively. The Angels' ace said he enjoys going up against team's No. 1 starters.

"It's fun," Lackey said. "You take it as a challenge if you're the guy who heads up the rotation. You have to want to challenge yourself and take a chance to win in those situations."

Lackey will be awarded with a specially-designed trophy to commemorate his Pitcher of the Month performance. He has won the award once in his career, in July, 2006.

Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez was also considered for the honor, as he had 11 saves and a 1.59 ERA in 11 1/3 innings pitched.

Others receiving votes were Chicago's Mark Buehrle, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia, Oakland's Rich Harden and Justin Duchscherer, and Kansas City's Joakim Soria.

Escobar might have re-injured his right shoulder

2008-07-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

--- Story from the OC Register ---

July 1st, 2008, 5:07 pm · by Al Balderas

Kelvim Escobar arrived at Angel Stadium on Tuesday afternoon complaining that the pain in his right shoulder had returned.

Escobar has been rehabbing the shoulder since March, when he was diagnosed with a torn labrum.

He threw 39 pitches in a rehab assignment Monday at Rancho Cucamonga but said that the shoulder has been bothering him since the three-inning stint.

“This morning it was just painful,” Escobar said. “It was not like normal soreness after you pitch.

“Everything was going well but from my last start (last week in Tempe) until last night’s game, it seems like I lost everything I’ve been doing for the last five months.”

Escobar admitted that he had a hard time getting loose for his start at Rancho Cucamonga but didn’t think it was anything serious at the time.

“I’m kind of going through spring training and sometimes that happens in spring training,” he said. “I did well in the game but after that I didn’t feel comfortable. It got worse last night before I went to bed. It’s painful.”

Escobar is scheduled to be examined by team orthopedist, Dr. Lewis Yocum, later today.He has yet to pitch for the Angels this season and was hoping to be back on the roster after the All-Star break.

#15 Visits The Troops In Afghanistan

2008-06-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times reporter Bill Shaikin has a great article about Angels legendary outfielder Tim Salmon's recent trip to Afghanistan to visit our troops.

Story Source

Angels Pitchers No Hit Dodgers....And Lose

2008-06-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

Angels starter Jered Weaver worked with reliever Jose Arredondo to pitch a no hitter in today's continuation of the Freeway Series against Dodger Blue.

The Dodgers are only the 5th team to ever win a game in which they had no hits.

Weaver muffed a comeback dribbler from Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp in the fifth inning. Kemp stole 2nd base, went to 3rd on a throwing error by Halo catcher Jeff Mathis, and then scored on a sacrifice fly.

Weaver was pinch hit for in the 7th and except for the fielding error, had a solid pitching performance. Reliever Jose Arredondo pitched two additional no hit innings.

This second loss in as many games means that the Dodgers will win the series over all, ending a strong series road winning streak by the Angels. The last road series the Angels lost was in Tampa Bay against the Rays early in May.

The game will not be recorded as an official no hitter since the Dodgers did not bat in the ninth inning.

Story Source

Escobar Willing To Come Out Of The Pen

2008-06-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

Halo Starting Pitcher Kelvim Escobar felt so good after a 45 pitch outing in the Arizona Summer League that he feels he could pitch in relief now if needed.

Escobar is scheduled to pitch Monday in another 45 pitch rehab assignment for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. If that outing is solid his pitch count could move to 60 on the following outing.

His fastball was clocked at 95 miles. After the performance, Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher said, "Everything's all pointing in the right direction. He's feeling good, he's recovering well. He's had no setbacks. We'll just keep moving him forward."

Story Source

Angels To Draft 78 Year Old

2008-06-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit that's not true. Neale “Bobo” Henderson won't be 78 for another 3 weeks. But he is getting drafted by the Halos, and it's about time.

Henderson is one of 30 ex Negro Leaguers that will participate in an Honorary Draft into the big leagues. But Bobo is no where near the oldest draftee. That goes to 102 year old Yanks draftee Emilio “Millito” Navarro.

The draft was the idea of MLB Hall of Famer and current San Diego Padres VP Dave Winfield.

“This is about letting them share,” Winfield said. “They’re on the fringes of the baseball family. Bring them in a little closer. Let them share in what the game has become. You have to build a platform and let people know that these guys are important. These guys were their heritage. Their connection to the sport is important. That’s what it’s about, why they’re still alive.
“The main thing is I’m happy that we’re doing something this year. You wait too long and there’d be nobody left. I think we have one chance to do something really good. It’ll be a great day.”

“Dave Winfield is an angel sent from heaven,” (Bobo) Henderson said. “That man has really worked hard for us. We are like Major League baseball players now. This is God’s work. I hear it’s supposed to rain, but He’s going to make sure it’s going to be a sunny day down in Orlando.”

Welcome aboard Mr. Henderson, you're a welcomed addition. And Thank You!

Story Source

Angels Stadium to Host All-Star Game

2008-05-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

Espn.com just broke this story that Angels Stadium will be hosting their third All-Star Game in 2010. The last time the Angels hosted an All-Star Game was in 1989, which saw Bo Jackson hit a mammoth of a homerun (448 ft) and receive the MVP award.

Buy your season tickets now, folks. This is one event you won't want to miss.

Welcome Home!

2008-05-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

When I get together with my buddies a couple of months before the season starts to select Angels tickets, there are certain games that I target. Some of the first couple of games I selected were Mike Scioscia Bobblehead night, because my wife Kerry loves the Big TV Peddling Italian and Chone Figgins Signature Cap Night, because my daughter Katie loves the speedy 3rd baseman. However, the first game that I selected for me was on May 12th. Yeah, it was Torii Hunter Bobblehead night, but I had completely different agenda, for it was the first home game against the Chicago White Sox in the 2008 season.

I’ve been fond of going to see White Sox games over the last few years, mainly because I love to boo AJ Pierzinski. That’s hardly anything special because so does every other Angels fan after that 2005 AL Championship Series that Umpire Doug Eddings spoiled. No, my main motivation was to pay my respects to Orlando Cabrera for the three faithful years of service to the Angels organization and this was his first game back since he was traded for Jon Garland.

Let’s rewind back a few years first…

There were a lot of people that were pretty upset with Bill Stoneman in that offseason prior to the 2005 season for not re-signing David Eckstein and allowing him to go to the Cardinals. Not that I couldn’t appreciate the heart that David Eckstein displayed on the field. His hustle inspired the whole team and the way he sprinted down to first base after a walk was infectious in the Angels clubhouse. I mean, the little guy actually led the league in Grand Slams one year! No, my only issue with David Eckstein was that it literally took every ounce of ability he had to make routine plays at the shortstop position. Every tough ground ball that was hit to his right, were simply beyond his ability and to me, he was a defensive liability.

Then Stoneman made that fantastic move that I will never forget because I literally stood up from my chair when I read it on the ESPN ticker. They signed OC to a four year deal, fresh off his World Series Championship with the Boston Red Sox. Number one, I couldn’t believe that the BoSox didn’t re-sign him. Number two, I was still having trouble believing that this was the same Angels Organization that was spending money left and right after signing Vladamir Guerrero and Bartolo Colon the previous year. I can easily recall how upset Kerry was that Eckstein wasn’t the Angels shortstop anymore, which was justified because a lot of people felt the same way. I simply reassured her that once you see the plays that this guy can make defensively, you’ll appreciate this acquisition.

For three years he set the standard defensively for the Angels infield. He was vocal and supportive to all the young guys and was the leader in the Clubhouse that frankly, Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero were incapable of being. Not that those two superstars aren’t productive. They’re just too quiet and reserved to be real leaders and up to that point, Darin Erstad was probably the Angels leader.

Fast forward to last night’s game…

Before the starting lineups, the PA Announcer asked everyone to give their attention to the Video Board and they played a short montage of a handful of OC’s phenomenal plays at the Shortstop position. A few behind the back flips to 2nd base for double plays, a few long throws across the diamond on balls hit past the diving 3rd baseman and a couple of leaping catches on balls that would have been clearly over the head of Eckstein. A roaring applause and standing ovation followed as Mike Scioscia presented Orlando Cabrera with his Gold Glove award at home plate. This was full redemption because I clearly recall how upset I was that Derek Jeter won the Gold Glove a couple of years back, even though he had a worse fielding percentage and double the errors that Orlando Cabrera had.

He ended the night 1 for 5 in the game and scored in the 9th inning when Ozuna grounded out to 2nd base, but received a loud applause from the crowd every time he came to the plate to bat.

After the game, he had this to say:

“I didn't think I was ever going to say this before, but I really miss the place. I really miss my ex-teammates. Those guys were great to me. The fans here are probably the best fans in baseball. I really miss it. Slowly, I'm making the transition to Chicago.

When asked about his former manager Mike Scioscia:

“With all the respect to all of the managers in the big leagues, hands down he's the best manager. He's the most intelligent, smart guy in the big leagues right now. Any team that you give to him is going to turn into a team that's going to win a lot of ballgames. He's a great guy.”

He was even respectful when asked about his replacement in the infield:

“I think he's a guy with a lot of abilities,” Cabrera said of Aybar. “He's doing what he was doing in the minor leagues for so many years, so I don't think it's any surprise that he's doing so well.”

I miss you OC and I appreciate everything you did to contribute to the Angels success during your short time with the organization. You’re a classy guy and I wish you happiness.

Torii Hunter Is A Good Interview

2008-05-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today on LA's AM 570 KLAC, the afternoon show of Petros and Money featured an interview with Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter.

Hunter's personality and candor are a welcome change from the standard fare of athletes that either are burned out from answering the same question for the 67th time, or have no personality.

Hunter answered questions directly and joked, rarely resorting to reciting the sports cliche 101 manual.

Give it a listen here: http://am570radio.com/cc-common/podcast.html

Scroll down on the right side where it says "5/1 PMS Hour 2."

Make sure you check out the story about the guy that hit his Bentley.

Enjoy.

Starting Pitching

2008-05-01T11:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, for my first Angels post, I think I am going to focus on Starting Pitching. When you look at the Angels Team success over the last 5 or 6 years, everything has been centered around pitching. The Angels bats have never been consistent or overpowering and even the defense has let up here and there. (Man, that 2006 season was brutal with 124 errors after leading the league in 2005 with 87.) However, the one thing that has always remained consistent is pitching.
This past offseason the Angels traded away Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for Jon Garland and signed Torii Hunter to the largest free agent deal in franchise history. To me, theses moves seemed like poor choices by a rookie GM. The Angels had a crowded outfield after Reggie Willits proved himself the previous season, Juan Rivera is healthy and they just gave Gary Matthews Jr. 10 Million per season over 5 years and a no trade clause to boot. In regards to the other move, Orlando Cabrera had a career year, won a gold glove award and was the closest thing the Angels had to a vocal leader on the field and in the locker room. Trading him for starting pitching seemed just as puzzling to me as signing a 2nd center fielder. Especially since the trade for Miguel Cabrera never materialized.

Now let’s look at how the Angels must start this 2008 season with John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the DL. These aren’t two typical starting pitchers, nor are these easily replaceable guys. The two of them combined for 66 Games Started, 419.2 Innings Pitched, 339 Strikeouts versus 118 Walks, 37 Wins, 5 Complete Games (With 3 Shutouts) and a combined ERA of 3.15! Those are phenomenal numbers for any 1-2 pitchers in the league…

All of a sudden the trade for Jon Garland looks like prognosticating genius, right? Not so much… Garland has either been good or really bad! He is 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA and a 12-9 Walk to Strikeout Ratio. (In his defense, he’s not really a strikeout pitcher, but he normally doesn’t give up many walks either.) Meanwhile the Angels are 18-11, first place in the AL West. It has to be due to the outstanding pitching by their opening day starter Jered Weaver, right? Not so much… He is 2-3 with a 4.21 ERA! So where do we look? What can you point your finger at for the reason for the Angels early season success?

It’s Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana!
Yeah, you heard me correctly…

Last year Ervin Santana had an atrocious 7-14 season with a an ERA of 5.76. He was constantly booed by the fans and never seemed to have much confidence in his own ability, after winning 16 games the previous season. Joe Saunders was 8-5 with an ERA of 4.44 and bounced back and forth between Triple A and the Big Club.

This season combined, both Pitchers are 10-0 with an ERA of 2.20 over 83.1 Innings Pitched and have a 49-19 Strikeout to Walk Ratio. Only one time in the 47 or 48 year history of the Angels has a Starting Pitcher finished April with a 5-0 record (Frank Tanana in 1978) and this season the Angels have 2. These two guys are literally carrying this club and they deserve a lot of credit for the team’s success. Propz!

Loving the Road Trip

2008-04-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

I am pleased as punch with the Angels most recent road trip. Taking two out of three in Fenway followed by two out of three in Detroit is solid, but the way they played is what has left me excited about this season.

My early April comment about the Angels not knowing anything about timely hitting no longer applies. They averaged 5 and a half runs a game over this road trip, doing it the way the Angels of old did: putting the ball in play, moving up the basepaths whenever possible. If the situation called for a sacrifice, that's what they took, but with two outs, they often pulled out the clutch hit.

The pleasant surprises of April are numerous: Ervin Santana has 3 wins in 3 road starts; Joe Saunders is 4-0 with an ERA around two and a half; both Aybar and Kotchman are hitting well above .300 with run production to boot; we have 8 homeruns from the catcher position.

Garret Anderson has been a disappointment this early, and Scioscia has moved him down to the sixth spot in the lineup. I've heard this is a touchy issue for the fans of Anaheim, but I think this is a great move. GA still has a valuable role on this team, but we just don't need him in the middle of the order anymore. Maybe two months from now we will; but for now, let's ride our younger crop while they're hot.

Angels take two of three from the Sox

2008-04-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there Halo fans. BiCoastal Bias here to report on the Angels' most recent series against the Boston Red Sox. This was a special week for me, because . . . well . . . games against the Red Sox are the only Angel games televised out here.

Anyways, I've gotta say, I was impressed. Some of these younger players who we've been touting for the last three years are finally giving us what we've been looking for. Both Kotchmann and Aybar are on fire right now; and we're getting incredible production from the catcher position with Mathis hitting .364 and Napoli knocking 5 homers in less than 50 at bats.

I really believe that for the short term, we need to be using these guys as long as their respective hot streaks last. We know that our four expensive (and aging) outfielders are going to be giving us the bulk of our run production this summer, but for now, let's put Aybar up in the two spot from time to time, and maybe move Kotchmann up to number five for a bit. It doesn't have to be permanent, but let's give GA some time to come around.

Figgie Gets SI Love

2008-04-19T23:32:00.000-07:00

Angels super utility man Chone Figgins recently got some love from SI.com's Gennaro Filice.

That is if funky love is still love. Filice breaks down Figgins' rise to solid ball play by comparing him to the various stages of a butterfly. I am no scientist, but it involves eggs, pupal stages, larvae, etcetera.

Luckily it also includes a solid baseball oriented description of Chone's rise in the ranks and huge contribution to the Halos' pursuit of excellence.

Story Source

Lackey making Progress

2008-04-13T23:09:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's number one starter is making progress according to this Los Angeles Times article.

Pitching ace John Lackey had his first full bullpen session last Thursday leading Angels skipper Mike Scioscia to say "He looked great. He really threw the ball well, nice and easy."

He is projected at having a shot at returning to the rotation the first or second week of May.

Story Source

Anyone else frustrated with Matthews?

2008-04-12T20:20:00.000-07:00

So, is anyone else frustrated with Gary Matthews? I let him get my hopes up with his decent performance in the first week. But tonight, he has me fuming. Letting a sixth inning grounder go under his glove, resulting in a Seattle run is bad. But grounding into three double plays while going 0 - for -5 is terrible. And two of the three were not your garden variety, just a man on first, double plays.

In the third, he ended the inning with a 4-6-3 DP when there were runners on first and second. In the fifth, the Angels had runners at the corners with no outs, Matthews cleared the bases by hitting into a double play that did drive in a run.

To cap it off, he ended the game by grounding out to the pitcher with two runners on. It's too bad there were already two outs, he could've grounded into his fourth double play of the night.

Temporarily, I just don't see how we can leave this guy in the number 2 spot. Both Kotchman and Kendrick are hitting very well, I think it's time we try one of them in that spot.

Lackey Scheduled For Bullpen Session

2008-04-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

Right handed Angels ace John Lackey will have a full bullpen session where he'll only throw fastballs on Thursday. Lackey injured strained his triceps and has been out since March 21st.

Angels Win 9-5 In Home Run Derby

2008-04-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Paul Byrd did not fare well against his former team today in a day game at Angels Stadium.

Catcher Mike Napoli hit his first career grand slam against Byrd.

Garret Anderson and Casey Kotchman also went yard against their former teammate.

Just for good measure, Vladimir Guerrero hit a 3 run shot against Indians reliever Jensen Lewis.
Starting Angels pitcher Dustin Moseley (1-1) got the win behind his teammates' solid run production.

Justin Speier hit Indians' 1st baseman Travis Hafner with a pitch today. Hafner just so happens to be the one who robbed Speier of a save last night in the 9th with a 2 run homer.

Hanging Slider + Travis Hafner = Blown Save

2008-04-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Angels pitching tonight blew the second save opportunity in as many games. Yesterday the Halos were able to overcome, but tonight it wasn't to be.

Fill in closer Justin Speier lost the save in the 9th when an ill placed slider was taken for a ride by Indians slugger Travis Hafner with a runner on. This put the Tribe up 3-2.

Prospects were good, as the Indians had to face Gary Matthews Jr., Vladimir Guerrero, and Garret Anderson to hold on for a win.

Matthews offered excitement when he led off with a single in the bottom of the 9th. Guerrero hit into a double play and Anderson hit a long out, ending the game.

Gary Matthews Jr. extended his hitting streak to 9 games in a row in the loss.

Regular Halo closer Francisco Rodriguez is suffering from a sore ankle that according to a report may lead K Rod to do time on the DL.

Yahoo Box Score

Arte Moreno Is a Saint

2008-04-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

The LA Times reported on this story in which Arte Moreno bought a shirt and hat for 30 to 40 Angels fans who were hanging out in front of the park an hour after the game on Friday night's home opener.

According to reporters, Arte and his wife, Carole, came out and talked to a few fans and then ordered that the team store be opened and that everyone get a T-shirt and a cap. In the end, Arte picked up the tab for the group of lucky fans.

It's things like this that make you glad Arte is the owner of the Angels. He's a good man who is focused on the fans, and not just his pocketbook.

Angels Give The Big Payback 9-1

2008-04-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

The Halos combined a good arm with solid bats today and beat the Minnesota Twins 9-1.

The team had 15 hits in the game with Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson contributing 6 hits between them. Guerrero went 3 for 4 with a walk and 3 rbi and Anderson was 3 for 5 with 2 rbi.

Mike Napoli and Casey Kotchman each had a home run in the game.

Jon Garland was strong in his pitching debut as an Angel allowing only 6 hits and giving up 1 walk.

Torii Hunter was not productive again against his former team, going 0 for 4 getting on base when he was hit by a pitch.

New Season, Same Problem

2008-04-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

We weren't batting against a typical top of the rotation starter, this was Livan Hernandez. In the 2002 World Series, we gave this guy two losses and an ERA over 14. But this is not 2002, these Angels don't know a thing about situational hitting.

Yeah yeah, it's only the first game of the season, I'm over-reacting, but tell me how you can remain calm when you look at the guys hitting in front and behind Vlad: Matthews and Anderson, two guys well past their prime. I love GA as much as anybody, and I really want to see him retire an Angel, but he's just not a clean-up hitter anymore. Not surprisingly, the back of the lineup is where we got our two runs last night.

In truth, this little quote from ESPN mag is what really has me freaked out: "Insiders say Orlando Cabrera, traded to the White Sox, was the one who pumped up Vladimir Guerrero. Look for Hunter to take over that role." When Vlad got sent to the dust by a high-inside pitch in the ninth inning of last night's game, I had flashbacks of last October, and the thought that there would be no one back in the dugout to help wipe the angry frustration that showed in his eyes sent me into a panic. I know Hunter will be a team leader, but Vlad's personality is pretty unique. Expecting Hunter to fill all the shoes that Cabrera filled is wishful thinking at best, especially considering that Hunter's native tongue isn't Spanish.

Halos Drop Opening Squeaker

2008-03-31T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Angels lost their season opener today against the Minnesota Twins 3-2 in what should have been new Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter's dream day.

Instead, Hunter went 0-4 in the close loss to his former team including a missed opportunity to be the hero in the 9th against former teammate and Twins' closer Joe Nathan.

“It felt like the whole day was in reverse,” Hunter said in accurately describing his Angels debut.
The Angels on the whole seemed to be knocking off the rust, except for Chone Figgins 2-4 with 1 rbi effort, and Casey Kotchman who was 3-4 and scored a run.

Starting pitcher Jered Weaver went 6 1/3 innings and allowed 3 earned runs on 8 hits.

Yahoo Box Score

ESPN Predictions

2008-03-31T11:09:00.001-07:00

In ESPN's annual baseball predictions, the Wheelhouse would like to recognize Pedro Gomez as the only analyst with the guts to pick the Angels to win the World Series. Gomez went with the Freeway Series match up, picking the Dodgers to lose to the Angels this year.

As far as other predictions, John Shea was the only staff member to pick an Angel for an MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year Award. His choice goes to Torii Hunter.

Thanks for the support out there in East Coast Bias land. Now lets hurry up and get through these 162 games so we can give you the recognition you deserve!

An Angel fan confession concerning Torii Hunter

2008-03-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Fellow Angel fans, I want to get something off of my chest before the season starts. I was against the Torii Hunter signing.

I was so angered by the Orlando Cabrera trade, that I decided the only thing that could fill the hole would be a bigger and better infielder (one of the Miguels, basically). So when we spent our budget on an older outfielder, I was pretty upset.

The good news is that Hunter has already won me over. In fact, listening to what Scioscia and the other Angels have to say about Hunter makes me think he might be the perfect clubhouse replacement to Cabrera. Then I read an article by Peter Gammons in which he praises all the things Hunter does to help his community. Hunter is a guy we can be proud to root for through the good times and bad.

While I still don't think the Hunter signing made the most sense in a baseball frame of mind, he's a guy I'll genuinely enjoy watching for the next five years.

Hunter Strong In His Debut

2008-02-29T23:09:00.000-08:00

Angels fans have been anxious to see up close and in red what $90 million buys. Today that acquisition did not disappoint while hitting in the 4 hole.

New Halo outfielder Torii Hunter proved ready for his closeup in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Texas Rangers that ended in kiss your sister fashion with a 3-3 tie. Hunter missed a home run at his first plate appearance when his line drive shot veered foul.

He produced a single and an rbi double in the spring training effort.

Hunter, and his gold glove came to the Angels from the Minnesota Twins as a free agent in the offseason in a $90 million deal over 5 years.

Story Source

K-Rod Loses Salary Arbitration

2008-02-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Francisco Rodriguez was not awarded 12.5 million dollars like he wanted, but he'll still be walking away with 10 million dollars after the 2008 season. Regardless of whether he won or lost, he still ties the MLB record for money awarded in a salary arbitration, tying both Ryan Howard and Alfonso Soriano. And let's all admit it, receiving $10 million for losing shouldn't really be considered losing.

Unfortunately for the Angels, this may be the last season for Francisco Rodriguez in a Halo's uniform; he is a free agent after this season.

K-Rod A No Show At First Day Of Spring Training

2008-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez did not attend the Angels' first practice for pitchers and catchers Friday.

Francisco's agent says that it is not a holdout due to unresolved contract issues, but rather that a personal issue came up in Venezuela that he had to attend to.

His agent also went on to say that Rodriguez had left a message for Angels GM Tony Reagins to that effect earlier in the week.

Aybar Has Shot To Start At Short?

2008-02-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

According to this article, the Angels feel that 24 year old Erick Aybar has a strong shot at the starting Short Stop vacancy left when Gold Glover Orlando Cabrera was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the Jon Garland trade.

Skipper Mike Scioscia weighed in by saying "We're very excited about Erick's potential. He has the package to be a very dynamic presence at shortstop."

Spring Training begins this week in Tempe, Arizona.

Story Source

Kelvim Escobar Can't Go

2008-02-07T23:27:00.000-08:00

Starting right handed Angels pitcher Kelvim Escobar suffered a setback when the shoulder inflammation that plagued him last season returned. It is highly doubtful that Escobar will be able to play later this fall when the regular season begins.

An MRI test revealed there had been no significant changes in the shoulder since last fall which is considered to be a positive.

The loss of Escobar from the rotation will open a spot in the starting lineup that will be competed for in spring training by Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana.

Story Source

Donnelly Signs With Cleveland Indians

2008-02-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

Former Halo right handed Relief Pitcher Brendan Donnelly signed a minor league contract with an invitation to the Indian's spring training camp.

36 year old Donnelly pitched for the Boston Red Sox last season before going on the DL in June and then receiving Tommy John surgery in August.

Donnelly's Angels career included being on the 2002 World Series championship team and representing the team as an All Star in 2003.

Story Source

John Lackey On Angels Tonight Monday

2008-02-03T21:19:00.000-08:00

If you are local can check out Jose Mota and Terry Martin's 2 hour talk show "Angels Tonight" on AM 830 every Monday night from 6 pm - 8 pm PST.

If you are a Halo that has moved away, you can stream it over the Angels' website.

This week's guest is Angels starter John Lackey.

Konerko "Feels Like He Already Played For Angels?"

2008-01-27T22:38:00.001-08:00

Current White Sox 1st baseman Paul Konerko seems to take recent rumors of his possible trade to the Angels seriously.

He recently said he can't help but take frequent glances at his cell phone, especially in the wake of a report out of Los Angeles this month that the Angels were interested in acquiring him.

''Yeah, I feel like I already played for [the Angels],'' Konerko joked. ''It didn't surprise me. Any move, any signing, there was going to be a reshuffling of the deck, and it might not be over. We still have a few weeks until spring training.''

White Sox officials deny there have been any discussions about a Konerko trade.

That has to be a good sign.

Story Source (Scroll To Bottom)

Angels Can't Close K-Rod?

2008-01-19T20:59:00.000-08:00

Something's amiss with the relationship between the Angels and their closer, Francisco Rodriguez.

If you recall, last year talks between ownership and the player broke down when the sides attempted to hash out a long term extension.

Already in this short 2008 year K-Rod filed for arbitration, the Angels extended a one year offer for $10 million and now Rodriguez is asking for $12.5 million for the next season.

It's strange that the club seems to not want to get a longer term deal done and that Rodriguez appears to be ambivalent about his desire to remain an Angel beyond this season.

In this article in the LA Times Rodriguez is quoted as saying:

Are the Angels his first choice?

"Hard to say," he said. "This is a business. One day you could be here, the next day you could not."

Is it possible that we could see someone else on the bump in the 9th inning in 2009?

Kotchman And Izturis Signed

2008-01-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

With the signing yesterday of Juan Rivera, Casey Kotchman, and Maicer Izturis, the Angels have now signed three of the four Angels players that filed for arbitration. The last Halo unsigned is closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Terms of Kotchman and Izturis' deals were not disclosed. The two agreements further load Angels Manager Mike Scioscia's dugout with utility and situational players.

Story Source

Juan Rivera Is Back In The Fold

2008-01-18T19:57:00.000-08:00

Halo outfielder Juan Rivera and the Angels agreed to terms for one year and avoided arbitration.

Rivera agreed to the same base salary as last year which was slightly over $2 million with incentives to earn more.

A year ago, Rivera was coming off a career season when he broke his tibia while playing winter ball in Venezuela. He was unable to play for the club in 2007 until September.

Rivera's signing puts the Halos deep in options off the bench and at DH.

Story Source

Halos In Konerko Hunt?

2008-01-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

According to mlbtraderumors.com, the Angels are talking with the White Sox about acquiring 1st baseman Paul Konerko.

If you recall, the Halos pursued Konerko when he was last eligible for free agency after the 2005 season. It appears the same usual list of possible Angels players may be in the mix, ie Santana, Figgins, and Kendrick.

Story Source

Erstad Picked Up By Astros

2008-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Former Angels infielder and outfielder Darin Erstad was picked up last week by the Houston Astros.

Erstad played 11 seasons for the Angels before joining the White Sox last season out of free agency. Ersty signed a one year $1 million contract with the Astros to help shore up the outfield off the bench.

Darin played on the team that won the World Series in 2002, was a two time Halos All Star, and is the only person ever to win a gold glove as an infoelder and an outfielder.

Hey Reagins, learn a lesson from the Dodgers

2007-12-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Now that both Miguels are off of the market, my message to Tony Reagins is this: Please don't turn us into the Dodgers. The Dodgers franchise has been notorious for making bad trades that didn't end up where their general managers intended (unless their intent was to wreck the team, and I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that it was not). The trading away of Paul Lo Duca in the middle of the 2004 season comes to mind. It looked like the Dodgers were making a play for Randy Johnson at the time, but in the end, they had just ditched an All Star and totally ticked off their fans.

At this point in time, the damage is minimal. We've only lost a shortstop who was slowly gaining credibility with a city who was still getting over its man-crush on David Eckstein. But this is why you must learn this lesson now, Tony, don't create holes in the lineup that we can't immediately fill. And don't turn us into the Dodgers.

Stop Biting Your Nails

2007-12-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

Today Miguel Tejada is being traded to the Astros in a 6 player deal. And in case you were wondering, the Orioles get 5 of them. What this means for the Angels is that they aren't going to be able to land a big name infielder this off season any longer. Instead, they are left with guys like Kendrick and Izturis playing up the middle and Figgins and Kotchman on the corners. I hope that sounds as pitiful as I intended for it to sound.

So where does this leave the Angels. Well, for one, it leaves them with 6 outfielders that are all starters in their own right. Unfortunately, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits are most likely to find the short end of the stick because of the Torii Hunter signing. On the other hand, this frees up two pieces for the Angels to trade for some infield talent.

Right now the Padres and the Braves are both looking for an everyday center fielder, and we have 3 everyday center fielders, two of which will either be sitting or playing the corner outfield positions. All I'm saying is Reagins is going to have a lot of explaining to do if we get to the end of this off season with no Orlando Cabrera and no replacement. The options are there, he just has to pull the trigger and make this happen, just like he forgot to do in the Miguel Cabrera deal.

Pieces Still Available To Land Santana?

2007-11-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote an intriguing article today in regards to dream trades from the Twins' perspective for their ace and Cy Young winning pitcher Johan Santana, as well as the reality of what the Minnesota club could actually realize by team.

He had to say this about possible Angels players available to get the deal done:

"LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Dream trade: Twins get CF Gary Matthews Jr., 3B Brandon Wood and RHP Nick Adenhart.
Reality: The Angels seem more likely to trade for 3B Miguel Cabrera or SS Miguel Tejada.
More obtainable: Matthews and LHP Joe Saunders or RHP Ervin Santana.

Note: Chart above based on the Twins' track record; assume a Class A prospect would be thrown in as an extra piece to any of these five deals."

Is it possible that we could possibly end up making deals for Garland, Hunter, Cabrera, and Santana? Does it make financial sense? Do we need to make that many deals to get us to the trophy?

And if you take a look at the pieces that are allegedly in play for Miguel Cabrera, the majority of the above "Dream Trade" would still be doable.

Here's where I'll pinch you and remind you that the Johan Santana trade smacks of a Yankees type deal. Nevertheless, it's already been a fun offseason where it seems anything may go.

Newest Angels Presented In News Conference Tomorrow

2007-11-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

The Angels will present their newest cherubs centerfielder Torii Hunter and starting pitcher Jon Garland tomorrow in a news conference.

Check local listings for time.

How The Angels Spent $90 Million At Del Taco

2007-11-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Seems like big time sports team management and agents are regular Joes just like you and me after all.

At least here in the Southland.

It was reported by The Press-Enterprise that Angels' GM Tony Reagin consummated the Torii Hunter deal at a Del Taco off the 91 Freeway in Corona with Hunter's Riverside based agent Larry Reynolds.

There have been no reports on the possibility of the Yankees finalizing their deal with A-Rod at a Denny's.

2008 Hall Of Fame Ballot Features Former Halos

2007-11-26T22:19:00.001-08:00

The ballot for MLB Hall of Fame consideration has plenty of players that at one time or another, called The Big A home.

This year's ballot features first ballot lefty starting pitcher and Angels' ace Chuck Finley who played for the Halos 1986-1999. His career stats are impressive when you weigh in the fact that he played on more than a few ne'er do well Halos teams. He went 200-173 with a career 3.85 ERA and 2610 strikeouts in a career span of 16 years. An interesting factoid on Finley is that he is the only pitcher ever to strike out four batters in an inning more than twice. He did it 3 times.

Other players that previously have been on the ballot with Angels experience are:

Pitcher Bert Blyleven (Halo 1989-1992, career stats 287-250, 3.31 ERA, and 3701 strikeouts).

Closer Lee Smith (Halo 1995-1996, career stats 71-92, 3.03 ERA, and 478 saves). Smith was the all time saves record holder until Padres closer Trevor Hoffman. Smith was scouted by none other than legend Buck O'Neill.

Outfielder/DH Dave Parker (Halo 1991, career stats .290 Batting Average, 339 Home Runs, and 1491 RBI.

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Cabrera's Going Rate

2007-11-26T21:12:00.001-08:00

Seems the Florida Marlins are looking to use Miguel Cabrera to build their team through a Herschel transaction.

This would refer to the NFL Dallas Cowboys' blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 that netted the Boys 5 players. The Cowboys also received seed for the future with a 1st round draft pick and 6 conditional draft picks.

Actually, compared to that deal the Marlins' asking price almost seems reasonable.

Almost.

The Marlins are reportedly asking for a 4 for 1 deal for their 3rd baseman on the trading block. This asking price coupled with the positions they are asking for supposedly has thinned out the clubs that would be able to get the deal done.

The Angels' deep pool of talent and prospects allow them to remain firmly in the hunt. It also makes the dynamic duo of past Halos GM Bill Stoneman and current action oriented Halos GM Tony Reagins look like the greatest tag team act since Gene Autry and his horse Champion.

The scuttlebutt is that the Fish are looking to land a big bat infielder (think 2nd baseman Howie Kendrick), catcher (Jeff Mathis or Mike Napoli), Outfielder (Reggie Willits), and a starting pitcher/prospect (starter Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders, or prospect (Nick Adenhart Double A Arkansas).

Closing this deal would excellerate Reagins' fast triggered persona he has developed in the brief 42 days as Halos GM. He's a hero if Cabrera were to continue his tear and continue to produce in the AL in a division where each game matters. He's a goat if he (Cabrera) doesn't and the 4 players he were to ship out went on to produce, which is likely.

So the question is: "Would we be the Cowboys whose huge trade started them on the road to Superbowl Championships, or the Vikings who gained a great player but remained in championship limbo?

What do you think?

The Upside of Torii Hunter

2007-11-24T10:50:00.001-08:00

Unlike some of the other writers of this blog, I'm here to say I'm thankful for Tony Reagins. More so, I'm thankful for Tony Reagins' willingness to take risks. So far, the man has traded off a beloved player in Orlando Cabrera for Jon Garland and signed Torii Hunter to an enormous deal. Okay, so that doesn't look so good...so far. But lets take another look at Hunter for just a moment.

The reason why I am happy about this signing by Mr. Reagins is because we have an old outfield and are in need of adding some more offense. With Hunter playing CF, Matthews gets a chance to start playing left and right field and give GA and Vlad a chance to rest at DH. This actually helps Gary Matthews Jr the most as this last season indicated that Matthews' body can't take the wear and tear of playing Gold Glove CF like it used to.

Beyond that, Torii Hunter leaves us with two extra outfielders: Reggie Willits and Juan Rivera. While I love both of these guys, especially the potential of Rivera to hit the long ball, it just means its time to trade these guys for players that can supplement our infield and relief pitching. And this is where the genius of Reagins comes in. If he is going to make this Miguel Cabrera deal (and I believe he will), then he needs a CF to trade along with a few other prospects (or pitchers), and Willits has definitely shown his potential as a Major League ready outfielder.

Look, we experienced off-season after off-season of conservative signings and no trades under Bill Stoneman. While it allowed us to miraculously pull off a victory in 2002, the stars haven't aligned like that and we shouldn't have to wait for a higher power to intervene to bring us there. While I certainly enjoy 3 divisional championships in 4 years, I'm tired of losing to the Red Sox and the heartbreak of the White Sox in 2005 didn't help. A new strategy needs to be implemented, and Reagins is that strategy. The days of waiting for our prospects to develop (negatives: McPherson, Quinlan, Mathis) need to balanced out with our ability to seek out talent from other teams. Now's our chance, I just hope we are all ready for the ride.

Welcoming Torii Hunter

2007-11-22T07:39:00.000-08:00

The Angels signed Torii Hunter last night to a 5 year, 90 million dollar contract.

This adds an extra wrinkle to our first off season with Tony Reagins pulling the trigger as general manager. I cannot say I understand this signing at all. We are already crowded in outfield, we just traded away our shortstop, and so we sign an over-priced outfielder.

Don't get me wrong, I like Hunter, but not for 90 million. This is a guy who is having a power surge at the age of 32. He'll give us a gold glove in centerfield, but as we saw with our beloved Darin Erstad, gold glovers in center can wear themselves out quickly. Unfortunately, I think we may have landed ourselves in a situation similar to where the Red Sox are finding themselves with J.D. Drew, thinking "We're paying a huge 5 year contract for this???"

I am not quite ready to call for Reagins job yet; however, if he thinks this will allow him to not make a move for one (if not both) of the big infielders on the block (the Miguels), he is not worthy of the position.

Orlando Cabrera Traded to White Sox

2007-11-19T12:51:00.000-08:00

The Angels traded Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox last night, receiving pitcher Jon Garland in return.

We here at the Halo Wheelhouse are very curious as to what you Angel fans think of this move. Obviously this move is not directly in line with the Angels offseason needs (a big bat), which would lead one to believe that this could be leading up to an even bigger trade in which the Angels send off a handful of pitching to Florida to bring in Miguel Cabrera. Then again, the Angels do have a brand new general manager who hasn't quite earned the trust of the fans yet.

Sound off, Halo fans. What do you think?

Salary Distribution

2007-11-11T22:23:00.000-08:00

According to an article by the Orange County Register's Randy Youngman today, entering the A-Rod sweepstakes would be a last ditch effort for the Halos.

Instead, they'd rather distribute the reported $30 - $35 million a year in salary that Rodriguez is asking for over 2 - 3 players.

They are reportedly looking at alternative options for 3rd basemen with pop in the likes of the Cardinals' Scott Rolen, Marlins' Miguel Cabrera, and the Orioles' Miguel Tejada.

Youngman also states that the Halos are looking for a starting pitcher as well since they expect any deal they put together would require trading SP Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders. Names include road tested option for the Twins Carlos Silva or Tigers aging starter Kenny Rogers.

A report this week also stated that the Marlins were wanting Angels 2nd baseman Howie Kendrick as part of a trade for Miguel Cabrera.

Story Source

A Great Halo Week

2007-11-11T21:25:00.000-08:00

This week found two Halos receiving prestigious MLB honors.

Last Tuesday, Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera won the second Gold Glove award of his career. He beat out Yankees SS Derek Jeter, which is notable because Jeter had won the AL award for the past three years.

OC last won the award while playing shortstop in the National League in 2001 for the now defunct Montreal Expos.

Cabrera's teammate with the Angels and Expos, Vladimir Guerrero won the AL 2007 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger award this past Friday.

This makes Vlad's 7th Silver Slugger award of his career won with the Angels and Expos. This award is rewarding in the fact that it is voted on by Major League Baseball's managers and coaches for each league for offensive production. Managers and coaches cannot vote for their own players.

We're Fine Dave, Thanks

2007-10-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

Monday night while the rest of the baseball world was humming about the rumored Joe Torre hiring by the Los Angeles Dodgers, David Letterman was trying to pawn him off on the Angels.

At least that's the way it seemed during his line of awkward questioning.

Trying to find where Torre's next stop might be he asked, "Maybe Dodgers, maybe Angels?"

"Well, the Dodgers have a contract, I mean, a manager," Torre replied during his appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman." "The Angels have a very good manager."

I guess it's true that Torre has an eye for talent after all.

Story Source

A-Rod Is On The Market

2007-10-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Alex Rodriguez did not wait even one of his 10 days available before he opted out of his contract with the Yankees.

Reports over the past year have ranged from Angels' owner Arte Moreno wanting to land Rodriguez to put the Angels squad over the hump to no way he would want a player demanding $20 million plus.

The A-Rod watch is on, and now we will see what our new GM Tony Reagins and the team's check writer and owner Moreno do.

Here's what the blogosphere is saying:

Sports Frappe

JP The Prodigy MySpace

Sports News

The Putdown

The LoHud Yankees Blog

Angels Spring Training Schedule Announced

2007-10-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Angels offer up their spring training schedule in this press release.

2008 Angels Schedule Announced

2007-10-24T20:19:00.000-07:00

The Angels' 2008 regular season schedule was announced in this Los Angeles Times article.

Story Source

Be Careful What You Wish For

2007-10-23T09:47:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I was pulling just as hard as anyone for a new GM. And now that I've gotten that wish with Bill Stoneman resigning and Tony Reagins taking the reigns, I thought I would be feeling a lot better than I am. I mean, for as much crap as I used to give Stoneman for always sitting on his hands and never making a trade or taking a shot at a big payroll guy (exception to rule being Mo Vaughn), at least I knew he wasn't going to do anything crazy.

Stoneman and I had a great relationship because I knew he would never trade away these amazing prospects or guys that were probably at the top of their market value (Ervin Santana). With Reagins, I have no idea what this guy is capable of and I'm probably going to develop an ulcer as a result. This guy could come out tomorrow and tell us he's trading away Brandon Wood for some established superstar and I wouldn't know whether to celebrate or curl up in a ball because we are trading away a prospect that I've heard so much about and yet have never seen in the majors to date.

I have a feeling this is going to be a rough off-season in which I find myself throwing up while gleefully jumping up in down on at least two different occasions. Please don't let us down Reagins. You have small shoes to fill, so don't push it too hard.

A-Rod Turns In Solid Tryout For Angels

2007-10-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I know, don't try to be funny while you're in the middle of mourning.

This season's over. Buck up, get out of bed, slap some cold water on your face and let's look to next season.

Who should we add? Should we trade for what we need or dip into free agency? Or do we just grow some patience and continue to wait for our home growns to produce?

Alex Rodriguez turned in a great audition tonight in the elimination game against the Cleveland Indians, in what may be his last performance in the pinstripes. He went 2-5 with a solo home run. If you ask me, he is just what Vladimir Guerrero needs batting behind him. I know, it's a lot of money, but just think of some of the streams of revenue that such a marketing machine would also produce.

More butts in the seats, the run toward Bonds' homerun record. Wait........that's reason enough on it's own.

If A-Rod opts out of his contract, he needs to become an Angel and dwell in the land of the sun where the fans appreciate and Mr. Pressure doesn't pay attention to every single pitch.

Tim Salmon..........New GM?

2007-10-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Not really, but he had some pretty good thoughts about this Angels team in the postseason....even before they were eliminated today.

"I love the way these guys won the division manufacturing runs," Tim Salmon said. "But why did we win the World Series? We won because Scott Spiezio hit a home run. We did not win because Scott Spiezio hit a single." Salmon noted to LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke that he was not being critical of the players or their manager.

It's been said since the trade deadline loomed large that the Angels needed protection for their future Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. Who knew that in this series it would be literal as Guerrero was plunked in the shoulder in Game 2 causing him to leave the game.

Salmon went on to say: "It's frustrating to watch, the players are great at what they do, and you'll never hear Mike (Scioscia) complain about anything," Salmon said. "But you can't deny that every team in this position needs a couple of clutch hitters who, late in the game, can win a game in one swing."

Just another reminder that this is not 2002.

Story Source

We Need Power

2007-10-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Look, if there is one phrase that seems to have been reiterated offseason after offseason, it's been this: "We need power." For the past several seasons, the Angels have come into the offseason identifying the fact that they lack protection around Vladimir Guerrero and have no answer to providing power when Vlad goes into a slump or gets injured.

This past season was no different. Moreno promised changes, and the Angels went out and signed Gary Matthews Jr., a lead off hitter, and Shea Hillenbrand, a player that we ended up dropping by the All-Star break. While things seemed to have been alright during the second half of the season while Garret Anderson returned to his old form, the weakness of the lineup become rather apparent as Matthews went down and Anderson got pink-eye.

As an Angels fan, I have no confidence that Bill Stoneman will do anything different this year than what he has done in the past 5 seasons (play it safe and keep all his prospects). But honestly, this is the time for Stoneman to take action. I don't even care if it's the most ridiculous trade you've ever heard of, but he has to at least do something and show that he's capable of making a trade. My idea: pay A-Rod the 240 million he wants and let's go from there.