rob's Los Angeles Angels Fan Profile

Why on God's Green Earth Would Napoli Give Hitting Advice to Brandon Wood? posted on 09/07/2008

Dude, no offense, but Brandon should not get advice from a catcher barely hitting over .200 and especially not a catcher who likes to hang out late at night in Newport Beach at Sharky's with an erratic reliever named Shields.   I was reading Lyle Spencer's piece on the Angels official website and it had an exerpt where Napoli is talking to Brandon about hitting. 

I can't wait for Hank Conger to come thru the ranks.  I don't care how good these g.uys are defensively they need to hit.  I hate to say it but I would rather have the hated AJ Piesinksy than Napoli.  Johnny Bench could hit while playing catcher more than adequately and Scioscia probably averaged .280 for a career.

Unacceptable.  Send Brandon to Mark Texeira or Garret Anderson.  Those two have the consistency and plate discipline to advise Brandon.  Keep Napoli the hell away from Brandon or you can add a third baseman to the catchers club of offensive futility.   

Continue reading "Why on God's Green Earth Would Napoli Give Hitting Advice to Brandon Wood?"
(1 comments)

Have the Chargers Lost It? Merriman Should Not Play! posted on 08/31/2008

I have to say that I was confused by the lack of communication out from A.J. Smith and Norv Turner as it relates to Shawn Merriman's injury and playing status.  In the NFL, the Trainer, General Manager and Head Coach all have roles in dissemination of information to the media as it relates to players let alone the super star caliber players.  How the press is handled follows protocol and so the degree to which representatives were quiet during Shawn's trek across the states to find any doctor who could offer a different opinion was odd.  He found that competent sports surgeons often agree that when a knee is torn up that bad, the best course of action is surgery and rehabilitation no matter how long it takes.  For crying out load Shawn, you are 24 with the best years of your pro football life ahead of you.  Shut it down and do it now so you can begin the healing process.  Atleast you got some extra frequent flyer miles.

Continue reading "Have the Chargers Lost It? Merriman Should Not Play!"
(0 comments)

Hunter and Guerrero Ride the Bench in Favor of Napoli and Rodriguez! Why? posted on 08/31/2008

Good Lord!  Why on earth would you leave Vlad and Tori on the bench with a chance to win?  This is not the time to experiment with building confidence levels of the unproven young guys.  Have the Angels forgotten that they now trail Tampa Bay for the best record in baseball?  Do they remember getting blasted in Tampa?  You put your best players in a position to win the game daily, end of story.  I am so mad at the ninth inning tonite.

I realize that you needed to pinch hit for Mathis.  I am not sure the guy could square up a beach ball right now but you can't possibly rationalize Napoli as your best pinch hitting option available with Vlad and Tori on the bench.  Correct me if I am wrong, if you use Vlad or Tori for Mathis there is nothing in the rule books that says you can't use  Napoli as a defensive replacement?  Heck, even Sean Rodriguez thought he would be pinch hit for as evident by his body language and his extended stair into the dugout looking for the inevitable call back to the dugout.  What was Roenicke thinking?  Vlad and Tori make the big bucks.  They are paid to be in a position of trust when it comes to the need for clutch hitting in stressful situations.  Napoli and Rodriguez combine for an average below .200.  To my shock Napoli struck out and Rodriguez oopsed a ground ball to first on a feeble check swing.  The result of opting to use those two hitters in the ninth with a runner in scoring position is exactly what you would have expected.  Statistics don't lie.  Vlad and Tori need to hit in this situation and those two at bats would not have undone the benefits Scioscia attributes to resting those guys down the stretch run in preparation for the playoffs. 

Continue reading "Hunter and Guerrero Ride the Bench in Favor of Napoli and Rodriguez! Why?"
(0 comments)

Finally Sold, Big Tex Is Unbelievable! posted on 08/31/2008

• I have to admit that I was sour over the trade that shipped Casey Kotchman out and brought Texeira in. As an Angel fan, the last 3 years or so we have developed a fondness for Casey.  He was one of us and part of the family. It was only a matter of time before he developed into a superstar and we hung in there with him despite his struggles with mono-nucleosis and concussions.  His play in 2008 was a sign of more to come but it wasn't to be as the Angels' Management sought to put the team in position to win this year bringing in Mark Texeira.
• Just last year, the Angels almost mortgaged their future in acquiring Big Tex at the expense of several pieces of the future from the young and talented group of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Howie Kendrick.  I can't be the only one happy that did not go down.  Mercy, that would have been costly!  I just could not see dealing with the evil empire's Scott Boras as his agent.  God love Boras but man are his contracts signed without regard for the financial health of the team and the dedicate balance of financing enough talent around a superstar to put a winner on the diamond.  I felt like we would surely lose Mark after the season win or lose to some team that would over pay right into the welcoming jaws of the largest shark in the pool of players agents.  So, why would we want him? 

Continue reading "Finally Sold, Big Tex Is Unbelievable!"
(0 comments)