Blame of the Game: Gary Matthews Jr.
Gary's 3 GIDPs and costly error in the field - well they hide so many other poor performances tonight that it was almost the height of sportsmanlike conduct.
On the bright side, the Mariners are clicking on all cylinders, playing near-perfect ball and we know that cannot continue.
0 recs | 48 comments
This team is in retarded mode
edhoo - April 12, 2008
Agreed
3 double plays and a error that made my eyes burn. Not good. Reggie tomorrow please.
Erik121 - April 12, 2008
meow
ladybug - April 12, 2008
THIS Gary might have not hit into so many DP's
Downing Rules - April 12, 2008
dont give the mariners too much credit
we just played poorly
UCIHalo - April 12, 2008
On the bright side
Howie showed no signs of being affected by his injury, and continues to rake.
Aybar may have earned himself the starting job with good D, and good hitting while Howie was out.
Darren O'Day demonstrated there is hope for him yet.
Kotch remained hot.
Figgins is on fire.
Zu Long - April 12, 2008
Young guys are good
GMJ is not.
hauldog - April 12, 2008
I'd like to see Vlad and GA get some hits
Erik121 - April 12, 2008
M's fan here....
...can someone explain to me wtf the Halos FO was thinking signing GMJ to a long contract...and THEN signing Torii to fill the same role? Was it merely a recognition that "yeah, we fucked up" and accepting the GMJ signing as a sunk cost? Or does he have hidden value not appreciated by casual observers? (a la Beltre, who many still seem to think of as a massive bust but who has in reality been a solid producer for us all down the line.)
BTW, I'm no troll. I respect the Angels immensely even as I cordially dislike them as rivals (Public Enemy #1: Chone Figgins AKA The Impossible Out)
Looking forward to the final match tomorrow. Perverse as it may seem, I think your best pitcher is going tomorrow (best healthy one, that is) vs. our #1. It's going to be a fun matinee.
esoteric - April 12, 2008
bad signing
We decided not to be hamstrung by one bad contract and signed Hunter. There is no value to GMJ, frankly.
Rev Halofan - April 12, 2008
None WHATSOEVER?
I thought he was at least supposed to be a plus defender (tonight's error notwithstanding), no?
I confess I'm asking because I'm just not as conversant with his numbers the way I am with those of M's or Nationals players. Does he bring anything with the bat? Is he as much of a GIDP machine as tonight made him seem?
Oh well. I think Hunter's K is also a pretty bad one (though if the market continues inflating it may not look so bad in retrospect), but at least, as you said earlier, he has a track record that promises good results for the first year or two.
esoteric - April 12, 2008
I know he hit a HR tonight but...
Sexson contract was pretty bad as well pal
KendrickExperience - April 12, 2008
True enough in retrospect....
But to be fair, he only fell off the cliff into the abyss last year. Before that point he was doing a workmanlike enough job.
esoteric - April 12, 2008
And without GMJ last year
Halos don't make the playoffs.
Shit started to roll downhill when he hurt his knee during the last week of the season.
KendrickExperience - April 12, 2008
As an M's fan
Even though he was fantastic in 2006, at his age they should have known that contract was a stupid idea.
Notor - April 12, 2008
Sorry, but that just doesn't fly
2006 was a huge outlier for him. Betting he would be anywhere close to that good over a five year deal makes it sound like Matthews' agent has naked pictures of Stoneman with an underage monkey.
scareduck - April 12, 2008
I was talking about Sexson, actually
But I suppose the same thing applies to GMJ.
esoteric - April 12, 2008
he gallops like a pony those r his intangibles
calikraze - April 12, 2008
Torii
was tony reagins' way of saying "im not dealing with bill stoneman's shit"
look out for the matthews trade where we eat 94.5% of his salary in a season or two
ihearhowie2.0 - April 12, 2008
GMJ has a "no trade" contract
The best for everyone would be him permanently disabled and the Angel's would collect the insurance. Not likely.
While Rivera and Willis rot on the bench, the Angel's are sticking by their man. They'll probably give him a day off and flip Howie to #2 and the mofo to #7.That'll piss him off for sure and he'll get even worse - world record for 4-6-3..
He can be sent to Arkansas.
fudd - April 13, 2008
The GMJ Signing: how and why
To make a short story long:
The GMJ story dates back to free agency following the 2004 season. The Angels needed a CF and had targeted Carlos Beltran, a player the Angels had long admired. However when the bidding went over $100m, the Angels exited the Beltran sweepstakes. TODAY the Beltran contract is good value, but in the context of salaries following the 2004 season it was beyond what the Angels would pay. The Angels still needed a CF. Enter free agent acquisition Steve Finley. Disaster ensues.
Fast forward to free agency after the 2005 season. The Angels need a "big bat" and are determined to get it. They outbid the White Sox for Paul Konerko with a 5-year $62 million offer and it appears all but done that the Angels would land the slugging first baseman. Not quite. Konerko himself later admitted he was VERY close to signing with the Angels, but decided to take less money and stay with the Sox. Angels strike out. Again.
It's the 2006 season and Arte vows to make a "significant" acquisition. Two players are targeted: Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez. Enter the free agency period. The Angels have dollars to spend and are keen to meet with Ramirez, but the meeting with the Angels is cancelled. Aramis does not even bother to listen to any offers and decides to re-sign with the Cubs. Angels strike out. Again.
Attention is directed towards Soriano. The rumor is that it will take $90 million to sign him. The Angels, with their offer of 7-years for $118 million, feel that they are virtually guaranteed to land him. Then the stunner; the Cubs tack on 1 more year and another $18 million. The Angels feel that is an offer they simply can’t beat. Angels strike out. Again.
Panic time. The Angels have done nothing, need to save face, and have money to spend. They also have a legitimate need for someone who can actually play a half way decent CF. The Rangers wish to re-sign GMJ for 3 years at $25 million, which would have been reasonable. But free agency escalates things out of control. There are 4 year offers, but the Giants have a 5-year contract on the table. Angels match the years, beat the dollars, and land GMJ.
The above is not meant to validate the GMJ contact, but simply to provide some historical context as to what led the Angels to do what they did. A classic case of doing something for the sake of doing something.
Fan Since 1981 - April 13, 2008
Amen
jtkelly86 - April 13, 2008
i'd like GA
to catch a ball in that outfield... man that play killed me.
halobaseball - April 12, 2008
It killed Garland's performance, too...
it would have been a 3-2 halos lead inning over at that point.
Downing Rules - April 12, 2008
bad bad bad
we know we need clutch hitting and pitching tomorrow. to add to this -- please no gmj tomorrow PLEASE.
calikraze - April 12, 2008
The weakness of Scioscia
is that he won't pull Mathews. You can see it in Mathew's eyes that he is dogging it. Howie should bat second and replace Mathews with Willits in the 9 hole.
higdog - April 12, 2008
This is a solid idea... Howie at #2 Willits at #9...
Downing Rules - April 12, 2008
disagree
matthews' assrape of a game tonight aside, reggie willits hitting 9 would make our lineup look a lot like the past 3 games of "izturis - matholi - aybar" at the bottom of the lineup which proved to be quite a black hole. Reggie gets on base when he hit leadoff and saw good pitches
matthews hitting 2 gets us the occasional homer and walk and keeps howie driving in the torii hunters and casey kotchmans of our lineup. Put howie at #2 and the lineup ceases to exist at 6 deep.
hes awful and his contract is worse but lets not ignore the fact that GA and Vlad are blowing it almost as much as matthews is. This game will just make us dwell on matthews' struggles more
ihearhowie2.0 - April 12, 2008
Why can't Rivera DH for a while and bat 7?
fudd - April 13, 2008
Willits could bat 2nd,
he is enough of a team player to do what is asked. Plus if Figgins gets out, he is still a threat to get on.
higdog - April 13, 2008
I like HK in the 2 hole
but I blame part of GMJ suckage on Scioscia. Gary just isn't cut out to be a #2 hitter. You can see him trying to do what Ersty and Cabrera were so good at, hitting the ball to the right side to advance the runner. Instead GMJ should be going the other way, but instead he trys to pull it and you get a DP. Sosh needs to realize that this team can hit the long ball up and down the line up and shit can the #2 guy sacrificing himself to move the runner over. We don't need that shit when we got guys going yard in 6/9 spots. If Sosh moves Howie to the #2 hole, he's going to ruin him unless he tells him to go out there and just play his game. If he tells him to worry about moving the runner, taking pitches for Figgie, etc. it ain't gonna work. Mike needs to recognize that this Halo's lineup is different than years past and is capable of getting runners on base and hitting the 3 run homer. Outs are more precious to this lineup that can mash, than the typical small ball we have seen in years past.
LosAngel - April 12, 2008
Figgins OBP
Right now it's around .550. It will be shot to hell as long as GMJ eliminates him every chance he gets. Figgins needs to start running on the first pitch.
LA Seitz - April 12, 2008
It would be better still
if Willits were hitting instead.
scareduck - April 12, 2008
i can see
Rivera getting the start at 1B tomorrow. Maybe even Willits getting a start in place of HGH.
I recall reading somewhere that those two we're gonna get some more playing time, and i'm pretty much gonna shit myself if i see Q in the lineup tomorrow vs. a premiere pitcher..
b0rd3rline - April 12, 2008
dont get your hopes up
quinlan will play. and GIDP. maybe twice.
why does kotchman still get no respect against lefties? he hasnt seen one in 2 years for christs sake. hes gotten much better overall, are we supposed to believe hes worse than quinlan??? id love to have an everyday 1st baseman, gee what a concept scoscia
ihearhowie2.0 - April 12, 2008
Yes, yes, a thousand times, YES!
Right now our three best hitters are Figgins, Kotchman and Kendrick. We can't afford to take one of them out of the lineup for a black hole like Quinlan. Not to mention that Kotch is a superb defender who consistently makes big plays at first.
If Scioscia bats him against lefties for half the season and he tanks, then fine, but to not even give him a chance?
leftwing - April 12, 2008
nothing pisses me off more
than seeing Q in the lineup, the only time he belonged was in may 2004 when our team was so injured we were "The B Team" rather than "The A Team". Watching him bat makes me want to punch a baby it's so horrible.
jtkelly86 - April 13, 2008
Send Bulger down
Not today... yesterday.
red floyd - April 12, 2008
ye
Is rich thompson our long man right now? i'd like to see him over bulger ;/
ANewFoundThrice - April 13, 2008
cancel that
forgot about rich thompsons 5 run opening day
ANewFoundThrice - April 13, 2008
We don't have a long man
Which is why need need Bootcheck back
edhoo - April 13, 2008
"It gets late early out there"
If Hunter is in center, he makes those plays.
If GMJ is in left, he makes the catch GA dropes.
*note to GA STFU and get used to DHing. PLEASE?
Let's use the 4 amigos to our advantage (while we have them)(healthy) not our disadvantage.
Put AK47 in the 2 spot, put GMJ in the 8 spot.
AK47 hits the stitches off the ball.
Figgy then AK47 (Hot Boys)
How could you not ride that Zuvuya?
Funke5ive - April 13, 2008
*HK47 lol
Funke5ive - April 13, 2008
its cool
respect to adam "they just let me ride the ambulance because i like the siren" kennedy
ANewFoundThrice - April 13, 2008
plunk
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pM41wqU50hPUPwgcfN7SuHg
scottnak - April 13, 2008
glad to see I am maintaining my low scores!
ladybug - April 13, 2008
i just dont understand
Vlad: 6 time all-star
6 time silver slugger
2004 MVP
Torii (the rally monkey) Hunter: 7 time gold glove winner
2 time all-star
GA: 3 time all-star
all-star MVP
home run derby champion
2 time silver slugger
World Championship
4th on MVP voting in 2002.
And you are telling me GMJ is getting any playing time?!?! He was a mistake, and if he plays, IF HE EVER PLAYS, we should all be afraid. He has had moments of greatness, but we have three outfielders that are proven all-stars...play them all the time. If GMJ is unhappy, tough.
kingfish - April 13, 2008
not to mention,
GMJ is the second oldest of our six OFers. (pun intended, since all our OFers were O-fers)
angels4adam - April 13, 2008
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