Halos Heaven

No, just in the head

It’s what I get for rallying behind “Ripped Again Rodney”
F**K—what choice do we have????

A Big THANK YOU

to our Front Office ! ! !
and our marketing department for the timely “trAdition” slogan.

Dono Romantico - May 23, 2010 reply

You have a better idea for a slogan?

I hate trAdition too !

I wish Bill Stoneman would have taught f'n Reagins how to build a bullpen.

With the exception of the Speier signing, Stoneman collected cheap, effective arms for the pen. Reagins apparantly is distracted by the shiny objects like Saves and goes on drunken spending sprees.

As much as I liked to complain about Stoneman’s obvious dumb moves, like GMJ, I really miss having him as the GM.

snowhor - May 23, 2010 via mobile reply

We all knew Rodney has control problems. Bell? maybe someday, but not this month (or season).

Shields evidently won’t be the same anymore. Geez, two seasons in a row with a sub par pen. Not fun.

Wally's World - May 23, 2010 reply

I think a fair amount of it was the string of bad drafts.

We could have had a number young arms waiting to pull up, but we concentrated way too much on free agent signings that ultimately didn’t deliver us a championship.

Then we mismanaged our 40-man roster in several cases, and let players walk that shouldn’t have. That we essentially gifted Texas’ two most effective relievers (O’Day and Oliver) to them for nothing is the most galling.

plus they'd have chances to sign really good young arms in the draft and let them get away

when an extra million would have sealed the deal…. I’d much rather they sign their draft picks than sign relievers to big money deals.

This.

Yes, I sort of folded that into “bad drafts” — but yup, we had a ridiculously low draft budget in a number of cases. Then we’d go an spend $18M a year on a free agent — $9M a year on Fuentes.

Makes no sense.

Would you call this a rebuilding year,

or a wait-it-out-until-next-year year, or what?

I don't think we have a lot to "rebuild" with.

There’s not a ton of cheap value on the field right now — it would be silly for the team to trade
Weaver, Morales or Napoli — that should be our cheap nucleus to build around.

I think both this year and next are definitely transitional years, and hopefully we net some real winners in the June draft.

It still wouldn't surprise me if they traded Napoli sometime in the future

Once Mathis gets back to being healthy and Napoli goes into one of his slumps. Everyone knows that CERA defines a catcher.

The irony being that less than half a point separates their career CERAs.

Not that I believe much of CERA is attributable to catcher as much as the pitcher, the defense, the opposing offense, park factors and luck.

I suppose Sosh just expects more out of other Italian catchers named Mike?

This Mathis mancrush is just really inexpicable. If not for the injury, Naps would be rotting on the bench.

mathis might prove that he should be the catcher

i could be wrong and id be glad for someone to show me a good stat for catchers but hes seen as better defensively and the playoffs/beginning of this year show that he might be a pretty good hitter…i feel that napoli’s future is as a dh

Is your CERA comment sarcastic?

Some people on HH keep harping on CERA, but I don’t buy it.

I love CERA

The best baseball stat ever invented! ; )

stolenbases - May 24, 2010 reply

What I don't get about O'Day is why they just let him go for nothing.

Seems like if they decided he didn’t fit into their plans, they could’ve tried to get something for him

or why they kept SOOOOO many catchers on their rosters

Budde has effectively been a backup to a backup (Wilson) to a backup (Napoli) to the starter (Mathis) with the hopefully long-term answer taking up a spot on the 40 as well in Conger.

Hate to say it but guys like Budde that can catch really well w/o hitting a lick are a dime a dozen. He never should have been kept over O’Day

I always thought it was amazing Budde was still on the roster

With Napoli, Mathis, and Wilson, I didn’t see the need for Budde.

Brother, that need came up

when both Shotgun and Wilson went down this year
It’s proven axiom that you can’t have too much catching either

see there is this thing called non rostered players

the Angels have catchers that could have served that purpose without them taking up a spot on the 40 man roster. The 40 man roster is for people that are going to play or for people that are prospects. Not people that might play as a backup if 2 guy go down with injuries……

he was not good at all

with bulger, jepsen, etc on board there wasnt really a place for him

103 PA against righties for the Angels

in 2008….. ZERO homers, struck out almost 3 times as he walked and a 680 OPS. OPS against lefties was a still manageable 764…..

say there wasn’t room for him fine. But the guy was doing well enough in his first exposure to the bigs.

o u mean with the 4.57 era and the 1.454 whip?

there is no need for someone whos great against righties…he probably should have been kept and developed in AAA

again pretty much league average

for a guy in his first stint in the bigs… you don’t think that has more value than a backup to a backup to a backup catcher?

also you make it sound like getting righties out is trivial. That’s only more than 1/2 the game right there…… Been watching too many Soth managed games where matchups are meaningless and the only thing that matters is what inning the scoreboard says it is.

i said he should have been kept and put in AAA

ur right 4 catchers in ridiculous but thas something new…at that point average wasnt good enough for that bullpen…maybe he couldve been on the 40 man roster but he would pitch rarely and would have been better served getting regular work in AAA

The Angels used 15 relievers in 2009.

O’Day would have been with the big club by late April at a minimum.

There’s no getting past it: the front office misjudged O’Day, and misjudged their bullpen depth as well.

They made a mistake.

That's why you don't judge a young pitcher exclusively on ERA and WHIP.

O’Day had a fielding-independent ERA nearly a full point below his standard ERA. Here was his line when he was with the Angels:

4.04 xFIP, 3.64 FIP, 4.57 ERA, .335 BABIP, 54.9 GB%, 127 tRA+

That’s a line that screams cheap keeper.

You can complain about the “new stats” all you want, but the “new stats” described a pitcher that was only going to get better, and O’Day has done just that.

again i didnt say they should have let him go

i said develop him in AAA so he could reach that potential…i just used that as justification to not have him on the roster for that year alone…again dont try to be demeaning with something i didnt even say

You entered this thread with the statement:

" he was not good at all"

…and then do a lot of rhetorical handwaving to soften that up.

Dude, just have an opinion and support it. Don’t get defensive when someone shows you to be factually incorrect — it’s fine, people misstate the facts all the time. If you make a misstatement, just admit it and move on to your next opinion.

i used poor diction

and then corrected myself

I was very pissed off when the Angels let O'Day go

On December 11, 2008 I wrote:

F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!

O’Day was a promising pitcher. I don’t know how the torn labrum will effect him going forward, but there were some really good signs in his rookie season:

The 4.57 ERA is misleading. He’s actually much better than that. His FIP was 3.64 and he posted a solid K/9 rate of 6.02. He also surrendered just 2 HRs in 43.1 innings of work, another positive indicator. Plus, he’s a sidewinding/submariner. Having a pitcher with an unorthodox delivery provided a good mix for the Angels’ bullpen.

F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!

My original venting: http://www.halosheaven.com/2008/12/11/689621/goodbye-darren-o-day#10641275

not good at all might have been a little strong

he wasnt bootcheck…the main problem was that there wasnt space on that team but AAA was a better option than releasing him

can you please be our GM?

maybe I should ask you a couple of questions first…. before giving you the job….

What is a better indicator of future success? WHIP or SV%?

Is Del Taco an appropriate place to have business meetings?

If your most consistent reliever is in a situation where he pretty much has to stay on your team if you offer him arbitration, do you….

A) offer him arbitration
B) sign him to a 2 year deal
C) let him go for not even a draft pick to our main rival?

I think being a CSUF alumnus is also a requirement

Haha just kidding….I think

As a GM....

I tend to ignore WHIP and SV% (I may glance at it, but it is way down on my list)

Some key stats I would begin with:
FIP, K/9 and swinging strike percentage, BB/9, groundball percentages, fastball velocity, xFIP, HR/FB ratios, and pitch f/x data. That’s kind of some surface level stuff; I’d dig deeper into the numbers.

But stats alone is not nearly enough: hours of video of the pitcher in question should be reviewed.

I would also seek the opinion of stat and scouting gurus. I want as much information as possible so that I can make a well-informed decision.

But that’s just me. I could be wrong.

I think I tend to agree with you more than anyone else at HH.

We should start a shadow front office.

Maybe you guys can help me draft my U14 soccer team this year

My Application

1) Neither matters, pitching numbers solely depend on who is catching.

2) No, Naugles was the bomb!

3) What is this arbitration you speak of?

Barca - May 24, 2010 reply

Del Taco did take a lot of the good from Naugles coughMacho Burritoscough

red floyd - May 24, 2010 reply

Agree

When the payroll went up, it seems like the Angels became too tempted by the quick fix free agent signing at the expense of developing the minor league system like they had done in past years.

I guess the good news is that it seems like the FO is focusing more on building up the farm system the past year or two.

So we're talking 2012-13-14

When guys kile Trout, Chatwood, and players to be drafted, etc., will be ready for their turn

True

I hear that Trout fellow is pretty good.

I just wonder how much input Sosh has in the decisions now

I also wonder if Stoneman was really that good in picking out cheap arms or if it was just dumb luck mostly due to having to deal with lower payrolls prior to 2004. It is probably somewhere between dumb luck and skill IMO. I believe he also signed Yan in addition to Speier.

Pretty sure Sosh has a say in everything having to do with players.

I seem to recall when Reagins took over, and they extended Sosh, they also gave Sosh more control over who we sign and who gets playing time. I’m too GA to look it up.

Yes, he signed Yan, too. Must have blocked that one out of my memory.

snowhor - May 23, 2010 via mobile reply

Blowpen needs a boot in the ass...................

norcaliangelsfan - May 23, 2010 reply

A boot in the ass ain't going to get it done...

…I’d start with a collective lobotomy

The Limey - May 23, 2010 reply

I'd start with some new faces

Fred Fredrix - May 23, 2010 reply

your solution > my solution

The Limey - May 23, 2010 reply

One promising element from the grim pen scene today is Shields' excellent 9th

And unlike Rodney, Soth let him go after Puljoser, and he took him out

So much for the concept of "Play NL teams, get back on track like last year"

This year: Same crap, regardless

hbhalofan - May 23, 2010 reply

good news was that weave was not pitched hit until lates sooo

some of us won panther points

Yea....your Clash of the Titans tie-in may have sucked (lol)

but thanks for reminding me of the one good thing to come out of this mess—
I put 2500 on NO

if you have a better one i what to know

I have been think of one with seven

7 of 9? The film 7? The Magnificent 7?

No, it’s pretty funny—“release the Kracken” and all.
I don’t know…can it all just go away?
I like the part where Red Floyd is dancing and you can see Red Bandit and Lady Bug too.

the problem is

i need the raw footage.
Who ever has it can i use it for EVIL?

That would be Rev

REV I WANT THE RAW FOOTAGE

unless your not cool with that?

Flushing away millions

BULLPEN COST

Speier ($5.25 million) [No longer with team. On vacation]
Shields ($5.35 million) [Still with team. 2-seamer on vacation]
Rodney ($5.5 million) [Control has been on vacaction forever]
Fuentes ($9 million) [Moustache returned from vacationing in 1979]

Total: $25.1 million

salary source

Note to the Angels’ Front Office.

Stop doing THIS!!

rec'd

good post.

Figgi4life - May 23, 2010 reply

Ya, it's pretty ugly, though the Shields deal was at least defensible

I guess if there’s a silver lining to this, is maybe the level of suck of this bullpen will leave a lasting impression.

Fuentes

Must like drinking pina coladas as he listens to the soothing sounds of the Doobie Brothers

The bullpen this year has been a "Tragedy".

“What a Fool Believes” is that this bullpen will eventually be “Hot Stuff”. I think the “Good Times” are over for the Angels and that they’d be better off to “Knock on Wood”. But there is no crying in baseball; so “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)”.

Okay. That was really corny. I’ll stop before somebody wants to ring my bell. Oops.

Wow, that was worse than this bullpen.

once sosh finally takes fuentes out of his closer role

the bullpen will start looking a lot better

As a music geek

I love it! Rec!

Whew! Good to know.

Sometimes I think I might be one of the few people on HH who was around in 1979.

No there are quite a few of us

I take it you didn’t look at any of the pictures from the HH event at the stadium..
(’79 was one of my favorite years—I really started getting laid a lot that year finally)

I wasn't around

I just love retro pop culture, particularly from the 70s up until the early 80s.

I was around in '79...

A round little baby!

If you don't stop

I’m “Gonna Stomp All Night.”

you are going to ....

“Make me Feel Like Dancing!” Just “don’t stop until you get enough.” I might have get a big ole “Jet Airliner” to stay at the “Hotel California”, and “Live it Up”.

Fan since 1961

Barca - May 24, 2010 reply

I'm Hooked On A Feeling

that this thread will “Beat It” until “Tomorrow”. What are the odds? “25 or 6 to 4”

red floyd - May 24, 2010 reply

all the while

o’day and oliver are lights out, pitching for a division rival.

I never got a degree at The College of the Desert, but something doesn’t seem right here…

That is sobering.

Dear Fan Since 1981 ,

You Are FUCKING Awesome !

Front Office F A I L !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dono Romantico - May 23, 2010 reply

does rivera not get anything for 0-5 and a failure to bust the game open

that is normal for him oh well

doesnt absolve him of responsibility

he actually hasnt been horribly recently

He had been getting hot,

then Sosh sat him to let the 1 for 13 Matsui play left instead on Saturday. Another nonsensical maneuver.

I figured out the solution to the bullpen problems.

Cloning.

We just need to make like half a dozen Kevin Jepsens.

Message to bullpen was "GROW some balls", not "throw some balls"

Fucking weak. That is all…

Big Easy Halofan - May 23, 2010 reply

Guys you have disappointed me and my son

Vlads look when i told him the angels lost.
A baby cried because they lost

E-mail this to Rodney and Shields

sent it to weakassarms@throwonlyballs.net

Sounds about right.

plenty of raw footage

is in his diaper there for you

Rev Halofan - May 23, 2010 reply

VOD, I don't care what bord3rline has to say about you...

You and yer son are way cool !!! ! !

If you keep having him watching these kind of games

I’m calling Child Protective Services!

ZING !

Season over...

Next year won’t be much better…time for a new gm…

Halopauly - May 23, 2010 reply

Do you ever comment when the Angels win?

season isnt over.

but time for a new gm. which won’t happen.

ineptitude gets contract extensions.

Ya, I'm inclined to agree with you at this point.

Reagins seems like a fine player development guy, I’m not sure about him as a GM though.

Reagins is a good Intern/puppet. . .

And that is all !

We win a few games in a row in the next week or two...

and people like this may recover from their white-flag waving.

Downing Rules - May 23, 2010 reply

Pollyanna Checking In

Yes, today sucked, two games in a row that Weaver should have won. Our bullpen is a model of inefficiency. Juan Rivera is pissing me off. B. Wood still has that deer-in-the-headlights look. Brian Fuentes gives me heartburn, even on the days he doesn’t pitch.

But I still think The Angels win this division…largely due to starting pitching.

Zaius - May 23, 2010 reply

Mrs. Lovett is singing a new tune:

“The Worst Pen in Baseball.”

Zoe Necrosis - May 23, 2010 reply

We are starting to look more and more...

pathetic

I don’t like saying it though.

OCangels - May 23, 2010 reply

Bullpen Roles

I generally don’t complain about the Soth. 1 WS, and five additional playoff appearances in his first 10 seasons as manager shows that, on the whole, he knows what he’s doing.

What irks me is how sometimes he is too wedded to a particular way of doing things – in this case, bullpen “roles” and the idea of there being a defined closer, defined 8th inning guy, etc. It’s one thing if you’ve got a set of guys who have enjoyed tremendous success in those roles, as he had a few years ago. But that can’t be said for anybody in the 2010 addition.

Weaver was under 100 pitches, and didn’t bat in the 7th. Why did he only go 6 innings?

In came Jepsen. Fine, he did a great job, a 1-2-3 inning on 12 pitches. But then, why is he only allowed to pitch one inning? Why couldn’t he go 2, or at least pitch to a 4th batter? He wasn’t lifted for a pinch-hitter, either. But that didn’t square with “the plan,” which required that he come out so that Rodney, the designated 8th inning guy (notwithstanding the fact that he is much better in the 9th inning role) could do his thing. And then Fuentes was going to come in regardless of how well Rodney did…unless Rodney did what he did, in which case there was no “role” for Fuentes.

None of the guys in the pen this year is good enough to deserve a defined role, and it wouldn’t kill a guy like Jepsen to throw more than 12 pitches. With this pen, it’s much better to get to the 9th with two options (say, Rodney and Fuentes both available based on matchups). While one might argue that this creates too much uncertainty, the same can be said for the entire bullpen’s performance this year. There isn’t one reliable arm out there.

jjackflash - May 23, 2010 reply

That’s
what I keep saying. I think Sosh is too rigid with bullpen roles. Gone are the days when the Halos had 1 dominant closer and dominant relievers to combine for the best bullpen in the majors. There is no K-Rod or Percy for an automatic save, or Donnelly/ Good Shields. Looking at statistics, Rodney is horrible in non save situation, but he showed us what he can do in save situations. Fuentes has shown us how he handles rightys (pretty bad) and leftys. Instead of forcing Fuentes to pitch against power rightys, why not use Rodney? Then instead of using him in the 8th against a 6-9 that’s filled with leftys, just let Fuentes take care of the leftys. The Angels don’t have a Percival whose lights out in the 9th.

phoenix15 - May 23, 2010 reply

As far as Weaver being removed

It was really hot and humid there, so Weaver might have been exhausted earlier than he normally is.

The Angels bullpen is a freaking disaster in the making ala Irwin Allen films in the 70s

every team that faces the Angels this year wants to run up the pitch count on the starters so they can feast on the bullpen for dessert. Pulling Weaver as early as they did had me yelling at the t.v., I knew what was coming next and was horrified as it all unfolded. Put Napoli as the D.H. when Mathis comes back, give Matsui a month or so off and keep him out of the outfield.

steelgolf - May 23, 2010 reply

Really, give Matsui a month off?

seriously

how are they supposed to move jerseys if our number one import is on the bench?

Why would the Angels give Matsui a month off?
he’s attracting money that can be used for FAs. Maybe a couple of days yes, but a month’s too much. If the Halos benched for a month every slumping player, i don’t think guys like Salmon, Erstad, Glaus would’ve been on the team.

phoenix15 - May 23, 2010 reply

Money is the least of this teams problem.

It’s how to manage the money and , mainly, to not buy stupid shit with it.

I’m not for giving Matsui a month off… i just find it a bit funny that people assume Mo Money = Less Problems.

Don't be too sure of that

I think there are indications that money is a problem. I think Arte’s been running the team on the cheap ever since they lost Tex. I’m not accusing him of being cheap; I just figure that he’s been working to keep the team in the black in the face of an extended recession, and (I hope) saving his money until investment-worthy FAs become available. That’s only prudent; we wouldn’t want the team to be in the Rangers’ financial plight a few years down the road. But attendance has been down, and it seems there are half-price tickets available for every game. Something’s gotta give.

prudent but not desperate

The budget seems firm.

Those ticket specials actually ring in people who spend dough at the stadium and become return customers. Smartest thing he can do in a recession.

Well they've been forced to run the team on the cheap lately because of all the high dollar commitments to not all that productive players.

What I don’t understand is why after being unable to afford top talent in the free agent market, they try to make up for it by buying cheaper but still overpriced free agents. If it continues, prepare to welcome back your 1990s Angels.

snowhor - May 24, 2010 via mobile reply

lost season this lost season that, look the giants thought they were gonna win the division a few weeks ago and now they are the same amount of games back as us. its not over til the fat lady sings. YES WE CAN

ANewFoundThrice - May 23, 2010 reply

misunderstood thread haha ya this season is particularly LOST with twists, like the tv show

ANewFoundThrice - May 23, 2010 reply

i understand weaver may have been tired. it’s a warm, damp sock out here in the midwest and i’ve seen the umps and HK-47 pitting out like nobody’s business. but yeah, bulger was great and efficient, and it had to be obvious that rodney wasn’t going to cut it. he didn’t look remotely confident out there.

that being said, share and share alike. shields should have been pulled before taking the mound in the 10th. he had a good inning, let him hit the showers after a GOOD performance, not leave him out there to dry. bell should have started the inning.

aybar got caught up in the runner’s legs to cleanly field a ball that cost them, if I recall correctly, and the Angels should’ve had more than 2-run innings. They made some big mistakes, like Abreu charging to 3rd when Holliday made a pretty good catch, that could have been the difference.

we know the bullpen is our weakness. it needs to be managed better than it was, and the angels’ offense needs to have that killer instinct. the defense needs to play better. frandsen should’ve made the catch on that short-hopper. single or no, it’s that kind of quality play that separates winners from everyone else.

b wood got almost all of a baseball. if he’d gotten all of it, we’d be smiling heading into our weeks, not the face of one walking past the wal-mart redemption area.

i think the youth movement may as well get into full swing next year. conger at C, bourjos in CF, abreu at DH – let’s start this next generation thing. regardless of how this year turns out. and let’s focus on getting some decent arms to not kill jered weaver’s starts. i don’t know how we’d replace him

Kernel - May 23, 2010 reply

At the game today

At Busch…. saw about three other Halos fans there. Was feeling pretty good that we had this one wrapped up… once again, those walks will kill you. Still felt that Rodney should not have been pitching around Pujols with nobody on. Even the great Albert can’t hit a two-run dinger with no one on base! Was hot as HELL today… thanks, Cards, for ruining my 7-month-old’s first Angel game! A curse upon your season from here out!!! :)

halosfaninstl - May 23, 2010 reply

It's time to go old school...

And I mean way old school like early 1900’s style. Do not give this bullpen the ball. Our starters need to just pitch the whole damn game. New pitch count limit is 200 pitches. 100 is for sissys.

Ok maybe that’s a bit over the top but damn dude! This pen sucks!

Monkeyspanked - May 23, 2010 reply

I think it might be time to approach Shields

And ask him about accepting a move to AAA. He seems to enjoy being a part of the organization enough that he might go for it, he can try to get his mechanics together down there, and we have a spot for someone like Aldridge or Kohn.

Caseys Kiss of Death - May 23, 2010 reply

What, no love for Juan?

I’m so sick of watching Rivera hit when it doesn’t matter, then choke when it does while he jogs after fly balls and stops short of the wall on playable balls because he’s soft. My blood pressure goes up every time I look at him and I really miss the red asses that used to the icons of what Angel baseball was earlier this decade. Erstad on fumes even after a half year off would be better than Willits wouldn’t he?

grahams98 - May 23, 2010 reply

Lost season?

Meh. We were 4.5 games back last year, too.

In fact, we were 4.5 games back after play on June 12th. As in three weeks from now.

Really

This team may come around yet but it sure doesn’t look good. Last year guys were hurt and we had a patchwork rotation this year they have just not played good baseball. I wasn’t all that concerned about them last year.

grahams98 - May 23, 2010 reply

Looking up and down the roster

I see a lot more players with clear room for improvement than players with clear likelihood of continued struggles.

We’ll come around.

Caseys Kiss of Death - May 23, 2010 reply

^This^

It’s a little late to post about this game now, but I am surprised by the total meltdown in fan confidence.

Had we won the game, we would have won 7 of our last 10; instead, we have won 6 of our last 10, during which time a lot has gone right. For example, on offense, we have hit at least one home run in 10 consecutive games for the first time in two years. Hunter, Napoli, and Morales are on a tear. The starting pitching, including Saunders and even Kazmir, also is doing much better.

The one notable weakness right now is the bullpen. Admittedly, this is not a small problem, and whether we can resolve it will go a long way to deciding how we do this season. But 4.5 games in May is nothing. Angels teams have come back from and also given up much larger leads at much later points in the season.

I am not sugar-coating this loss. It was terrible, and I am as sickened as anyone that we did not win yesterday. That said, however, I would only remind everyone that there is a lot of time left and a lot of good that we can take from the past 10 games.

Brody - May 24, 2010 reply

I hope this settles the question of whether Rodney should close

Today his good luck ran out and the walks finally cost him. He just hasn’t pitched well at all this year despite the ERA, and I’m afraid he’s going to keep getting opportunities in high-leverage situations because of his salary. I mean, this is a guy with a career ERA+ of 107. He’s basically average, and yet he’s being paid like an ace reliever. Who is in charge of evaluating relief pitching in the Angels front office anyways?

Suboptimal - May 23, 2010 reply

Time for a "Kevin Jepsen should be the Closer" letter writing campaign?

You want Jepsen and his 5.60 ERA and 1.50 WHIP closing games?

Yikes.

hk47 - May 24, 2010 reply

Jepsen's #s

are really thrown off by 2 bad appearances. He has pitched in 20 games. He has pitched scoreless baseball in 16 of those, and in two of the others allowed only one run. Eight of the ten runs he has allowed took place in two appearances totaling 1 1/3 IP. So, yeah, I’ll take Jepsen and whatever his ERA and WHIP are closing games, thank you very much.

jjackflash - May 24, 2010 reply

who goofed?

I’ve got to know!

Look, it's a wacky business.

Who cares?

Rodney's ability and his salary

You have made a case that Rodney is not very good. Time will tell whether you are correct. I will note, however, that although Rodney’s failure yesterday was consistent with your prior observations regarding his walk rate, it was his first blown in 22 opportunities dating to last season (http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-angels-cardinals-20100524,0,2629494.story).

I also note that although Rodney’s salary is substantial ($5.5 million per season), he is not “being paid like an ace.” Numerous relievers make more than he does, and a number of them make at least twice as much as he does (http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2000/05/most-lucrative-contracts.html).

Brody - May 24, 2010 reply

Is there anybody decent on the non contending teams like Pitsburgh, Kansas City or Houston

that we can acquire to help our bullpen? It couldn’t cost much in prospects to get someone… anyone really. This group we have now is pathetic.

ryanfea - May 24, 2010 reply

if it will help

it will cost

Soria with the Royals would help, but I'm not sure what the Royals would want for him

~MMP~ - May 24, 2010 reply

Trout

What they would want and what they could expect to get might not be the same thing...

The Limey - May 24, 2010 reply

Ridiculous

We constantly lose with large leads/high run support. Nothing ever clicks. When we have pitching and hitting, our bullpen fails. When we have our bullpen, our starting pitching falls apart, and strand a hand full of base runners. Arte is going to have to make some changes before he disappoints more fans, as if none of us are already very disappointed in our team.

Tony Hui - May 24, 2010 reply

If you had to compare our current team with a Rollercoaster...

What coaster would you compare it 2?

That old rickety one at Pacific Ocean Park

The one that went out over the ocean. By the mid-Sixties, it looked as if it would fall into the sea at any minute.

How dare you talk about Matsui like that !