At the All Star Break in 2004, the Angels were 2.5 games behind Texas. Oakland was 2 games behind the Rangers.
Going on straight math, that is 4.5 games to make up. And we did it. We did it with a deeply flawed team. We did it with a great second half. Texas faded in the heat, weakening arms giving up the longball in Arlington and weakening bats popping up on the road. Oakland had their three aces and they an out of gas late.
And this year there is only one team ahead of the Angels. One team that we play 15 more times. This is division is doable. We did it before, we can do it again.
0 recs | 41 comments
Rev,
Check headline
rmhalofan - July 12, 2010
And first sentence.
rmhalofan - July 12, 2010
And eighth sentence.
*R*an
cath619 - July 12, 2010
Yeah, this article needs a spellchecker
But we still get the point. Angels lose to the Yankees in the ALCS.
Xeifrank - July 12, 2010
*tear
cath619 - July 13, 2010
Explain the picture!
Sosh: Hey guys, look, I have a DH that can’t hit!
Matsui: Still hit better than you ever did lardo.
Sosh: HAHA, I’m gonna trade you.
Halowood - July 12, 2010
God I wish that statement was true
Dono Romantico - July 12, 2010
Your last sentence is wrong.
Soth would say instead: “Haha, yeah that’s true. I’ll play you every game no matter how obvious it is that you’re done. Afterall, you’re a gritty, proven veteran.”
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
And your math
“At the All Star Break in 2004, the Angels were 2.5 games behind Tesxas. Oakland was 2 games behind the Ranegrs.
Going on straight math, that is 4.5 games to make up."
It was still 2.5 games behind the Texas Rangers at that point. lol.
I’m more excited about the fact that the Orioles swept the Rangers in 4 games. At least our sweep by the CWS is a team that was and is red hot…. the orioles are not a good team any way you put it. I think their pitching is going to experience a 2nd half melt down even with Lee.
OCangels - July 12, 2010
I'd call that fuzzy math instead of straight math.
I would think it’s tougher to overcome one team leading by 4.5 than two teams leading by 2 and 2.5. Yes, it’s two teams to catch, but two games is a lot closer than 4.5.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
I feel that two teams ahead of you is worse by far.
I think you could ask a lot of smart baseball people and they’d agree that they’d rather have one 4.5 game deficit than two 2 game deficits.
AlanFalcon - July 12, 2010
ok haha i like this explain the picuture game
Matsui: Hey Skipp i think i might get a hit today
Sosh: Haha ohh Hideki stop it!!
Matsui:No really I might not kill ralies and go perfect at the plate
Sosh: Haha ohh Hideki…..wheres Q?? i want to laugh some more
Angels_48 - July 12, 2010
Rev quit trying to look busy
are you required to post something today and really don’t want to?
Dono Romantico - July 12, 2010
it was preprogrammed
if it lands on a double zero (i.e. 1:00 pm) chances are i am not here… but this time it was pre-programmed and i was here.
Rev Halofan - July 12, 2010
Bullpen Comparison: 2004 vs. 2010
2004 Rankings in the AL
ERA: 1st
FIP: 1st
xFIP: 1st
K/9: 1st
BB/9: 3rd
HR/9: 1st
2010 Year-to-Date Rankings in the AL
ERA: 11th
FIP: 8th
xFIP: 9th
K/9: 2nd
BB/9: 14th
HR/9: 3rd
In case people forgot, the 2004 Angels’ bullpen wasn’t just good; it was the best.
Fan Since 1981 - July 12, 2010
Oh and 2004, was that when we had the philosophy of signing top tier free agents or old has-been Yankee castoffs?
I can’t quite remember but have some hazy recollection that we utilized one of these off-season strategies. Hmm, if only we or, more importantly, the front office could remember.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
What top-tier free agents would the Angels have signed after 2009?
Matt Holiday? ($120 million)
John Lackey? ($82.5 million)
Jason Bay? ($66 million)
Chone Figgins? ($36 million)
Randy Wolf? ($29.5 million)
source
The listed players represent the highest value free agents following the 2009 season. Would it have been worth trying to sign any of those players?
Fan Since 1981 - July 12, 2010
Here are some numbers
Lackey: 1.6 WHIP (worse than every Angel starter sans Kazmir)
Wolf: 1.5 WHIP (ditto)
Bay: .779 OPS
Figgins: .608 OPS
Holliday would have been a nice signing I guess. Although he would have required quite a financial commitment.
Nashdiesel - July 12, 2010
Why limit it to '09? And I wouldn't exactly call that list top tier talent.
There were other years in between where we could have gone after top tier talent. This doesn’t mean throw money at whoever happens to be a free agent and is a big name. It means signing true impact players and NOT throwing money away on shit.
All the money we waste on guys like GMJ, Rodney, Matsui, Abreu and these types take $ that could otherwise be saved for a time when someone CC Sabathia is a free agent.
If you can’t afford to buy a few of the best, you shouldn’t buy a lot of the mediocre.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
Matsui is costing us a whopping 6 million a year...
and while he’s been a flop I’m not sure who else you sign to take that slot aside from Vlad. Abreu hasn’t been terrible and again would you prefer Jason Bay and his contract that is 3 years longer while putting up the same less than stellar numbers?
C.C Sabathia, Mark Texeira and Matt Holliday are the 3 major impact FA we’ve seen in the least few years. Before that? Vlad Guerrero? We signed him. Torii Hunter? We signed him too. We tried to land Texeira. Holliday’s asking price was pretty high. I believe we attempted to try signing Sabathia also.
The problem with trying to sign high impact players is not just that they are expensive but also rare (hence why they are expensive). There are only so many that come around.
Nashdiesel - July 12, 2010
well. obviously vlade is the clear choice of who we should have signed. even out of all of those “top tier” guys.
Vlade is not only having a great year, but he is doing it for a team that is giving us hell in the standings.
robi s - July 12, 2010
Why should we have signed an aging ex-basketball player?
Now re-signing Vladdy….
red floyd - July 12, 2010
I don't think we really disagree here, except for the point that our medium cost free agents have been a waste.
Why pay Matsui $6m when Naps could have done it, freeing some cash either for the future or maybe to sign some draft picks who could help in the future?
My overall point is that each year we waste a few million here and a few million there makes it more likely that we continue to be outbid on key impact guys like Uhaul (granted he was never going to sign with us) and Sabathia.
One day there will be someone like Sabathia who wants to play on the west coast, yet signs with the Skanks for $20m more if we continue this trend.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
This front office does waste money
• Speier ($5.25 million)
• Shields ($5.35 million)
• Rodney ($5.5 million)
• Fuentes ($9 million)
Total 2010 obligations: $25.1 million
I already noted the above previously
However, signing the most expensive free agents is easier said than done. Unless they overpay, it’s tough trying to sign the Sabathia’s and the Tex’s of the free agent world. And the Angels simply don’t generate the same kind of revenues like the Yanks. It’s unrealistic to expect the Angels to go on a free agent spending spree.
However, the Angels should look to the Rays and learn how to spend smartly.
Fan Since 1981 - July 12, 2010
I think you make my point here.
Our highest paid player this year is a guy named Sunk Cost. My point is we need to stop signing this guy so that we can be in a better position to sign Captain Awesome when he’s on the market.
Some times signing one of the most expensive free agents is the smart thing to do. We need to work on putting ourselves in a better position to do it.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
I don't consider Torii Hunter a sunk cost
So far he’s been a productive player for the Angels.
FanGraphs WAR
2008: 2.4
2009: 3.8
2010: 3.0
Baseball-Reference WAR
2008: 2.6
2009: 5.2
2010: 2.0
Fan Since 1981 - July 12, 2010
Good, he's not.
He wasn’t on your list of the $25m.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
I win. :)
Fan Since 1981 - July 13, 2010
I keed, I keed.
The good news for the Angels is that their financial obligations drop significantly in 2012.
2011: $80.9 million
2012: $37.2 million
source
Fan Since 1981 - July 13, 2010
Operating budgets don't really work like that..
usually you want to max out what your budget is for each year. Not signing Matsui doesn’t really help us land a bigger player two years down the road.
You’re saying the Angels don’t really sign impact players. I’m saying they don’t because they are very rare. We have signed two in the last decade and tried to sign a third (Tex). We missed on a couple others but it’s not like some of these guys were ever really available (Mauer).
I think if we are patient some players will become available, like Cliff Lee for example. The Angels should make an effort to sign a player like that and when they aren’t available you fill the holes with what you can.
The worst thing you can do is sign a crappy player to a long term contract. The Angels haven’t been perfect about that (especially with their bullpen) but I’m happy they showed restraint with Figgns and Lackey.
Nashdiesel - July 12, 2010
Why would you want to do operating budgets that way?
If there’s $90m worth of production, why would you want to spend $100m? Why not spend only $90m and put your surplus into reserves to help pay for future increased budgets?
I get that this is not the traditional mindset, but I just don’t get why it can’t be that way.
snowhor - July 12, 2010 via mobile
Because if we fans found out that our owner had squirreled away $30 million in "rainy day" payroll funds
we would be asking for his head on a platter over the performance of the current roster. Being his customers, he might be wanting to avoid that level of relationship with us.
We are rather fickle that way.
Stirrups - July 13, 2010
Not to mention the 2004 AL MVP
Guerrero hit .363 / .424 / .726 that September to carry the Angels into the playoffs. Irony of ironies, he has a realistic chance for the 2010 AL MVP too (although I seriously doubt that anyone is going to catch Miguel Cabrera at this point).
Suboptimal - July 12, 2010
Not a chance
Not with 4 batters and 4 pitchers – and that number is generous.
SurfCityTom - July 12, 2010
I would rather lose the division....
….so we can quit fooling ourselves about this group of players and get on with building a new team.
SurfCityTom - July 12, 2010
Blasphemy!
agent_99 - July 13, 2010
W6G
norcaliangelsfan - July 12, 2010
Picture game!
Sosh:“Hey guys look, I’m doing my best Matsui impression!”
Matsui: “Hey, that reminds me of your wife!”
angelskid2210 - July 12, 2010
word, we can do it cuz texas is notorious for combusting in the texas heat down the stretch.
Not sure we can do anything once we get into the postseason, but one step at a time!!
robi s - July 12, 2010
Imagined photo conversation...
Matsui: "Mr Manager, you know how we say “pasta” in Japanese?"
Scioscia: “Um…no, I don’t.”
Matsui: “We say sho-sha! Get it…like your name! Haha, haha!”
Scioscia: "That’s as funny as your hairstyle. You know how we Italians say “He swims with the fishes”? Mat-soo-shee-oni."
Matsui: “Swim with fishes? I don’t comprehend this expression…”
Scioscia: "Keep playing like a has-been and you will. Haha, haha! Now here’s a ball for your “T” practice."
sothball - July 12, 2010
Hey Skipper do you think I could repeat as WS MVP?
grahams98 - July 12, 2010
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