Optimistic Defeat Dec. 26, 2011
Opening Day in the NBA didn’t exactly give Lakers fans the present they were hoping for, as the Lakers lost by one point to the Chicago Bulls on Christmas. To make matters worse, it is really starting to look like the NBA (ie the commissioner) hates the Lakers franchise, all of a sudden. Commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade that would have brought Chris Paul to the Lakers, after it was approved by three teams’ general managers, because he didn’t think the Hornets were getting enough in the trade, but more importantly, he and the other owners were protesting that the Lakers would become too good, and ruin the money-making opportunities for other teams in “smaller markets”. This led to a group of disgruntled players and an ill-advised trade of one of their best players (Odom) for nothing in return, on a team with a lot of pre-existing issues as the start of the season approached. Just to add insult to injury, the NBA approved of a trade sending Paul to the LA Clippers, which makes them potentially really good for many years, in the very same market (and arena) as the Lakers, leaving an even worse taste in the Lakers‘ mouths.
Many obstacles already lay in their path, because of a new coach, Mike Brown, and his completely different approach to coaching, instating all new concepts on both offense and defense, and a roster that is missing their center Andrew Bynum for the first four games of the season, especially since the bench looked pretty barren on paper, even with Bynum in the mix. Sure, the league did show some compassion and reduce Bynum’s suspension from 5 to 4 games to keep in proportion with the shortened season, but the start of this shortened season schedule seems to put the Lakers at more of a disadvantage than anyone else. Part of the difficulties for the league will be that they have to play three back-to-back games at least one time during the regular season, and that is fair, and no one can dispute that. The Lakers, however, are the only team in the league who are forced to play their back-to-back-to-back to start the season, which seems like it’s so unfair that it should never have been a possibility for any team, to the point it should have been in the collective bargaining agreement or something. So not only do they have to play their first four games without their best defensive player and one of the best players on the team (when healthy of course), they have to play the first three of games in a row, to start their season, after a very short training camp and only ¼ of the regular amount of preseason games, both versus one team. To make matters worse, and further my point that the NBA hates the Lakers, the Lakers have been scheduled to play 6 games in the first 8 days, through New Years’s Day, which again seems absolutely absurd. If they make it into 2012 with a record of 3-3 it would be a holiday miracle, but I’m more concerned with the players staying healthy and being able to play in each of those games, since injuries are sure to be a problem this season even without a ridiculous schedule.
With all this piling up on them, and the very tough loss to the Bulls, in a game where they led by 10 late in the 4th quarter, there still seems to be some silver lining in the loss, and some answers to a few of the questions about their roster. The fact remains that they were up by 10 with about 3 minutes left, and were up by 8 with about 2 minutes left, and if not for four consecutive missed free throws by Pau Gasol and Josh McRoberts, as well as a bad turnover by Kobe Bryant which led to the Bulls game winning shot, the Lakers would have won that game easily, against a team that most pick to at least make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, in the Bulls. Despite their lack luster free throw shooting at the end, Pau Gasol played well and was more aggressive than usual at some points in the game, and McRoberts showed some real tenacity and grit out on the floor, fighting for rebounds, playing pretty good defense, making good passes near the basket, and scoring a few points of his own. McRoberts and the other new-comer Troy Murphy, who the Lakers signed after making that horrendous Lamar Odom trade (for NOTHING), looked like they have some energy on defense and offense, which should help them with rebounding and scoring off the bench, so that is a welcomed event for Lakers fans. Their defense played very well in the second half, and held one of the best teams in the league to very poor shooting percentages for about 21 of the last 24 minutes of the game, and since they haven’t had much time together, one can expect them to play even better defensively going forward. Another bench player that I was starting to doubt is their backup point guard, Steve Blake, but he looks like he may be shooting and playing with more confidence than he did last year, so that could be another plus, if he is able to revert back to the player he was for the Blazers, adding points and assists to the stat line for his team. Kobe played okay, but more is always expected of him, especially when he makes so many turnovers, with the last one is being broadcast constantly as the lead-in to the Bulls’ Derrick Rose’s game-winning shot, and then he had the ball at the end of the game and had his shot blocked. The team wouldn’t have been in that position if they could just make a free throw or two down the stretch, but obviously they just played sloppy at the end of the game, and it cost them a victory, so they have some things to regret. Despite all of the things that went wrong at the end, I think everyone on the team should find some solace in the fact that they were in position to win and played exceptionally well for most of the 2nd half. They just beat themselves, rather than the opposition playing better than them, so it proved (at least to themselves) that they can compete with (and beat) one of the league’s best teams, as long as they improve as their team and mask some of their apparent weaknesses.
There are still some issues and in reality, the team is one major injury away from probably being a lottery team (out of the playoff picture). Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is slow, can’t make many jump shots, and absolutely cannot make a layup with his right hand even though he is right-handed, but at least he is coming off the bench now. 2nd -year-man, Devin Ebanks has been installed as the starting small forward, which comes as little bit of a surprise, but if he can live up to his Trevor Arize-like potential, he could be a solid defender and dependable 10 point/game type player, but his potential certainly isn‘t a given. Fisher is going to need some extra time off during the season, since he is one of the oldest players on the team, and probably didn’t a whole lot of time to work out in the gym during the off-season since he is the rep for players union and was involved in more negotiating and traveling than anything else. His backup, Blake, can hopefully out with more productive minutes but they are going to have to depend on young player(s) to fill some of the void also, which is always dangerous. The offense seems to depend too heavily on Kobe, as it is reverting back to the pass-to-Kobe-and-watch offense that plagued the team for a few years, especially when Phil Jackson wasn’t the head coach. That gets annoying, but hopefully the new players will realize that he calls for the ball on every possession, and so it’s okay if you take the shot instead of passing the ball to Kobe so he can take his fall away nonsense shot to beat the shot clock and result in a(nother) bad possession. He’s a great player, but sometimes he seems to burn himself out and hurts the team when he puts all his energy into trying to score so much the first three quarters, and then his teammates haven’t put up many shots for most of the game, so they aren’t confident to make shots at the end, if they are forced to take the opportunity. Most teams will double team Kobe at the end of a close game, like the Bulls did, and force him to pass to someone else so they have to make the shot, and if his teammates are standing around watching and taking just a hand full of shots, they won’t be as prepared or confident in their shot making capabilities. There just needs to be a balanced attack, to take the pressure off of Kobe and his already injured wrist, thus involving his teammates in the offense more, and make the opposition respect the other players, so Kobe would have more energy and space to operate at the end of the game, if necessary. Pau Gasol needs to demand the ball more, since he is the best post player on the team, run the offense through him sometimes so he can choose to pass the ball to open teammates or take a high-percentage shot, and prove that he is still one of the best players in the league. As long as they work as a team on offense, continue to improve on defense, and steer clear of major health issues to their best players, they could make some noise this season.
Of course, optimism and potential doesn’t mean much without results, and every game means a little bit more with the condensed schedule, so a loss is still marked down as such on their overall record. However, given the pessimistic views I, and many fans, had of this team coming into the season, it‘s surprising that a loss could be possibly viewed as a positive thing. I expected them to get blown out in their own building, and it looked to be a likely occurrence after the first half, but maybe that was just my tendency to lower my expectations so anything better turns into a good outcome. Whatever the case is, I’m just glad to see some potential with this team, even if turns out to be short-lived. I’ll take it while I can get it, because there’s always a chance they could be 1-5 and in last place, in about a week, so I better allow myself to live in the realm of possibilities, as a biased fan, for now.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Hooray For The Halos
2012 ANGELS PREVIEW
The Angels have been my favorite sports team all my life, so, as you may expect, I was ecstatic to hear that they signed the best hitter and starting pitcher available on the free agent market, during the MLB winter meetings, earlier this month. On the very same day, they signed first baseman Albert Pujols to a gigantic 10- year, $254 million contract and starting pitcher CJ Wilson to a 5-year, $77.5 million deal, instantly vastly improving a team that managed to stay in the playoff race, until the very last week of last season, without them. It used to be that the Angels would get good players, far too deep into their careers, so by the time they acquired formerly great players like Dave Winfield, Tony Parker, Bo Jackson, and Lee Smith, they were mostly past their prime. More recently, I remember how exciting it was when the Angels signed Vladimir Guerrero (we miss you, Vlad) and many of us can point to the acquisition of great players like Reggie Jackson or even Nolan Ryan as other memorable key additions that helped put the Angels on the map. Now, December 8th, 2011 will probably go down as one of the greatest best days in Angels history, maybe only behind the night they secured the World Series title in 2002. It is almost certainly the greatest day for one team in the history of free agency, and could mark the dawn of a new baseball dynasty... But lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Pujols is already a Hall of Fame player, with three MVP awards, two championship rings, six Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Glove awards, while setting offensive records each year since he started playing in the majors. He started n 2001, when he won the Rookie of the Year Award, bursting on the scene with a .329 average , 37 homers, and 130 RBI, and continued to dominate the league from then on. During his illustrious career, he has made the All-Star team and been a finalist in the MVP race nearly every season he has played, and he produced the best statistical output over his first ten years (now eleven) in the history of the game. Some argue that he had his worst season of his career last year, which is absolutely true, so I won’t argue against that point. I will, however, make the point that it was his first season hitting under .300 (he hit .299), and he still had 313 total bases, hit 37 homeruns and drove in 99 runs, which are all more than any Angels players had last year, and Pujols did it in 145 games. He missed 17 games due to injury, was admittedly distracted by everyone asking him about his future with the Cardinals- a team that he felt had disrespected him by not offering a worthy contract extension, and he still put together one of the best offensive seasons in the league. His numbers were lower than his 11-season averages of 350+ total bases, 329 AVE, 40 HR, 120 RBI, .617 slugging %, and 88 walks per season, but those were the best statistical averages for any player, over that career span, in the history of baseball, so you have to expect the numbers to drop some (not to mention the injury, and missing about 10% of the season). He still walked (61) more than he struck out (58) in 2011, had a .541 slugging % , along with his other stats, and remains one of the most feared hitters in the game, after overcoming a slow start to what turned out to be his worst season. Needless to say, those so-called below-average stats will provide a great boost to his new team, even if his numbers aren’t quite as high as his record setting career averages, because he is still one of the best players in baseball and is intent on breaking more records. It is almost a foregone certainty that Pujols will break the career record for homeruns, finally removing the [allegedly] fraudulent career(s) of Barry Bonds (and Alex Rodriguez, if he continues to stalk the record) from the top of the lists in the record book, and I look forward to watching him hit hundreds of homeruns throughout the rest of his career and drive in hundreds of runs each season as he helps the Angels compete every year. For a team that struggled mightily on offense last season, depending heavily on their team pitching to keep them in the race, this offensive juggernaut is exactly what the Angels need to infuse some clout into their lineup, and instill some fear into the opposition’s pitching staff.
The Angels had the absolute best pitching staff in the American League last year, with superb starting pitchers like Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, and a surprising Jerome Williams, to go along a good relief corps highlighted by Scott Downs (I think he’s the best lefty reliever in the league) and a few hard throwing youngsters, most notably Jordan Walden. The Rangers won the division by a few games, but only ran away with it in the last week of the season, and their best starting pitcher was CJ Wilson. Now he is coming back to where he grew up, rounding out the Angels starting staff with a much-needed quality left-hander, and making the best pitching staff in the league even better. He has been one of the best starters in the American League the last couple of seasons, compiling a 31-15 (win-loss) record in his only two seasons as a starter, after beginning his big league career as a reliever. He has compiled excellent overall stats, despite pitching half of his games s in one of most hitter-friendly parks ever, down in Arlington, Texas. Last season he posted a superb 2.94 ERA, which was 7th best in the league, struck out 206 batters, and sported the league’s best road ERA of 2.31, when he pitched away from the difficult home ball park. I’m sure the Angels feel like he can only get better, with experience within the much more accommodating, pitcher-friendly surroundings of Anaheim Stadium.
Barring any major injury, the Angels starting staff is probably the best in the American League, and will almost certainly rival that of the Philadelphia Phillies, who have three potential Cy Young Winners on their team, for best starting staff in baseball. With those four high-inning guys, along with Jerome Williams or one of their promising young pitchers taking up the fifth spot in the rotation, the relief pitchers may have to work just about as much as the Phillies staff do (very little). Weaver, Haren, and even Santana were already potential Cy Young Award candidates, and Wilson is likely to improve some of his individual stats, and one would expect them to have more opportunities to win games, thanks to their new, potentially potent offense. The offense has the potential to be very good, especially if their outfielders produce more than they did last year, especially Vernon Wells (or his replacement) and Torii Hunter needs to get back to his standard season to provide some stability to their lineup. Their defense is solid, especially the outfield, with gold glove winners, Hunter and Wells, in the corners, and Peter Bourjos, who was robbed of what should have been his first golden glove award, after a stellar defensive season as the centerfielder in 2011. Pujols has one the award in the recent past, Erick Aybar did win the award last season, as the best fielding shortstop in the AL, and Howie Kendrick has improved his defense over the years at 2nd base (and may be another candidate to move over to 3rd base, considering the number of positions he played last year). They do take a step back defensively with the departure of one of the best fielding catchers in baseball, Jeff Mathis, but adding Ianetta, along with the two young catchers, Conger and Wilson, from last season, will absolutely improve their offensive statistics from the catcher position. Adding either one of the two top- tier free agents would have improved the team significantly, but now adding both puts the puts the Angels in great position to start a postseason streak, and puts their front office in line for some awards, all in one historic day..
Last off-season, the Angels failed to bring in the two players they were seeking, Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre, and seemed to make a desperate last second move to get someone of note, when they acquired the greatly overpaid Vernon Wells (I’m talking more money per season than Pujols), and trading away their catcher Mike Napoli (who, days later, was traded from Toronto to Texas). Wells went on to stink up the yard for about 95% of the season, barely getting his average over the .200 mark, and killing rallies even as he moved down in the lineup because of his lack of production. Meanwhile Mike Napoli went on to have the best season for a catcher in all of baseball, then made even more of a name for himself in the postseason, where he nearly led the Rangers to the championship single-handedly. To make matters worse, the Angels catchers who replaced Napoli didn’t carry a combined average over .200? That was one of the worst front office moves in Angels history, to go along with trading away Jim Edmonds, and when they let the great Nolan Ryan leave back in the 80’s, because they refused to pay him $1 million per season, but that wasn’t the only time the front office failed to improve the team .
During the 2011 season, I, and probably every other fan who watches, was pleading and hoping that they would add another hitter, preferably a 3rd baseman, or a reliever to help out, since they were relying too heavily on their pitching staff and a rookie closer to finish off tight games every night, because their offense wasn‘t providing much support. The Angels’ general manager, Tony Reagins, did nothing, while the Rangers improved their bullpen with two or three big moves, and the end result was the Rangers pulling away in the AL West division, and nearly winning a championship. Apparently, the owner felt the same way I did, because that GM was fired and replaced by Jerry Dipoto in October. While those two huge free agent signings obviously improve the team, and represent a huge initial move by the new GM, the fact remains that the same positions on the field that made the team susceptible last year, still present big opportunities for improvement in 2012.
The 3rd basemen tandem of Maicer Izturis and Alberto Callaspo, don’t provide the offensive power, or great defensive capacity that is expected of the 3rd base position. The two play more like a 2nd baseman, hitting for a decent average, as contact hitters, hitting the occasional double and helping out with the sacrifice bunt if they hit 2nd, to go along with limited fielding range and below-average arms for the 3B position. The Angels do rely on speed and base running a lot in their offense, but I’m sure their front office will be the first to admit that they desire a more prototypical 3rd baseman, to provide more overall run production. Their bullpen was pretty good but they still need to acquire a real closer, even though I like Jordan Walden and his 100 MPH fastball, but his control is much to be desired, especially when one walk in the 9th can change the entire outcome of the game and season. They did make a move to improve the catching position, signing the more offensive minded Chris Ianetta (formerly with Rockies), and trading away the great fielding, but notoriously poor hitting catcher, Jeff Mathis, to Toronto. There aren’t too many options remaining to sign free agents, so maybe a trade will be in order soon.
My only fear now is that the Rangers counter the Angels move and sign the other highly touted (and very expensive) slugging 1st baseman, Prince Fielder, but there are about six other teams who are also bidding for his services, so hopefully he won’t join the Rangers’ great offense. I was hoping the Angels would go after Aramis Ramirez, who played 3B for the Cubs the last few seasons, for the last couple of seasons really, and especially when I heard they have all this money from the recent TV contract they signed, but he signed a new contract with the Brewers so that opportunity is lost. Premiere closer Joe Nathan was on the market but the Rangers swooped him up quickly to improve their already superior bullpen. There are still players like the Phillies’ closers Madson and Lidge, or Twins utility man Michael Cuddyer, but the list of viable free agents is running thin. In either case, it looks like he Angels may have to make a trade, and since they seem to have an excess of major league-ready players, it appears be more likely than signing another free agent.
The Angels have extra players in the outfield, with rookie phenom Mike Trout becoming a viable candidate to make the roster, pushing the aging Bobby Abreu further down the totem pole. The Angels have three outfielders penciled in already, but I’m sure they would be thrilled if anyone actually wants to trade for left fielder Vernon Wells so they can get that huge contract off their books, and they could make room for Trout or another youngster in the outfield. Their 1st baseman from last year, Mark Trumbo, was their most productive hitter last year, and they tried him out in the outfield last year, but he is probably best suited for the DH position, so he can just clobber some balls and not worry about defense, because he struggled somewhat with unforced errors. Pujols is a gold glove winning 1st baseman, so they will want him in the field, but they also have another potential slugger coming back to their lineup, with Kendrys Morales hopefully making his way back from last year’s season-ending surgery. If Morales does come back, he also plays 1st, but he is probably even more likely to take the DH role, since the Angels will want to, and have to, limit his movement on the field, and reduce the risk of another injury. So now they have three 1st basemen, five outfielders (if you include Abreu in the mix), but only have enough spots in the lineup for 4 of the 8 players, so what do they do?
I think they should try to keep Morales and Trumbo as alternating designated hitters, or rotate Trumbo in and out of left field, if Wells continues to struggle, but they still have other non-core players who make good trade bait. Many rumors indicate that they are going to try to move Trumbo to 3rd base, to make room for Pujols at 1st, but Trumbo had trouble fielding the few balls hit to him at 1st, so I have serious doubts that he will be able to field and throw effectively from across the diamond, where balls come at you even faster, and more frequently than at 1st. It looks like trading for someone could be the best solution, but if they can’t trade Abreu, Wells, Callaspo, Izturis or someone else for a natural 3rd baseman, I have a possible solution to the problem. Why not move Pujols back to the position he played when he first came up with the Cardinals, third base? He’s the best fielder of the potential 1st base candidates, has experience at 3rd (103 games, 19 errors) and it may actually be less dangerous than playing at 1st, considering many serious injuries occur to 1st basemen’s wrist/ arm when a throw forces him to reach into the runner’s path as he sprints down the base line. The obvious argument against it is the risk of making their new high income player uncomfortable, by moving him away from his more customary spot on the diamond, and possibly increasing the injury risk related to him having to exert more energy than he is used to at a more demanding position. With Pujols at 3rd, Morales and Trumbo can alternate between DH and 1B, with Abreu in the lineup as DH occasionally, and it makes more sense than sticking Trumbo at 3rd with far less experience playing infield positions than most of his teammates. Callaspo and Izturis make excellent backups, at multiple positions, and at least one of them should get chances to play somewhat frequently, considering the manager Mike Scoscia’s tendency to give his bench players a chance on the field. They have a strong team without making any more changes, and they’re probably quite content with the so-called ‘problem’ of having too many good players, rather than the much more difficult proposition of not having enough talent.
I’m sure they will make another move or two to bring in a few additional players, but just as it stands now, the Angels look like they’ll be formidable for many years to come. When a team makes moves like these which instantly make their team a contender, everyone in baseball takes notice, and the team’s potential should attract other players to want to play here, so I’m sure the opportunities to make a move will present themself soon. The owner Arte Moreno has bought into a bigger and better future, and it seems like they have drawn the line in the sand, daring the opposition to step across it. I‘m already looking forward to next season, and it’s December, so they get an “A” (with a halo on top) for effort.
The Angels have been my favorite sports team all my life, so, as you may expect, I was ecstatic to hear that they signed the best hitter and starting pitcher available on the free agent market, during the MLB winter meetings, earlier this month. On the very same day, they signed first baseman Albert Pujols to a gigantic 10- year, $254 million contract and starting pitcher CJ Wilson to a 5-year, $77.5 million deal, instantly vastly improving a team that managed to stay in the playoff race, until the very last week of last season, without them. It used to be that the Angels would get good players, far too deep into their careers, so by the time they acquired formerly great players like Dave Winfield, Tony Parker, Bo Jackson, and Lee Smith, they were mostly past their prime. More recently, I remember how exciting it was when the Angels signed Vladimir Guerrero (we miss you, Vlad) and many of us can point to the acquisition of great players like Reggie Jackson or even Nolan Ryan as other memorable key additions that helped put the Angels on the map. Now, December 8th, 2011 will probably go down as one of the greatest best days in Angels history, maybe only behind the night they secured the World Series title in 2002. It is almost certainly the greatest day for one team in the history of free agency, and could mark the dawn of a new baseball dynasty... But lets not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Pujols is already a Hall of Fame player, with three MVP awards, two championship rings, six Silver Slugger awards and two Gold Glove awards, while setting offensive records each year since he started playing in the majors. He started n 2001, when he won the Rookie of the Year Award, bursting on the scene with a .329 average , 37 homers, and 130 RBI, and continued to dominate the league from then on. During his illustrious career, he has made the All-Star team and been a finalist in the MVP race nearly every season he has played, and he produced the best statistical output over his first ten years (now eleven) in the history of the game. Some argue that he had his worst season of his career last year, which is absolutely true, so I won’t argue against that point. I will, however, make the point that it was his first season hitting under .300 (he hit .299), and he still had 313 total bases, hit 37 homeruns and drove in 99 runs, which are all more than any Angels players had last year, and Pujols did it in 145 games. He missed 17 games due to injury, was admittedly distracted by everyone asking him about his future with the Cardinals- a team that he felt had disrespected him by not offering a worthy contract extension, and he still put together one of the best offensive seasons in the league. His numbers were lower than his 11-season averages of 350+ total bases, 329 AVE, 40 HR, 120 RBI, .617 slugging %, and 88 walks per season, but those were the best statistical averages for any player, over that career span, in the history of baseball, so you have to expect the numbers to drop some (not to mention the injury, and missing about 10% of the season). He still walked (61) more than he struck out (58) in 2011, had a .541 slugging % , along with his other stats, and remains one of the most feared hitters in the game, after overcoming a slow start to what turned out to be his worst season. Needless to say, those so-called below-average stats will provide a great boost to his new team, even if his numbers aren’t quite as high as his record setting career averages, because he is still one of the best players in baseball and is intent on breaking more records. It is almost a foregone certainty that Pujols will break the career record for homeruns, finally removing the [allegedly] fraudulent career(s) of Barry Bonds (and Alex Rodriguez, if he continues to stalk the record) from the top of the lists in the record book, and I look forward to watching him hit hundreds of homeruns throughout the rest of his career and drive in hundreds of runs each season as he helps the Angels compete every year. For a team that struggled mightily on offense last season, depending heavily on their team pitching to keep them in the race, this offensive juggernaut is exactly what the Angels need to infuse some clout into their lineup, and instill some fear into the opposition’s pitching staff.
The Angels had the absolute best pitching staff in the American League last year, with superb starting pitchers like Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, and a surprising Jerome Williams, to go along a good relief corps highlighted by Scott Downs (I think he’s the best lefty reliever in the league) and a few hard throwing youngsters, most notably Jordan Walden. The Rangers won the division by a few games, but only ran away with it in the last week of the season, and their best starting pitcher was CJ Wilson. Now he is coming back to where he grew up, rounding out the Angels starting staff with a much-needed quality left-hander, and making the best pitching staff in the league even better. He has been one of the best starters in the American League the last couple of seasons, compiling a 31-15 (win-loss) record in his only two seasons as a starter, after beginning his big league career as a reliever. He has compiled excellent overall stats, despite pitching half of his games s in one of most hitter-friendly parks ever, down in Arlington, Texas. Last season he posted a superb 2.94 ERA, which was 7th best in the league, struck out 206 batters, and sported the league’s best road ERA of 2.31, when he pitched away from the difficult home ball park. I’m sure the Angels feel like he can only get better, with experience within the much more accommodating, pitcher-friendly surroundings of Anaheim Stadium.
Barring any major injury, the Angels starting staff is probably the best in the American League, and will almost certainly rival that of the Philadelphia Phillies, who have three potential Cy Young Winners on their team, for best starting staff in baseball. With those four high-inning guys, along with Jerome Williams or one of their promising young pitchers taking up the fifth spot in the rotation, the relief pitchers may have to work just about as much as the Phillies staff do (very little). Weaver, Haren, and even Santana were already potential Cy Young Award candidates, and Wilson is likely to improve some of his individual stats, and one would expect them to have more opportunities to win games, thanks to their new, potentially potent offense. The offense has the potential to be very good, especially if their outfielders produce more than they did last year, especially Vernon Wells (or his replacement) and Torii Hunter needs to get back to his standard season to provide some stability to their lineup. Their defense is solid, especially the outfield, with gold glove winners, Hunter and Wells, in the corners, and Peter Bourjos, who was robbed of what should have been his first golden glove award, after a stellar defensive season as the centerfielder in 2011. Pujols has one the award in the recent past, Erick Aybar did win the award last season, as the best fielding shortstop in the AL, and Howie Kendrick has improved his defense over the years at 2nd base (and may be another candidate to move over to 3rd base, considering the number of positions he played last year). They do take a step back defensively with the departure of one of the best fielding catchers in baseball, Jeff Mathis, but adding Ianetta, along with the two young catchers, Conger and Wilson, from last season, will absolutely improve their offensive statistics from the catcher position. Adding either one of the two top- tier free agents would have improved the team significantly, but now adding both puts the puts the Angels in great position to start a postseason streak, and puts their front office in line for some awards, all in one historic day..
Last off-season, the Angels failed to bring in the two players they were seeking, Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre, and seemed to make a desperate last second move to get someone of note, when they acquired the greatly overpaid Vernon Wells (I’m talking more money per season than Pujols), and trading away their catcher Mike Napoli (who, days later, was traded from Toronto to Texas). Wells went on to stink up the yard for about 95% of the season, barely getting his average over the .200 mark, and killing rallies even as he moved down in the lineup because of his lack of production. Meanwhile Mike Napoli went on to have the best season for a catcher in all of baseball, then made even more of a name for himself in the postseason, where he nearly led the Rangers to the championship single-handedly. To make matters worse, the Angels catchers who replaced Napoli didn’t carry a combined average over .200? That was one of the worst front office moves in Angels history, to go along with trading away Jim Edmonds, and when they let the great Nolan Ryan leave back in the 80’s, because they refused to pay him $1 million per season, but that wasn’t the only time the front office failed to improve the team .
During the 2011 season, I, and probably every other fan who watches, was pleading and hoping that they would add another hitter, preferably a 3rd baseman, or a reliever to help out, since they were relying too heavily on their pitching staff and a rookie closer to finish off tight games every night, because their offense wasn‘t providing much support. The Angels’ general manager, Tony Reagins, did nothing, while the Rangers improved their bullpen with two or three big moves, and the end result was the Rangers pulling away in the AL West division, and nearly winning a championship. Apparently, the owner felt the same way I did, because that GM was fired and replaced by Jerry Dipoto in October. While those two huge free agent signings obviously improve the team, and represent a huge initial move by the new GM, the fact remains that the same positions on the field that made the team susceptible last year, still present big opportunities for improvement in 2012.
The 3rd basemen tandem of Maicer Izturis and Alberto Callaspo, don’t provide the offensive power, or great defensive capacity that is expected of the 3rd base position. The two play more like a 2nd baseman, hitting for a decent average, as contact hitters, hitting the occasional double and helping out with the sacrifice bunt if they hit 2nd, to go along with limited fielding range and below-average arms for the 3B position. The Angels do rely on speed and base running a lot in their offense, but I’m sure their front office will be the first to admit that they desire a more prototypical 3rd baseman, to provide more overall run production. Their bullpen was pretty good but they still need to acquire a real closer, even though I like Jordan Walden and his 100 MPH fastball, but his control is much to be desired, especially when one walk in the 9th can change the entire outcome of the game and season. They did make a move to improve the catching position, signing the more offensive minded Chris Ianetta (formerly with Rockies), and trading away the great fielding, but notoriously poor hitting catcher, Jeff Mathis, to Toronto. There aren’t too many options remaining to sign free agents, so maybe a trade will be in order soon.
My only fear now is that the Rangers counter the Angels move and sign the other highly touted (and very expensive) slugging 1st baseman, Prince Fielder, but there are about six other teams who are also bidding for his services, so hopefully he won’t join the Rangers’ great offense. I was hoping the Angels would go after Aramis Ramirez, who played 3B for the Cubs the last few seasons, for the last couple of seasons really, and especially when I heard they have all this money from the recent TV contract they signed, but he signed a new contract with the Brewers so that opportunity is lost. Premiere closer Joe Nathan was on the market but the Rangers swooped him up quickly to improve their already superior bullpen. There are still players like the Phillies’ closers Madson and Lidge, or Twins utility man Michael Cuddyer, but the list of viable free agents is running thin. In either case, it looks like he Angels may have to make a trade, and since they seem to have an excess of major league-ready players, it appears be more likely than signing another free agent.
The Angels have extra players in the outfield, with rookie phenom Mike Trout becoming a viable candidate to make the roster, pushing the aging Bobby Abreu further down the totem pole. The Angels have three outfielders penciled in already, but I’m sure they would be thrilled if anyone actually wants to trade for left fielder Vernon Wells so they can get that huge contract off their books, and they could make room for Trout or another youngster in the outfield. Their 1st baseman from last year, Mark Trumbo, was their most productive hitter last year, and they tried him out in the outfield last year, but he is probably best suited for the DH position, so he can just clobber some balls and not worry about defense, because he struggled somewhat with unforced errors. Pujols is a gold glove winning 1st baseman, so they will want him in the field, but they also have another potential slugger coming back to their lineup, with Kendrys Morales hopefully making his way back from last year’s season-ending surgery. If Morales does come back, he also plays 1st, but he is probably even more likely to take the DH role, since the Angels will want to, and have to, limit his movement on the field, and reduce the risk of another injury. So now they have three 1st basemen, five outfielders (if you include Abreu in the mix), but only have enough spots in the lineup for 4 of the 8 players, so what do they do?
I think they should try to keep Morales and Trumbo as alternating designated hitters, or rotate Trumbo in and out of left field, if Wells continues to struggle, but they still have other non-core players who make good trade bait. Many rumors indicate that they are going to try to move Trumbo to 3rd base, to make room for Pujols at 1st, but Trumbo had trouble fielding the few balls hit to him at 1st, so I have serious doubts that he will be able to field and throw effectively from across the diamond, where balls come at you even faster, and more frequently than at 1st. It looks like trading for someone could be the best solution, but if they can’t trade Abreu, Wells, Callaspo, Izturis or someone else for a natural 3rd baseman, I have a possible solution to the problem. Why not move Pujols back to the position he played when he first came up with the Cardinals, third base? He’s the best fielder of the potential 1st base candidates, has experience at 3rd (103 games, 19 errors) and it may actually be less dangerous than playing at 1st, considering many serious injuries occur to 1st basemen’s wrist/ arm when a throw forces him to reach into the runner’s path as he sprints down the base line. The obvious argument against it is the risk of making their new high income player uncomfortable, by moving him away from his more customary spot on the diamond, and possibly increasing the injury risk related to him having to exert more energy than he is used to at a more demanding position. With Pujols at 3rd, Morales and Trumbo can alternate between DH and 1B, with Abreu in the lineup as DH occasionally, and it makes more sense than sticking Trumbo at 3rd with far less experience playing infield positions than most of his teammates. Callaspo and Izturis make excellent backups, at multiple positions, and at least one of them should get chances to play somewhat frequently, considering the manager Mike Scoscia’s tendency to give his bench players a chance on the field. They have a strong team without making any more changes, and they’re probably quite content with the so-called ‘problem’ of having too many good players, rather than the much more difficult proposition of not having enough talent.
I’m sure they will make another move or two to bring in a few additional players, but just as it stands now, the Angels look like they’ll be formidable for many years to come. When a team makes moves like these which instantly make their team a contender, everyone in baseball takes notice, and the team’s potential should attract other players to want to play here, so I’m sure the opportunities to make a move will present themself soon. The owner Arte Moreno has bought into a bigger and better future, and it seems like they have drawn the line in the sand, daring the opposition to step across it. I‘m already looking forward to next season, and it’s December, so they get an “A” (with a halo on top) for effort.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
What The Hell Are The Lakers Doing?
I hope I’m not the only one that actually breathed a sigh of relief when the proposed trade between the Hornets, Rockets and Lakers fell through (at the time). I thought the Lakers were giving up too much and the Hornets were getting back way too much in the trade, and for some reason the Commissioner nixed the trade citing “basketball reasons”, essentially intimating that the Hornets weren’t getting back enough in the trade, and that it would change the balance of power more towards the Lakers side. The Lakers were intent on trading away their two best big men, who exemplify why the Lakers were viewed to have an advantages over much of the competition, forcing other teams to adjust their rosters just to compete with the group of tall players the Lakers had on their front line. The Hornets were going to get Lamar Odom (from the Lakers), Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and another player (from the Rockets), and probably a draft pick or two. Meanwhile the Rockets were going to get the Lakers’ Paul Gasol, and the Lakers would just end up with Chris Paul. According to those who opposed the trade- the commissioner and some other owners who complained- the Lakers would be getting a great player and saving money in the deal, so they could be in line to make another trade for a good player, therefore it was a lopsided trade in their favor. The only reason the trade could be vetoed like that, is because the New Orleans Hornets are the only team owned by the NBA, so the commissioner had the final say on the trade, even though the teams’ GMs had agreed on the trade. That is a distinct conflict of interest, it seems, and it seems like the other owners shouldn't have a say in what one team does, but that is the way it is, so the league acts as the owner and vetoes the trade that it didn't like (whether for selfish reasons for the better of the Hornets team). If you examine the end results of the proposed trade, the Lakers were losing two of their best three players, and getting one great player back who doesn’t play their position, leaving the power forward position basically vacant, as well as hurting their overall depth on the bench (especially at forward position).
Chris Paul is obviously a great point guard, and would make a formidable back court with Kobe Bryant, but what else would they have left? I haven’t mentioned their center Andrew Bynum, who would have been the lone remaining tall player who actually poses a threat offensively and defensively. He usually looks good when he plays, but his only evidence of consistency, is the fact he has seemingly failed to stay healthy and/or productive for more than half a season, each year since coming into the league. The owners who complained about the Chris Paul trade, complained that the Lakers would then be able to trade for the Orlando Magic center, Dwight Howard, but I still have no clue what they think the Lakers would have left on their roster to trade for the most sought-after low-post center in the league, since their only tradable player of value left (excluding Kobe) on their team would be the injury-prone, still unproven young center Bynum, and maybe Metta World Peace (AKA Ron Artest), or… Luke Walton, I presume, as if anyone would want to take on his contract. Basically, assuming anyone would value any of the other players left on the Lakers roster makes no sense, so they wouldn’t have any great advantage like those trade proposal opponents seem to assume, not to mention that the Hornets would have received three former (and potential) all-star players, in exchange for a player they are certainly (100% chance) going to lose by next season. Sure, I'll admit that it really isn’t the Laker management’s fault that the trade did eventually fall through, but the fact they were trying to make the swap in the first place, along with the consequences and mishaps since then certainly can be blamed entirely on them, and this team is going to suffer because of this nonsense, possibly for a very long time to come.
Lamar Odom is obviously a sensitive individual based on any interview or TV show you watch , and the fact that the Lakers even though about trading pissed him off, and he felt betrayed, so he went into the General Manager’s office and complained and “demanded” to be traded. I don’t understand how a player can demand a trade when you’re under contract; you can ask to be traded, but it’s in the player’s best interest to continue to play well, or other teams won’t want him anyway, so you can‘t just tank a season because your feelings are hurt and you don‘t like your team‘s management any more. So what does the Lakers GM, Mitch Kupchak, do? He trades Odom away to the defending champion Mavericks (who whooped the Lakers last year) for a future draft pick (that will be low because the Mavs are a playoff team), to save money and get a trade exemption for Odom’s contract value, whatever that really means. Maybe the trade exception allows them to get another player at the same salary as Odom, in a possible trade with another trade without some salary cap implications or without affecting the salary numbers being traded, or whatever benefit they get for making the trade. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t help their team now, and it doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, since losing a quality player like that should only hurt their chances to make a possible trade. Why would someone want to trade away their great player to the Lakers for a draft pick, instead of a good player like Lamar Odom? Why not keep him on your team, and either he will simmer down and be happy with his team once again, or if his trade [requests] continue, then look to trade him for some actual value. I understand the money they “save” helps out the team’s bottom line (and luxury tax fees, etc), and it’s not my money to complain about their accounting methods, but the fact remains that it serves very little purpose for the team playing on the basketball court to just dump his salary and get practically nothing back in return, in a knee-jerk reactionary, unnecessary trade.
Odom is one of the most team-oriented players I have ever seen, one of the more versatile players in the league, who can play almost every position on the court. and he is playing for what appears to be a discount, at less than $8.5 million per year. That doesn’t sound like a discount to people like you and me, in relation to our lives and the fact I will never ever see that much money in my lifetime, let alone for playing 66 games of basketball. Rest assured, within the realm of the huge payrolls and salaries in the NBA, where [arguably] inferior overall players like Nene and Tyson Chandler just signed 4 or 5 year contracts for $13-15 million per season, the best 6th man (who would have even better stats if he started) in the league deserves, who is probably a better rebounder than those two taller centers, and is easily a better passer than those two and only behind Chandler in overall defense (maybe). Maybe the trade exemption allows them to get another player at the same salary as Odom, in a possible trade with another trade without some salary cap implications or without affecting the salary numbers being traded, or whatever benefit they get for making a (possible) trade. Whatever the case is, if they were so insistent on trading him, they could have waited any number of days or weeks until another team actually offered something of value, or better yet, wait to see if he changes his mind, after the initial sting of the perceived deception subsided.
Now, the Magic are saying they aren’t even fielding offers for Dwight Howard because he‘s changed his mind about ‘demanding‘ a trade again, and the Hornets just traded Chris Paul to the LA Clippers- of all teams- so the Lakers now have little to no chance to add a good player, and have lost one of their best players, while pissing off most of the players, (especially Pau Gasol who was part of the initial proposed trade), too, who were also opposed to the proposed trades. On top of that, they lost their second best performer off the bench, Shannon Brown, who signed with the Phoenix Suns, to go along with the fact they have a new head coach, who is implementing a whole new offense and defensive strategies in a couple short weeks of training camp.
I was hoping that the commissioner would deem the new Lamar Odom trade to be unfair and bad for the Lakers basketball operations, so he could veto that one too, since he is supposed to approve all trades, but that obviously didn't happen. The Lakers management better hope that the league decides to veto the Clippers trade, too, so they get another shot at it, or else their only chance at a successful season seems to if each starting player remains completely healthy all season , since they have no depth at any position. One could argue (and maybe the same owner who whined last time will again) agains the equality of the trade, since the Clippers have become a very good team, while also saving money in the trade, and the Hornets don’t appear to get that much more than they would have in the proposed Laker trade. The Clippers now have new players Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Caron Butler to fill up the back court, accompanying their rookie phenom Blake Griffin, and the expert dunker/shot blocker DeAndre Jordan, to go along with three or four guards (Williams, Bledsoe, Foye) and they received two first round picks, which they can and probably will use to trade for more front court players, and on top of all of those benefits, they are something like $14 million under the salary cap. The Hornets receive Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, A.F. Aminu, and a first round pick, belonging to the Timber wolves (which is almost certainly a top-10 pick since the Wolves are perennially terrible). Kaman is a prime example of inconsistency, Eric Gordon is the best player of the bunch, with major all-star potential, but he also has proven to be somewhat injury prone, and Aminu is a 2nd year player with apparent potential, so on the surfce, it seems the only real benefit is youth and possibly high potential, compared to the lot of experienced, all-star calibur players the Hornets would have received in the original Paul-to-Lakers trade. It certainly appears like all of the reasons the commissioner and owners protested before, could also be in play here as well, if they decide to go with it, but I doubt it, considering the negative feedback when they did it the first time. The other alternative for the Lakers' success is every starter remaining healthy and playing [well] in every game, since the bench is composed of Steve Blake, 2nd-year man Character, newly acquired shooter Jason Kapono, and a bunch of rookies or players they will add later. That is about as likely as an undefeated season, especially with the short preseason time, the compressed schedule caused by the lockout, resulting in a higher game per week ratio and more back-to-back scenarios than usual, as well as the fact that hundreds of players get injured every year, in normal circumstances.
Perhaps the money that the Lakers saved in the Odom debacle will actually result in a good team next season, because this team as it presently stands is obviously worse than last year, and they now are the 2nd best team in LA.(unless the new trade is vetoed too), considering the moves the Clippers have made and will make to get even better (and because they legally have to spend that money to get closer to the salary cap, according to the rules). Now I wish that original trade had been approved, since the team gained nothing in exchange for losing Odom in the long run, and now most of Odom's ex-teammates are befuddled or just plain angry, and the prospects of making a good trade are basically null and void. Great job, Lakers! At least the Clipper games will be on TV all season too….
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