The July 27th, 2015 edition of Los Angeles Angels news including Angels show interest in David Murphy, Joyce suffers apparent concussion and much more…
The Story: The Angels are showing interest in David Murphy.
The Monkey Says: All the rumors for the Angels appear to be centering on the pursuit of lesser players. People continue to draw lines between the Angels and big names like CarGo and Jay Bruce, but the actual rumors all seem to involve fringe starters and platoon players. We are veering more and more towards a world where the only deal Bill Stoneman makes is the cash acquisition of Conor Gillaspie which, if you think about it, would be the most Stoneman deadline move ever.
The Story: Matt Joyce suffers apparent concussion.
The Monkey Says: The nightmare season continues for Matt Joyce. He was making what could’ve been his last start for the team and then this happens to seemingly drive the final nail in the coffin.
The Story: Jered Weaver will not pitch in the Houston series.
The Monkey Says: He doesn’t seem to feel right just yet, so the Angels are in a holding pattern. This continues to make their rotation decision easier, but it also is increasingly concerning that if/when Weaver returns, that he is only going to have gone deeper into decline.
The Story: Dave Cameron predicts the trade deadline.
The Monkey Says: He gives Carlos Gonzalez to the Angels, but I don’t see that happening. As mentioned above, they seem to be moving on to lesser candidates, possibly due to worry over payroll constraints.
The Story: Bill Stoneman is handling GM duties the old-fashioned way.
The Monkey Says: He still prefers to make actual phone calls despite the fact that most front offices largely communicate through text messages. Stoneman remains optimistic about making a deal, but that could just be because he can’t figure out how to check his text messages and see that his trade proposals have all been rejected.
The Story: Josh Hamilton speaks candidly about his exit from Anaheim.
The Monkey Says: Or at least semi-candidly. He doesn’t provide exact details, but he does admit that off-field concerns plagued him in Anaheim. It makes me realize that his infamous “he knew what the deal was” comment to Moreno is ironic in that I don’t think Josh realized what the deal was when he left Texas. The more I think about it, the more I think that he made a rash decision to leave the Rangers because the fans turned on him at the end of his first run there, so he signed with the Angels to stick it to the team, no realizing how disruptive that move to the Halos would be to his life and baseball career.
The Story: Tim Brown wonders why Josh Hamilton was booed in his return to Anaheim?
The Monkey Says: I’ll tell you why. First, some fans just don’t like him because they never liked him in Texas and only had that dislike confirmed when he underachieved in Anaheim. Some fans likely just booed him because they blame him for his relapse and don’t think addicts deserve sympathy. Some fans may have had sympathy for his addiction, but turned on Hamilton due to the aforementioned comment to Moreno, his perceived lack of apology and his semi-gloating when he returned to Texas. The black “evil twin” goatee he is now sporting probably didn’t help either.
The Story: Albert Pujols became the fourth player ever with 500 homers, 100 steals and a .300 average.
The Monkey Says: Well, if he is able to keep his average over .300 by the time he retires. The real news here though is that Pujols will now stop attempting to steal bases.
The Story: The Angels unveiled the life-sized Mike Trout bobblehead.
The Monkey Says: Personally, I think it looks a lot more like Mark Trumbo, but whatever.
The Story: Mike Scioscia is unfazed by the Astros acquiring Scott Kazmir.
The Monkey Says: [INSERT STANDARD SCIOSCIA CLICHES]
The Story: Mike Trout and economic rent.
The Monkey Says: Mike Trout’s contract is the gift that keeps on giving. Josh Hamilton’s contract, well…
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