The September 30, 2015 of Los Angeles Angels news includes Joe Smith returning to the bullpen, Arte Moreno being valued at $1.8 billion, and more…
The Story: Joe Smith to return to bullpen Wednesday
MWAH Says: Well that recovery sure progressed quickly. When Smith sprained his ankle 11 days ago, the best-case scenario seemed to be a return for maybe the final one or two games of the season. That the Angels get him for the last five games should give the team a big boost. The bullpen’s held up well in his absence, but it never hurts to add an arm to the top of the reliever pyramid.
The Story: Forbes values Arte Moreno at $1.8 billion
MWAH Says: That’s a lot of money! After giving their estimate of Moreno’s worth, Forbes goes on to state that Arte is “one of the most beloved owners in Major League Baseball” (LMAO), that the Angels have “drawn 3 million fans every season since 2003” (not true), and that his decision to rename the team sparked “a legal battle with the City of Los Angeles” (also not true). Boy, starting to think that $1.8 billion value might not be so accurate…
The Story: Mike Scioscia says communication key with new GM
MWAH Says: Mr. I-have-no-influence-on-the-GM-proceedings has again been quoted on what the Angels’ new general manager “needs” to do, which is very much the opposite of not influencing the hiring process. The money quote: “I know, from being a manager, what a manager’s responsibility is, and it goes past the 25 guys in this room. That needs to be reconnected.” Translation: Dipoto was having the minor-league instructors move away from the small-ball approach, and I didn’t like that. The new guy is going to have to implement my way in the minors.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto opens up about Angels tenure
MWAH Says: Well, “opens up” might be too strong of a descriptor. He mostly repeated points he’s touched on before, like how he and Scioscia weren’t “constantly at war” despite the popular narrative, and that they both “grew” in their time together. The most interesting quote involves the Josh Hamilton deal: “As Arte told me at the time, it was his decision to make.” That seems to imply Dipoto had some qualms about signing Hamilton, but that Moreno had him do it anyway.
The Story: Three-way AL West tie would benefit Angels
MWAH Says: There are several tiebreaker scenarios still in play, but the one that might benefit the Angels most is a three-way for first in the AL West. They hold the tiebreaker in that scenario, meaning they’d be guaranteed at least a wild card spot no matter what.
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