The August 21st, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Arte Moreno offers thoughts on the future of the coaching staff, a call to not blame Scioscia for the pitching struggles, proposing a Wells-Lackey off-season trade and much more…
The Monkey Says: Don't focus too much on that one line, read the whole final answer by Moreno. When I first read it, I felt he was trying to cover for the staff without being too committal. However, I think I was inferring what I wanted to infer. Reading it over and over again as I have, and I think he is just being totally noncommittal because even he doesn't know what he wants to do right now, other than he doesn't want to react to what is going on until after the season. But the comments he made about the "kind of person" he is evaluating should bode well for Scioscia since he is known to think very highly of Mike.
The Story: T.J. Simers says not to blame Mike Scioscia since he can't help that the pitching is falling apart.
The Monkey Says: I find myself in the very uncomfortable position of agreeing with T.J. Simers, though I suspect he is only saying this because he is a contrarian. The fact of the matter is lots of people want to blame Scioscia and see him fired. In response to that, I have a HUGE column later today going through every detail of both sides of the argument of whether Scioscia should return next season if this team fails to make the playoffs.
The Story: A suggestion that the Angels and Red Sox swap Vernon Wells and John Lackey this off-season.
The Monkey Says: I made that suggestion last September before Lackey went down for Tommy John surgery, so I mildly endorse the move. If anything, it is even more plausible since Lackey is coming back from surgery and might even make it easier for the two sides to agree on the difference in money owed to the two. The only real question from the Angels' end is if Lackey would be happy about returning as he did singe a bridge or two on his way out the door.
The Story: Tim Salmon compares the 2012 Angels to the 2002 Yankees.
The Monkey Says: Great, even Halo legends are trolling us now.
The Story: A look at how the Angels are struggling and whether or not it is sustainable.
The Monkey Says: This actually offers a bit of hope for Angel fans as it rightly points out that the depth of the struggles is simply unsustainable. However, it is also sure to point out that it might already be too late to pull out of this nosedive.
The Story: Angel players offer some positive thinking on their chances of a turnaround.
The Monkey Says: Blah, blah, blah… Actions speak louder than words.
The Monkey Says: I'm sure he was received with open arms and not booed at all.
The Monkey Says: Grumble mutter grumble grumble…
The Story: Ron Roenicke thinks Zack Greinke might be struggling due to his need to get comfortable in Anaheim.
The Monkey Says: Greinke is known to be a big creature of habit, but it might mean nothing. Greinke hit the ground running in Milwaukee, but he was acquired in the off-season, so he had time to adjust (and if I recall, he also started that year on the DL, so he had even more time).
The Story: The Angels deserve credit for giving Mike Trout an environment to thrive in.
The Monkey Says: On one hand, I totally agree because the Angels called him up and then got out of his way, instead of tinkering with him or screwing with his playing time like so many teams do. However, they also did possibly err in having him spend the first month in the minors. And even then, they really only called him up out of desperation rather than some sort of brilliant forward thinking.
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