OK, because they’re in Orange County.
OK, they appropriated the “Los Angeles” name when their team has nothing to do with the city or county of that name.
But the ball club … you have to love these guys. These guys, and last year’s guys and basically every team the club has run out there since 2002, when they won the World Series.
There is an institutional grit to this club. An ability to plumb the depths of its 40-man roster and find players who not only might contribute, but believe they will. And usually do.
This is a franchise that has been hammered by injuries, season after season, and yet here they are, again, 10 games over .500 on June 1, with the fourth-best record in baseball, leading their division and on track to make their fifth playoffs appearance in seven seasons.
They scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning today to defeat the Blue Jays 4-3, handing B.J. Ryan his first defeat (and blown save), and racking up their fourth walk-off victory of the six-game homestand.
If the dolts in blue up the 5 freeway were doing that, if they were this successful … geez, they would be doing 4 million a year in attendance and a legit 45,000 in the park every night.
What is it about the Angels that makes them so resilient?
First, as Scioscia notes, there are “a lot of ways to win” ballgames, and the Angels know just about all of them.
“That (game) was not the template for how we hope to win, but we’re gonna take it,” he said from behind his desk in the Angels clubhouse. “You have to scratch and you have to claw when you’re fighting your continuity on the offensive side. Sometimes it’s going to be a bloop hit here, a bloop hit there, a walk, running the bases aggressively, something to get you going.
“Today was a combination. We got some good at-bats late in the game, some good base-running late in the game and we got a little bloop to fall in, so that’s playing baseball. There’s a lot of ways to win a ballgame. It won’t always be in the batter’s box when you’re killing the ball and hitting the ball out of the park and in the gaps. We need a little bit more of that, but if it’s not there, you have to compete, you have to go up there and know you can do that.”
Which brings us to …
Organizational depth. This is a franchise that has drafted well, developed those players carefully, and kept most of them. That means a steady stream of inexpensive players ready to take over key roles — such as Frankie Rodriguez, Scot Shields, John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman, Howie Kendrick, Mike Napoli, Erick Aybar. Plus a seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of role players who can step up and contribute as soon as they get off the plane from Salt Lake City. Such as Reggie Willits, Brandon Wood, Sean Rodriguez, Jose Arredondo.
Rodriguez hit a two-run home run today, and Arredondo went 2.1 scoreless innings, working out of two jams (one handed to him by Joe Oliver, the other of his own making) to keep it a 3-2 game into the ninth.
Which reminds me that …
This is an organization that believes in itself. And why not? Four playoffs appearances in six seasons? Well, of course they are going to succeed. That’s what the Angels do, as far as the young guys know.
These Angels remind me of the Dodgers of the late 1970s and 1980s. That organization also had deep, almost unshakeable belief in itself. By 1988, the Dodgers had been in the playoffs (and this is pre-wild card, remember) six times in 12 years and reached the World series four times during that stretch. Even when injuries racked that 1988 team, the belief that they were special, because they were the Dodgers, was palpable. And that 1988 team, which featured Orel Hershiser, Kirk Gibson and a bunch of role players — won the World Series.
I asked Scioscia to talk about his team’s depth … and to compare his current Angels to the 1988 Dodgers.
“Depth is vital to any organization, and ours has been tested,” he said. “But we have a good nucleus of young players that ahave already come up and played very well for us. You know, you need ’em all and that’s been something that has kept us afloat. Our young players have come up and held their own, our pitching has been good, and we’ve kept going.
“Our talent in this room is a lot better than the ’88 group. There’s probably some similarities in philosophies because (he and his coaching staff) were products of that. I think our ’88 team was a better team than people give it credit for because we mixed and matched a lot, we had a lot of depth. We pitched very well and had great defense and had some timely hitting. So I think we were better than people give us credit for, as far as the talent on that team. But this team is much better than that team, as far as when everybody’s healthy.”
To recap the Angels’ injury situation this year:
John Lackey, out six weeks. Kelvim Escobar, still out. Each of those guys won 18 games last year.
Kendrick, out 45 games with leg injuries. Figgins out 25 games (and counting). Aybar down for 17 games, Izturis out 20. And those are the four guys the Angels were counting on to man the three finesse infield spots. Meaning people like Wood and Rodriguez, outliers on the 40-man, have played 17 and 19 games, respectively.
Scioscia, on his team: “There’s not a lack of confidence in this room. There’s some frustration from some guys who maybe aren’t doing what we know they can do. But I wouldn’t look at it as a lack of confidence. Every time they take the field, these guys get after it like they’re going to go out there to win the ball game.”
Izturis, the man who hit the game-winning bloop, on the help from the minor-leaguers: “To consider what they have done, there are guys who don’t have a lot of experience … But that really tells you a lot about the way they’ve been preparing for these situations. Arredondo has come in some very tough situations and held his own. Rodriguez, playing next to him, it seems like he’s been playing in the big leagues a lot longer. But it’s good to see these guys contribute and hopefully will see it for the rest of the year.”
If they are Angels, they probably will. That is why this is one of the elite organizations in baseball.
They are deep, they are well-schooled. They play a team game. And they have deep confidence. That’s why they have survived an injury siege that might have destroyed another team, and find themselves leading the AL West by 3.5 games with one third of the season already gone.
The Lakers are eclipsing every other sports story in town, and perhaps rightfully so.
But the Angels are a supremely interesting, cohesive crew of their own, and when the Lakers are done with their turn in the big top, fans of good teams cleverly run and intelligently led would do well to come see these Angels play, a time or two.
8 responses so far ↓
1 nickj // Jun 1, 2008 at 9:03 PM
Right on…we were there today and when you look up at the board during halo at bats and see batting averages like .216 and .265 and .250 and only one over .300 (Kotchman), its kinda funny that they’re playing so good.
also, my buddy likes to say, you know the angels are owned by a mexican because they have such a long name.
2 depo // Jun 2, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Please. The Angels’ success is due to them playing in a division with two of the poorest-run franchises in the game (Rangers, M’s) and having a substantial payroll advantage over the other (A’s).
3 Char Ham // Jun 3, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Depo, what you DON’T know is Mike’s approach (& his coaches) to teaching the players not only the fundamentals, but how to work as a TEAM. Just one case in point is my husband once worked with Ron Roenicke’s wife, who is a teacher. He could see how she worked with her students, and cared about them learning & being better people. Then one of the Angels, Chone Figgins took some of the Angels rookies fishing. Why? To show them something they could all being doing together, just like playing baseball.
4 depo // Jun 3, 2008 at 10:33 PM
Fishing with Figgy > outspending the A’s by about $70 million.
Really?
5 Damian // Jun 4, 2008 at 2:51 PM
Thank you. The Halos deserve more props for their consistency in winning the right way and in an exciting fashion.
They don’t go out and buy every team’s best players, and fill their starting nine with free agents, a la NY and Boston. They develop their own players, plug them in around a couple free agents and they battle. Their pitching staff is almost all homegrown and the have the best starting staff in the majors, without an outstanding pitcher in Escobar.
And while it is frustrating they don’t bring the force moree often and have to over-rely on manufacturing runs, it is an adrenaline rush for Angles fans to see them run the basepaths with reckless abandon and no fear of opposing defenses. There are 5-6 guys in that lineup that can steal bases. Going first to third and second to home on a single is pretty much automatic for these guys, no matter which part of the outfield the single is hit to, and you know other teams hate playing against that speed.
Sure, the AL West is weak, maybe the weakest division in baseball, but that doesn’t mean the Angels are a bad team because of it. They won it all in ’02 and went to the ALCS a few years ago.
Sure, the Angels spend more than the A’s, but they typically spend wisely, not recklessly. The Yankees spend recklessly, and have they ever beaten the Angels in the playoffs? Nope. No other team can say that. Besides, who would want to be a fan of the A’s, a team that never stands the chance of attaining the ultimate goal because they never have any intent on keeping their homegrown stars once their contracts are up and they are up for a big raise. How is that fun for a fan — watching your team raise and develop a player, and then be so eager to sell them off and make your team backpedal and start over with the same frustrating process?
There is absolutely no shame to be had in spending money to keep your homegrown players who have realized the potential you have seen in them. It’s satisfying for an organization and its fans to re-sign the Lackeys and G.A.’s and Figgys, buy free agents before they hit their potential stride and turn them into all-star level players and still be able to turn a profit, as the Angels do. This is a business at the end of the day, after all.
The Red Sox bought their way to titles by buying or trading for other teams’ stars, like Man-Ram and Schilling and Beckett and Lowell and Dice-K. This fact kind of cheapens the experience of winning from the standpoint of a baseball purist/fan.
Who is the wannabe DePodesta on this thread?
6 depo // Jun 4, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Thank you.
*****Uh, okay. Thank you, too. And thanks to all the rats that made me pass on the nachos at the Big A. And thanks to Arte M. for lowering beer prices and making watching a ball game there totally unenjoyable. And thanks to the city of Anaheim for not improving their streets around the stadium. And thanks to Art again for adding the “of Los Angeles” bit, providing me with so many laughs.
The Halos deserve more props for their consistency in winning the right way and in an exciting fashion.
****Does winning the “right way” count more than just winning?
They don’t go out and buy every team’s best players,
*****Vlad, Hunter and Matthews say hello.
and fill their starting nine with free agents, a la NY and Boston.
*****Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youk, Bucholz, Lester, Delcarmen and Papelbon say hello.
They develop their own players, plug them in around a couple free agents and they battle.
*****In this battle, do they have swords?
Their pitching staff is almost all homegrown and the have the best starting staff in the majors, without an outstanding pitcher in Escobar.
*****Best starting staff? Not this century, according to team era.
And while it is frustrating they don’t bring the force moree often
*****They so should have traded for Luke Scott to help with the force.
and have to over-rely on manufacturing runs,
*****you mean giving up free outs.
it is an adrenaline rush for Angles fans to see them run the basepaths with reckless abandon and no fear of opposing defenses.
***** That’s a good phrase to put on a resume. “I work with reckless abandon.”
There are 5-6 guys in that lineup that can steal bases.
**** Google the following, “You know, the ones where they say it takes 14 bowls of Cereal X to equal what you get from one bowl of Cereal Y.” Click on the first item. I’ll take the 5-6 who could hit 20 HRs for the Red Sox.
Going first to third and second to home on a single is pretty much automatic for these guys, no matter which part of the outfield the single is hit to,
*****Even a bloop behind second, or a line drive right at an outfielder?
and you know other teams hate playing against that speed.
***** So opponents hate playing against Maicer Izturis more than David Ortiz?
Sure, the AL West is weak, maybe the weakest division in baseball,
*****Sure.
but that doesn’t mean the Angels are a bad team because of it.
*****Just not as good as portrayed in this blog post and virtually every other sports media outlet.
They won it all in ’02 and went to the ALCS a few years ago.
***** With that payroll, they should.
Sure, the Angels spend more than the A’s,
***** That’s akin to saying, “Sure, the Lawry’s owner spends more than the H. Salt Fish & Chips owner on a single restaurant.”
but they typically spend wisely, not recklessly.
*****Gary Matthews says hello.
The Yankees spend recklessly, and have they ever beaten the Angels in the playoffs? Nope.
*****Too small of a sample size. “Yeah, that one time I went to Hyde, I totally didn’t see Heidi Montag.”
No other team can say that.
*****Boston says hello.
Besides, who would want to be a fan of the A’s, a team that never stands the chance of attaining the ultimate goal because they never have any intent on keeping their homegrown stars once their contracts are up and they are up for a big raise.
*****Yeah, who wants to root for an underdog. How much fun is that. I want my guaranteed 90 wins up front. No surprises.
How is that fun for a fan — watching your team raise and develop a player, and then be so eager to sell them off and make your team backpedal and start over with the same frustrating process?
*****How much fun is it to watch Bill Stoneman become a coward each summer and not pull a deal? “Gosh darn, that there Brandon Wood will be great.” We’ve been hearing that for like four years now.
There is absolutely no shame to be had in spending money to keep your homegrown players who have realized the potential you have seen in them.
*****Seriously, a GM that feels shame for that should be fired, asap. Then hospitalized.
It’s satisfying for an organization and its fans to re-sign the Lackeys and G.A.’s and Figgys,
***** Is it also satisfying for fans to watch them get injured? Or their .327 career obp, 3.7 career era and 25 career homers.
buy free agents before they hit their potential stride and turn them into all-star level players
*****How do they turn a player into an All-Star. Is it a magic trick?
and still be able to turn a profit, as the Angels do. This is a business at the end of the day, after all.
*****Yes it is. But let me get this straight, the Angels share a home with the Housewives, yet their operating income is less than about 20 teams in baseball, according to Forbes.
The Red Sox bought their way to titles by buying or trading for other teams’ stars, like Man-Ram and Schilling and Beckett and Lowell and Dice-K.
*****Beckett and Lowell got traded for one of the best players in baseball. Schilling got traded for the Sox’s top pitching prospect. Everyone in baseball had a shot at Manny and Dice-K. If you can sign Vlad and Tori, you could have signed Manny or Dice-K. No excuses.
This fact kind of cheapens the experience of winning from the standpoint of a baseball purist/fan.
*****Not when almost every year a different team wins the World Series.
Who is the wannabe DePodesta on this thread?
*****Nah, I’m Earthquake.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0et4dsH5ruU
7 DPope // Jun 5, 2008 at 1:07 AM
Wow. Whoever he is, he sure is thorough. And from what I can see on youtube.com… VERY fat.
I hope Devo knows the “real life” Earthquake, Fatty McFattenbottom, died like 10 years ago, from fat-related symptoms.
Jerk.
8 Damian // Jun 6, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Who’s this loser? Feel free to get a life, especially when you’re dropping wrestling dudes. But it was kind of cool to know the Angels were, obviously, on his mind most of the day. He must be a die-hard A’s fan. Dude is so impractical in all of his arguments. He compares apples to oranges and exaggerates his takes to the point that they are falsehoods.
By the way, Angels 3-1 over the A’s tonight. Izturis leadoff HR. Lackey-Arredondo-K Rod work the mound. The common thread: All Angels farm products.
How’d the Red Sox do tonight at home without Ortiz and Manny? 8-0 losers to the worst team in the AL, Seattle. Like I said, when the Red Sox don’t buy and trade for their stars, they can’t compete. Hanley certainly wasn’t good enough to start for the Red Sox when they got Beckett and Lowell in a fire sale.
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