Santana still looking for excuses
Ervin Santana returned to the Angels with a flourish last Friday at Boston. He held the Red Sox to just one run and set the Angels up for a victory. They first blew the lead Santana helped them build, but a late rally still gave the Angels the win. Then Santana started acting up, looking every bit of the 24-year-old that he is. Actually, that would be an insult to 24-year-olds.
Santana wouldn't look at the media as he had his answers to questions translated by first-base coach Alfredo Griffin last Friday. Santana apparently had said his answers to questions in English had been misinterpreted earlier this season so he wanted translator. Fine with me. Makes perfect sense.
Now comes a story in today's Los Angeles Times where Santana says the media is bad, bad, bad. Please. There is not one Angels beat writer with evil intentions. Not a one. This crybaby just made sure nobody in New York, Boston or Chicago -- all tough media markets -- ever thinks about signing him one day.
Santana just made himself look like the spoiled young ballplayer who saw some adversity for the first time in his career and did not have any idea how to handle it. He still is handling things poorly, which makes you think that once some adversity comes his way again, he will implode like he did so famously in the first half. A pitcher goes 1-9 on the road to start the season and his biggest gripe is that the media doesn't know how to do their job? I see only one person in this scenario who isn't doing his job properly and he isn't carrying a notebook and a laptop.
It really gets you to think about something. I wonder how much Windex it takes to clean that glass house Santana resides in.
He's young and a little to sensitive to criticism. Someone on the team -- Kelvim Escobar, perhaps -- will eventually talk sense into young Ervin.
At the same time, it seems to me that you are perhaps a little bit over-sensitive to Ervin's criticisms of the the press. The notion that N.Y., Boston, or some other media market won't someday sign because of a few spats he had w/ the press as a 24-year-old is ludicrous.
Here's guessing that Ervin will mature and someday be a favorite of the press. In the meantime, give the kid a break.
Instead of talking about Ervin Santana lets talk about Mike Scioscia and how he keeps platooning Kotchman and Quinlan. Stupid. Robb Quinlan is a waste in the lineup this year. And now Kotchman is injured because of the stupid platooning. He pinch hit Wednesday night when he should have played the whole game. Then he got hit in the hand. So Mike Scioscia is being wreckless with his best hitters.
Santana didn't have a good game tonight but good defense behind him would have meant an easy win. Cabrera not only was a huge rally killer but he stood by and watched a ball roll by him instead of jumping on it. Just sick. Cabrera should be ashamed for that one.
They better destroy these lousy Blue Jays the rest of this series. Robb Quinlan better step up and actually do something but weakly ground out. What a waste.