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August 30, 2006
Donnelly's down time
The four-game suspension on appeal by Brendan Donnelly is now guaranteed to happen after rosters expand on Friday. That means the Angels will be able to cover his spot with guys like Chris Bootcheck and/or Greg Jones whenever he has to miss time.
Donnelly was suspended by the commissioner's office when he hit a Texas Rangers batter after warnings were given to each bench. Adam Kennedy, Kevin Gregg, Mike Scioscia and Ron Roenicke all have served their suspensions from the Aug. 16 incidents at Texas.
Nobody knows when the MLB offices will decide Donnelly's fate. The right-hander, though, is not expected to miss any of the late-season games against the Oakland A's if the Angels are still in the hunt for the division title. If the MLB office still has not decided on his suspension in a few weeks, expect Donnelly to withdraw his suspension and maybe miss two games of the Sept. 14-17 series at Texas and the two-game series at Kansas City (Sept. 19-20).
Posted by Doug Padilla at 09:02 PM | Comments (1)
August 28, 2006
Little League inspiration
Chone Figgins was claiming the Little League World Series champion team from Georgia as his own after it defeated a squad from Japan on Monday to grab the title. Figgins was raised in Florida but was born in Georgia about an hour and a half south of Columbus, Ga., where the winning team calls home.
The tournament brought back some Little League memories for Figgins, who said that when he played, his team lost to a squad from South Carolina in a regional final. The South Carolina team went on to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series.
To Figgins, the fact that this year's champion hailed from Georgia felt somewhat like redemption. And he wasn't about to apologize for considering them his hometown team.
"I can claim it over all these clowns in here," Figgins said.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2006
ARod looking poor
What if the highest paid person at your job had to stay and work a little overtime for no extra pay? Unless that person was you, not too many people would mind. Alex Rodriguez, baseball's highest paid player, put in a little work after Saturday's game against the Angels.
The Angels have made Rodriguez look foolish all series. He struck out four times on Friday and three more times Saturday. He is 0-for-10 with seven runners left on base in the two games.
While Yankees games at Angel Stadium are known for having plenty of crowd support for the team from New York, it doesn't seem to be the case when Rodriguez comes to the plate. Both Angels and Yankees fans seem to jeer Rodriguez. It's been like that for him at home all season.
Because of his struggles, Rodriguez took some extra swings in the indoor batting cage after the game. Rodriguez has been lunging at pitches when he strikes out.
"I just wanted to get the feel back," Rodriguez said. "I was ahead of myself a little bit."
Posted by Doug Padilla at 06:56 PM | Comments (0)
August 25, 2006
Figgins' long road back
Chone Figgins is roaring back to life with 23 hits in his last 71 at-bats (.324) before Friday after going 3-for-28. Figgins had a second-inning single Friday and scored a run.
It had to be nice for Figgins to see the Yankees come to town. Figgins entered with a .375 batting average in his career against the Yankees, one of the reasons he had three New York reporters around his locker before the game.
"He's been snakebit as much as a player can be for a lot of the season," manager Mike Scioscia said. "He has certainly swung the bat better than what the numbers have shown, especially from the left side. I think it's just one of those things that happen. He just has to keep his head going and moving and just going forward. Hopefully he'll get more to start falling.''
In regard to Thursday's post about the three-man Angels television broadcast booth, Jose Mota was quick to point out before Friday's game that it will be used again for the current series against the Yankees. It is tentatively scheduled to be used again in the final series of the season against the Oakland A's.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2006
Full house in Angels booth
Jose Mota was in the Angels' broadcast booth during the series with the Red Sox, adding an extra color commentator to go along with Rex Hudler. The crowded booth is being done to give the broadcast a big-game feel and might be repeated at least one more time this season.
The three-man booth is tentatively scheduled to be used again Sept. 28-Oct. 1, which is the season-ending four-game series at home against the A’s. Along with the Red Sox’s series, it was also used in a series with the White Sox earlier this season.
Mota’s addition to the group proved valuable when the Red Sox’s Wily Mo Pena took a wide turn at first base after a single and Vladimir Guerrero threw behind him to first base. Pena then proceeded unchallenged to second. Mota knew that Pena had been a longtime admirer of Guerrero and in studying Guerrero’s game he knew he could take advantage of his hero.
While a third voice can sometimes be too much in a broadcast booth, Mota adds just enough without being overwhelming.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:15 PM | Comments (2)
August 23, 2006
shut up and pitch
For the second time in three innings tonight -- during which he has given up four runs on five hits -- Brad Penny stopped on his way off the field to have a conversation with plate umpire Rick Reed, apparently about what Penny perceived as inconsistencies in Reed's strike zone. ...
The first of those conversations brought manager Grady Little out of the dugout to intervene. Add to this the tantrum Penny threw when Little removed him from a game in the fifth inning on May 29 at Atlanta -- which was caught on national television -- and the dugout shouting match Penny had with teammate Kenny Lofton on July 26 vs. San Diego -- which also was caught on local television -- and a clear pattern is developing.
Penny, the starting pitcher for the National League in this year's All-Star Game, is the Dodgers' staff ace. They can't afford for him to get himself kicked out of a game, even on a night like tonight when he isn't pitching especially well. Penny appears to be in the prime of a very promising career, and he is one victory short of his career high of 14 set in 2003, when he helped the Florida Marlins to a World Series title. But before he can truly be the cornerstone of a staff, he needs to stop pointing fingers when things don't go well.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2006
Big Daddy approaching 100
Vladimir Guerrero drove in a run in the sixth inning Sunday against the Seattle Mariners to give him 98 RBI this season. When Guerrero reaches the 100 mark it will be the eighth time in the last nine seasons he has done so. He had just 79 RBI with the Montreal Expos in 2003, when he missed significant time with a herniated disc.
Guerrero is batting .320 this season and looks to be a lock to continue a streak of .300 seasons. Guerrero has hit over .300 in each of the last nine seasons, the longest current stretch in the majors with a minimum of 3,000 plate appearances.
Guerrero's subpar June is a distant memory. He batted just .257 in June with three home runs. That was similar to his poor July last season when he batted .208. The real key will be for Guerrero to remain a presence if the Angels make the playoffs, unlike last season's ALCS when he had just one hit in 20 at-bats.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2006
Angels-Rangers fight aftermath
The Dallas-area newspapers made for some good reading on the flight back to Southern California this morning. Both major papers had huge five-column photos of last night's brawl, if you can call it that. The prize for best photo goes to the Dallas Morning News. The photo was in better focus than the one from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (at least in the editions I had) but there was a little more to the Morning News' photo.
In the top right corner of the photo, John Lackey is about two feet from getting his hands on the throat of a Rangers player who looks to be pitcher Scott Feldman. It was Feldman who hit Adam Kennedy with a pitch in the ninth inning that started the fight. Lackey was later restrained by a number of Rangers players as he tried to get to Feldman.
The following links might require users to sign up for a password.
The Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw wrote a column saying the Rangers embarrassed themselves:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/tcowlishaw/stories/081706dnspocowlishaw.3350355.html
The Star-Telegram's Jim Reeves said Vicente Padilla was to blame for everything and endangered the Rangers' playoff chances:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/columnists/jim_reeves/15294183.htm
An Angels player might have charged the mound, but even in Texas the consensus is that the Rangers had it coming.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 03:27 PM | Comments (1)
August 16, 2006
looking ahead -- way ahead
OK, so the Dodgers have a long, long way to go to make the playoffs, even after winning 17 of 18. The upcoming stretch of 19 out of 25 on the road -- on the heels of 19 of 25 at home, during which they went 17-8 -- is a critical test, and the club needs to win at least 14 or 15 of them. ...
But consider this: if the Dodgers make it to the NLDS, they will probably go with a three-man postseason rotation of Derek Lowe, Brad Penny and Greg Maddux. All three have at least some history of postseason success. Maddux went to the playoffs in all but one of his 12 seasons with Atlanta, the only exception being the strike-shortened 1994 season. Lowe played a critical role for Boston in its run to the World Series title in 2004. And Penny won two games for Florida in the 2003 World Series, when the Marlins beat the favored Yankees in six.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 05:41 PM | Comments (2)
Angels' Molina perseveres
Bench him, pound on him, take money out of his pocket, Jose Molina just keeps coming back for more. In what was expected to be his season to finally become a No. 1 catcher, Molina is meeting those expectations now. It wasn't going so hot earlier this season.
After collecting two hits in three at-bats to start the season, Molina was barely heard from until a few weeks ago. He went 0-for-16 immediately after Opening Day as both he and Jeff Mathis struggled. Mike Napoli arrived at the start of May and immediately took over a bulk of the catching duty.
But Molina hung in there, even though a lack of playing time was affecting a games-played bonus that will kick in next season. Molina is getting his chance now that Napoli is struggling. Three times Molina has caught on back-to-back days this month. He had no back-to-backs in June or July.
All that early rest seems to be paying off. Molina has a hit in the last 12 games he has played, a career high. He is batting .263 now, up from .227 on July 19. Another sign that he is fresh came when he went unaffected after taking a beating behind the plate in New York. In the four game series, Molina twice was staggered by direct blows to the mask from foul balls and had another bounce off his right knee and head toward the backstop.
“When you're a catcher you always look to get hit,” Molina said. “That's the way it is and has always been. It doesn't have to do with being lucky or not. It doesn't matter. That's one of those things that you don't worry about. If you get hit just get back up.”
Getting back up has been the theme to his season.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
August 14, 2006
Angels early batting practice
Mike Napoli, Reggie Willits and Darin Erstad currently are taking early batting practice at Yankee Stadium while manager Mike Scioscia pitches. Yankee Stadium is empty so the crack of the bat echoes all throughout the old ballpark.
Napoli is making an effort to hit to the opposite field and just punched a home run over the right-field wall. Erstad just crushed a home run off the facing of the upper deck so it seems as if his swing is coming around.
A number of players now are doing base-running drills. Napoli, Erstad, Willits, Curtis Pride and Maicer Izturis are pushing themselves by running first to third, walking across the infield and running first to third again. Erstad remained after all the others called it quits to do more running.
Members of the Yankees, meanwhile, are in full uniform behind the plate some three hours before the first pitch as they lineup for their team photo. Bernie Williams is late and the team applauds as he hustles to get into the picture.
It will be interesting to see whose preparation pays off for tonight's game.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2006
It's New York; watch your wallet
Eric Kay, a member of the Angels' media relations department, was the first crime victim in the team's traveling party since it arrived in New York late Thursday night. Kay was at the Broadway show "Jersey Boys" with his wife after Saturday's day game when he left his wallet on a counter.
Kay walked into the theater when he realized he was without his wallet and turned around to retrieve it. The wallet was out of his sight for about a minute but when he got it back it was minus the $80 he arrived with.
Leave it to the kind members of the media to put together a collection and worth $45 for the absent-minded Angels employee. Here's to hoping he gives this cash to his wife for safe keeping.
Kay had been asking media members when he might make somebody's blog. Hey Eric, be careful of what you wish for.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2006
Napoli fans in N.Y.
Either it was a crudely-made advertisement for a local Italian restaurant/pizza joint, or Mike Napoli had some supporters in Yankee Stadium on Saturday as a man and a woman carried a sign that said "NAPOLI." The sign was on a white sheet and spray painted in red and was carried from the left-field line all the way to behind home plate along a walkway behind the box seats.
Napoli was seen talking to some acquaintances in the stands behind the Angels dugout before Friday's series opener. The Florida native was making his first trip to Yankee Stadium and said the first thing he did was check out various areas of the ballpark. He did not check out monument park, though, as a tour group had a run of the area.
Napoli was not in the starting lineup Saturday but had a fortuitous moment in Friday's game when he hit a double. Napoli actually took a cracked bat to the plate for the at-bat but was fortunate enough to hit a ball into the gap. It was his first extra-base hit since July 15. Time will tell if that was the hit that got him out of a dreadful slump.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 11:05 AM | Comments (2)
August 11, 2006
ethier -- r.o.y.? probably. batting title? no way
Andre Ethier continues to state his case for the National League's Rookie of the Year award. He entered Friday with a 14-game hitting streak, and his .346 average, if he kept it up for the entire season, would be the fourth highest by any major-league rookie since 1946.
It also would have led the National League, by four points over Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez, if Ethier had enough plate appearances to qualify. But he didn't, and he probably won't. Ethier entered the day averaging 2.6 PAs per game played by the Dodgers, well short of the 3.1 needed to qualify for the batting title. With only 47 games left on the Dodgers schedule, Ethier has little chance to get there, no matter how well he plays. That results from the fact Ethier wasn't called to the big leagues until May 2 and didn't become the everyday left fielder until much later than that.
A case could be made for moving him to the leadoff spot, especially with his .393 on-base percentage and his uncanny ability to work counts, to get him more PAs. But that won't happen. Rafael Furcal has been outstanding in the leadoff spot, especially lately, and Ethier's power potential makes him better suited to the six spot.
All of which means that while Ethier has a solid shot at Rookie of the Year, he isn't going to win any batting titles. At least not as a rookie. But if he continues to play a key role in getting the Dodgers to the playoffs, no one will care that he didn't qualify for the batting crown.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)
Keeping score on the scorekeeper
Sometimes it isn't easy being the official scorekeeper, as the Yankees' Bill Shannon experienced some tough early innings Friday. Shannon, the longtime scorekeeper for the Yankees, ended up changing two calls. One of those plays brought a call to the press box from both dugouts.
In the fourth inning, Jason Giambi delivered an RBI single to score Alex Rodriguez. Vladimir Guerrero's throw home was up the line and got past catcher Mike Napoli. Shannon ruled that Giambi went to second on the throw but an inning later changed it to an error on Guerrero that allowed the runner to advance.
A fifth-inning call was the one that had everybody reaching for the phone. Maicer Izturis hit a hard comebacker that pitcher Sidney Ponson was unable to field. Shannon called it an error before ultimately changing it to a hit. Bench coach Ron Roenicke was the one who placed the call to the press box from the Angels' dugout.
Even Angels broadcaster Rex Hudler was using hand signals from the broadcast booth to question both calls.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 06:54 PM | Comments (1)
August 09, 2006
Doug Padilla; Howie goes Hollywood
Access Hollywood, that television bastion of all things celebrity, will come to the Angels clubhouse Thursday. Howie Kendrick will be the show's subject, but it has nothing to do with the rookie's impressive play of late. It does have everything to do with actor Ben Affleck, however.
It was July 30 at Boston when Kendrick went to the railing near the Red Sox dugout to snag a fly ball away from a not-so-aggressive fan. That fan was loyal Red Sox follower Affleck, who was with his wife Jennifer Garner in the owner's seats.
Said Kendrick, days after the play: "I didn't even know it was Ben over there, to tell you the truth. I didn't even feel him hit me. I got caught up in trying to catch the ball.''
To put closure on the incident, Kendrick is expected to sign a baseball for Affleck and leave the actor a note on the ball, something along the lines of, "Was this what you were looking for?" Take that Affleck.
By the way, Affleck was booed by Red Sox fans for not getting in the way of the play.
No word on when the segment might air. Stay tuned.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)
Doug Padilla: Running wild
The Cleveland Indians knew the Angels running game would surface at some point, and in Tuesday's series opener they couldn't do anything about it. Even though Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson aren't the fastest members of the squad, their late double steal was the key to victory.
Indians manager Eric Wedge was afraid of something like that from the American League leaders in stolen bases.
"I wasn't surprised they tried the double steal," Wedge said. "Not the way those guys run."
Wedge wasn't just impressed with the running game. The Indians rallied against Angels starter Jered Weaver in Tuesday's contest, but Wedge likes the rookie right-hander.
"The way Weaver was throwing, I was very pleased we were able to put together a four-run inning against (him)." Wedge said.
After Ozzie Guillen said Monday that the Angels will make the playoffs and Wedge's views on Tuesday's game, the Angels are making believers out of opposing managers. Up next this weekend will be an opportunity to make a believer out of Joe Torre when the Angels head to Yankee Stadium for a key four-game series that will wrap up on Monday night.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 12:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2006
Doug Padilla: Brotherly love
Excuse half brothers Cesar Izturis and Maicer Izturis if they kind of lost track of each other ever since Cesar was traded from the Dodgers to the Chicago Cubs last month. The two reunited briefly Monday morning but it took a chance meeting in downtown Chicago for it to happen.
It seems Cesar was out shopping when he bumped into Angels first-base coach Alfredo Griffin. (The Cubs had an off day and weren't scheduled to travel to Milwaukee until Monday night.) Cesar had no idea the Angels were in town for their make-up game against the White Sox.
Sometimes reunions take place in the darnedest places. It's safe to say the next one won't be in the World Series. The Cubs have been playing better of late but were 13 1/2 games out of first place before play Monday.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2006
Doug Padilla: Weaver's fire
I was sitting with a colleague the other day when he started to recall the days he covered Jered Weaver in high school. Weaver was putting up impressive numbers at Simi Valley High School using pretty much the same form he has now, including a temper that would find its way into games.
The memories came about because Weaver was wearing his heart on his sleeve during his start Thursday against the Texas Rangers. When Weaver gave up a run-scoring triple to Mark DeRosa, he was visibly angry. When he gave up an RBI single to Ian Kinsler, he stared defiantly into center field as Chone Figgins picked up the ball.
Weaver won't apologize for his behavior saying that fire is what helps to make him the pitcher he has become. He does say that his expressions of anger aren't meant to show up any opponents, they're just a sign that is isn't pleased with his performance at that moment.
“I feel like in high school I was way more like that than I am now,'' Weaver said. “I'm able to compose myself a little better now. But sometimes you slip, or whatever you want to call it. It's not like I'm pissed off at anybody but myself. I felt like I should have gotten out of there with minimal damage and I didn't.
“I think it's good to vent. People can take it in different ways but just being competitive and wanting to get the job done, sometimes you have to let out your emotions.''
Posted by Doug Padilla at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
tony jackson -- nl manager of the year
As I sit here watching the Dodgers play the surprisingly scrappy Marlins, it dawns on me that this award should go hands-down to Florida's Joe Girardi, the rookie skipper whose personality has rubbed off on what was supposed to be a hopelessly young team that had no chance to compete for anything.
Instead, the Marlins, after an 11-31 start, find themselves at .500 and in the thick of contention for the N.L. wild card. Marlins GM Larry Beinfest must have known something when he brought in Girardi, who has turned out to be the perfect guy for a team not only laden with rookies, but laden with legitimate Rookie of the Year candidates.
A case also can be made for Cincinnati's Jerry Narron, who has the surprising Reds atop the wildcard standings, but their turnaround has been mostly front office- and ownership-driven. Narron is merely the guy with the key to the car.
As a player, Girardi was a hardnosed throwback who had a zealous respect for the game. As a manager, he demands nothing less from his players, and they have responded better than anyone had hoped. I stopped by their clubhouse today to speak with former Dodgers outfielder Cody Ross, and Ross gushed about the chemistry of this club, the togetherness, the cohesiveness. Today was the Marlins' own version of casual Friday, which they hold for every Friday home game, when each player wears a vintage sports jersey to the ballpark (Ross wore Deion Sanders' Atlanta Falcons jersey). It's things like that that -- and managers like Girardi, that can unite a young team and make it better than the sum of its parts.
Posted by Tony Jackson at 06:07 PM | Comments (1)
August 03, 2006
Doug Padilla: Colon's problems
Bartolo Colon still hasn't thrown a ball since hurting himself on the last road trip and a betting person would have to lay odds that the right-hander doesn't make his start next Friday at Yankee Stadium.
In a segment taped today for Saturday's radio pregame show, the reporters were asked if Colon or Joe Saunders would have a bigger impact down the stretch. To give away my answer, my gut tells me that Colon might not have many starts in him this season.
It's easy to get on Colon for his weight problems whenever he runs into health issues, but let's face it, this all started with a bad back last season and all those pounds aren't very kind on a weak back.
Mike Scioscia already talked about Colon possibly reinventing himself as a pitcher next season if his velocity never returns. What he needs to do is reinvent his physique. His longevity might depend on it. Then again, maybe a longevity isn't a goal of his. Who are we to make him aspire to be somebody he doesn't care to be? Do our sporting passions require him to be the best athlete he can be? Maybe at these ticket prices they do.
Posted by Doug Padilla at 08:45 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2006
Doug Padilla: Kendrick starring role
Howie Kendrick's brush with fame Sunday – namely his bump with actor Ben Affleck while chasing down a foul ball – has become more than just a interesting tale to tell. The play showed that Kendrick is more than capable of playing a position that was completely foreign to him before this season.
Although he looked awkward, Kendrick made another nice play in foul territory as the first baseman Tuesday night when he chased a ball up the right-field line. His play at Boston on Sunday showed that he has a feel for playing despite the distractions that come from chasing foul balls along the rail. It's something that rarely happened while playing at second.
Against the Red Sox, Kendrick approached the edge of the box seats where Affleck was sitting with wife Jennifer Garner. Kendrick and Affleck both reached up for the ball and after bumping arms, Kendrick made the play to end the second inning. Fans in the area booed the actor for not being more of a distraction and the Red Sox's Kevin Youkilis could be seen talking to Affleck after the play. Perhaps the Red Sox first baseman was telling Affleck that he should have gotten in the way of the play since the ball appeared to be over the railing.
Kendrick had no idea about his brush with the actor until he made it back to the dugout.
``The more I play over there, it becomes all about reacting,'' Kendrick said. ``I just reacted to the ball. It was a pop fly and I was just trying to find the wall and trying to keep my eye on the ball at the same time. I didn't even know it was Ben over there, to tell you the truth.
“I didn't even feel him hit me. I got caught up in trying to catch the ball.''
Posted by Doug Padilla at 10:32 PM | Comments (0)