Thursday, March 17, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves
Colon Leaves Game Early With Back Spasms
Bartolo Colon left a spring training game against the Rockies early due to back spasms. Colon says he isn't hurt, but he said the same thing last year in June when ankle problems limited his effectiveness.Hensley Down, Other Angels Roster Moves
- Matt Hensley has developed a sore shoulder and will miss 3-4 weeks. Hensley was in line for the Angels' remaining bullpen job. RHP Scott Dunn, LHP Jake Woods, and RHP Chris Bootcheck remain in the mix. Dunn has struggled, while Woods hasn't given up a run in six innings; Bootcheck is unscored against in seven. With Escobar possibly starting the season on the DL, the Angels want another swingman.
- Orlando Cabrera is in Colombia applying for permanent US residency. He will return for the Sunday game against the Rangers.
- Starting catcher Benjie Molina is still working through hamstring issues, but "Scioscia said he would probably be in the lineup if this were the regular season."
- Darin Erstad is out with a virus, and won't return until Thursday at the earliest.
- Shin splints have disabled Scot Shields, who will miss a couple days.
- Dustin Moseley is also injured with a forearm strain.
Frank Fires Torpedoes At The Los Angeles Angels
Frank wrote this letter to the Times editor, which I quote in full:From the tenor of David Ulin's commentary on what he calls "L.A.'s baseball heritage" ("Mixing Signals to Steal Home," March 13), it is clear he is not a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is certainly his right. It is not his right, however, to misstate and distort the facts to support his misguided belief that the Dodgers are not, as he puts it, "the one true team of Los Angeles." There is only one Major League Baseball team in Los Angeles, city or county — the Dodgers.Except. Except that the Angels apparently have legal title to the "Los Angeles Angels" name, which they bought at the time the team was created and used for several years while playing in the old club's Wrigley Field, and later in Chavez Ravine. So claiming there's "no connection" is what's silly. Sure, the "Los Angeles" appelation is ridiculous -- no denying that. But for a Yankee carpetbagger to come here and claim the Angels are the intruders in some Garden of Eden scenario -- the native Angels, who his adopted team crushed out of existence in 1958 -- well, it's enough gall to be divided in three parts.Ulin's denigration of the Dodgers' Brooklyn roots is equally misguided. Like all great cities, Los Angeles is a city of immigrants, and both the Dodger franchise and its current owners are proud to number themselves among the countless strivers who have come here to make a better life for themselves.
As for Mr. Ulin's insinuation that the Angels got here first, that's just silly. If "here" means Los Angeles, they're not here; they're in Anaheim. Beyond the similarity of names, the current major-league Angels franchise has absolutely no connection to the old minor-league Los Angeles Angels franchise.
The Dodgers, on the other hand, are the same organization that was known to an earlier generation of fans as the beloved Bums of Brooklyn.
The Dodgers are proud to be L.A.'s team, and we're confident that this season the team is once again going to make L.A. proud.
Frank McCourt
Owner
Los Angeles Dodgers
But, what do I know. If, as I have suspected, this is all just a silly marketing game, both sides have to play, the Dodgers have to strut and preen, talk about Jackie Robinson and the great Dodger teams of yore and their recent Division title, while the Angels have to claim their affinity to the market, their up-and-comingness, and their recent World Series and Division championships to prove it. Meantime, both sides sell a mess of tickets. Nothing to see here, folks. Move on.
Two "o"s and no "u."
: 3/17/2005 06:00:00 PM
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