6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

Front Office Moves

• Jim Tracy was hired by the Pirates as their manager.
• Phillies GM Ed Wade was fired after eight seasons in the chair.
• Jim Beattie, executive VP of the Orioles, won't be back in 2006. His exit is supposed to presage a wider purge.
• Not exactly news, but Mel Stottlemyre isn't sure if he'll return in 2006. 'Twas ever thus since the Yanks' lost their last bid for a title.

A-Rod's Public Whipping

More ALDS Game 5 Notes

• The top of the order went a collective 4-14 yesterday, an improvement but hardly a healthy one, with Vlad being the biggest gainer, 2-4. He still hasn't had an RBI in the series, and you have to wonder how long the Angels can keep winning before the lack of production at the top of their order catches up to them.
• Call it the 1988 Syndrome: the Dodgers learned nothing from their 1988 triumph, assuming Tommy Lasorda could egg on any group of marginally talented players into the World Series. It didn't work that way, of course, but it's an observation that Paul DePodesta made about the late-90's Indians organization. Flush with success, they had no reason to examine their methods closely, and eventually stumbled. The same thing could be happening to the Angels now: failing to keep talented young relievers (when relievers are scarce), continuing to allow their veterans and/or Mike's preference for veterans keep them at positions they're no longer valuable at (Anderson in left instead of DHing, Erstad instead of Kotchman at first), blocking positions where they're flush with talent in the minors (shortstop most notably). It's conceivable that losing in the first round would be healthier for the organization than winning the ALDS would have been, simply because it would have caused more soul-searching.
• The Angels will have some tough offseason choices to make: Erstad or Kotchman? Molina or Mathis? Anderson or Rivera? Re-sign Byrd? Sign Washburn for probably too many dollars and years, or let him walk and go without a lefty in the rotation?
• Update: Speaking of the Dodgers, I have to wonder whether the Angels advancing to the ALCS will have any affect on that team. The pressure for McCourt and DePodesta to do something stupid increases incrementally, especially if the Angels go to the World Series again. But perhaps, as Rich and I discussed last night, the right thing to do is to trade Kent and Gagné for some A-grade prospects. There is simply no conceivable 2006 Dodgers squad capable of knocking out the likes of the Cardinals. Dodger fans can stomach a year of rebuilding, so long as they know there's a plan.
• Last night, Helen brought up the favor that Sammy Sosa did the Cubs. When their then-marquee player was negotiating his contract (in 1999, I believe), he told the Cubs they had to commit to improving or he would walk. That was the kick in the posterior they needed, and the Cubs did indeed start down that path. Whether the Angels' recent successes are a similar boot for the Dodgers, I can't say; certainly, the Cubs' success provided some impetus for the Chisox also, but then there's the Mets and their dysfunctional relationship to the Yankees, and the Angels weren't made any better having been in town during all those hot Dodger teams of the late 70's and early 80's.
• A roundup bullet: Jon Weisman, Matt Welch, Seitz, Pearly Gates liveblog, Chronicles, Sean (cheep, cheep), the Rev, and even Maya. On the Yankee side of things, Bronx Banter; no reaction from my other favorite Yankees-ish blogger, Jay Jaffe, but I'm sure he'll get to it.
• And to answer the inevitable question: yes, of course I think they'll lose the ALCS. No rest, minus Colon, Washburn now must pitch Wednesday lest they go to a three man rotation, and so on.
• Rich Lederer and Bryan Smith have their ALCS preview up, and a nice plug for me and Pearly Gates as well.
• Update 2: Baseball Prospectus gives the Angels a 45% chance of winning the ALCS. Considering how shorthanded they are in the pitching department, that's saying a lot, but whether it takes that into consideration, I don't know. It is a big improvement, however, on their estimate going into the series on October 4 that the Angels had a 28% chance of winning the ALCS. (They were given a 55% chance of winning the ALDS upon entry.) At this point, BPro's crystal ball foresees only a 28% chance of the team winning it all, and I'm okay with that; the Cards are a scary, scary 1-5, injured or not.
• Jay Jaffe, as expected, rings in at Baseball Prospectus with an ALCS preview, predicting the Chisox in six.

// posted by Rob @ 9:02 AM link  //  10 comments