6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Pickoff Moves, Lunchtime Edition

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Pickoff Moves, Lunchtime Edition

Now, This Is Funny

Larry Dobrow at sportsline.com takes a weed whacker to the offseason meanderings of various clubs. The Dodgers:

Let's see ... you take career shortstop Nomar Garciaparra and move him to first base, which is where you were going to move second baseman Jeff Kent, who currently turns double plays with the grit of a high-heeled debutante trying to flag down a cab. Then you add third baseman Bill Mueller, whose knees can no longer accommodate the act of bending, and whose addition to the infield miasma effectively pushes the team's one legit fielder (gimpy-'til-June Cesar Izturis) into positional purgatory. Not unlike an elephant attempting to mate with a ceiling fan, the parts don't fit. On the plus side, new GM Ned Colletti boasts a once-in-a-lifetime baseball mustache; this generation will someday speak of its sturdy magnificence in the hushed, awed tones with which its parents discuss the facial-hair typhoon that was Al Hrabosky.

The A's:

They inked Jay Witasick and Esteban Loaiza before the market exploded for relievers and starters, plus added "personality" in the form of talented Milton Bradley, who is to clubhouse relations what nitroglycerin is to tire fires. Gosh, there's probably a pretty good book waiting to be written about the way these guys go about their business.

Thanks to GoBears in the Dodger Thoughts comments section today for that.

Angels Still Missing Broadcast Agreement

The Angels still don't have a broadcast agreement, and that's not comforting news, but Arte is saying the team will show "150 plus".

"We're very close. We just have to select which way we're going to go," Moreno said Tuesday after another long day in court in Santa Ana, where the Angels are battling the city of Anaheim over the team's name change.
...
This much we know: At least 50 games will appear on Fox Sports Net, with about a dozen more on ESPN and/or Fox/11. That leaves about 100 games. Some could go to FSN, as happened last year. Some could go to a yet-to-be-determined over-the-air partner or partners. KCAL/9 had been the over-the-air home of the Angels until KCAL signed a long-term agreement with the Dodgers that kicks in this season.
Moreno declined to discuss potential over-the-air options. Candidates include KTLA/5 and KCOP/13.
Industry insiders theorize that KCOP is the favorite now that the WB and UPN have merged. Starting in September, KCOP no longer will have UPN programming. (KTLA will be the home of the new CW network.) That creates a need for programming and openings in prime time that KCOP hasn't had. KCOP was the Dodgers' over-the-air affiliate through last season.

Arte wouldn't comment about reports that he would purchase KXME AM 830 and convert it to English as the team's main radio broadcast arm, except to say that earlier reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune that the team would buy out their remaining radio contract were incorrect.