State Of The Angels: What Will 2016 Bring?

The Angels success in 2016 will depend on how far this man is willing to push payroll for the coming season.

For the Angels, 2015 was a year filled with inconsistency that had its fair share of ups and downs. The early part of Spring Training saw the Josh Hamilton saga come to a conclusion with a return to the Texas Rangers after a reported relapse with drugs.  Then came the inconsistent start that Mike Scioscia's club have become famous for en route to an 85-77 record.



When July rolled around, there were reports of another rift between Scioscia and past General Manager Jerry Dipoto, which led to Dipoto's resignation to find greener pastures in the Pacific Northwest as the new General Manager of the Seattle Mariners.



Fast forward to now and the Halos still have the game's longest tenured manager in the sport working under yet another General Manager in Billy Eppler to go along with owner Arte Moreno who has shown a willingness in the past to loosen the purse strings on the team payroll past the Luxury Tax threshold.  Will Moreno do so once again this off season in pursuit of a coveted World Series championship in 2016 with a Jason Heyward or Yoenis Cespedes signing?  Considering all options, that may be his only chance for true success in 2016.



This fan is still waiting patiently to see what the team looks like when 2016 Spring Training rolls around once all the off season dust is settled.



Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved.  

  

It's Time To Cut The Head Off The Angels Snake

That is one big snake!

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia

Keith Allison under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

Over the past five years of mediocrity, I have tried to be as patient as I can hoping for an Angels turnaround. Well that's all changed.  It's frustrating to know that the Angels have an owner in Arte Moreno who seems to run his franchise like Jerry Jones runs the Dallas Cowboys in football.  Now I know there's no point in thinking Moreno will fire himself or sell the team in the near future because that's not going to happen.

I'm here to tell you that my patience has run out.  April 2, 2014 may just turn out to be an important day in my Angels' fandom.  That wasn't the day I realized Arte Moreno wasn't the world's greatest owner after all.  I found that out a long time ago.  No, April 2 of this year was the day I officially joined the "Fire Mike Scioscia!" bandwagon.  The reality is he probably should have been canned at the end of last season.  Well Sosh, I've had it with your apathetic attitude and inept strategy as a field general!  You know it's bad when players are openly griping, whether it's right or wrong, about the shortcomings of a coaching staff a mere three games into the season.   As the fictional Howard Beale says in the film Network, "I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"     

There are those who are going to say that it's still early in the season, so there should be no reason to push the panic button when the Halos have only played 3 games coming into tonight without notching a win.  Well I say it's time to push the panic button and push it hard!

What's so baffling about the whole situation is the Angels actually had a good Spring Training for a change that brought some much needed optimism to a increasingly impatient fanbase.

Long gone are the days when the Angels faithful were willing to subject themselves to last place finishes year in and year out.  The difference between then and now is the expectations and aspirations weren't as intense as they are in today's win now philosophy in sports.

I will still keep tabs on the Angels and hold on to a slight glimmer of hope that they will turn in around, but the longer they keep their stubborn manager around, they will remain a hapless bunch with no shot at postseason glory.

Tim Musick
Copyright 2014
All Rights Reserved