Cardinals win! And with that, the 2006 season is in the books. A long, cold winter lies ahead, as well as the biggest test I'll have for this blog: No longer will I be able to get by with daily updates about the playoffs, letting my sparse opinions on daily happenings in playoff games fulfill my promise that this is not a blog about a sport or a team, but about ME enjoying my team.
While the winter meetings are coming up and free agency starts now, there's going to be little news for a few months on the baseball front. While I'm sure I could make a daily post out of all the trades, free agent signings, rumors, and speculation for the 2007 season, I'll get bored doing that VERY quickly and that's what SI.com is for.
I'd say ESPN.com as well, but for everything cool there you have to be a member. ESPN.com is like a porn site; it gives you enough to turn you on, but if you want to click the really juicy links, you gotta break out the credit card.
So, in the next few months, expect this to be a blog more about me than the Angels. I'm sure I'll write many a post about my life as an Angels fan, about games I've been to, about the history of my club, but for the most part, be prepared to meet ME.
With that said, there's one piece of semi-Angels news I feel I need to talk about. I've been hearing about Gary Sheffield's whining these last few days, about his attempts to whine his way out of the Yankees picking up his $13 million option for 2007 and possibly trading him, rather than buying out his contract so he can sign a multi-year contract with another team, possibly an AL East rival. I can't blame the Yankees for thinking this way. It's better to trade him to a city where he can't hurt you than to let him go to the Red Sox, for example. But much like Sheffield did in 2005, basically putting a "no trade clause" in his contract by saying he wouldn't play if he were traded, basically being a little whiny bitch and saying "If I can't be a Yankee, I'm gonna take my ball and go home," Jon Heyman at SI.com reports that he's doing the exact same thing again. Click the link, scroll down about 2/3 of the page, and watch your jaw drop as a millionaire whines and cries.
The reason I bring this up isn't due to my surprise at spoiled rotten Gary Sheffield. I bring this up for this line in the article: the Yankees are seriously considering picking up his option for $13 million to trade him to one of a few teams that's expressed interest (the Angels are one).
I pray this isn't true. I pray that, if Bill Stoneman is this big an idiot, that Arte Moreno has the brains to stop him. The Yankees are in desperate need of pitching, so that would be the likely cost for the Angels in this trade.
Ignoring Sheffield's attitude for a second, let's look at Gary Sheffield the player. Sure, he's had a great career. But the man is THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS OLD. Yes, I had to bold that. Is it worth giving up a young pitcher for a slugger who never truly reached his potential, and even if he had, he's seen his best days years ago? I expected this from the old Angels. It was commonplace in the 80's and 90's to let the young talent slip away to get a big name has-been. I still feel a burning sensation in my ass from the Dante Bichette-for-Dave Parker trade in 1992. And I will be very unhappy if Arte Moreno leads this team down the same slope it once owned. Then, of course, there's Sheffield's attitude. Does any Angels fan want a player on this team who tells the press "If you want to trade for me, you have to deal with me directly. Trust me, you won't want me there if I'm not happy. I don't care if I love the owner, if I love the GM, if I love the city. I'm going on my terms?" I hope that answer is a resounding "No."
So yes, I actually had a bit of Angels news in there! Are you surprised? I know I've advertised this as an Angels blog, and have had a lot of problems keeping that promise. But rest assured, if you're an Angels fan, I'll do my best to make this blog "must-read" for the 2007 season.
Speaking of which, I logged in tonight to find I had a couple comments waiting for me! And, as a plus, the person who left them is NOT somebody I know personally! (Apologies to Scott Topiol, but I've known him for five years, so his readership is almost required.) My new reader calls himself "SecondBest Dad," and God bless him, he's a big Angels fan too! Many thanks to you, SecondBest Dad. I really appreciate your comments, and infinitely more, I'm happy that you appreciate my blog! Keep the comments coming, even if it means calling me an idiot when I'm being one! Oh, and tell all the Angels fans you know about this, as I'm an attention whore and LOVE having readers! By the way, you have me really intrigued with the thought of Aramis Ramirez in a Halos uniform. I haven't heard any rumors, but I think he'd be a great fit with our club. A player like him batting third with Vladdy behind him (not vice-versa, as Vladamir Guerrero is the best bad-ball hitter I've ever seen, making him VERY tough to pitch around), you have a very potent heart of the lineup, don't you?
Of course, this is all speculation. But that's the joy of winter. We have all the time we need to wish, think, and hope.
Come Spring, it's time to think about actually PLAYING baseball again!
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1 comment:
Aaaagh - Sheffield! No way do the Angels sign Sheffield - I don't think we have much to worry about there. Bill Stoneman has been very protective of our top prospects, sometimes maybe a little too protective to the point that they've lost some value (e.g., Dallas MacPherson). But I'd rather have him be over protective like that than end up in some trivia story ten years from now like when Doyle Alexander was traded for John Smoltz! And for all the reasons you mentioned, I'd have to scream more than a few times into my pillow if Shef came on board!
And think about the Ramirez scenario - he just declined his option with the Cubs and is now a free agent. His name is being linked with all the SoCal teams - of course, the Angels should get him, right?! :)
And finally, I'm your first reader - no way?! That's kind of cool, though. Okay, excluding your family and friends. ;) I look forward to your walk down memory lane of 2002. Maybe I'll get my World Series DVD out and hear the cheers in the background! :)
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