Once a jolly Stoneman camped atop a baseball team...

From this article on SI.com:

• There is growing pressure on Angels GM Bill Stoneman, who's held many of the Angels' vaunted but so far unproductive prospects way too long. Owner Arte Moreno is said to have "read him the riot act'' for failing to enhance the team's chances to make the playoffs at the deadline, according to one person in the know.

It's about goddamn time. It's one thing to play "armchair GM," it's another thing completely to do so and be right. A little less than a year ago, right after the Halos got eliminated by the eventual World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, I was salivating thinking about the off-season trades and/or free agent signings that would bring in a slugger to hit behind Vladamir Guerrero. I was shocked when no major offensive acquisitions were made. Of course, we got Jeff Weaver, and we all know how good that turned out. But hey, at least we got rid of him to give his brother the spot he deserved in the starting rotation.

Then, as the season progresses and the lack of offense is bloody obvious to even the corpse of Helen Keller, the rumors of Alfonso Soriano trades make me salivate again. What does Bill Stoneman do?

Dick.

I hope Arte Moreno took Bill Stoneman out to where the visiting bullpen used to be, closed the gate, and gave him a swift kick in the nuts. Stoneman acts like the money he spends getting talent on this team comes out of his own pocket, and like underperforming prospects are his own sons. Casey Kotchman and Dallas McPherson haven't proven themselves at the Major League level the way we all thought they would, and their trading stock has done nothing but fallen this year. Could we have made a trade for either of these two (or even BOTH of them) that would have given us that edge to kick Oakland's ass out of the post season for the third consecutive year? Who knows and, really, who cares? What's done is done. But I DO know that, after the trading deadline on 7/31/06, we lost SEVEN one-run games, plus THIRTEEN losses where we scored 2 or less runs. Would an Alfonso Soriano have made a difference?

Who knows.

But I DO know that, because of the poor offense this season, we look like idiots for worrying too much about Troy Glaus and his injuries.

And I do know that I, personally, would love to kick Bill Stoneman and his Buzzie Bavasi-esque "conservative" GM tendencies square in the nuts if he doesn't open up the checkbook as Arte Moreno has given him the greenlight to do.

And that doesn't mean acting like the old Angels GM's. You know, trading young stars for has-been superstars, like the Dante Bichette for Dave Parker trade, or the "I looked like a moron on that one, so let me try and make up for it" moves like signing Mo Vaughn after failing to trade for Mark McGwire in 1997, possibly watching McGwire break Roger Maris' single-season HR record of 61 in the Big A.

You're on notice, Bill Stoneman. You don't make some moves to make us contenders again in 2007, a lot of Angels fans are going to stub their big toes on your testicles.