SB Nation User Blog: BuckyFox

The Angel niche; come back, Dave Smith

BuckyFox — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:18:55 -0000

An acquaintance in the East commented on our Angels recently with this: “They’re the worst of the contending teams.”

My response: “Really? Worse than the Twins, Tigers, Chisox, Yankees, Rays, Cards, Cubs, Astros, Brewers?”

No answer has been landed. Not while the Angels win every bloody day.

If the answer ever comes back yes, I say: Good.

Let the masses miss the Halo heat. The fewer the fans who catch on, the better. By the time they do, Anaheim will own a second championship.

Take 2002. That summer while the Angels played in Boston, I wrote a pal in D.C. about Troy Glaus’ greatness. My friend’s take: Who him?

After Glaus finished with 111 RBIs and the Angels their title, I didn’t bother asking my friend again. Didn’t matter.

Kinda like the stock market. When hardly anyone has heard of a company, that’s the one that rockets. If you check out STEC and FUQI, it’ll probably be the first time. Yet they’re scorching. By the time Main Street invests in them, Wall Street will have seriously cashed in.

So let most of baseball’s gazers wallow in all things Boston and Philly. I’m keeping my eye on the best ball.

Come in, Dave Smith. Two years ago he resurfaced on L.A. radio as the drive-time voice of KLAA. He gave the Angels’ station the edge it needed.

Now he’s gone. Smith turned into dead air this summer, and that’s a drag for these parts. He’s the self-professed Sports God for a reason. He’s been here all his life and shares a sharp passion for our teams that no other broadcaster matches.

I asked a few people connected to the Angels what happened. Was Dave fired? Where is he? No one is clear. Not even Smith, who has nothing on TheSportsGod.com about his whereabouts.

Come back, Dave. You were wrong about Mitch Kupcake. And wrong about running pitchers’ arms ragged. But you had a point about Sissy Vujacic. And it was tough to change the channel.

I have the perfect spot for Smith. 570 KLAC in the afternoon. Replace the screamers who turn their points into turbulence. Angel fans would stick with Jeff Biggs at KLAA. Aside from that, Smith would crush ESPN’s Mason and Ireland.

defending Physioc, and can anyone speak English?

BuckyFox — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:50:41 -0000

Now we have the Rev calling Steve Physioc the worst announcer in baseball.

Why? Because the broadcaster has the gall to call attention to the biggest offensive night of the season. Or would've been if Andruw Jones had parked No. 4.

What, was Fizz supposed to scintillate us with a breakdown of the No. 1 Angel Stadium experience? Because if you wanted homer musings from the booth, that was the only thing left in that Ranger series.

Or could Physioc reach for a homer of substance, one that ties history? Good for him that he announced the news.

Which adds to his credentials as the worst announcer in baseball? Against what list? Worse than John Sterling, whom Yankee fans and the Post's Phil Mushnick are trying to ditch? Worse than voices for the Marlins, Royals, Twins? I doubt if the Rev has a clue. About the only listeners who do are those of American Forces Network, which airs games from every market for our troops around the globe.

I used to be one of those AFN listeners. And knew that despite L.A.'s love affair with Vin Scully, he was not the best. Certainly not better than the Giants' Hank Greenwald, the Orioles' Chuck Thompson and the White Sox combo of Harry Caray and Jimmy Piersall.

No, Physioc isn't the worst. Not even among Angel play-by-play guys. His voice far surpasses the tone of Markas and Smith. And the Fizz has more fun playing off Rex.

As far as our Orange County ears can figure, he might be one of the best.

Quit this fire-Physioc campaign. It's childish.

We'd be better off bitching about something of substance: Angel players who don't speak English. At least not with a mic in from of them.

This Morales ignoring our language for Spanish the way Vlad does is outrageous. This is an American team with American fans paying them American millions.

Learn to speak to us without a Mota dictionary, for crying out loud.

Follow hockey's lead. Guy Lafleur and Mario Lemieux were two French Canadians who entered the NHL knowing hardly any English. The Habs and Penguins made sure they learned it. Simple marketing. They knew their fan base spoke English, so get with the program, guys.

The Angels should do the same. So should every team in baseball, which has crashing attendance as it is.

Fans want players they can relate to. It sure would help if they could understand them.

Deep-86ed Again

BuckyFox — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:52:56 -0000

If Magic and Nugget fans were bummed by those LeBron and Kobe three-pointers, they have nothing on 1986 Angel loyalists.

When it comes to the depression meter, that Game 5 of the pennant series spins off the dial.

So it was painful to watch Saturday as MLB Network replayed all 11 innings of the Angels' 7-6 loss to Boston. Still, a wild time warp.

Anaheim Stadium. Blue wall. No ads. Just an Angel logo. Natch, no rocks. Seats throughout, explaining the attendance that was 20,000 more than today's capacity. And the light grass. Ag technology had to be weaker back then.
The batters. ABC showed that the bottom third of the lineup was carrying the Angel load. The trio was Dick Schofield, Bob Boone and Gary Pettis, although Schofield hit second in Game 5. Missing was a graphic called Miss October. Reggie's DH stood for Didn't Hit. The one time he singled, he was picked off. TV's Al Michaels evidently wasn't tuned in. With Jackson leading off the bottom of the 10th, Michaels thought it was 1977. He said with excited anticipation: "Who wrote this script?" Answer: Boston.
The pitcher. Mike Witt was a winner. Or should've been. No walks in 8 and two-thirds. One strike away from a pennant. Somewhere in there, ABC noted, "No pitcher has ever thrown two complete games in a championship series." In the fifth, an MLB Network historical note posted his perfect-game numbers of 1984 at Texas: 94 pitches, 10 Ks.
The broadcast. Good timing. While this 1986 gem aired, so did a look at the 1986 New York Giants on NFL Network. And MLB Network followed with Mets-Boston, exactly the World Series match-up after the Angels fell.
The hero. Dave Henderson almost wasn't. After Tony Armas hurt his leg in center, Henderson replaced him and pulled a goat of play in the sixth. Leaping for a Bobby Grich drive, the center fielder had the ball in his mitt, then ice-cream-coned it over the fence. Having given the Angels a 3-2 lead, Grich set a record for celebration. Michaels: "It may be one of the more memorable plays of the '80s." Unfortunately, not quite.
The banners. "The Sox are at Witt's end." "Yes We Can" (did Obama steal that?).
The slammer. With Boston's Mike Greenwell up in the eighth, MLB Network added an amazing note: He had two inside-the-park grand slams in his career. Against the same pitcher, Greg Cadaret. Once when Cadret was with the A's, once with the Yankees.
The seer. "Remember that man, Gedman," said Michaels in the eighth. Indeed, the Sox catcher who had homered and doubled would draw the hit by pitch in the ninth to set up Henderson's shot.
The traitor. Seven years after winning the Angels' first MVP Award, Don Baylor stuck it to his old team. Now DHing for Boston, he nailed a one-out homer in the ninth to cut the Angels' lead to 5-4. And he scored the winner on Henderson's sac fly in the 11th.
The pitches. Moore was thisclose to closing the door with two out in the ninth. He had Henderson at 1-2, 2-2, two fouls. Then goodbye, 6-5 Sox.
More timing. Just as Henderson parked Donnie Moore's forkball on MLB Network, A-Rod was hitting his dramatic homer in the ninth against the Phillies in real time.
The out. Grich was inches from winning it with two out in the ninth. With the game tied at 6 and the bases full, Bobby pushed a 2-0 count against Steve Crawford. Two balls away from triumph. The next pitch looked outside, but the ump said strike. Bobby eventually lined out to the mound. Michaels would point out that Crawford was on the roster because Tom Seaver got hurt.
The coach. Pitching coach Marcel Lachemann went to the mound for Angel pitching changes, not manager Gene Mauch.
The look. The Angels played one guy born outside the country: Jamaica's Devon White. Now Latin Americans dominate the roster.
The shots. Pettis was a foot from handing the Angels the flag in the 10th. Jim Rice said no way, leaping and hauling in his drive at the wall. The next frame, Angel left fielder Brian Downing kept the deficit at one by grabbing Ed Romero's rocket at the fence. Michaels: "Wow! Are we really seeing this game?"
The call. Michaels: "Anaheim was one strike away from turning into fantasyland."

the pitch count

BuckyFox — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:43:43 -0000

Rev, since you're checking the site while you're with Jeff on 830, here's a follow to that call about pitch counts.

Pretty sure they started after Bill James got rolling. His research showed that for every Feller and Seaver, piles of pitchers' arms died early because of overuse.

Take Mark Fidrych. After he died, stories zeroed in on his sad, quick finish. Had 24 complete games in his rookie 1976. And was basically done by the next spring.

So hell yes count the pitches. Bring in the relief. And keep Lackey and Santana pitching for years.

Grich Time

BuckyFox — Sat, 09 May 2009 23:15:58 -0000

Bobby Grich had the Cantina Lounge across from Cal State Fullerton hoppin' Friday aft.

http://buckyfox.blogspot.com/

While sharing his voice with Jeff Biggs and the 830 audience, he recalled:

How when he joined the Angels in 1977, he fell in love with Anaheim's weather after years of trading Florida spring training sun for Baltimore chill.
Celebrating retirement after the 1986 season by finally enjoying his summers with adventure treks all over the globe.
Getting a mandate from the Angels' front office in the past decade to ignite the alumni association, helping the organization create the family feeling that the Orioles had.

When he wasn't chatting for the radio, Bobby graciously signed autographs and posed for photos.

It turned into quite a weekend for Grich. The next day, MLB Network showed the Angels-Yankees game of June 17, 1978, when Ron Guidry struck out 18.

Bobby avoided being victim No. 17 in the eighth inning by flying out on a two-strike pitch to Reggie in right. That after Grich fouled a shot through the net behind him and laid off a close pitch.

Leading off the ninth, Dave Chalk, with his drastic choke on the bat, swung for the 17th strikeout. The 18th came when Joe Rudi swung on a 1-2 pitch. The call came Phil Rizzuto on the radio feed: "Holy cow! Eighteen strikeouts!" Natch, Yankee Stadium went nuts.

Don Baylor with a single and Ron Jackson with a fielder's choice kept the Louisiana Lighting total at 18. Hope Bobby was watching.

Bring On Gary Carter

BuckyFox — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:40:28 -0000

Fans in Southern California are riding a crest.

Phil Jackson’s Lakers surfed to the NBA Finals in June and are ready to dive into another season.

The Dodgers are sailing into the pennant series, which surprised plenty of pundits, but not this one. Way back in April I wrote at TheColumnists.com that the boys in blue would win the National League title. Why? “Joe Torre’s in Los Angeles.”

You see the connection. Los Angeles is making a splash because of two of the greatest bosses in history:

Jackson, whose nine titles tie him with Red Auerbach for No. 1 among NBA coaches.

Torre, whose four World Series crowns put him near Casey Stengel and Joe McCarthy among the greatest managers.

Speaking of winners, the other baseball team that goes by Los Angeles — the Angels — has Mike Scioscia calling the shots. He won it all in 2002 and entered October with his cross hairs on a second title. His gang entered the playoffs with the best record in baseball, boasting top power, speed and pitching.

And yet.

The Angels are out.

Out in the first round.

Out against Boston for the third time in five years.

Out on a suicide sqeeze in the ninth inning of the deciding game at Fenway Park.

Scioscia called for the bunt. Erick Aybar missed. Goodbye, season.

Hello, suicide watch.

Angel fans are bashing thunder sticks against their heads. Some want to do the same to Scioscia.

A squeeze play when all the Angels needed was a fly ball? Another horror in Angel lore.

No question Scioscia is the right skip for Anaheim’s ship. This is a high-water mark in Angel history, thanks to his grabbing the tiller in 2000: four division titles to go with that glorious 2002 trophy, plus a packed Angel Stadium every summer.

So the Angels will weather this fan storm and keep Mike manager.

Where I’d like to see a change is at brand-new Citi Field in New York. Time for the Mets to match their new digs with a new helmsman: Gary Carter.

Mets fans — and I’m one — are seasick over the 2007 dive under Willie Randolph and 2008 replay under Jerry Manuel.

We’re about to jump overboard after the nightly blown leads.

We’re looking for ballast: A Hall of Famer who was superior to fellow catchers Torre and Scioscia. A hero on the champion Mets of 1986. A winner who just managed the Orange County Flyers to the top of the Golden Baseball League.

Bring back Gary Carter.

Message to Mets:

Carter manages just up the road in Fullerton, Calif. I’ll get him for you.

Bucky Fox is an author and editor in Southern California who runs BuckyFox.com

Hit it

BuckyFox — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:59:34 -0000

Hit it

Anyone else bothered by the Angels' radio jingle? Sounds like they're appealing to 6-year-old carnival goers. Grow up, for crying out loud. Here's an idea: Buy the rights to the NBA on NBC theme song from John Tesh. Now there's a modern melody.

Head of the class

BuckyFox — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 19:17:17 -0000

Head of the class

Still amazed at the Rev's memory. After that post regarding the Angels' great comeback against Detroit in 1985, our brainy leader mentions that air crash's smoke backdrop that very day. No-hitters. Three-homer games. Stolen-base records. Playoffs. World Series. We all recall them. But a regular-season game/plane crash from 23 years ago? No wonder the Rev is running this site.

Independent ideas

BuckyFox — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:07:58 -0000

Independent ideas

Thoughts while lounging during the Dodger rout in Frisco on the Fourth: The Angels-A's rivalry is tight, as the Rev says, but it's missing the hatred of bums-jints, yanks-sux, louis-chi. As an Angel fan, I don't lose it over Oakland. If anything, I admire how those guys win with minimum wage. Flipping over to USA-Canada softball, I'm wondering why the pitchers don't wear caps. They look like amateurs, which of course they are. Scioscia will manage the Dodgers. Thought he would've switched by now. But it'll happen. Even without him, the blue will win the pennant. And stick it to Collin Cowherd and his lazy line that Torre's move west is strictly shtick.

hardly busch

BuckyFox — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:04:22 -0000

What do we call these guys if they win it all the way they should have in '06?

How about the Swingin' Mets? Which if Beltran had done it at nut-cuttin' time two years ago, we might've stuck Louis and swept Detroit.

But that's wallowing in the old.

How about now against the Cards? Can you believe Armas turning Wright and Church run production into a victory? After that lousy game Monday? Ya gotta.

That's the way the Mets meander. One night they look like lazy slobs while Philly and the Flyin' Hawaiian hustle like a banshee. The next day we have a solid staff and robust power. And Church comes back and halleluja.

I'm still not totally sold. This bunch looks a lot like the 1990 Mets. We all thought they would pick up from '88. Instead, Davey gets fired and Bud can't do it.

Then again, I'm still rooting. The Carlos boys turn it on, and here we come.