Hey guys, I wanted to get some opinions on MLB.TV. For the last two seasons, I've watched from DirecTV, and as an audio/video guy, FSW has lousy 2-channel audio (NOT a DPLIIx fan). Me and the missus are looking to save some cash, so I got a Roku for XMAS. 

Anyone have experience with both? Is it worth canceling our satellite? We don't actually watch any other programming, but it is nice to occasionally watch something else, which I believe can be done via Netflix also. 

Who here has a Roku? Who uses MLB.TV? What and when are the blackouts? How's the audio and video quality? Anything you like or don't like? How much do you pay and for what package on MLB.TV?

Torii, being the outspoken and opinionated man of honor, should withdrawal his selection, under protest, as the team's representative under the ludicrosity of Girardi's selections. 

And, if Scioscia is selected to be a bench coach, he too, should deny the request. 

The scandalous result would, undoubtedly, be seen as a bunch of crybabying from LAofA, but in my opinion, it would be worth it. Having no uniform to represent the home stadium's game would be a baseball disaster. The ESPN and East coast guys wouldn't change their tune any more than they ever have, but outside that phony world, you have to believe there are others, perhaps with players equally deserving as Weaver, and managers from smaller teams with underrepresented teams and markets, who would support our protest. 

You think the city of Anaheim would be pissed? It would be a disaster and the angry's would storm Selig's office with a blitzkrieg of press demanding the process be cleaned up with one single, final question: is this an All Star Game, or is it a fan favorite game?

If it is an ASG, then the cleaning needs to happen now. The how's and what's are for another post, but if this is a fan-favorite game, then it's up to Arte and the rest of the West to sell and market better than the baby's in the east. And that starts with winning. 

Unfortunately, winning doesn't come by selling out to ESPN and the Girardi's and to enact drastic change, going along with the established rules is not going to get the job done. And that is why Torii and maybe Scioscia need to walk out. 

Alright, I admit it: Victor is pretty good. Funny, too.

Though I'm a little tired of the same one-liners ("right down broadway," and "the payoff pitch..."), he's done a good job and I no longer have to mute the TV like I did for Rory. 

Although Rex has his new Tuesday gig, I occasionally wonder what the Phys is up to. Did he get any offers over the winter? During the Spring? Anything?

Oh. 

I guess he's writing now. 

Or was. 

Rotoworld is reporting that Mozeliak says he won't be back with the Cards. He missed all but 14 games last season, and he's 33 years old. Speculation is that he'll have to move to 1B, or an AL team.

So the question is whether Troy Glaus can be a cheaper DH alternative to Vlad? It's risky in the same way that Frank Thomas and Mike Sweeney and Mike PIazza were risky to Oakland. But, remember that season that Thomas had in Oakland? In the spacious confines of the Colosseum? IF Glaus is healthy, why couldn't he do that much and maybe more in Anaheim? He should/may/might/hopefully/too lazy to look up money figures, cost half as much as Vladdy. IF he's healthy, he's a lock for 25+ homers and a solid OBP and a less than Vlad, but still decent average. 

If it were anyone else, I'd say hell no. But it's a hometown hero, right? Maybe 1 year, 5 million, plus incentives, and a vesting option for a second year? Considering his injury history, he'd be foolish to expect a multiyear offer and big money, right? 

According to Pat Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, and reported at Rotoworld, pitcher Rich Harden is not expected back with the Chicago Cubs for 2010.

A John Lackey fallback option is what I'm thinking...

Of course we know of the injury history, but Harden was stellar in '08 (25 GS, 2.07 ERA, 181K/148IP).

In 2009, the 27 year old made 27 starts with a 4.09 ERA. I understand he has never pitched 200 innings. Only once has he made 30 starts. 23 HR's in 141 innings seems like a lot--it is, but perhaps pitching in Anaheim could help.

The .234 BAA looks nice too...

Is this a hell no, or only at a certain price and length? And, what is that price and length? 

I remember reading recently about some people wondering whether any of our players had FB pages. Tonight, my wife was talking about Lackey's wife being kinda cute, so we googled around for pictures. Well, my wife found her FB, and went through her friends list, finding these names, and potential names... Funny enough, as my wife was looking at the friends, she was amazed to find that I had a friend in common with Mrs. Lackey... who woulda thunk?

http://www.facebook.com/KristaClarkLackey

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1411578101

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1188228777&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1394678128&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=17107568&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1426754884&ref=sgm  ---- not sure about this one....?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1010992191&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1132967589&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1820344788&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/mwlaxer?ref=sgm  ----- not sure about this one either

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1149662516&ref=sgm

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=632938977&ref=sgm

On Tuesday afternoon, after a nice late lunch, I took my wife to the hospital. She was having contractions, but not yet in labor. Roughly seven hours later, Evelyn was born. 

via farm3.static.flickr.com

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Rotoworld is reporting Rangers SP Vicente Padilla has contacted Swine Flu. I really hope he gets through this, and for the health and safety of his teammates and staff in the Rangers organization. It would be utterly horrible, devastating to have this thing floating through MLB.

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According to Rotoworld, A's receive Brett Wallace, Clayton Mortensen, and Shane Petersen. I think this is a great move for Choaktown, landing someone like Wallace, who could probably step in right now, and make an impact next year. Mortensen seems decent enough, and is probably filler with Outman lost, and Gio and Eveland sucking.

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Or, someone alerted him to Rev's recent post. Through the top of the 7th, Physioc has been near perfect. Every complaint I read about last night has been addressed.

With insightful content, solid leads to Rex, excitement and optimism in Halo homers, runs, and defensive gems, and a more "beat the other team" attitude, I can't think of anything in tonight's broadcast that would annoy the Phys hater. Unless you simply don't like his voice, or just really like the ill-timed delivery of awkward-voiced Rory.

Sure, it's just one game. Many of you will look for any mispronounced name or stutter to sling your poo, but that's an all too-human trait inherent in every broadcaster. 

With BillyMac pretty much stealing the Jobba the Overrated Hut line from this mornings pregame points post, I just thought it was funny that an honest look into tonight's (not yet finished, but almost) broadcast couldn't be further from the hate dished out the other night. 

Rotoworld is saying that due to the recent struggles of the team (2-8 last 10), the aggressive GM (KW) might be forced to make some unpopular, but necessary changes.

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Maybe it's the rum, but I'm starting to think that umpires have their eyes closed when Shields is pitching. Even Gubicza commented that the pitch before Holliday's HR was "a nice pitch," and was right at the belt. The following pitch, above the belt, was driven over Torii's head.

It seems to me, the last few times I have been watching Shields pitch, he isn't getting the normal breaks. Why is this? It certainly can't only be me. When they showed the video of Scot walking toward the plate after Holliday struck the ball, he was pissed. He KNEW it should have been strike three on the previous pitch...

What gives?

Rotoworld says that Scioscia hinted BWood would be sent back to AAA by the end of the week. Sounds like the Halo's plan on doing what they did last Spring/Summer with the kid by having him rack up some frequent flier miles in short periods of time.  

BWood Not in Starting Lineup

Uggh. It's not like Reagins/Soth are publicly elected officials, but shouldn't they be held accountable to their fan base/constituents just a bit? What's with the BWood hate?

We already know about O'Day. With Ortega getting pounded in AAA, I noticed two other DFA's today that may be interesting to consider. Mike McDougal by the ChiSox, with his $2m plus salary, and Humber in MN, who just cleared waivers. 

My question is whether we look to Butcher in the same way others looked to Mazzone? Could we swap Speier for McDougal? What about the 40-man positions and needing to clear room? Could we send Quinlan or Matt Brown to Minnesota for Humber to see what Butcher could do with him? Isn't it at least worth discussing, regardless of the progress of Ervin, Lackey, and Escobar?

Some may say that we have holes in our offense, and that we need a 5th starter. I'm okay with the idea of giving our prospects, talented ball players the big team has invested years of instruction, mentoring, coaching, and dollars into, the chance to see whether they can be productive major league players. 

If there might be anything worse than shelling out a 5 year, multi-million dollar contract to a juiced, aging player after his career year, then take comfort that the Angels will not be the Southern California baseball team enlisting the services of Shawn Estes for the final spot in the rotation.

Suckers! Ha! 

According to Yahoo Sports, we are close to signing Rivera for a three year deal. I think this is a great move, but as always, I am perplexed. 

I'm considering jumping onto that wagon that says Chone needs to go. Without him, though, who will leadoff? We wouldn't pay Rivera to be the 4th outfielder when we already have GMJ and Wilits as a 4th. I was okay with Chone moving to LF for BWood to play 3rd, but that was because I thought Rivera was gone. 

Where does this leave Ninja? If this Tex talk is true concerning Boston being outbid, could this preclude some other moves up the Ninja's sleeve?

Click here to read about a 23 year old Right Fielder who may only be a 4th outfielder if not traded. I think we have the talent to pull this one off, whether it be young SS's, 3B's, or young SP's--just insert your favorite trade candidate like we've done since elimination to discuss who goes.

Of course the upside and age are still there. I certainly think it's worth a shot, anyone else?

This is my first fan post, and while I have been reading without an account since the winter before this season, I have only recently signed up, following in game threads the last couple games.

Had a drink after the game. Went to bed still frustrated. Slept it off, and woke up this morning more relaxed, but still heartbroken. With a clear head, I started thinking. Last night, I was certain we would be saying goodbye to Frankie, Teix, Garland, GA, and maybe Speier, Rivera, and pushing hard to rid ourselves of Matthews (creating a situation so bad for him that he will personally welcome a trade despite the clause). 

But then I started to think about Free Agency. Sabbathia is on the market, and resigning Teix is not about money or performance, but on Teix's personal preference. Sure, the Angels are built to win, and to do it for another few years, but all of our FA acquisitions have done NOTHING to get us even as far as we did without them ('02). 

Playing a whole season in Anaheim of Los Angeles would be appealing. We had a ton of really good "high's" this season, and what FA wouldn't want to experience that? Would some potential FA's even think that they could provide the difference to get us over the hump? 100 wins and Mark Teixera couldn't do it for us. We lost to an inferior team with home field advantage, and the culprit was defense. As usual, our starting pitching was exceptional, and our bullpen nearly as such. 

So, where do we go from here? Usually, you don't change what isn't broken. But, where/what are the Angels? 

I think it is time to stay away from FA.

I think Kendry is ready for either RF or 1B, if we can't resign Teix (not sure if he wants to stay after the TEAM performance). This means that Kendry is either our 1B, OR 3rd outfielder (regardless of who plays LF).

I think Vlady needs to be a permanent DH, and do what it takes to learn how to be effective and productive while spending a majority of the game on the bench, even with his pronouncements and desire to stay "in the game." Clearly, his knees cannot hold up to the stress of another season in the field. While he is aging, one has to think a fully healthy Vlad in the DH can return to .320 30.

Next, I think Chone was terrific at 3B this year, but we need Brandon Wood's bat in the lineup. If we don't give him the AB's, he needs to be traded for young SP depth. This pushes Chone to LF, where his speed, coverage, and decent (for OF) arm will play well.

I don't like Torii's propensity to strike out on pitches in the dirt. I expected .290 instead of .278, but looking back, that was a bit high of an expectation. I believe the warm weather and hard work will keep Torii more healthy than when in MIN, and he should do in the least next year what he did this year. 

I might get flamed here by some, but GA needs to be resigned for one more year, if he'll take it. However, hear me out before saying I'm an idiot. GA should not be our opening-day LF, but should see somewhere between 250-300 AB's, and he'll need to prepare himself mentally for a reduced role if he wants to continue his career. With the way injuries ALWAYS seem to strike this team, his presence, professional demeanor, and second half suggest he can still play ball. Ride him when he's hot.

I don't think a decision about Rivera should be made until we see what he shows of himself in winter ball. If it's just more of the same (would LOVE to have the '06 Juan), and an inability to bounce back from a major injury on sporadic playing time and AB's, then he's better off not stealing AB's from other's in this group. Send him to the Mets for an AA arm. I would rather see Terry Evans as a defensive replacement, PR, or PH off the bench.

What to do about the middle infield? I don't think KendricK will ever be a good number 2 hitter, and both he and Aybar are young enough that we need to stay committed to both, IF they can stay healthy. Howie was better than he showed, and one has to think that Sosh's confidence in him despite his struggles in the field and at the plate should play well for next year. Howie will hit .325 next year - let's hope it is over 550-600 AB's instead of 300. I still like Aybar in the field, and in the 9 hole. If he can become as good a hitter as Chone, then we will be fine. With this in mind, Howie and Aybar will come back with a vengeance next October. 

If we are going to pay for a closer, I would rather pay for Brian Fuentes. If not, Dondo and Good Scoty had terrific showings in the ALDS (Marek was starting to look like a good in-season pen callup for '09, a la Dondo).    

I'm more worried about the future of our rotation than the rest of the team. King Ade-Rock is not ready. Lackey will be in his last season? One has to think when he becomes an FA, he might be willing to carry another team where offense won't be an issue ('10 TEX starting to look really really good). Can't count on Escobar for anything next year? Ervin, Weaver, and Saunders will be steady. For being hit or miss, I think Garland is better than what he showed, and there is a little bit of evidence to suggest newly acquired SP's do better in their second season with the club. He might not be a bad idea for a 2 year extension (plus 1-2 club options), if he'll take one.

The farm is deep, but I don't see a lot of impact outside of what has already been splashed. Walden and Hank are at least 2 years out.... FA signings have been killing our draft, and Texas and Oakland are looking to kick ass in '10 and beyond. It is imperative that what we do now in this offseason needs to shake some things up. Yes, I said stay away from FA and then offered buying Fuentes or CC or Teix, but those are options if we do NOT go in house. I would prefer we did go in house, and the FIRST option to spend any money at all is to make Anaheim the permanent home for Teix.

So, if you are a big name free-agent, do you want to come to Anaheim after another miserable showing in the playoffs? What is needed for our core of young players to achieve the maturity and "clutchness" that the mid-to-late-nineties Yanks achieved?  

- Jason