Steve Physioc and Rex Hudler

Most readers of this blog know that I closely follow the Los Angeles Angels and I watch several Angels’ games on television each week. Recently Angels’ play by play announcer Steve Physioc has come under fire from posters on message boards and bloggers. Some of those posts are full of ignorant venom. Sadly, the individuals responsible have no understanding of the role of the local MLB play-by-play announcer.

One of the common criticisms of the Angels Steve Physioc and his partner Rex Hudler is they are "homers" who do not highlight mistakes and struggles by the players or point out the team’s shortcomings. In one respect the critics have it right, both Physioc and Hudler are cheerleaders for the Angels, that is what they should be. The role of the local play-by-play announcer is not to be an objective journalist but to be part of the team’s public relations department. I like the positive tone Physioc and Hudler have when announcing a game. They have the same high energy from first pitch to last and their positive approach makes the game enjoyable to watch. In many ways a baseball telecast is a 3-hour infomercial designed to attract fans to the ballpark, encourage people to buy the team’s caps and jersey’s, and to watch more of the games on television. This means the broadcast is geared toward the causal, and not the hardcore, fan. The hardcore fan is going to watch the majority of the telecasts and attend several games a year regardless of who the announcers are. But the casual fan is going to enjoy baseball for the entertainment value. Having the local announcer constantly pointing out what is wrong with the team is not going to give the casual viewer a reason to follow the team.

I understand when Steve Physioc uses CERA to show that Jeff Mathis has value to the Angels that he is spouting nonsense. And, like most hardcore fans, I cringe a little when he goes on about productive outs and clutch hitting. But it is wrong to expect Physioc to point out Mathis is an automatic out at the plate and Mike Napoli would provide the team with more offense. The casual fan could care less about any of that. This fan wants to know that if they buy a ticket to a game they will be seeing a good product and it is Physioc and Hudler’s job to sell him on that idea. Physioc and Hudler are a part of Angels baseball to me and I miss them when they are not on the television broadcast. If the hardcore fan does not like their positive approach to the Angels and wants objective commentary, they need to look at other sites and in newspapers.

Yuniesky Betancourt - Neifi Perez Part II

Earlier today the Kansas City Royals acquired shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt from the Seattle Mariners. I understand that Betancourt will be an upgrade over Tony Pena Jr. but most high school junior varsity shortstops would be an upgrade over Pena. I am sure the Royals fans that believe Dayton Moore walks on water will be excited and view this trade as a good move. But intelligent Royals fans will see this deal as another of Moore's misguided attempts to improve team.

Dayton Moore is quoted in the Kansas City Star as saying "His [Betancourt] on-base percentage is something that’s lacking, but he’s a career .279 hitter." Obviously Moore doesn't understand the importance of on-base percentage while at the same time overvaluing batting average. What should be distressing to Royals fans is the club has been down this road before. Neifi Perez's career statistics before being traded to the Royals are almost identical to Betancourt's.

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB/K
Neifi Perez	2728	.279	.309	.396	9.5
Y. Betancourt	2206	.279	.302	.393	11.9

In fairness to Moore, it should be pointed out he didn't give up a valuable Major League player like Jermaine Dye to get Betancourt. But regardless of who Moore gave up in the trade, it should bother Royals fans that his way of improving the team is trading for the second coming of Neifi Perez.

Time for a Realistic Look at the Royals

For more than two years I have been listening to the Dayton Moore defenders tell me the Royals are improving. These defenders of Dayton Moore say the ship is being righted and the Royals are on their way to being a playoff contender. But the first half of the 2009 season is in the books and the Kansas City Royals are no closer to being a playoff team than the day Dayton Moore was hired. It is time for Dayton Moore to be held accountable for the debacle the Royals have become.

The list of Moore's failures and misjudgments is long but to me nothing stands out more than the Mike Jacobs trade. Before the trade was officially announced I make this comment on Rounding Third, "If trading for a player like Mike Jacobs is general manager Dayton Moore's idea of improving the team, the Kansas City Royals will never be a contending team in the American League Central Division." That was a strong statement then and I stand by it now.

Currently, Mike Jacobs is hitting .223 (.188 against left-handed pitching) with an OBP of .299. Because of his lousy fielding at 1B, Jacobs is now nothing more than a DH. In an effort to build a competitive team, Dayton Moore traded a decent relief pitcher for a player with no plate discipline, who cannot play in the field, and has to be platooned against left-handed pitchers. Keep in mind too that Jacobs is burying Kila Ka'aihue at Omaha. Ka'aihue is once again putting up decent numbers at AAA and I have no doubt would provide the Royals more value than Jacobs is.

When the Jacobs trade is added to the three year contract given Jose Guillen and the two year contracts given to Willie Bloomquist, Juan Cruz, Kyle Farnsworth, and Yasuhiko Yabuta it becomes clear the blame for the Royals' current struggles can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Dayton Moore. I realize it is not possible to fire Moore right now. But if he continues to make poor decisions, the Glass family is going to have to realize Moore is not the GM the Royals need and show him the door.

The Alberto Callaspo Trade

Yesterday, Angelswin.com Executive Editor Chuck Richter posted his thoughts on Royals 2B Alberto Callaspo: "Despite his [Callaspo] off the field issue, the dude can hit. He has a 94 percent contact rate and a great batters eye. He's hitting .358 and that's after an 0-5 game last night. His 10 walks to 5 strikeouts is pretty solid too. His minor league track record was solid before being jerked around by the D-Backs. In 2005 he hit .304 with 29 doubles, 2 triples, 11 homers and 80 RBI in 139 games. In 2006 he hit .337 with 24 doubles, 12 triples, 7 home runs and 68 RBI in 114 games. Along the way, Callaspo walked 229 times while only striking out 145. Just for fun, is Callaspo > Bulger and Aybar?...perhaps we [Angels] traded the wrong MI a couple years ago?"

Alberto Callaspo is an interesting topic to discuss because the Royals and Angels open a three game series tonight in Anaheim and Alberto Callaspo is a key player for the first place Royals. Callaspo is also a former member of the Salt Lake Bees and I have closely followed his career. I don't believe Chuck was being critical of the Angels for trading Callaspo but the trade is a timely topic for discussion.

Chuck's question is in regard to the February 2006 trade where the Angels sent Alberto Callaspo to the Arizona Diamondbacks for relief pitcher Jason Bulger. In evaluating the Angels' decision to trade Callaspo, fans should keep in mind the state of the Angels organization when the trade was made. At the Major League level the Angels were set with Orlando Cabrera, Chone Figgins, Macier Izturis, and Adam Kennedy ready to man the middle infield positions. Eric Aybar and Howie Kendrick were coming off great years in Double A and were ready to take over SS and 2b for the Bees. One level behind Aybar and Kendrick was Minor League Player of the Year Brandon Wood who had a monster season in 2005. Callaspo had a good year at Salt Lake in 2005 but he was blocked from moving up and the Angels had what appeared to be better players behind him. It is unfortunate that Jason Bulger has yet to work out for the Angels but moving Callaspo for pitching depth made perfect sense in the winter of 2006.

From the Royals perspective, GM Dayton Moore deserves credit for acquiring Callaspo. Callaspo is exactly the type of pickup the Royals will have to make if they are going compete for the playoffs. Callaspo is a solid contact hitter with excellent strike zone judgment and plate discipline. He is currently hitting .359/.417/.565 and is second in the American League in doubles. I don't believe anyone expects him to keep up this pace for the entire season, but Alberto Callaspo should remain a productive part of the Royals lineup.

This blog also appears at Angelswin.com, the best Los Angeles Angels site on the web.

John Lackey Update

Help is on the way for the Angels pitching staff! John Lackey looked very good last night pitching for the Salt Lake Bees and it appears he is close to rejoining the Angels. Limited to 60 pitches, Lackey pitched into the 5th inning for the Bees. Putting up a line of 0 runs, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts, and 1 walk, Lackey did an effective job of mixing his pitches and keeping the Tacoma hitters off balance the entire night. Responding to the ovation from the Salt Lake crowd as he left the game, Lackey smiled and tipped his cap. Lackey is scheduled to pitch for the Bees again this weekend in Portland. If that start goes well he will join the Angels. Based on what I observed last night, he is almost ready to resume his role as the Angels #1 starter.

Having a Major League All Star like John Lackey in Utah was not the only highlight of the evening. The Salt Lake Bees became only the third team in the history of the Pacific Coast League to hit two grand slam homeruns in one inning. Outfielder Brad Coon and catcher Bobby Wilson both hit bases loaded bombs in the 4th inning off of former Bees pitcher Steve Shell. I felt bad for Shell because he is one of the truly nice guys in baseball but it was an impressive performance by the Bees hitters.

Wood Rot

This entry is written by Eric Denton and was originally posted on the blog at Angelswin.com, the best Los Angeles of Angels of Anaheim site on the 'net. A big thanks to Angelswin senior writer Eric Denton and executive editor Chuck Richtar for allowing it to be posted here. Eric does a good job of pointing out the Angels mishandling of top prospect Brandon Wood.


By Eric Denton - Senior Writer - Angelswin.com

Brandon Wood was recalled for what seems to be the 100th time in his brief major league career. Despite his hot hitting at AAA Salt Lake and Erick Aybar's sub-par play thus far he is on the bench yet again for tonight's game against Seattle.

Scioscia believes Aybar has All Star potential, but frankly it seems the only ones who see it is Mike, his coaching staff and maybe Tony Reagins.

Scioscia keeps saying Wood's "time will come" to the local media. He reiterated this stance this afternoon on "The Drive with Jeff Biggs"

"The offense needs some things not just power, on-base percentage and working counts." he said.

"Right now he isn't the end all, be all answer to our offensive problems." he said.

"We want to see some lineup consistency with Izturis and Aybar" he said.

How does anyone know if he isn't the answer to both on base and power issues?
How is there line up consistency if Aybar and Izturis end up playing 80 games a piece?

Brandon has sat since Wednesday and wont play until Sunday. Is anyone honestly expecting Wood to come off the bench cold and go 3-4 with a home run or is it more likely that he'll take an 0-4?

I don't want to say he's being set up for failure but Wood is not being groomed to be a utility player. If the number one hitting prospect in the organization isn't going to play everyday when he is on the big league roster then it's best just to keep him in the minors. Sean Rodriguez is much better suited for a bench role and while he's shown potential in the minors, he certainly hasn't captured the fans excitement to see him in the lineup everyday.

It would be refreshing if Scioscia would just say what he believes, that Brandon Wood is not a major league short-stop on a team with Erick Aybar and Macier Izturis on the roster. He's capable as a fill in but long term he's a third baseman and when he says "his time will come" he means only if Chone Figgins moves to the outfield, second-base or leaves via free agency in 2010.

Unless Mike changes his view on the defensive aspect of the game (like he has regarding starting Mike Napoli over Jeff Mathis) fans should get used to Wood riding the pine for nine or move to Salt Lake City if they want to see him play regularly, because it's not going to happen in Anaheim anytime soon.

MLB Blackout Need to Be Changed

I was watching the Royals game this afternoon when the announcer mentioned that Giants pitcher Randy Johnson had a no-hitter through 5 innings. I immediately switched to the Giants game only to discover the game was blacked out in Utah. The reason for the blackout is the Giants were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Diamondbacks have territorial rights to broadcast its games in Utah. MLB Extra Innings cannot broadcast a game in the market where a team has territorial rights. The frustrating part of it all is, even though the Diamondbacks have territorial rights to broadcast its games in Utah, Arizona games are not available in the Salt Lake City market. The FSN station that is available on Directv in Salt Lake broadcasts the Colorado Rockies games but the Diamondbacks games are unavailable. Looking at the MLB blackout map below, it becomes clear that Major League Baseball needs to rethink its blackout policy.

click on the map for larger image

I'm lucky living in Utah because the only team I cannot see play is the Diamondbacks. In Iowa, the Cardinals, Royals, Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, and Twins are not available to MLB Extra Innings subscribers. If one of the local stations does not carry the game, the fans of these teams living in Iowa are unable to see their favorite team play. In Las Vegas, the Angels, Dodgers, Giants, A's Diamondbacks, and Padres games are all blacked out.

There is no way these types of blackouts are in the best interest of baseball. Baseball needs to make the broadcasts of its games more available. The solution is simple, if a station in a local market is not carrying the broadcast the game should be available on MLB Extra Innings. Bud Selig has made an effort to grow baseball's popularity and making more games available for fans to watch is a way to do this.