FanPost

Absolute Carnack, Kreskin, and Moreno

Guys - this is almost surreal in parts.......Just look at some of the predictions!......We have achieved the 2-fer with the addition of Tex......It is a year and 2/3 late, but take a read and enjoy....from Joe Florkowski,  Sept 2006:

 

It’s time to jettison the Wonder Dog and Physioc

by Joe Florkowski

Angels owner Arte Moreno has promised some big changes for the Angels organization in the coming off-season, which –barring a bus falling on the Oakland A’s – will occur in 11 games.

Moreno made his comments to the Los Angeles Times after the Angels held a series of organizational meetings Tuesday in Kansas City before the Angels-Royals game. The L.A Times article spent most of the article discussing the likely moves the Angels will make this off-season.

Here’s who is not expected to be back with the Angels next season: Adam Kennedy, J.C. Romero, Kevin Gregg (Gasp!). Guys who could be traded: Chone Figgins, Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana.

Here’s who could be with the Angels: free-agents Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano. The Times article also mentioned that the Angels could pursue centerfielders Tori Hunter or Vernon Wells through trade or even go after Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

And while I like talking about these guys, I think there is one move Arte Moreno needs to make in the off-season which goes under the radar but needs to be done.

Moreno needs to get rid of the Angels broadcasting team of Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc.

This is not the first time I’ve mentioned here that Hudler and Physioc need to go but this time I’m not simply saying they need to go because of their usual incompetence – although that does play a part in their needed departure.

As Moreno considers overhauling the team, he should consider removing the two who serve as the “voice” of the team. As Arte seeks to create a nationwide brand for the Angels, he should take a careful look at the broadcast booth. It’s tough to market the team nationally when you have Heckle and Jeckle serving as the TV presence for the Angels.

In order to sell this team to more fans, I think Moreno needs to find someone else for the TV broadcasts. Hudler and Physioc simply don’t do a good job of calling the game.

To wit, last Friday, Vladimir Guerrero hit a home run in the 11th inning off a Rangers reliever to put the Angels up 2-1. Both Hudler and Physioc were so ecstatic about the home run that they did not inform the television viewer that the Rangers were changing pitchers so the TV broadcast inexplicably went to a commercial. (Longtime baseball fans knew that the Rangers were bringing in a left-hander to face left-handed hitting Garret Anderson but Rex and Steve did not bring this up until seconds before Anderson saw the first pitch of the at bat.)

Maybe it’s because Southern California viewers have been spoiled by years of hearing Vin Scully call games for the Dodgers but Rex and Steve simply don’t do their homework. You can listen to Vin Scully call an Angels –Dodgers game and you’ll get more relevant information about the Angels from Scully than you will from the Hudler-Physioc team.

(I think this is because Scully still interviews players from both teams and does his research and checks the facts. Hudler, unfortunately, still thinks he’s a member of the Angels. For example, when Tim Salmon hit his 298th home run against the Texas Rangers on Sunday, Hudler let out what can only be called an orgasmatic yell for the Salmon blast.)

And I know I am comparing one of the all-time greats with two of the most dynamic dolts in broadcasterdom – but the gap between Scully and another newly hired broadcast team could be narrowed. Right now, the talent and professionalism of Scully blows away Hudler and Physioc’s chittering.

So there you go, what seems like an annual rant against Hudler and Physioc. But the Angels deserve a better announcing team; my vote would go to Angels’ radio team Rory Markus and Terry Smith – two guys who generally stay objective with the Angels but manage to have fun while calling the game and inform and entertain. Markus and Smith also do one of the best jobs I’ve heard of updating the box score for viewers listening and scoring at home. Can you think of the last time Hudler or Physioc gave the scoring on a play?

OK, rant over. But Arte Moreno, if you’re reading this, make this one of your major moves in the off-season, OK? And all things aside, I’d be willing to deal with having a Tori Hunter or Vernon Wells in center field and one other power bat and then I’d be willing to keep Hudler and Physioc. But only barely.

 

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