" "It's tough to absorb no offense from one position." -- Mike Scioscia, on Jeff Mathis, and also everybody, on Mathis."
--Sam Miller quoting and commenting on Mike Scioscia on Twitter today.
As reported by numerous tweeters, primarily Sam Miller at the Orange County Register, an active afternoon of Anaheim preoccupied the Angels Field Manager, any one of which would be headline news on an ordinary day, but combined signal an admission of utter failure on the part of the legendary skipper to turn garbage into gold or get production out of potted plants in uniform. No matter the relief that intelligent Angels fans feel at this moment, it will be tempered with the ruminating mantra "what took so long?"... Infinite patience may be a blessing, but six games back with 36 to play calls for just the type of shakeup visited upon the House of Autry midday today.
The Headlines:
•The worst offensive player in baseball, Jeff Mathis, has finally been benched - at least for the weekend but likely longer. The lion's share of catching starts will be based on the performance of Bobby Wilson and Hank Conger. Sam Miller sees Mathis continuing to be the personal catcher of Jered Weaver.
•Vernon Wells and Bobby Abreu will likely be loosely platooned at designated hitter, opening Left Field up for Mike Trout. Expect Trout to shift to RF for the occasional Torii Hunter DH night of rest... which is reflected in tonight's starting lineup. Sam Miller again with a Scioscia revelation: Trout can control the running game from RF at the major league level and will be getting at least three starts a week.
•Emperor Lyle Spencer has no clothes. He is not a great baseball analyst. He is not a great sports writer. His one cause to cement his authority on the subject of baseball and the status of a high-priest-like insider over "the average fan" has backfired into his face. His passionate advocacy for continually putting Jeff Mathis into the lineup was a mere session of "monkey-see-monkey-do, monkey back the manager and sneer at those with a clue." Without the fans, Lyle Spencer does not have a job so it is with a gloating dollop of glee that every lie he told as Mike's waterboy has now drowned the reputation of this herniated hack mlb.com propagandist. Hope the MLB yes-man's union is half as strong as the player's union for the sake of your pension Lyle, because your long pathetic rant has ended.