Thursday Halolinks: I am a fan of this team that stinks

Rev and I have an excellent working relationship, and I consider him a good friend, but apparently he doesn't think I'm a good fan of the Angels.  He considers those of us who wouldn't mind seeing the ballclub continue their crappy ways in order to gain a better draft pick to not be fans of the team.  Here's his quote from last night's postgame write-up:

The Rays might have won and the Angels might not really have had a prayer, but when you take the attitude that it is okay for the Angels to lose games because it means the team gets better draft picks, look at the cracking of the very foundation of this team and then look in the mirror and call yourself a fan. You cannot do it.

I think I get what Rev's saying, if you want the team to really improve, you should root for them to do well now.  A winning attitude should be the foundation for future success.  However, I believe heading into the future, attitude goes out the window in favor of good players.  No one wants to see the team become the new Pittsburgh Pirates who after 20-something years are just now having a winning season, but if the team is going to be bad, at least in the short-term, get something that can help in the future. I'm a fan of this team, and I'm sure Rev is also, but we just have different thoughts as to the best way to improve the future of the team we are fans of.

• This is an interesting quote from the Angels' manager: Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Angels - September 4, 2013 - MLB.com.  "We have a lot of confidence in Weave being able to expand; he's got great command," Scioscia said. "I probably put a little bit too much on him there. It was a little later in his game, a little higher pitch count. That's when guys are prone to make mistakes. I thought he could make a pitch, pitch around the fringe, but I probable put a little too much on him there."  I don't think it was a mistake to have Weaver pitch to Myers, we're talking Jered Weaver, not Joe Blanton.  And while I usually have a problem with pitchers "pitch around the fringe", I can see the strategy with first base open.  As much as I'm disappointed with the perceived job Scioscia's doing this season, it could be worse: Reds Run Suicide Squeeze With Two Outs In The 15th Inning.  "Dusty Baker called for a suicide squeeze with two on and two out in the 15th inning and guess what? It didn't work. The Cardinals took the lead the following inning on a Matt Adams home run and defeated the Reds 5-4."
• Tampa Bay Rays at Los Angeles Angels - September 5, 2013 - MLB.com.  "Mike Trout drew another walk Wednesday, his 36th in his last 34 games -- the most in the Majors over that span. He owns a .533 on-base percentage during that stretch. With 85 walks for the season, Trout already has 18 more than he collected last year."  yeah, I know you can read, but I want to emphasize this:  Mike Trout has gotten on base more than half the time during that span.  FIFTY PERCENT.
  
• Rays-Angels Preview - Yahoo! Sports.  "The Angels, losers of 11 of 13 at home, are scheduled to turn to Jerome Williams (5-10, 4.68), who hasn't won since beating Baltimore on June 12. The right-hander is 0-8 with a 6.15 ERA in 15 games - 13 starts - since, but has shown some improvement lately. He has a 2.93 ERA over his last three games - two starts."  Which Jerome Williams will we get tonight?
  
• This is cool: Joe Maddon buys beer for fans wearing Rays gear at ‘Win or Weep Party’ in Long Beach, Cal. - Yahoo! Sports.  "After the Rays beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-1 on Tuesday to break a five-game losing streak, the traveling team staged a party at Legends bar in Long Beach, Cal., near Maddon's offseason home."  But this isn't...at least the no one showing up part: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels - September 04, 2013 - ESPN.  "Maddon said nobody showed up at a Long Beach sports bar late Tuesday night to take advantage of his Twitter offer to buy a beer for anybody in Rays gear. Maddon blamed himself for sending out the offer far too late to find any fans. Still, 20 to 25 Rays players, coaches and personnel enjoyed the "Win or Weep" party until well after 1 a.m. Maddon, a former Angels coach, still has a home in the area."
• I'm not trying to focus on the negative here, but I do think it's interesting how one guy thinks this opens the door for the team to leave, while most everyone else thinks it's a step in the right direction for the team to stay in Anaheim: Angels to explore ways to stay in Anaheim - latimes.com.  "After the council elected by a 4-1 vote to enter formal lease negotiations with the Angels and extend the opt-out in the lease from 2016 to 2019, Mayor Tom Tait, who opposed the extension, said the vote "makes it easier" for the Angels to depart. "If they do leave in three years," Tait said, "you can trace it right back to the action of this council tonight."
• It's all about the beer: Infographic: Which MLB Team Has The Most Expensive Beer, Per Ounce? "The Angels, Diamondbacks, and Rangers round out the bottom of the list, with beers that cost about half what you can get in Fenway."
• According to the above post, this lady just got about $9 of brew tossed in her face: Souvenir scrambles are reaching entertaining levels at Fenway Park - Yahoo! Sports.  "The poor lady right behind her who also attempts to get a photo on her phone, but has her drink slapped into her face by the SAME overzealous fan."
  
• This pisses me off only because I'm an old guy.  SPOTTED: Triumph of human resolve in Fenway Park stands - CBSSports.com.  "At stake? An official baseball. Let the mortal struggle begin."
• I see his point, but it's funnier to think it's because he'll have a harder time making out the lineup with so many more players.  Scioscia wants to see baseball limit September callups - angels.com.  "Scioscia, on Commissioner Bud Selig's Special Committee for On-Field Matters, would like to see that number decrease to 30."
• And this is just sad.  Remember when we were talking about how having the Astros in the same division would help the Angels make the postseason?  Yeah, not so much: The Astros Effect on the AL Playoff Races - FanGraphs Baseball.  "The Houston, so far, has played 16 games against the Rangers, and they’ve gone 2-14. The Astros played 15 games against the A’s, and they’ve gone 3-12. The Rangers and A’s are tied atop the AL West, meaning they’re also tied for one of the two wild-card slots. Incidentally, the Astros have gone 9-7 in 16 games against the Angels, and the Angels were supposed to be a big-time contender. Just about half the gap between the Angels and the Rangers is explained by head-to-head success against the worst team in baseball."