One fan's reaction to this season's outcome

I got an email...

You know I am hurting as well but when I read a so called reporters comments who claims to be a fan who clearly has a problem with Scioscia I laugh.  If you were a fan you would remember when we as a team were not very good then Mike came on and turned us around and got a World Series win.  I am sure you probably think you know more than you do and I am shocked someone allows you to write for them but get over yourself perhaps you should write about the real problem...Arte Moreno, baseball's version of Daniel Snyder.  Who gave the go ahead on the Josh Hamilton signing?  That is right Arte Moreno, who signed an over the hill Albert Pujols?  Arte Moreno, matter of fact look at all the over the hill and never made it up the hill signings we have had that handicapped us during Mike's tenure. Besides Mo Vaughn, who gave the go ahead on Vladimir, Bartolo, Vernon, Gary, Tory, Josh and Albert?  That is right.  Perhaps it is time you pull your head out of your ass and write about the real problem, Arte Moreno, and not Mike.  Or maybe you will get your wish and Mike will be gone and we can go back to the WL records we had in the previous 20 years before Mike got here, remember those...FAN?

At first I was going to write about how interesting this season was, not just on the field, but psychologically to the "everyday fan" and how this email captured what Angels' fan were going through.  Something along the lines of how we're dealing with grief...you know, the whole denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance stuff.  This email is clearly in the anger stage.

And then I thought, how about doing a FJM on it?  Dissect each sentence.  Argue my well thought out points.  Impart some sort of clever comeback.  Yeah, the only problem with that is, I'm not necessarily that clever.

GIFs.  GIFs?  GIFS!

"You know I am hurting as well but when I read a so called reporters comments who claims to be a fan who clearly has a problem with Scioscia I laugh."

"If you were a fan you would remember when we as a team were not very good then Mike came on and turned us around and got a World Series win."

I've been a fan since I attended my first Angels' game in 1971.  I've lived through some really, REALLY terrible teams.  Between the time I became an Angels fan and their World Series win, the Angels won 2472 games.  The club had a WS season, and two division winning seasons. But you know what?  They lost 2585.  Yes, I remember when the Angels sucked.

However, let me ask a question -- if you're going to give Scoiscia the credit when the team is winning, doesn't he get blame when they lose? 

"I am sure you probably think you know more than you do and I am shocked someone allows you to write for them but get over yourself perhaps you should write about the real problem...Arte Moreno, baseball's version of Daniel Snyder."

"Who gave the go ahead on the Josh Hamilton signing?" 

"That is right Arte Moreno, who signed an over the hill Albert Pujols?  Arte Moreno, matter of fact look at all the over the hill and never made it up the hill signings we have had that handicapped us during Mike's tenure. Besides Mo Vaughn, who gave the go ahead on Vladimir, Bartolo, Vernon, Gary, Tory, Josh and Albert?  That is right."

I don't think Arte Moreno is responsible for signing those players other than giving his baseball people the okay to spend the money.  Besides, the only players I have or had a problem with signing/trading for were Vernon Wells, Gary Mathews Jr., and Hamilton.  Vladimir Guerrero is the #15 highest ranked player in Angels' history, and Torii Hunter is 20th.  Bartolo Colon won a Cy Young award with the Halos.  If you want to blame Arte for the Vernon Wells deal, you also have to throw the manager into it too, as it's been rumored Scioscia was the driving force in trading for Wells.

"Perhaps it is time you pull your head out of your ass and write about the real problem, Arte Moreno, and not Mike."

"Or maybe you will get your wish and Mike will be gone and we can go back to the WL records we had in the previous 20 years before Mike got here, remember those...FAN?"

Of course I remember those, but I also remember the previous, non-playoff making teams from the last four seasons.  Where was Magic Mike those years?  I know there have been studies done on what effect a manager has on a teams' record, and if I remember correctly it had something along the lines of 2 or 3 wins.  Over the course of a season, 2 or 3 wins typically doesn't have that much of an impact on the season.  If the team is good, they'll make the playoffs, if not, they won't.  Obviously, if a team just misses the postseason, having a good manager might be the ingredient to put them over the top.

Yet, and I'm just guessing here, a good manager would probably have more of an impact in a short series.  His questionable moves over the long season have the possibility to go unnoticed if the team is doing well, but once the games become must-win, those mistakes are amplified.  Give Vernon Wells a few hundred at-bats to prove himself.  Um, okay.  Put him in a do-or-die game situation.  Lame.  Give Josh Hamilton a few games to see if he's game-ready?  Not in the playoffs.

So, yes, I feel Arte Moreno is to blame for everything, especially for keeping Mike Scioscia as manager of his ballclub.