Jerry Dipoto speaks about departure from Angels GM position

The past few days have definitely been an interesting study in how fast the Internet news machine works vs. how the corporations or people in positions of power operate. The Halosphere had been shaken to its core since Tuesday night, when strong rumors of Dipoto's resignation from the Angels GM job began to be bandied about, and that undercurrent of unrest resonated all through Wednesday. However, the Angels made nothing official 'til the middle of last night's game, and they didn't speak about it whatsoever until the pre-game presser. Even then, we didn't know what the man at the center of all the controversy thought, as Jerry Dipoto had understandably retreated from the whole situation, most likely to regain composure and speak with a seasoned PR damage control liaison or two.

Finally, late last night, we began to see reports of Dipoto finally speaking out on the whirlwind of events from the past few days, which culminated with him on the outs in Anaheim. He was relatively candid, although he is, understandably, in the mode of using mostly vanilla language, free from any real barbs or drive-by zingers usually associated with someone leaving a situation under heavy acrimony.

"I am not leaving a disgruntled employee, throwing stones on my way out the door," Dipoto said. "I love the group. I really do. I hope the guys can continue to make as much progress as I feel we made the last 3 1/2 years. This is simply about me believing that I was no longer in a position to be that person."

If this is taken sincerely, then good for Jerry for going the high route, a road that has not been associated with the Angels thus far in 2015. I believe him, mostly, because he most likely has no ill will toward the majority of the players or personnel, especially ones that are there because of Dipoto in the first place. There is a tinge of the requisite exasperation that comes with the enormous and life changing decision to walk away from a job of that caliber, no matter how unhealthy and sketchy the climate was.

"I’m not going to go into any detail about what happened over the weekend," Dipoto said. "This isn’t about a singular event. This is about what’s right for me and right for my family, and frankly, what’s right for the Angels."

It should also be noted that, when asked about whether or not he presented owner Arte Moreno with an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between the force-of-nature manager and himself, he said that was "simply untrue."As is the case in most organizational meltdowns, we're getting plenty of cross talk and conflicting statements. The nature of gossip is always fluid and should come with packets of salt to take with every sentence or tweet that's hurried out into the world wide web. Is Jerry telling the truth here, though, or is he just trying to save a little extra face by not seeming like he tried to throw a game winning touchdown and instead threw a pick six? I think it may have been a last ditch effort in trying to remain with the Angels, because he already had his Newport Beach house listed when he informed the team that he was resigning. That makes me think that whatever happened over the weekend WAS INDEED a catalyst; it had to have been the defining moment of clarity when he realized he had no control over the team, and he knew right then and there he had to leave. So you put your house on the market, but then think "Well, i'll give this one more shot", and we all know how that worked out. Just my speculation.

"I’m 47 years old, and this is the only industry I’ve ever worked in," Dipoto said. "I feel like I have a lot to offer. I’m not done working. I think there are things in which I can really help an organization, up to and including the potential of doing this job again. If it happens it happens. If it doesn’t, I’ll have no regrets. Over the last 3 1/2 years we’ve done a lot more good than bad."

We may have more clarity on this in the future, when heads have cooled and people involved have settled back into baseball, or when Dipoto lands a new, stable job that allows him to talk more openly. Til then, the gossip train keeps rolling on, but the one thing most can agree on is that this is definitely one of the most disappointing and embarrassing seasons, public perception-wise, in the Arte Moreno era of the Angels.