LA Angels Life is Precious Monday Links

The biggest news of the weekend was the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and 7 others. Those “7 others” were mothers, fathers, husbands, and daughters and their families deserve the utmost of sympathy and respect. They mattered as much to their loved ones as the celebrity does to his.

The baseball world was hit in that tragedy as well. Orange Coast College coach John Altobelli, his wife, and daughter were on that helicopter when it went down. The 2019 National Baseball Coaches Association Coach of the Year spent 27 years teaching the game and having a positive impact on the young men in his program.

From both the ESPN and USA Today articles on the crash:

“John meant so much to not only Orange Coast College, but to baseball,” OCC athletic director Jason Kehler said in a statement. “He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach. The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none — he treated them like family.”

One headline that can show how quickly and cruelly life can change for any number of reasons comes from March of 2016. Tyler Skaggs was motivated by Kobe Bryant in his return from injury.

In other news, Dallas Keuchel apologized for the 2017 Astros scandal. Kind of. He did point out that he thought or observed 6 of the 8 playoff teams using multiple signs even with the bases empty. I know we love villains and easy endings, but this scandal always seemed wider spread than not.

Dallas, like others before him, also pointed out that whistle blower Mike Fiers broke baseball etiquette by leaking the information. He’s far from the first to note this. I have to agree with this author, it is a sad world in which it is worse to expose cheating than to cheat.

The Red Sox seem pretty motivated to move Mookie Betts before he leaves as a free agent. The rumored destinations continue to be either just to the south or the north of us. This would put 3 players with MVP’s in the last 2 years playing in Southern California. The sportswriters in NY would either have to start staying up past 10 AM or just turn to Aaron Judge 24/7.

In more positive news, the turnout for David Fletcher’s jersey retirement was solid. The alumni game was fun to watch and the team raised some much needed funds. I continue to be amazed by the warmth and friendliness of the entire Fletcher family and I’ll have another interview with David as the 2020 season gets nearer.

Sorry the links are short today. It was a long weekend, not much happened in baseball, and it is past my bedtime. Please add anything of note that I missed.