Halos Heaven - Jerry Dipoto officially resigns as Angels GMAngels news and analysishttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50595/hh-fav.png2015-07-02T14:02:41-07:00http://www.halosheaven.com/rss/stream/86398802015-07-02T14:02:41-07:002015-07-02T14:02:41-07:00Halos Heaven poll: Jerry Dipoto or Mike Scioscia?
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<p>Team Jerry or Team Scioscia? Let's see how the vote breaks down!</p> <p>It's been a crazy week for the Angels, but it's been equally crazy from the fan's perspective to see this Dipoto/Scioscia/Moreno drama unfold before our very eyes. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.halosheaven.com/2015/6/30/8875839/jerry-dipoto-may-be-stepping-down-as-angels-gm">There have been countless discussions on the topic</a>, but let's break it all down to brass tacks here and see just how split(if at all) the fan base is on the recent events. Get your vote on!</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/2/8887535/halos-heaven-poll-jerry-dipoto-or-mike-sciosciaJosh Mayhood2015-07-02T11:00:03-07:002015-07-02T11:00:03-07:00Courting Controversy: Jerry Dipoto's Boldest Moves
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<figcaption>Fix that cowlick, Jer, you've got job interviews to schedule. | Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Hired by Arte Moreno in October 2011, Jerry Dipoto wasted no time implementing his ideas. Let's look back at some of his more noteworthy moves.</p> <p><b>1. Bye bye, Jeff! And safe travels, Mickey!</b></p>
<p>Within six months of assuming the helm of the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a>' front office, Jerry Dipoto traded <span>Jeff Mathis</span> to the <a href="https://www.bluebirdbanter.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blue Jays</a> for <span>Brad Mills</span> and axed hitting coach Mickey Hatcher after a disappointing start to the 2012 season. These moves were a direct message to manager Mike Scioscia: I run this team, and I decide which toys you get to use. It was the Hatcher canning, though, that irked Scioscia the most. A guy normally known for his close-to-the-vest strategy of media interaction, Scioscia has been an open book (stuck on the same page, ironically) regarding the topic of his friend and former teammate getting the ax. Just a couple days ago, in the midst of the front office shakeup, Scioscia brought it up:</p>
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<p><span>"The one real issue … was when they let Mickey go," Scioscia said. "But we moved past that. Moved way past that."</span></p>
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<p>Yeah, and if you believe that was the only real issue during Dipoto's three-and-a-half years with the Angels, I have a bridge from Philadelphia to Los Angeles to sell you. I also have a hard time believing they've moved "way past that". It was three years ago, Sosh, and, as of July 1, 2015, you won. Get over it.</p>
<p><b>2. Let's sign <span>Albert Pujols</span> and <span>C.J. Wilson</span>. ON THE SAME DAY!</b></p>
<p>If the first move on this list was a message to Mike Scioscia and the world of Angels baseball, this move was a message to the entire world: We're signing the best free-agent pitcher on the market and, oh yeah, we're going to sign the best player of the last 10 years. Get ready, world, here come the Angels.</p>
<p>Now, the Pujols signing was reportedly 99% Arte Moreno, and this is where Dipoto's tenure as Angels GM starts to get interesting, for he quickly realized that he wasn't the main man when it came to personnel decisions. Arte negotiated with Albert, Arte wooed Albert, Arte included a 10-year personal services clause in an already ridiculously long contract, Arte gave him almost a quarter-billion dollars. But C.J. Wilson was Dipoto's call. As far as I'm concerned, Arte Moreno doesn't even know why pitchers are such a big deal, so I think it's fair to say that Dipoto pulled the trigger on this one.</p>
<p><b>3. We need pitching? Get me Hambone!</b></p>
<p><b></b>Whoo, boy, do I need to elaborate? We all know how it ended. Oh, man, do we know how it ended. And we all know how it middled. Oh, man, do we know how disappointing <span>Josh Hamilton's</span> on-field play and taking-him-off-the-field injuries were. But how did this story begin?</p>
<p>Following a trade deadline move in 2012, where the Angels shipped off the farm in exchange for the services of <span>Zack Greinke</span>, the team made it known the following offseason that they probably weren't going to be very involved in the bidding for the mercurial, yet incredibly gifted, hurler. Reports were that Greinke wanted the maximum amount of money. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/zack-greinke-could-play-worst-team-paid-most-163824712--mlb.html" target="_blank" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Reports were later confirmed.</a> So, okay, that's fine. It happens. Many Angels fans questioned trading as much as the Angels did for thirteen starts of Zack Greinke not only when the trade occurred, but also after Greinke signed with the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Dodgers</a>. Why would you give up so much if you weren't sure you could re-sign him in the offseason? Again, it happens. It's disappointing, but it happens. And, I mean, that money! $150M for six years of a pitcher? No way. The Angels needed pitching desperately, but that kind of money for a guy who plays, at most, 32 games a year is just ridiculous, many of us rationalized. Let's set our sights on a more reasonable alternative, like Anibal Sanchez. Good idea, right?</p>
<p>So, on December 14, 2012, the news came down that the Angels signed <span>Josh Hamilton</span> for five years and $125M. Huh? An outfielder added to the talented group of outfielders the Angels already employed? Many of us wondered if he could pitch. He couldn't. And he could barely hit. Or field. Or stay on the field.</p>
<p>Remember how Dipoto got a wake-up call about who really made the personnel decisions when Albert was signed? Well, the Hamilton signing may have been another reminder, just in case Dipoto wasn't sure. To be fair, opinions are still divided as to how much influence Arte wielded over this signing. We've had commenters on this very site offer some insider info that suggests it was a Dipoto signing. <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer/scott-miller/23286878/broken-angels-tense-atmosphere-nearly-included-pujols-hunter-fight-in-2012" target="_blank">Some reports point to Arte.</a> I'm inclined to agree with the latter. After all, it's a classic Arte move. Who cares about pitching when you can sign a guy who hits dingers and got an MVP Award once? And the added benefit of "sticking it" to your division rival? That's good stuff.</p>
<p><b>4. The Dipoto Four</b></p>
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<p>Gross. One of Dipoto's big-time misses. And he's had his share too. I don't want this article to come off as <i>too </i>Dipoto-rific. As a GM, like every GM ever, Jerry Dipoto took some risks and whiffed on several of them. The Dipoto Four, though? Ugh. Just a bad idea, pretty much from the start. Being the Pollyanna that I am, I thought, "Hey, <span>Sean Burnett</span> is a great reliever, <span>Tommy Hanson</span> is totally going to be a diamond in the dumpster, Joe Blanton Ks a ton of guys, DURR, and <span>Ryan Madson</span> was good before he went down with an ELBOW INJURY."</p>
<p>A family tragedy, way too many dingers, an injury and one complete no-show later, the Dipoto Four had spoken: "We stink."</p>
<p>Now, to be fair to Jerry, these moves were necessitated by Arte's meddling. Hamstrung by a somewhat arbitrarily imposed salary cap in response to the league's luxury tax threshold, Dipoto had to go dumpster diving. However, <strike>in my experience</strike> from what I've heard, dumpster diving usually results in <i>some </i>meat on the T-bone from last night's dinner.</p>
<p><b>5. You may like their hustle, but I got a job to do.</b></p>
<p>This is truly a mixed bag. Getting rid of fan favorites is always a tough way to go as a GM. But that's a GM's job, to make the hard moves behind the scenes so that the play on the stage goes off without a hitch. And, for the most part, the play has gone on. In return for three franchise faves, the Angels received <span>David Freese</span>, <span>Fernando Salas</span>, <span>Hector Santiago</span>, <span>Tyler Skaggs</span> and Andrew Heaney. On the negative side of things are David Freese and Fernando Salas, plus the fact that <span>Randal Grichuk</span>, one of the only power-hitting prospects the Angels still had on the farm, was sent out alongside Peter Bourjos. The outfield depth took a serious, near-fatal hit, especially when you consider the fact that <span>Matt Joyce</span> is playing in left field as I write this very piece. And we got a perfectly average third-baseman and a completely mediocre middle relief pitcher in return.</p>
<p>However, turning a high-strikeout, low-OBP masher into Hector Santiago (our current staff ace, as unbelievable as it is to write that) and Tyler Skaggs, an extremely promising young lefty with a devastating bender, was a clear win for Jerry Dipoto and the Angels. Don't get me wrong, I love Mark Trumbo. His work ethic, his demeanor and those absolute bombs were so easy to cheer, but the return was too good to deny.</p>
<p>Now, the Kendrick-Heaney trade is, I think, a positive one all the way around. One year of <span>Howie Kendrick</span> for six years of a young, cost-controlled and excellent pitcher is a pretty nice move. But I do miss Howie. I loved cheering for him and I loved the opposite-field doubles he would rope. And he sure could flash the leather at the keystone. Perhaps because the 2015 Angels are so disappointing on the offensive side of things, this trade is a harder one to score a clear win. If Heaney keeps turning in starts like the ones he's thrown so far, though? We'll all be asking, "Howie who?" sooner than later.</p>
<p><b>6. Huston, we have a bullpen.</b></p>
<p>The most glaring problem with the 2014 Angels was the bullpen. "Was" being the operative word. As the 2014 trade deadline loomed, Jerry Dipoto pulled off a six-player deal with the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">San Diego Padres</a>. The Angels got Official Closer Huston Street and prospect <span>Trevor Gott</span>, a hard-throwing reliever, in exchange for two of their remaining infielder prospects, Taylor Lindsay and <span>Jose Rondon</span>, hard-throwing reliever <span>R.J. Alvarez</span>, and low-minors pitcher Elliot Morris. Huston Street has logged quite a few innings for the Angels and done very well so far, impressing Angels' brass enough to earn a three-year contract extension. And Trevor Gott has looked magnificent in the <i>very </i>small sample size of innings he's logged this year.</p>
<p>Of the four players we gave up, only R.J. Alvarez has seen major-league action, with the Oakland A's. He was part of the package that Oakland received in the <span>Derek Norris</span> trade before the 2015 season, but he hasn't done a whole lot for the A's, pitching to a 13.00 ERA over nine innings. SSS caveat definitely applies; this kid is super-talented and I wouldn't be surprised if he makes us regret the trade in a few years' time. Taylor Lindsay, Jose Rondon and Elliot Morris are all having rough 2015 campaigns, but they're young, so who knows? As of the writing of this article, this bold move is a win for the Angels. In two or three years, though? I'm not so sure.</p>
<p><b>7. It's me or him. Who you gonna choose?</b></p>
<p>Talk about being forced into a decision by Arte's meddling. After three-and-a-half years of win-now moves, modest farm-building, almost no presence on the international market and a, ahem, tense relationship with his on-field counterpart, Dipoto went to Arte Moreno with an ultimatum: Get a new manager, or get a new GM. Well, Arte chose Mike Scioscia. To be fair, Arte tried to broker a peace between Scioscia and Dipoto, but Dipoto stuck to his guns and cleaned out his <strike>holsters</strike> desk. If a man ain't got principles, he ain't got nothin', I suppose.</p>
<p>This bold move, however, came on the heels of doing something rather reckless: dragging the players into the drama. Calling out the coaches, whether they were at fault or not, in front of the players was not a good move, nor was the decision to send scouting reports directly to the them.</p>
<p>Jerry Dipoto. Bold 'til the end.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/2/8865403/courting-controversy-jerry-dipotos-boldest-movesGoose Gaskins2015-07-02T10:06:53-07:002015-07-02T10:06:53-07:00Jerry Dipoto speaks about departure from Angels GM position
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<p>Jerry Dipoto spoke with reporters privately Wednesday night, a much different atmosphere to talk in than the media circus that was engulfing Mike Scioscia in his presser. What did Dipoto have to say about his abrupt resignation?</p> <p>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 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> 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.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/dipoto-669561-angels-manager.html" target="_blank">Finally, late last night, we began to see reports of Dipoto finally speaking out</a> 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.</p>
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<p><span>"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."</span></p>
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<p>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.</p>
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<p><span>"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."</span></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/la-sp-angels-jerry-dipoto-20150702-story.html" target="_blank">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."</a>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, <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/lansner/house-669813-million-newport.html" target="_blank">because he already had his Newport Beach house listed when he informed the team that he was resigning</a>. That makes me think that whatever happened over the weekend <b>WAS INDEED</b> 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.</p>
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<p><span>"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."</span></p>
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<p>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.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/2/8885975/jerry-dipoto-speaks-about-departure-from-angels-gm-positionJosh Mayhood2015-07-01T17:57:02-07:002015-07-01T17:57:02-07:00All your fears about Mike Butcher are totally true
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<p>Jonah Keri is going to drop some more delicious Angels gossip morsels on us tomorrow, but first he stopped by Keith Olbermann's show to discuss the real issues behind the Halos.</p> <p><i><b>This is a MUST WATCH video right here, ironically appearing on the show that attempted to eviscerate the former leader of this very site. Still, Jonah Keri makes some damning remarks about not just the approach of Mike Scioscia, but also Mike Butcher</b></i>:</p>
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<p>We may have some burgeoning proof in the ever growing case against Mike Butcher. It's been far too often now that a pitcher leaves the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>, only to find some success on another club. The first couple times, it's funny. Then it just becomes vexing. "Complacency" seems like a word that describes the staff perfectly. It's been something we've all feared, whether on this very site or alone, in a dimly lit room, just you and your Angels fan soul. We feared there was something in the Mike Scioscia recipe for baseball success. Scioscia and Butcher have been put on blast for something that we've screamed about, ranted about and annoyed many of our loved ones about for YEARS, and it's only making me fall deeper into a red-hazed fugue state.</p>
<p>So many secrets are seeing the light of day, but in this case it was a secret hiding in broad daylight. Conspicuous to seemingly all but a fanatical few. What will we learn tomorrow?</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/1/8881291/all-of-your-fears-about-mike-butcher-are-totally-trueJosh Mayhood2015-07-01T15:58:47-07:002015-07-01T15:58:47-07:00Alden Gonzalez: Bill Stoneman is interim GM for Angels<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/616377648269242368">Alden Gonzalez: Bill Stoneman is interim GM for&nbsp;Angels</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>He's BACK!</p></p></div>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/1/8880965/alden-gonzalez-bill-stoneman-is-interim-gm-for-angelsJosh Mayhood2015-07-01T15:45:47-07:002015-07-01T15:45:47-07:00The Eyes That Admire Themselves
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<figcaption>What a lovely mirror. It looks just like me! | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We're all just spectators, in more ways than one.</p> <p><span>Upon purchasing the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a> in 2003, MorenoCorp inherited the goodwill of a recent championship and banked it with fan-friendly amenities, favorable press coverage, and most importantly, a successful and consistently entertaining team on the field. That balance has steadily depleted ever since the wheels fell off the wagon about five years ago, and whatever goodwill the ownership might have recouped with a surprise season in 2014, the account is now overdrawn—perhaps several times over.</span></p>
<p><span>Before today, MorenoCorp could toy with a favorable uncertainty: no one really knows what happens on Gene Autry Way, at least no one willing to speak on the record about it. Sure, there have been rumors and leaks and gossip, but if you wanted to stand beside the red polos, you could always blame someone else, and no one would be able to prove you wrong. As long as they kept up their surplus of goodwill, lending them the benefit of the doubt was never entirely unreasonable.</span></p>
<p><span>Although many of us have already called in their debts, what is happening this week should start a run on the banks. We must see MorenoCorp for what it is: a brash and petty bunch of self-important landlords who think they painted a Matisse just because they bought one. Not only do they expect money from your wallet, your cable bill, and your tax return, they demand that you adore them for their benevolent conservatorship of a "public trust," whatever that means.</span></p>
<p><span>Perhaps they genuinely believe they are sincere. Sincerity is easy when it gets you what you want. But a modern baseball operation with talented management and progressive ideas? Only as long as it doesn't threaten their vanities. Apparently, it does. Nice to know you, Jerry DiPoto.</span></p>
<p><span>Some of the team's mistakes certainly bear DiPoto's signature, but so do some of their best moves. The total, I think, is positive. The worst blunders, on the other hand, have Arte Moreno's greasy thumbprints all over them. His stubborn protection of his darling despot in the dugout is only the latest, probably not the worst, but definitely the most flamboyant.</span></p>
<p><span>I don't much care for Mike Scioscia. I don't much care about him either. Because the season is long, and his competitors similarly stilted, the damage of Scioscia's tactical blunders is likely overstated. Generally a collection of good baseball players will, more often the not, play like a good baseball team. The law of large numbers comes up short in the playoffs, however, and when other managers play baseball, Mike Scioscia plays chess. Which would be great…at a chess tournament.</span></p>
<p><span>Supposedly, DiPoto's job was to get good players onto the field. He showed some ability to do it when Scioscia was actually playing them and Moreno wasn't getting other players instead. The reasons for this might never become clear. If Jerry DiPoto wants to keep tending bar in the conspiratorial country-club that is Major League Baseball, he'll keep his mouth shut. But we've seen more than we need to see. The Angels franchise is a rare piece of artwork hanging in MorenoCorp's private gallery. It is contented just to please itself.</span></p>
<p><span>So, you too wish to gaze upon it? Surely we can settle on a price…</span></p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/1/8880717/the-eyes-that-admire-themselvesSuboptimal2015-07-01T15:21:56-07:002015-07-01T15:21:56-07:00Mike Scioscia wont stand for Nerf basketball hoops, loud music, fun in general
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<p>When even the best player in the game can't get the skipper to lighten up the clubhouse a bit, it's plain as day that Mike Scioscia is truly King of Anaheim.</p> <p>The hits just keep coming from Jeff Passan<a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gm-jerry-dipoto-s-departure-reveals-mike-scioscia-to-be-unquestioned-ruler-of-angels-215115777.html">, who has a good piece up about the strict and measured</a> control <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/gm-jerry-dipoto-s-departure-reveals-mike-scioscia-to-be-unquestioned-ruler-of-angels-215115777.html">Mike Scioscia</a> has over the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a>. According the the article, <span>Mike Trout</span> tried his best to alleviate some tension last year, when the team was still struggling early. Mike Scioscia put a stop to that nonsense, real quick like:</p>
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<p><span>During their struggles early last year, before the Los Angeles Angels turned into a 98-win juggernaut, the best player in the world wanted something to loosen up the team a bit. So Mike Trout hung one of those Nerf mini-basketball hoops in the Angels’ clubhouse. One day, according to league sources, the hoop came down. Trout hung it back up. Down it went again.</span></p>
<p><span>Mike Scioscia, the sources said, did not like the idea of a foam ball being tossed around in his domain. He didn’t like loud music, either, so he turned the volume knob to a level he deemed appropriate. Never has there been any doubt: Scioscia is the king of Anaheim. Anybody who offends his sensibilities, even with something as benign as a plastic toy, risks his wrath.</span></p>
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<p>You hear that, foam ball enthusiasts, loud music lovers and purveyors of fun, in general?! Mike Scioscia aint having none of that, so go to some other clubhouse. This is just further fallout from this morning's front office apocalypse that saw GM Jerry Dipoto resign amid re-heated tensions between him and Scioscia. Many looked to this as definitive proof(as if more was needed) that owner Arte Moreno thought more of Scioscia than anybody in his organization. A GM's job is to mitigate those rough waters, though, and get through to the coaching staff, but all reports relay they were at an impasse, hence Dipoto's taking his ball and going home.</p>
<p>Baseball is a game, and games are fun. Games are more fun win you're winning, but some times you need to liven up the spirits of your fellow teammates, as they're the only ones in the thick of it with you, game in and game out. To hear that Mike Trout, the Angels best player(of all time), and bonafide megastar, can't even attempt to put up a toy basketball hoop in the clubhouse suggests an atmosphere that will choke out any semblance of youthful attempts at getting turnt up, in a baseball-friendly, harmless sort of way. Then again, Scioscia reportedly had <span>Albert Pujols</span> backing up Scioscia's sentiment and stance toward the scouting info kerfuffle, which leads one to think that while Scioscia's methods may make little sense to us, there are at least SOME players who are buying into it.</p>
https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/1/8880665/mike-scioscia-wont-stand-for-nerf-basketball-hoops-loud-music-fun-inJosh Mayhood2015-07-01T13:51:37-07:002015-07-01T13:51:37-07:00Jerry Dipoto resignation: Halos Heaven's reactions
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<p>A few quick hits from our staff regarding the Jerry Dipoto resignation bombshell. </p> <p><b>Turk's Teeth: </b></p>
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<p><span>I don't know if the best GoT parallel here is Red Wedding or Red Viper, but my own poison has welled so long, this latest serial shoe drop just has me zombified like Qyburn's Mountain. Hard to move the pen much further – the last vestiges of this organization that aligned with my sensibilities are gone.</span></p>
<p><span>Much of my venom still lives in these two pieces I wrote in fall of 2013: </span><a href="http://www.halosheaven.com/2013/10/6/4810918/the-three-sins-of-arturo-moreno" target="_blank">here</a><span> and </span><a href="http://www.halosheaven.com/2013/11/23/5137338/look-back-in-anger-the-tragedy-of-retrospective-team-building" target="_blank">here.</a><span> It was clear then that Moreno didn't truly buy into the modernization of his franchise, and that he poopooed Dipoto's analytic turn as so much PR fluff, rather than the stuff that organizational reboots are made of. Way too much stock in "great men" theory, which explains his fidelity to Hamilton, Pujols and Scioscia in particular.</span></p>
<p><span>Because I don't buy into "great men" theories of history or organizational development, I'm deeply reevaluating my attachments to this club. Deeply reevaluating, as I was in 2010, until Jerry Dipoto was brought on and it finally seemed like the Angels were ready to modernize and fiercely compete in a new era of baseball. Unfortunately, core members of the franchise have resisted that, and the Angels have only been a division-leader once in the past six years, reinforcing the has-been/also-ran status of a team out of its depths in a changing game.</span></p>
<p><span>The GMJ acquisition, the misuse of Napoli, the subsequent Wells trade, the firing of Eddie Bane one year after the Trout/Grichuk/Richards/Skaggs/Corbin draft, the undervaluing of OF defense, the underinvestment in Latin America, the understaffing of the front-office and player development division, the overlong Pujols contract, the monstrous Hamilton contract and its subsequent disasters, the bargain-hunting the FO was forced into in the wake of expensive big splashes (think: Blanton, Hanson, Madson, etc), the disparagement of middle-income ticket-buyers, the inconsistent and often anti-analytical early drafting of Ric Wilson, the stupid Baldoquin acquisition that took the team out of the game as Cuba opens up, and now the resignation of Jerry Dipoto.</span></p>
<p><span>I just don’t find much to like here. As my sigline has always declared, good fans fight for good results. I’m a consequentialist when it comes to my fan philosophy. Outcomes do matter to me. When I can look past the results, I look to the pipeline for what might improve them in the future, or to alternative organizational resources and strategies that might point to eventual improved conditions. The pipeline at present is middling, and Jerry’s exit is inauspicious. And the organizational star chamber I cannot abide at all.</span></p>
<p><span>While I'd like to raise my sword and keep fighting, I'm struggling to care. I have no idea why I'm not a Dodgers fan at this point, as I've lived 5 min from the stadium for fifteen years and LAD has only grown more calibrated in recent seasons to my own notions of how one builds a team. When they inevitably draft Vlad's son in the international draft, that may do it once and for all. Tears on the page, mom. Tears on the page.</span></p>
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<p><b> 5thStarter:</b></p>
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<p><span>As you all know, I began watching the Angels on July 24, 2009. And what a game. Mathis went off! And what a year to get back into baseball and to pick up the Angels: the famous "all batting .300" scoreboard; the tragedy of Nick Adenhart's passing and the subsequent rally around his memory; the sweep of the Red Sox in the ALDS. The list goes on. Throughout the past five years of watching the Angels, I've fallen in love with some players, dismissed other players completely, and gone from loving Mike Scioscia as "just a downright good guy of the sport" to completely despising the way he manages the Angels. Yesterday's news of Jerry Dipoto stepping down, largely in response to Mike Scioscia's insubordination and inability to adapt, has left me in a state. Sure, I'm new to Angels fandom, so I'm going to be more fickle with my allegiance. I've grown fully comfortable in rationalizing the terms "fairweather fan" and "bandwagon fan" as they apply to me. There are parts of me that want to forget this organization and go back fully to my White Sox ways, because lately, the Angels' modus operandi does not align with how I see and enjoy the game of baseball, both on the field and off. I enjoy the player development part of the game almost as much as the actual game, so essentially forcing Jerry Dipoto's hand is tough for me to swallow. I worry about the future of this team.</span></p>
<p><span>However. Mike Trout. Garrett Richards. Jered Weaver. Matt Shoemaker. Kole Calhoun. Erick Aybar. Johnny Giavotella. Carlos Perez. Hector Santiago. Sean Newcomb. Heck, ALL the kids busting their butts to make it to the show. So, best of luck, Jerry. You helped steer the organization in a positive direction, and perhaps some good will come of your resignation. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call for Arturo Moreno. In the meantime, what's Trouter going to do tonight?</span></p>
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<p><b> Gorbachav5:</b></p>
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<p><span>I liked Dipoto as our GM. I didn't agree with every decision he made, but I agreed with most, and I think he had the team headed in the right direction. He certainly favored a more analytical approach than our leadership has used in the past. Due to Scioscia's power, I'm worried that we're not going to get many analytically-inclined candidates to throw their hat in the ring. In short, this team could be headed for some lean years. All that said, we still have Mike Trout, and he's really fun to watch. So life isn't that bad as an Angels fan.</span></p>
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https://www.halosheaven.com/2015/7/1/8880355/jerry-dipoto-resignation-halos-heavens-reactionsJosh Mayhood