A Historic Fluke? My latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I take a look at a historic oddity regarding Jim Leyland, Mike Scioscia and Ozzie Guillen.

Each of them managed a World Series winner without a clear Hall of Famer on their playoff roster. And the only other teams to have won the World Series without a future Hall of Famer (the '81 and '88 Dodgers and the '84 Tigers) had Hall of Fame managers.

So is this a fluke? Or are Leyland, Scioscia and Guillen putting together Cooperstown resumes?

You can read the article here.

Of course it was Troy F---ing Glaus

The MVP of the 2002 World Series... the man who sunk the Giants that year... OF COURSE he's the guy starting the gut punch double play to kill the rally in the 10th.

Bad things happen when he plays the Giants.

Sully Baseball Honors GARRET ANDERSON

Garret Anderson was designated for assignment today by the Los Angeles Dodgers and unless a team that needs a veteran bat (White Sox? Giants? Red Sox?) picks up Anderson, his wonderful career might be over.

And like my salute to Jermaine Dye, whose career unceremoniously ended this last off season, I felt the need to pay tribute to Anderson. His career wasn't Hall of Fame worthy, but he should always be loved by a fan base. Like Dye, Anderson drove in the World Series winning run.

He is a native of Los Angeles who played for the California Angels, Anaheim Angels AND the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

In his 14 years (plus a few games) in the many incarnations of the Angels, he played more games, collected more hits, doubles and RBI and hit more grand slams than anyone in franchise history.

He was part of the 1995 Angels that came so close to a Division Title...
And he was a key member of the 2002 team that won it all...
And also was part of the 2005, 2007 and 2008 Division winners.

And he came up big in many big games.
He clocked an 8th inning game tying homer off of El Duque Hernandez in Game 2 of the 2002 Dvision Series that turned the tide of the series in favor of the underdog Angels.

And, much to my dad's dismay, he crushed a 3 run double in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series that gave the Angels a 4-1 lead over the Giants... which turned out to be the final score.

In 2005, again against the favored Yankees, he homered in Game 3 of the Division Series off of Randy Johnson that turned a Yankee advantage into an Angels slugfest. In the clinching Game 5, he homered off of Mike Mussina and drove in another as the Yankees again finished off the Yankees.

The very next day, he homered in Game 1 of the ALCS, sending the '05 White Sox to their lone defeat in the post season.

He was a great Angel... one of the best and #16 should be retired.

His career is worth a solid sendoff.

Perhaps he can finish the season (and his baseball tenure) back in Anaheim... or Los Angeles... OK in California where he belongs.

An awkward Stepfather/Stepdaughter moment

Sure dad... I think you'd be great as Snake Plissken in Escape From Anaheim. I smell big hit. Can I watch my richer than you boyfriend play PLEASE?

The Name of Angel Stadium

What is it about the Angels and their identity crises. 

Now for years the stadium where the Angels played was called "Anaheim Stadium."

It made sense.
It was a stadium. They played in Anaheim.

Not a very creative name, but certainly not a confusing one.

When Disney took it over and inexplicably decided to install the rocks from the Thunder Mountain Railroad in centerfield, they decided to rechristen the stadium "Edison International Field" in the age old tradition of corporate names on parks.

(Before anyone cries for the good old days... Weegman Park was renamed Wrigley Field. It's not new.)

Then Arte Moreno, the most underrated owner in sports, took over and took the corporate name off of it.

Now I personal think they should have reverted back to Anaheim Stadium... the Big A.
But Arte wants people to believe they play on Hollywood and Vine and nowhere near the Orange groves of Anaheim.

If not Anaheim Stadium, I thought that Gene Autry Stadium would have been a good name. After all, Mr. Autry owned the team for decades and poured his heart and money into the club.

But I understand an owner not wanting to honor another park.

For the record, I'd be fine with Arte Moreno Stadium for that matter.

But they went with Angel Stadium. I guess officially it is Angel Stadium of Anaheim... but the "of Anaheim" is written in 8 point Helvetica font on the front entrance.

Look at that picture on the top again for a second.

It says Angel Stadium and has the Angels logo between the worlds Angel and Stadium.

On first glance, doesn't it read ANGELA STADIUM?

How about on second glance?

On the 8th glance, I am still reading ANGELA STADIUM!

That's bad placement of an A.

Maybe there can be a MONA STADIUM, JONATHAN STADIUM and SAMANTHA STADIUM to finish the "Who's The Boss?" series of ballparks.