Series Thread (Games 21-23): Aug 14-16 @ Angels

Congrats on your latest Silver Slugger, Mookie! (Better make a macro for that line.)

Fri, 6:30p: Clayton Kershaw vs Patrick Sandoval
Sat, 6:30p: Walker Buehler vs Andrew Heaney
Sun, 1p: Dustin May vs Julio Teheran

So, Mike Trout. Best player in baseball. Hands down. I'm a certified Mookiehead and in awe of Aaron Judge, but Trout's dominance is indisputable.

The rest of the Angels? Well, put it this way: Arte Moreno didn't think adding Ross Stripling to his team "would make much of a difference." The Angels' pitching staff has a 4.54 ERA, 22nd in MLB.

But! Do the Dodgers play the Angels well? They do not. I'm not going to look up stats to back up my totally irrational hunch; just trust me on this one. But we have our top three pitchers going and Mookie and A.J. Pollack (!) carrying the offense. But, Mike Trout HEAD EXPLODES

Dear New Owners: Please...

1. Long-term Clayton Kershaw. Self-explanatory.

2. Figure out Andre Ethier. Can he remain healthy enough to bat next to Matt Kemp? Was that Gold Glove a true indicator of his defensive talent? Can his dickishness be overlooked? If yes to all three, lock him up.

3. Put Ned Colletti on notice. He may have been handcuffed lately, but that doesn't excuse poor signings like Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones, Juan Pierre, Juan Uribe, etc. Logan White, Kim Ng and/or De Jon Watson are waiting in the wings.

4. Find us a catcher. It's arguable if Russell Martin is the one that got away, but it's less arguable that A.J. Ellis is the long-term solution. Ever since the Carlos Santana debacle (which was preceded by the Mike Piazza debacle), the backstop position has been a source of great inconsistency.

5. Sign some free agents. Cole Hamels and Matt Cain will be free agents after this season, and Joey Votto will be after 2013. Just some names to consider.

6. Beef up Dodger Stadium security, unobtrusively and consistently. When Frank McCourt did it, it seemed reactionary. When you do it, it'll seem responsible.

7. Restore international scouting and player development. The Dodgers were once forerunners in this field, and it's time for them to return there.

8. Make Magic the public face of the franchise. We love Magic, have you noticed?

9. Get players out in the community. To be fair, the Dodgers did a good job of this under the McCourt regime, but it's more important for guys like Kemp and Kershaw to show their faces around town than, say, forcing new signees to make donations to ThinkCure.

10. No nepotism, no Vladimir Shpunt, no "perquisites." Thank goodness you dudes are already loaded, because the McCourts' nouveau riche act wore thin really fast.

11. Lower beer and parking prices. Show Arte Moreno who owns L.A.!

Angels 3,006,670, Dodgers 2,935,139

Arte Moreno 1, Frank McCourt 0. For the first time ever, the Angels have outdrawn the Dodgers. And the Angels still have four home games to go. Congrats, McCourt!

Arte Moreno Wants to Win Your Heart

The good ol' days, according to Arte Moreno.

From @joe_block:

#Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela will throw out the first pitch in Anaheim tonight to his old catcher, #Angels manager Mike Scioscia

From @BillShaikin:

#Angels to wear "LA" caps vs. #Dodgers Sunday, on national ESPN telecast (Throwback uniform game, #Dodgers wearing Brooklyn unis)

Like the good guy who never trashed you even after you spurned him (is this how these things work? I don't know), Angels owner Arte Moreno just happens to be walking down the street outside your place, bouquet of your favorite flowers in hand. Remember the Dodgers of yore, like Fernando and Scioscia? Remember when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were actually the Los Angeles Angels? The door's always open, disgruntled Dodger fans....

No! It'a a trap!

cartoon Ackbar from Shelf Life Graphics

Pentamiscellany

	1. Matt Kemp has no excuses. Criticized by Larry Bowa? He's gone! Bumped heads with Bob Schaefer? He's gone! Distracted by a high-profile romance with Rihanna? She's gone! If Kemp felt like he was under the microscope last season, then 2011 is his chance to prove how he can perform at his most focused.
	2. Scott Podsednik has better taste in women than in baseball contracts. MSTI already covered this, but Pods doesn't look likely to best the $2 million he gave up when opting out of his Dodgers contract. Sorry, Scotty!
	3. Could it get any worse than Frank & Ned? Terrifyingly, the answer is YES. Exhibit A: The Mets and the Wilpons. Even Arte Moreno is catching flak for Tony Reagins' head-scratching $86 million commitment to Vernon Wells. Ned's hands may be tied, but at least it made him stay away from those megacontracts that never work out.
	4. Take it easy during BP, Andre. If you recall, Andre Ethier broke his pinkie finger in a freak BP accident last year. He was never the same after that. May we suggest some pre-game oven mitts?
	5. New York is where Dodger catchers go to die. Russell Martin. Paul Lo Duca before him. Mike Piazza before him. But we got Gary Carter, and now Rod Barajas. So it's even!

Someone Dared Write Something Negative About Arte Moreno

If you're an Angels-hater — I'm not, but we know you guys are out there — Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com has got your back:

So Adrian Beltre is headed for Texas. Anyone want to hear what Arte Moreno has to say now?

I don't.

It doesn't really matter what the Angels owner says now, does it? It doesn't matter if he says again that he's going to spend whatever it takes to put the Angels back in the playoffs (that was October ). It doesn't matter whether he says that he couldn't sign Carl Crawford because he would have had to raise ticket prices, but that he had made "what we believe is a significant offer" to Beltre (that was December).

It doesn't matter now, because Crawford is in Boston, and Beltre's deal is all but done in Texas.

It doesn't matter, because now not only have the Angels shown they're not prepared to compete financially with the big boys, but they've shown they can't even compete financially with the big boys in their own division.

While the Rangers have certainly ripped the AL West focus from the Angels, it seems early to count them out — especially since the A's and Mariners don't figure to provide much competition.

UPDATE: Pile on! Missing on Beltre is Angels' latest whiff (Jon Paul Morosi, FOXSports.com)

No McCourt to be Found in "Best Owner" Players Poll

The Angels' Arte Moreno gets mention as the #2 best owner, from a Sports Illustrated poll of MLB players.

There is no mention of Dodger owner Frank McCourt in the top nine owners. Shocking.

George Steinbrenner, Yankees.....41%
Arturo Moreno, Angels.....19%
John Henry, Red Sox.....9%
William O. DeWitt Jr., Cardinals.....4%
Mike Ilitch, Tigers.....3%
Tribune Company, Cubs.....3%
Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox.....2%
Time Warner/Ted Turner, Braves.....2%
Fred Wilpon, Mets.....2%