The May 17th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Dipoto and Scioscia talk about Hatcher’s firing, details emerge on the arrest of Torii Hunter’s son, sign a petition to stop the Angels from playing “Buttercup” and much more…
The Story: Jerry Dipoto hopes the firing of Mickey Hatcher can “spark” the Angel offense.
The Monkey Says: There is nothing that swapping out hitting coaches is going to do other than shake up clubhouse chemistry that is going to provide a “spark.” More than anything, letting Hatcher go shows fans that the team is trying to fix things and will no longer tolerate the questionable approaches Angel players have been taking to the plate and the poor results that have followed under the last few years of Hatcher’s tenure. Hatcher’s replacement, Jim Eppard, isn’t going to change any of that overnight, but he isn’t going to make things worse either.
The Story: Mike Scioscia defended the job Mickey Hatcher did during his years as Angels hitting coach.
The Monkey Says: Well of course he did, he has been on his staff since he was hired, so Scioscia obviously thinks Mickey was doing something right. One thing Scioscia made perfectly clear in his statements is that he was not the one who made this decision but that he was accepting of it, though not particularly happy about it.
The Monkey Says: This is just ugly and it makes me sad and angry on multiple levels to even link to it.
The Monkey Says: The Angels have a lot bigger problems to worry about right now, but, yeah, that song is really annoying and the lyrics aren’t exactly positive if you listen to them closely. It needs to go.
The Story: The firing of Mickey Hatcher is an example of the politician’s fallacy.
The Monkey Says: That is an interesting way of framing it and I totally agree with it since it is a fancy way of saying what I’ve been saying, this is doing something just for show that certainly isn’t going to make things worse.
The Monkey Says: That may or may not prove to be a good thing, the same goes for Scioscia saying Eppard brings a lot of the same things to the table as Hatcher. What will ultimately determine Eppard’s future with the Halos is whether or not he is in line with Dipoto’s philosophy of controlling counts. Given the type of hitters the Angels have been producing the last decade, Eppard is really going to have to prove himself in that area, though he can only do so much with the types of players that were presented for him to work with.
The Monkey Says: This is a great idea. Dunn had a disastrous season after signing with the Pale Hose last season but he is bouncing back this year. If anyone can help lend Pujols some perspective it is Dunn. That felt really weird to type.
The Story: A fond remembrance of the fun loving Mickey Hatcher.
The Monkey Says: If there is one way losing Hatcher will hurt, it will be in the “fun” factor. One thing I have felt about the Halos the last few years is that they seem to be having about as much fun as a gay, Jewish black guy at a Klan rally. Imagine how little fun they’ll be having without Mickey around. Then again, winning does tend to make things a lot more fun, so they could always try doing that.
The Story: Fangraphs ranks the Angels radio broadcasting team as the 27th best.
The Monkey Says: I’d argue against that but, well, you know, Jose Mota and all.
The Monkey Says: Don’t hate on me, it is just a hypothetical.