The August 19th, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including Conger called up, Chatwood sent down, Spiezio set for first-pitch duties this weekend and much more…
The Story: The Angels have called up Hank Conger and demoted Tyler Chatwood.
The Monkey Says: This is the first step in freeing Conger, but it remains to be seen how much he will actually play since Scioscia hardly seemed impressed with the reports he was getting on Hank’s defense in Triple-A. It also isn’t a guarantee that he will suddenly become an offensive asset, but he should still be a much better option than Mathis and Wilson. As for Chatwood, he’ll get to work on some issues in Triple-A and will hopefully be back up soon. Jerome Williams will take his place in the rotation.
The Story: Scott Spiezio will throw out the first pitch for this Sunday’s home game.
The Monkey Says: It is great to see The Spiez return, especially since he has had a fair amount of personal problems the last few years. And, yes, he still is in his band, Sandfrog.
The Story: The Angels are learning that they cannot rely on pitching alone.
The Monkey Says: This is why everyone pegged the Halos as a .500 or worse club coming into the season, so it is no surprise that it eventually bit them in the ass. If anything, we should be glad that they hung around the AL West race this long.
The Story: Might the Angels secretly be in financial trouble?
The Monkey Says: Some good points are brought up here, but I don’t think that it means the Angels are in trouble so much as learning that even they have budgetary limits. There were some financial documents leaked from the Angels several months ago and they showed the team did take a loss in the 2010 season (if I remember correctly). Arte Moreno has been spending and spending to try and win a title and now he is funding the largest payroll the team has ever had, so he needs to make up money elsewhere if he wishes to remain profitable.