Mugshot Purgatory: Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles
Posted by AMR on Friday, July 20th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Allright, you're an LA team, I get it. I actually liked the fact that this team claimed Anaheim as a home, the Green Bay of MLB. The small town with a bona-fide major league ballclub. Eh, no more. I'm over it and this is the last time I make a joke about it and see if I ever cheer for your club over the Giants in the World Series again. Not sure where this team lands in the continuum of teams I despise, they must not bother me that much, seems like I heard about most of these players for the first time when pulling this together (not the starters though!).
Anyways, los Angeles were the first team to adopt black underbills, they've been doing that at least since the year they won the World Series. Given that these guys seem to take identical photographs year-to-year, it was harder to date the pics as I didn't have my standard black underbill = 2007 guideline working for me. Luckily, 2005 had peach colored backgrounds.
Starters: Lohn Lackey, Jered "The Good" Weaver, Ervin Santana (All Probables), Bartolo "2005 CY, 2007 ERA over 6" Colon, and Kelvim "Absolute Zero" Escobar. One day off for a Santana-Santana matchup. Damn.
(Lackey '07, '06, '05; Weaver '07, '06; Santana '07, '06, '05; Colon '07, '06, '05; Escobar '07, '06, '05, '01)
Weaver's aging a bit, if I squint I can see some of his older brother's scuzziness.
(Update: Santana has been optioned to the AAA Salt Lake Bees, and catcher Mike Napoli has been activated. I have no idea who starts on Sunday. Bullpen guy, I'm guessing.)(Update 2: It's Joe Saunders, a lefty. Below in "Minor Leaguers." I assume Mathis will be sent down after the game on Saturday.)
Catchers: Jeff Mathis, Jose "Molina Brother #2" Molina, Mike Napoli (15-day DL), and Bobby Wilson (AA).
(Mathis '07AAA, '07, '06, '05; Molina '07, '06, '05; Napoli '07, '06, Wilson '07)
I very much approve of Molina Brother #2's mugshots, nicely groomed beard.
DL: Napoli, Chris "Poser" Resop, Howie Kendrick, Erick Eybar, Juan Rivera (60 Day), and Dallas McPherson (60 Day).
(Resop '07AAA, '07, '06, '05; Kendrick '07AAA, '07, '06; Aybar '07AAA, '07, '06; Rivera '06, '05; McPherson '06, '05)
Rivera and McPherson were so hurt that they didn't even get mugshots this year. That Rivera '05 is a pretty bad photoshop.
Released: Hector Carrasco, Shea Hillenbrand, Phil Seibel. None of these three have been picked up by another team, although I think Seibel is injured.
(Carrasco '07, '06, '05; Hillenbrand '07, '06, '05; Seibel '07, '07AAA)
Relievers: Chris Bootcheck, Scot Shields, Justin Speier, Darren Oliver, Dustin Moseley, and Francisco "Crawdaddy" Rodriguez. Only Oliver throws lefty.
(Bootcheck '07, '06, '05; Shields '07, '06, '05; Speier '07, '06, '05; Oliver '07, '06; Moseley '07, Rodriguez '05)
Love Bootcheck's name. If he ever ends up on the Twins or Royals, I will think strongly about a jersey. Shields looked awesome with the 5am shadow, but clean shaven, he's nothing. I don't like the Crawdad, mostly because he's so good for a hated team, but his jerky pitching is fun to watch. Couldn't be troubled to have a new mugshot for '07 or '06, so I'll just assume he's a prima-donna (rather than a Manny-child).
Infielders: Chone Figgins, Orlando Cabrera, Maicer Izturis, Casey Kotchman, Robb Quinlan, Kendry Morales, and Brandon Wood.
(Figgins '07, '06, '05; Cabrera '07, '06, '05; Izturis '07, '06, '05; Kotchman '07, '06, '05; Quinlan '07, '06, '05; Morales '07, '07AAA, '06; Wood '07, '07AAA)
How does one pronounce "Maicer"... "Micer"? "Ma-eese-er"? "May-Sir"? "Maker"? Either way, I think he's going on my all-star team. I'd love to see him go head-to-head against Aardsma in a surprised-off.
Outfield: Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, and Nathan Haynes.
(Anderson '07, '06, '05; Guerrero '07, '06, '05; Matthews '07, '06, '05; Willits '07, '06; Haynes '07, '07AAA)
Vlad should grow a true Fu Manchu, where the space under the nose is bare, but the corners of the upper lip are inches-long. That would be awesome.
Minor Leaguers: Joe Saunders, Steven Shell, Tommy "The Shermanator" Murphy, Nick Gorneault, Jose Arredondo, Terry Evans, and Matthew Brown.
(Saunders '07, '06, '05; Shell '07AAA, '07, '06; Murphy '07AAA, '07, '06; Jones '07AAA, '07, '06; Gorneault '07AAA, '07, '06; Arredondo '07, '06; Evans '07AAA, '07; Brown '07AAA, '07)
I'm seeing so much double on the 2007 and 2006 lines, but every single one of those photos is different for both rows. Print it out and challenge your children. Nice glasses on Shell in the minors. Maybe if he would have had them in major-league camp, he could have made the team.
Anyone on this team ever play for the Twins or Royals?
Oh yeah, and Scioscia is a sanctimonious blowhard, I hope that it turns out someone on the 2002 club used so much steroids that the World Series title has to be vacated and Barry Bonds ends up getting a ring out of it.
Loading ...
His name is Ervin Santana, he looks like Francisco Liriano, but he pitches like Ramon Ortiz.
This year he's actually worse than Ramon when he's on the road - 8.79 ERA/1.96 WHIP. Opponents are hitting .341/.416/.626 off him with a .370 BABiP, and he's given up 17 homers on the road so far this year. His three year road splits aren't that great either - 6.46 ERA/1.53 WHIP. Then again, the Angels are only paying $425,000 for the privilege, and at the Big A he's a completely different pitcher.
Not sure where this team lands in the continuum of teams I despise, they must not bother me that much, seems like I heard about most of these players for the first time when pulling this together (not the starters though!).
You obviously have never listened to their announcers (Physiok and Hudler). Those two guys make Hawk and DJ seem like Vin Scully.
Wonder DogWorm-Eater is in the Halos' booth?He's mostly house-broken now.
If I was his broadcast partner, I'd be more worried about his breath.
True Story - One time I got a Rex Hudler autographed card in a deck once. I had no idea who he was, but man little me was excited I got one with an John Hancock on it.
What must it have been like to be a Blue Jays fan in 2005 and see Speier's demonic hellgaze peering back from the depths of gameday? Pretty awesome, I would imagine.
Eerie. The Hillenbrand '07 looks just like Redmond.
Seriously, how does one pronounce Izturis's first name?
Also, I heard the announcer at the dome pronounce Brandon Inge's surname as "Eyenj." I've never heard anything except "Inj" like "Injun" (Daughter's been watching Peter Pan.)
I've heard it pronounced "MY-sir" several times.
For the past two years, it looks like the photographer told him, "No, no, Maicer; you've got to open your eyes really wide in order for the camera to work. Oh yeah, that's it."
the '07 Shields could almost be a photoshop of the '05 Shields (a little 'lectronic shave).
I wonder if this team shows the guys their pictures from last year and says "strike this pose."
Colon looks like one of the froggy people in the Miyazake film "Spirited Away," which is my other favorite, up there with Big Lebowski. Maybe I can find a proper pic tonight.
That's it! Great catch, sir. And a fabulous film, as well.
And one of the best soundtracks (Joe Hisaishi), esp. "Sixth Station"
Nice cap placement on the Vlad 2007.
AMR, here's a mugshot to hang onto when the Twins ever play the Marlins next: link