The Angels seem to have stabilized, nudging themselves back into relevance with a nice trip through Oakland and Seattle. Now, can the Angels line up against a playoff contender and belong on the same field? The Yankees are in town this week.
By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles
How have the Angels turned the biggest free agent signing splash of the winter into a decline of more than 5,000 average daily ticket sales at the end of May?
In many ways, that's exactly the question Angels fans have debated since the club went off to its rotten start. The obvious problem was a lack of production from Albert Pujols, the man the Angels signed for 10 years and $240 million, but the stench has emanated from across the lineup.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels have stabilized. Maybe they haven’t picked up steam, but they have stabilized. They just finished a trip through Oakland (22-26) and Seattle (21-29), which could have been a disaster, the way the Angels were going. Instead, the Angels did what they were supposed to do, beating the A's two of three and sweeping four games from the Mariners.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels have bounded from last place in the American League West to second place, 6 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels are 24-25, but one small game short of breaking even, and they're three games down in the fledgling wild card race. And who comes to town now, but the New York Yankees (26-21), the bell cow of the American League, the best draw and, not incidentally, the team that now holds the second wild card position.
So, whatever has gone on with the Angels for the last two months could very quickly become water under the bridge if they can win two of three from the Yankees. That way, the Angels would be right at .500 and two behind the Yankees, sitting in very decent shape. Better yet, the Angels could win all three.
Or, the outcome could be something a bit more disappointing. That's kind of what one thinks is in store for the Angels when they play a good team.
The Angels have a chance to tell a lot of people something good during the first half of this week, with the Yankees in the Big A Monday through Wednesday. They'll have big houses, and you want to send those people home with good news.
The Angels’ attendance decline is especially stunning when we consider that their season ticket base increased after signing Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Based on figures reported and projected by the Los Angeles Times in February, we’ll put the Angels’ 2011 season ticket base at 21,500 and their 2012 base at 24,000.
Remember all that discussion in the media during spring training about how the Angels were overtaking the Dodgers as the No. 1 baseball club in Southern California? It’s pretty easy to forget, now that the Dodgers are posting the best record in baseball while the Angels struggle to reach .500. The Dodgers crossed one million just now and sales are up 2,403 per game at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, the Angels’ per-game attendance has declined from 38,899 to 33,581. Which means their single-game sales are down from about 17,000 to about 9,500.
The Angels began their home season by losing two of three to Kansas City, then losing three of four to Oakland. They finally won three of four against Baltimore, but no one could tell back then that the Orioles were any good. The teams that have visited Anaheim since then are Minnesota, Oakland, Toronto and the Chicago White Sox. So, the Angels haven’t inspired ticket sales with inspired play, but the more prestigious competition hasn’t been through town, either.
We've seen a lot of good signs from the Angels in the last two weeks. The starting pitchers remain strong and the arrival of Ernesto Frieri has added a dash of reliability to the bullpen. Mike Trout has given the team a shot in the arm as a daily outfielder. The team is walking a bit more -- 3.5 times per game in the last ten games compared with 2.4 before then. And Pujols is becoming Pujols. In his last 13 games, Pujols is hitting .320 (16 for 50), with six homers, 14 RBI, five walks and seven strikeouts.
But we haven't seen the Angels line up against a top-flight AL contender and show that they belong on the same field. And we definitely haven’t seen it at the Big A. That's what the next three games against the Yankees will establish. Or not.
By BILL PETERSON
Big Leagues in Los Angeles
How have the Angels turned the biggest free agent signing splash of the winter into a decline of more than 5,000 average daily ticket sales at the end of May?
In many ways, that's exactly the question Angels fans have debated since the club went off to its rotten start. The obvious problem was a lack of production from Albert Pujols, the man the Angels signed for 10 years and $240 million, but the stench has emanated from across the lineup.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels have stabilized. Maybe they haven’t picked up steam, but they have stabilized. They just finished a trip through Oakland (22-26) and Seattle (21-29), which could have been a disaster, the way the Angels were going. Instead, the Angels did what they were supposed to do, beating the A's two of three and sweeping four games from the Mariners.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels have bounded from last place in the American League West to second place, 6 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers.
Now, all of a sudden, the Angels are 24-25, but one small game short of breaking even, and they're three games down in the fledgling wild card race. And who comes to town now, but the New York Yankees (26-21), the bell cow of the American League, the best draw and, not incidentally, the team that now holds the second wild card position.
So, whatever has gone on with the Angels for the last two months could very quickly become water under the bridge if they can win two of three from the Yankees. That way, the Angels would be right at .500 and two behind the Yankees, sitting in very decent shape. Better yet, the Angels could win all three.
Or, the outcome could be something a bit more disappointing. That's kind of what one thinks is in store for the Angels when they play a good team.
The Angels have a chance to tell a lot of people something good during the first half of this week, with the Yankees in the Big A Monday through Wednesday. They'll have big houses, and you want to send those people home with good news.
The Angels’ attendance decline is especially stunning when we consider that their season ticket base increased after signing Pujols and C.J. Wilson. Based on figures reported and projected by the Los Angeles Times in February, we’ll put the Angels’ 2011 season ticket base at 21,500 and their 2012 base at 24,000.
Remember all that discussion in the media during spring training about how the Angels were overtaking the Dodgers as the No. 1 baseball club in Southern California? It’s pretty easy to forget, now that the Dodgers are posting the best record in baseball while the Angels struggle to reach .500. The Dodgers crossed one million just now and sales are up 2,403 per game at Dodger Stadium. Meanwhile, the Angels’ per-game attendance has declined from 38,899 to 33,581. Which means their single-game sales are down from about 17,000 to about 9,500.
The Angels began their home season by losing two of three to Kansas City, then losing three of four to Oakland. They finally won three of four against Baltimore, but no one could tell back then that the Orioles were any good. The teams that have visited Anaheim since then are Minnesota, Oakland, Toronto and the Chicago White Sox. So, the Angels haven’t inspired ticket sales with inspired play, but the more prestigious competition hasn’t been through town, either.
We've seen a lot of good signs from the Angels in the last two weeks. The starting pitchers remain strong and the arrival of Ernesto Frieri has added a dash of reliability to the bullpen. Mike Trout has given the team a shot in the arm as a daily outfielder. The team is walking a bit more -- 3.5 times per game in the last ten games compared with 2.4 before then. And Pujols is becoming Pujols. In his last 13 games, Pujols is hitting .320 (16 for 50), with six homers, 14 RBI, five walks and seven strikeouts.
But we haven't seen the Angels line up against a top-flight AL contender and show that they belong on the same field. And we definitely haven’t seen it at the Big A. That's what the next three games against the Yankees will establish. Or not.
