Angels made a good hire in Maddon
If there’s one thing the Giants and A’s have in common, it’s the exasperation of secondclass status in their divisions. The Dodgers look to be dominant well into the future, and we’ve seen the finest of the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.
Based on recent developments, Oakland’s road is going to be even tougher next year.
The longflawed L.A. Angels made the perfect managerial hire in Joe Maddon. He’s 65, but he’s a newage thinker who embraces analytics, relates to every type of player and keeps things loose with his distinctive sense of humor. Maybe he wouldn’t have been the ideal choice in the Giants’ search to replace Bruce Bochy, but the youngatheart Maddon took Tampa Bay to the 2008 World Series and managed the Cubs three years ago to their first world championship since 1908.
Maddon can get things done, and he’s certain to draw the attention of free agents hitting the market this winter. The Angels never seem to get a handle on starting pitching — if your 2019 freeagent acquisitions are Matt Harvey and Trevor Cahill, you’re on a treadmill to nowhere — but the Maddonled Angels will certainly be attractive to Houston ace Gerrit Cole, who attended Orange Lutheran High School and UCLA, or the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg, who grew up in San Diego. Both men have fancied a return to Southern California, and you’d imagine Angels owner Arte Moreno will spare no expense.
The Angels are hardly short on stars, with allworld Mike Trout, still dangerous Albert Pujols, twoway threat Shohei Ohtani (who plans to pitch again next season) and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. They’re also in dire need of respite as they deal with the passing of Tyler Skaggs and the increasingly dark circumstances surrounding his death. For a man capable of changing the mood, in a longlasting way, they couldn’t do better than Maddon.
The endless wait
It was a huge blow for the Warriors, especially Chase Center mastermind Rick Welts, when the Central Subway announced its latest delay. Welts was the driving force behind the arena, and he delivered what appears to be a triumph, exactly what the franchise wanted. The franchise CEO has long called the subway a “gamechanger” in convenient transportation to the arena, and now the target date for completion is 2021 — with an additional $55 million reportedly required in construction, so no promises can be trusted. (The original projected completion date was February 2018). To ease your mind, just assume it will never be ready. Why believe otherwise? ... Kelenna Azubuike is a bright, engaging analyst and a solid choice to join Bob Fitzgerald on the Warriors’ telecasts. But it’s still a bit jarring to realize that Jim Barnett is gone (handling radio analysis only, for road games). There’s nothing stodgy or backinmyday about Barnett, who always stays current and, when asked, can call up memories of a league he first knew as a Boston Celtic in 1966 . ... Among the pile of ridiculous comments from Kyrie Irving, there’s this from the Brooklyn Nets’ media day on Kevin Durant’s torn Achilles during last year’s Finals: “We all know K was not ready to play in that environment,” Irving said. “We all know that, whether people want to admit it or not. He was out 31 days and we put him on a national stage in the Finals to end up selling a product that came before the person, Kevin. Now, I’m here to protect that.” First of all, who are “we”? Secondly, Durant won’t hear of it. “Hell, no,” he told Yahoo Sports when asked whether the Warriors mishandled his calf injury. “Nobody never said a word to me during rehab as I was coming back . ... No matter what, I just wanted to play in the Finals. I just wanted to hoop, especially if I could be out there.” ... The NBA is making a concerted effort to list players’ heights accurately, without shoes, and Durant checks in at 691⁄2. “When I’m talking to women, I’m 7 feet,” he joked on KNBR. “In basketball circles, I’m 69.” ... The NBA is deeply concerned about declining television ratings, particularly on the East Coast. Easy solution: Start all Pacific timezone games at 6 p.m. Warriors fans (for example) would adjust, and New Yorkers won’t be falling asleep while Stephen Curry and LeBron James are crafting their latest highlights. It works just fine with “Monday Night Football.”
Pretty shocking to watch Stanford take a humiliating 3416 loss to UCLA at home Thursday night. The Bruins have been horrible, and the L.A. Times reported this week that 63 players with remaining eligibility have left school (for a variety of reasons) since Chip Kelly took over in 2016. But perhaps it was inevitable with painfully raw quarterback Jack West making his first start for the Cardinal and, as head coach David Shaw said, “We’ve got five (offensive linemen) out for the year . ... We were probably the healthiest team in America for about 10 years . ... Sometimes the pendulum swings back the other way.” Just as discouraging: The alarming number of empty seats and the Cardinal taking the field in allblack uniforms. Who came up with that inconceivably bad idea? The great Jim Plunkett was on the sideline this night, and it’s nice to remember that Plunkett never had to wear a clown suit . ... It’s a huge week, meanwhile, for Cal. A win Saturday over Oregon State would mean five victories, revived momentum and a nearcertain bowl appearance. A loss would mark a significant setback . ... There are more important college games to watch, but it’s worth checking on former Cal head coach Sonny Dykes. He is not missed, at all, but his No. 19 SMU team is 60 and faces 51 Temple next.