Manny Mania! vs. Teixeira… Reasonably Polite Appreciation
By Brian Kamenetzky | NBA, What I See, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, ColumnThey’ve printed the t-shirts, they’ve printed replica jerseys, they’re even minting the hair he’s supposed to cut. There’s a
Short of bashing Vin Scully with a tire iron, there’s very little Manny Ramirez can do right now to tick off Dodger fans. They went nuts for him from moment one, delivering standing O’s for seemingly every hit, out, smile, swing, catch, throw, and slide he’s had since his arrival from Boston.
I was expecting something similar Wednesday night at the Big A, when I took in my first post-Mark Teixeira game. After all, along with Manny, Teixeira was the most significant bat to change uniforms at the deadline, and represented a huge commitment from Angels management to this team and the belief it can find success deep into October. He was the fruit of an aggressive move fans have waited a few years for the Angels to make, and it’s not like the guy has been a slouch, either, since donning Halo red. Teixeira had four straight games with an RBI heading into Wednesday night’s matchup with Seattle, had hit a couple big, Yankee-hurting homers, and kept the average and OBP well over three and four hundred since the trade.
What’s not to like?
Apparently, something. When Teixeira came to bat in the first inning Wednesday, the big ovation I expected to hear didn’t happen. He might as well have been Macier Izturis, who had singled to center in front of him. Actually, his cheers may not have reached even Izturistian proportions. When Teixeira singled, pushing Izturis to third, to third, there was none Manny-love you’d see at the Ravine. The Angel crowd liked Teixeira a lot more after he homered in two of his next four at bats (pushing his average as an Angel to .340, with an OPS of 1.053), but overall, I was pretty stunned at the tepid reaction he received from the faithful.
I wasn’t alone, either. Talking to another writer, he told me that before Teixeira’s first home game, he had prepped an item on the debut. Assuming the welcome would be massive, he wrote the thing up, leaving space for the little details to fill in after Teixeira’s introduction to his new home crowd… except the expected ovation didn’t happen. So much for the best laid plans.
There are a few reasons for the contrast in new star treatment between the local home crowds. First, there’s no question that the Angels have a much more mellow, subdued, buttoned down fan base. Not that they aren’t passionate- I’ve been in Angel Stadium when the place has absolutely rocked- but they’re not rowdy. My father-in-law, accustomed to taking in games at Shea in New York, recently attended an Angels game and couldn’t get over how polite everyone was. The ushers, the parking people, the fans, etc. Everyone seemed to be smiling, and no matter how many times Gary Matthews Jr. screwed up, almost nobody booed.
Dodger fans are, um, a little more demanding.
Also, there was some attachment among Angels fans to the guy they gave away. Casey Kotchman isn’t as good a player as Teixeira, but was so deeply steeped in Angelness he practically had wings and a harp. The fans loved him. He was one of their guys. I was shocked, reading through the chat boards on sites like Halos Heaven and 6-4-2, as to how many people were angry they moved Kotchman in the deal, even for a superstar power bat like Teixeira. Is Kotchman a good player, likely to get better? Sure. Still, I was surprised he was all it took to get Teixeira. It was a no-brainer for GM Tony Reagins.
Perhaps the biggest difference beyond the general temperament of the crowds is the context in which each deal took place. The Angels were a first place team, the best in baseball, actually, before Teixeira came to town. They were a first place team last season, and 2005, and 2004, as they will be this year. LAA has won 89 or more games in five of the last six seasons, and will do so again in 2008. Teixeira was icing on an already impressive cake. (Really, really good icing, the kind that can turn a very good cake into one of those Food Network Challenge gold medal winning deals.)
Manny, on the other hand, was the cake. His arrival gave Dodger fans, who have suffered through mediocrity and a lack of top shelf offensive talent for a while. Ramirez was the bonafide superstar the team needed to juice a lineup with all the punching power of Glass Joe. His presence so fundamentally alters the complexion of the Dodgers’ attack that he hasn’t just energized the fans in the stands, but the players in the clubhouse.
It doesn’t hurt, either, that Dodger fans (rightly) feel they got him for basically nothing. No lamenting what went out the door, as some did down in Orange County.
Both players have injected interest and excitement into the SoCal baseball landscape for the next couple of months. The Angels hope Teixeira pays off deep into October. The Dodgers hope Manny can get them there. But if you’re looking for an easy way to differentiate between the cultures of LA’s two baseball fan bases, this is as good a way as any.
Discuss:
15 Responses to “Manny Mania! vs. Teixeira... Reasonably Polite Appreciation ”
- 1 Pingback on Aug 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am
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I’m still on the fence about the Teixeira trade; in theory, it fixes the Angels’ chronic glaring post-2002 hole (really, post-2004, when they let Troy Glaus walk and Tim Salmon faded into that good night). In practice, it really becomes an all-in trade in which the Angels *have* to win another World Series or else.
There is a very good chance that Teixeira is going to be gone after this season, and that’s because of the Yankees’ enormous free agency budget. On the other hand, as Tim Marchman pointed out in his recent New York Sun column, the Yanks have a *lot* of positions to fill, not a whole lot on the farm to fill those slots with, and $75M (by his reckoning, $100M by mine) won’t go as far in the free agency market as you’d think. And all the while, they continue to get O-L-D-E-R at virtually every position. Kids like Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano, while adequate in the past, seem to be falling off a cliff this year. Derek Jeter’s defense, already the worst of any starting shortstop in the league by virtually all the respected modern fielding metrics, now accompanies a tremendous dropoff in his offensive value. The pitching staff, even if the Yanks get all the marquee free agents they want (starting with C.C. Sabathia), will have near-zero depth, unless you want to bet on a breakthrough for Ian Kennedy, whose unwarranted cockiness has irked the Bombers’ front office. In short, there’s a compelling story for Arte Moreno that the Angels are the place to be in 2009 and beyond.
It’s not clear that that is the case for Manny. The Dodgers look bad against teams playing far worse than they are (the Giants), and suddenly crazy good against teams that have much better records (the Phils). The reason for that was in part the price of Manny, which created a long-term hole at third, a problem position for most teams — and now, one for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have the worst infield defense in the majors between Blake, Berroa, and Kent. Outfield defense also took a hit with Manny in left. If they miss the postseason, I would seriously look for Manny to head elsewhere.
The first sentence of the last paragraph should read, “It’s not clear that the Dodgers are the place to be for Manny after 2008.”
Rob-
I agree that both could be headed out the door, but am a huge fan of the Teixeira deal (aside from the amount of times I have to type Teixeira now). While I think Kotchman is a good player, and will be for a while, he’s a complimentary guy, and the Angels can fill the spot, whether with Teixeira or Kendry Morales. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Moreno pony up for Teixeira, especially if they reach/win the WS. That, really, is the big wild card with both teams. The Dodgers have so much salary potentially coming off the books, but too many OFs. Still, if they make the playoffs and win a round, there will be intense pressure to resign Manny, or at least make a solid offer.
If the Angels win it all, the pressure goes up, too (so does the price tag). And it makes a lot of sense in the timeline for the Angels, too. As Vlad ages, the team can slowly grow around Teixeira’s stick.
The Dodgers are going to be a big wild card generally this summer, with a lot of choices to make. How’s your faith in Colletti to make good ones?
Well, Brian, I think you know the answer to that. Look at the four or five key free agency deals Ned Colletti has executed since coming to the Dodgers:
* Jason Schmidt — makes Mark Prior look like a workhorse.
* Juan Pierre — general lameness PLUS durability is not a positive
* Nomar Garciaparra’s extension during which, surprise, he’s been injured most of the time
* Jeff Kent — good early, not enough to carry an offense reliably anymore
* Andruw Jones — Ned’s crowning achievement, and a wholly predictable collapse.
What should really concern Dodger fans is that Colletti has, rightly in my mind, pointed out that these decisions are not made by him alone. That means that there are plenty of people who *also* cannot tell good bets from bad (and signing a free agent is always a risk) in the organization. If the Dodgers miss the playoffs (again) and the McCourts fire the GM (again), they’ll have a lot more to think about than just the nameplate on the GM office door.
I should also follow up by saying that the Kent and Nomar deals were somewhat defensible (Kent’s more so than Nomar, inasmuch as his power and health were better bets based on his history), but they would have been more so for an American League team.
Rob-
I agree on all counts. Those who see the firing of a GM as a cure all kind of miss the point. Thre’s no guarantee the next guy won’t be worse. He could definitely be a lot better, but you can’t assume that.
You can’t not fire a GM for incompetence because your worried the next person will be worse.
I haven’t see the Dodger crowd so energized since the Gagne days and Manny continues to fuel the energy with clutch hit after clutch hit.
As a long time Angels fan it seems that the fans, like the organization, have taken on Mike Scioscia’s personality. There is an intensity but it is subdued by the understanding of long term goals. Besides, being in 1st place for months beforehand, and losing Kotch (as was pointed out), made many (not me) apprehensive about the deal. Dodger fans are looking for ANY reason to get excited and Manny’s arrival gives them that reason.
You kind of put the reasons for the different receptions late in your column. It’s basic and because you were anticipating a Manny type reception as was the other writer you refered to you were disappointed you didn’t guess right, you overlooked the Big A’s normal throbbing red shirted vibe.
Angels are the best team in baseball. If you follow them you’d know they are loaded deep thru the minors. Texiera is a great add whose big bat was missing. I loved Kotchman and enjoyed watching him get it together. But the Angels needed a big power bat and thus far he’s only made their other power bats more powerful. Watching the middle of the order sitting next to each other on the bench when the Angels are at bat is a fascinating sight because right now the are a murderers row.
The Dodgers we desparate for a star a difference maker and the fans have been unsure of the McCourt’s management and the horrible problems with Colletti’s smart but snakebitten deals.
Plus it’s a roster still recovering from the clubhouse wars between the veterans and the younger hot shots. Torre and his staff, who are great, nonetheless come from the tightassed, button down, no long hair, no music Steinbrenner BS they imported from the Yankees. Not that the Dodgers didn’t need a calm clubhouse to get the players cohesive and move forward.
Basically the Angels have plenty of salsa to go with Scioscia’s top to bottom always prepared pro’s. The Dodgers still have many guys learning how to bring it every day and the team and the fans desparately needed some hot sauce.
The Dodgers are shakey, the Angels are 15 games up.
By the way the complaining of certain Dodger outfielders because they’re not playing now that Manny is here is glaring when you look at how Scioscia seems to have something for just about everybody on the roster to do during the course of the week with little of that whining, as far as we can see. (Of course the AL does use the DH)
If the NL had the DH and Pierre became that player, the cries of anguish would be heard all the way to the red curtain.
I believe there are a number of reasons for the difference in reactions. As for the Angel fans and Texiera - it’s really hard to fall in love with a rent-a-player. Angel fans realize that since Boras is his agent, money will be the sole factor of where he plays next year. He probably won’t be back. Additionally, the Angels gave up a popular player to get him. Manny gives the Dodger fans hope…something that they didn’t have before the trade. Plus he is one of the greatest hitters of all time. He is so locked in I am surprised when he doesn’t get a hit. I don’t like him personally, but there is no denying his prowess. When he’s at bat, I watch. Texiera is a good player but he doesn’t have the that vibe.
Yes, the Angels fans are polite and Angel Stadium has a great family atmosphere. However, I completely disagree that the fans are mellow. They are much louder and much more involved in the game than the Dodger fans.
Bruce-
Good point. I don’t mean to say that the Angel crowd is dispassionate. Mellow isn’t the right word to describe them, for sure. I’ve been in that stadium when it’s rocking, which is in part why I was surprised that the reaction to Teixeira was so muted. They’re very passionate about the game, and the team, and I certainly didn’t mean to imply otherwise.
Ryan-
Interesting point about the crowd taking on the personality of the manager.