Getting rid of Jeff Weaver is the reason the Angels of Anaheim found their winning ways
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by user Douglasvgibbs
After the Angels beat Oakland for the third straight game today I called into AM710 (the local Angels radio station) to speak to Matthew Berry, the host for Angel Talk. His question was, "What is the key thing or player for continued success into the second half."
The callers before me indicated that they felt Anaheim needed another big bat, preferably at third base, or that Scioscia needed to allow the starters to pitch longer if they were kickin' butt (a reference to the fact that Mike Scioscia pulled Jered Weaver out after 7 innings and 95 pitches in order to protect the rookie's arm), or that the younger players need to step up. Nobody seems to recognize that the Angels began to win after reassigning Jeff (essentially eliminating the guy from the team).
Jeff Weaver was a cancer. I don't mean that in a malicious way. The fact is, he was losing. The Angels spent nearly nine million dollars on a guy that did not earn a nickel of it. When someone loses like that, and their attitude (I've seen Jeff throw his glove in the dugout) shows that they recognize they are a loser, that kind of poison will spread through the team like a cancer. I told Matthew this on the radio, in addition to the fact that the key to winning is attitude. People forget in 2002, when the Angels won the World Series, that they didn't have any superstars. They didn't have any huge bats -- although Glaus was a mighty big one. And yes, rookies were stepping up. But why?
In 2002 the Angels believed that they could win. Everytime they took the field they believed they were winners as long as they worked together as a team and believed they were capable of pulling off the win. Even when they began the season poorly, they continued to believe they were winners. Even when they had two outs against them, they expected to succeed. The Angels scored more runs with two outs than any other team in the Majors that year.
Jeff Weaver did not believe that he was a winner, and like a cancer, his losing attitude spread through the team. Then Stoneman, like a master surgeon, cut the cancer out of the lineup, and that winning attitude returned. The Angels began winning. They went from seven games out of first place to only two. What a great way to go into the break.
What's the key to winning? The right attitude, and the players working together like a well-oiled machine. Figgins will begin to hit as he has been doing. He'll steal more bases. Orlando Cabrera has already proven he's clutch. Napoli will erase any remaining doubt when it comes to those people that think letting go of Bengie Molina (and I was one of them) was a bad move. The platooning at third will improve. The Angels, because of Bill Stoneman's brilliant move to get rid of the bad Weaver, and bring back the good one, will win the division, go into the playoffs, and hopefully go all the way.
Recovery never felt so good.
Date
Sun 07/09/06, 5:07 pm EST
