I'm not an Angels fan. Apparently not too many in the national media are either. While the Angels have been leading the AL West and putting up one of the best records in baseball most of the year, very little notice has been taken by national outlets...most noticeably ESPN, of course.
Now, I realize this may only be my perception and it could be taken as just one more stone thrown in against "east coast bias", but as an impartial observer I have wondered a number of times throughout the season why there is so little attention given to a team having an amazing year. As of today, the Angels have 95 wins, second most in the majors. That is in spite of Vlad and Kendrick missing big chunks, only getting 17 innings out of Scot Shields and Kelvim Escobar, and using 14 starting pitchers this year, including Nick Adenhart. Other than clinching recently, his death has been one of the few moments that has brought them into national focus. And that passed almost as quickly as it came.
Am I wrong? When I watch Sportscenter highlights or Baseball Tonight, or even read articles on the ESPN website, there seems to be little fascination with the "other team in LA". There is plenty of drama surrounding the team down the road. Perhaps there are no volatile or magnetic personalities on the team now that Vlad has slipped from superstardom...no Manny, no A-Rod, no Soriano, no Big Papi, no Pujols. Maybe it is that they have been a division front-runner so long it has become a given they will visit the postseason (6th time in 8 years). Maybe Scioscia is not as sexy a manager as Torre, maybe Torii Hunter needs to do steroids, bumble in the field, and quit on his team, maybe people don't know how to pronounce Chone.
Ok, they haven't been in a pennant race, they don't have one or two big stars, they haven't had a scandal. They have just been one of the classiest, most successful organizations in Major League Baseball.
I know that star power drives a lot of media coverage (although media coverage also creates star power, so...) and the Angels are a team of depth and balance, up and down. This is incredible: eight regulars in their lineup have hit between .295 and .306...Eight! And Juan Rivera isn't far behind at .284. They also have six players with 15 or more homers and six with 10 or more steals. Now, that is balance. This is just a team without stars. Sure we all know who Vlad The Impaler is, or Torii, or even Lackey and Brian Fuentes. But the first two are aging, Lackey is consistent but not dominant, and the most interesting thing about Fuentes is his funky delivery.
Kendry Morales is the real star on this team, but who has noticed? If he was a Met, Yankee, Dodger, Phillie, or Red Sox we would be hearing about him nightly. This guy has sick numbers since the break (.327, 19 HR, 58 RBI, .990 OPS), but who has heard about it?
So, what am I asking for? Just a little recognition for a great baseball team.
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Generally, I am in agreement with the idea that ESPN and others tend to favor the drama created by teams on the East Coast.
ReplyDeleteBut let me throw one thought out there. ESPN runs Baseball Tonight at 10 EST and Sportcenter at 11 EST. By the time Sportscenter is wrapping up, West coast games are just entering the 6th inning. That means that ESPN has been building highlight reels and news stories on the games that have finished and have not done so for the West Coast games yet. Certainly, they could build legitimate highlight reels for the morning Sportscenter (something I'm sure will be better with the LA live studio) but even there, they have the reels for the East and Central games that have filled an entire Sportscenter already. Leaving little room for additions for the morning broadcasts.
By the time midday and dinner time broadcasts begin, the newscycle has already flipped to previewing the upcoming games. They don't really have a choice because they have to keep feeding the monster that is our appetites for sports drama and yesterday's games just aren't as exciting as thinking through pitching matchups and division standing implications for today's games.
Admittedly, ESPN loves the Boston/NY rivalry too much...but part of the problem is just a logistical obstacle that is hard to overcome.
The Angels are dead in my eyes, too. It's not just the media. I think that ever since 10/26/02 everyone has decided that the Angels franchise is a jerk. They have got some nerve! Barry was supposed to get his ring and they just went and took it away from him. NO CLASS!!!...them, not him.
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