ANAHEIM ANGELS
Purchased the contract of C-R Sal Fasano from Salt Lake. [9/16]
Hopefully, Fasano is up to finish the season behind the plate now that the Angels have clinched that last playoff spot, allowing Los Dos Molinas a chance to get a couple of days off before the playoffs. As somebody with a weak spot in my heart/head for catchers with that Mark Parent/Dave Duncan offensive profile, the guy who can throw a little and pound a home run every couple of weeks, regular readers know I’ve always coughed up plenty of kind words on behalf of Sal Fasano
It’s Wednesday night, and I didn’t write my column early because I was watching the Mariners-Athletics game. Now I sit down, feeling a little vindicated for my season-long fight against local anti-Mike Cameron sentiment.
The Mariners face the A’s again tomorrow, starting Joel Pineiro against Cory Lidle. The Angels have John Lackey facing Colby Lewis. I don’t think this particularly unfair to the Mariners; it’s not as if they didn’t have their chances to beat up on bad teams, or anything. Their pit is one they’ve dug themselves with crappy pickups and a low-key battle between the manager and GM, where Piniella seems determined to put the awful pieces he’s been given (like Jose Offerman) in crucial game situations where their failures are magnified. Gillick in retaliation doesn’t care.