Owner Arte Moreno Determined to Stand By His Man

Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels manager

(14) speaks to media before the Angels play against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

ANAHEIM – We’ve heard the talk.  All season long fans have predicted that Angels’ Skipper Mike Scioscia is destined for the unemployment line. What began as a whisper (after a disappointing 2012 season) has developed into a thunderous cry.  A cry that has called for one thing and one thing only – Mike Scioscia’s resignation.

But we are all fans – mere observers that are rarely privy to the macro view.  We don’t always see the entire picture. There is an old saying, “You can’t see the forest through the trees.”  And today fans were reminded that it doesn’t matter what we think.  We can cry as loud as we want.  Arte Moreno doesn’t just see the trees – he’s the owner who sees the entire forest.

In an interview with Fox Sports during an MLB owners meeting in New York, Moreno maintained his loyalty to Scioscia. When asked about the chances of a mid-season managerial change, Moreno told Jon Morosi:

"Right now, zero."

Pretty unequivocal, right? Moreno went on to sing Scioscia’s praises:

"Look at the 14 years worth of productivity.  Look at his record.  He has two World Series rings with the dodgers.  He has one with the Angels.  We’ve been to the playoffs."

Clearly Arte has no issues with Scioscia’s performance.  Point taken.  But rest assured, that alone won’t quiet the “Fire Scioscia” cry that has reached new heights with Halo fans. Sure, the Angels have been to the playoffs six times during the first 10 years of Scioscia’s tenure. But that’s just not good enough for the fans.  After all – baseball is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately-kinda sport.  Fans expect a lot.  And let’s be honest – the last three seasons have left a lot to be desired.  And this is coming from a Scioscia fan.

I believe Arte when he says that he’s committed to Scioscia.  But it’s much more than that, Arte is a smart man – a business man.  And money is always a giant deterrent to any business man – Scioscia is under contract until 2018 so a large buy-out would be required if Scioscia were to be dismissed.  Let’s just say that if Arte Moreno was Donald Trump, he wouldn’t be inclined to fire the project manager.

So now we know that Scioscia is (probably) staying put for the time being.  Yet the question remains – if not Scioscia then who’s it going to be?  Clearly if the Angels continue to play sub-500 baseball something has to change.