Maybe the Angels need to call up their AAA pitching coach. He did a great job with Santana. He pitched a great game in Boston, a tough ballpark. Then Santana got back to whatever he used to do and he's garbage. Whatever the AAA pitching coach was doing I don't see Mike Butcher doing it.

As for Santana though, he has a bad attitude. How about throwing your best pitches? You throw ball after ball and then a meatball down the middle. That might work in AA but not in the majors.

By the way, someone please tell Vlad to pick it up already. His RBI aren't bad but he's just hacking at garbage all the time. Garret will catch him in homers soon if he doesn't start carrying the offense soon. I'm really disappointed in Vlad's hitting this year. I want no more hacking. Start walking. Make pitchers throw better pitches.

Santana can be good, but the question is, will he? Inconsistency was his hallmark in the minors, and it continues to be so today. It's perhaps fairer to say that both starts represent Santana. My view is that he represents Ramon Ortiz part 2, with the upside of having done more at a legitimately younger age. That said, he needs to pull his head out of his nether regions and actually produce. I weary of his constant failures, which this year have expanded to some of his home starts. He probably needs another half season or so in the minors to get really straightened out.

Ervin Santana is not good! It's my opinion, but the results speak for themselves, including his stellar showing in Triple-A where he had a .305 BAA, giving up 39 hits in 32 1/3 innings. He also served up 4 home runs in 5 starts.

The start in Boston? Heck, the sun shines on a dogs behind every once in a while.

Just because a guy has an above major league fastball (though he lacks command thereof) and flashes a decent slider & change-up every once in a while, doesn't mean he's going to be successful in the big leagues.

Santana, though he may be a nice guy, like the mamma's boy down the street, he's a wimp once he takes the mound, lacking that bulldog mentality it takes to dominate the opposition.

These are the intangibles that determine who succeeds at the major league level, not skills alone. Grit, determination, work ethic, passion & mental strength. It takes these things, combined with the baseball talent you were born with.

Anaheim Stadium has been a pacifier of sorts for Baby Ervin over the last 3 seasons as detailed out in an article I wrote, entitled "Road Kill Santana" back in May. But now with September upon us, Scioscia and Co. should be focused on one thing, the pennant! Moseley or even Colon if he's able to go, should be given the ball in September.

As for Ervin Santana right now, it's debatable if he'd be much help to the Cedar Rapids Kernels playoff hopes, let alone the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Do us a favor in the off-season Ervin, grow some!

Edited copy of what I posted before this..

Sweet Sugar Santana

Like sugar isn't good for your diet or your teeth, Ervin Santana isn't very good either! It's my opinion, but the results speak for themselves, including his stellar showing in Triple-A where he had a .305 BAA, giving up 39 hits in 32 1/3 innings. He also served up 4 home runs in 5 starts. Board regular "LightTheHalo" deserves the credit for the title of this blog, because it was him who uttered in the game day chat the other night "Sugar Santana, because he serves it up so sweet".

The start in Boston? Heck, the sun shines on a dogs behind every once in a while.

Just because a guy has a above average major league fastball (though he lacks command thereof) and flashes a decent slider & change-up every once in a while, doesn't mean he's going to be successful in the big leagues.

Santana, though he may be a nice guy, like the mamma's boy down the street, he's a wimp once he takes the mound, lacking that bulldog mentality it takes to dominate the opposition.

These are the intangibles that determine who succeeds at the major league level, not skills alone. Grit, determination, work ethic, passion & mental strength. It takes these attributes, combined with the baseball talent you were born with to succeed.

Anaheim Stadium has been a pacifier of sorts for Baby Ervin over the last 3 seasons as detailed out in an article I wrote, entitled "Road Kill Santana" back in May (See below). But now with September upon us, Scioscia and Co. should be focused on one thing, the pennant! Moseley or even Colon if he's able to go, should be given the ball in September.

http://angelswinblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/road-kill-santana.html

As for Ervin Santana right now, it's debatable if he'd be much help to the Cedar Rapids Kernels playoff hopes, let alone the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Do us a favor in the off-season Ervin, grow some!

So in response to the blogger who wants us to drop dead for criticizing a so-called stud pitcher on our beloved Halos, meditate on this day and night my friend. 5-12, 6.38 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 152 hits in 122 2/3 Inn & 23 HR's given up in his 22 starts in '07.