Shut Up, John Lackey
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| Flickr user SD Dirk |
| John Lackey |
Being the third starter in the
No, he didn't come out and say
it, but his message was very clear:
"Their track record speaks for itself," Lackey said. "I lost so many teammates over there, guys who went to other places. It prepares you for these things."
Prepares you for what, Lackey . . . life? Guess what, genius? People leave clubs all
the time. Name one club that has kept
the same team intact from one year to the next. Matter
of fact, the only team in recent memory
that came close was the Angels.
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Remember, John? You were on that team back in 2002
that won the World Series. The team only
lost reserve outfielder Orlando Palmeiro the following year and replaced
him
with Eric Owens. Everyone else came
back.
But that didn't work out too well for your team back in
2003, did
it? The Angels only managing a 77-85 record in defense of their World Series title.
You see, John, this is how sports--and life really--works. You work toward something,
always with a goal in mind; from day to
day, month to month, even year to year, and you adjust to better reach that
goal. Sometimes that means making
decisions to let one player go, sometimes it means picking one player
over
another. Sometimes it even means standing
firm and doing nothing.
The team that isn't adjusting isn't trying.
Have the Angels made mistakes in regards to player personnel? Sure. Name one team that hasn't. Would the Angels have liked to have retained players like Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero, Francisco Rodriguez, Garret Anderson, Troy Percival, Troy Glaus, Bengie Molina, Darin Erstad, David Eckstein and Jarrod Washburn for another year or two? Possibly. However, it would have needed to be within the team's financial boundaries and overall vision.
That's what I like about the Angels ownership and management: They are as open with their fans about their personnel decisions as any club in the MLB.
Take your situation as a prime example, Lackey. There is no doubt you were the ace of the
Angel staff, but you missed the first six weeks of the 2008 and 2009
seasons
with elbow problems. If you were a house
and an appraiser came out to inspect you, the report might have read,
"Very
nice exterior with a great history, but internally there are issues."
Your value dropped, forcing the Angels to offer four years at $60 million. You opted for the Sox's offer of five years at $82.5 million.
Dude, shut up. The Angels' offer to you was fair, you got a better deal and you took it. Again, good for you.
Tonight the Angels get their first crack at Lackey as a Red Sox. The Angels are struggling and don't need any more motivation to play for a win, but I hope Lackey's ridiculous comments serve as just a little extra juice for the Halos this time. A mad dash from first to third on a single, a diving catch of a low line drive in the outfield . . . who knows? Maybe the club gets lucky and Lackey is forced to protect home plate with Mike Napoli charging hard with the go ahead run.
Here's hoping
After all, that's life, Lackey.
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