GASLIGHTING: Perry Minasian’s BIZARRE Press Conference REINFORCES Angels’ Continued PR Issues

GASLIGHTING: Perry Minasian’s BIZARRE Press Conference REINFORCES Angels’ Continued PR Issues

The Angels seem to be really good at gaslighting their fans and they don’t seem to be bothered by it at all. You are Locked on Angels, your daily Los Angeles Angels podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Thanks for making Locked On Angels your first listen of the day. Perry was asked about Kikuchi’s comments in regards to the broken air conditioning from this last year and his answer wasn’t helpful in the least. And what kind of influence does a manager actually have on the team? Does he add wins and losses to the record? We’re going to share our perspective. And does an inexperienced manager, is he destined to lose or can he help a team be better? We have one really good example for you. Before we talk about the Angels, we want to thank our sponsor, FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet $5. And if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Download the FanDuel app today. Happy Friday to you, and thanks for being here for this episode of Lockdown Angels, where it’s your team every day. You’ve got the first brothers here with you, aka the Super Halo Bros. My name is John, and that’s my brother Mike. And my name is Mike, and that’s my brother John. Hey, we’re here talking Angels baseball with you every single weekday, Monday through Friday. So, make sure you’re tuned in. Subscribe wherever you’re subscribed at, wherever you listen, wherever you watch, because there’s a lot to get to in this off season. And the Angels certainly provide the drama, don’t they, Michael? They certainly do. John, uh, there is a report from yesterday that the Angels will for sure have an all-new coaching staff. Yeah. Sam Blum reported that Perry’s been talking to all the coaches and letting them know that they will not be back in their roles in 2026. Now, their contracts end at the end of this month. So, that means Barry Enright’s gone and Ew’s gone and Bill Porter’s gone. Johnny, it means that Johnny Washington is gone as well. It probably also means that those bullpin guys who ruined Logan O’H are gone. And so give me your give me your initial thoughts on the fact that they’re going to bring in new coaches. Look, it needed to happen. It needed to be done. I you you and I have said we feel like if anybody’s going to stay, it’s Barry Enright. Um a lot of what people like about him is that he’s a good communicator, but between what they’re doing in the minor leagues and what’s happening at the major leagues, there’s just not any consistency. Right. I understand the gap in performance and the gap in competition, but you’d expect that some of these guys who go back down to the miners, work on some things, and come back up, there just needs to be a throughine, Mike. And I think that went out the window a couple of years ago when guys like uh Bill Hezel were let go and uh Ryan Axelrod, right? They were all trying to at least have some consistency from the top down. And look, the the level of detail that goes into figuring out what a pitcher can do right and what they can do wrong and how you can fix some things, it’s insane what people can can get from, you know, Trackman and hooking them up to motion capture. I I I’ll tell you a a friend of mine whose son went through that process with a very very well-known agency. Um, you might have heard of it recently because of some Angels related news. Uh, I was able to see the report and oh my goodness, the level of detail they get down into regarding just the the degree in which your head turns as you’re throwing the ball and going, “Oh, you know what? This is why you’re hurt when when you throw or this is why this pitch isn’t working so well.” It’s insane. And so to not have that uh consistency from from up and through the minor leagues all the way to the majors, I mean, it’s hopeful because they have the stuff in Arizona that they recently installed. I I’m just saying all of this because can we just be consistent? Yeah. You know, and and I understand that we’re going to lose these guys, whoever they hire in a year. Also, um because that’s the problem with a one-year deal, Mike. And that’s the problem with Perry Manosian’s contract expiring. That’s the problem with Kurt Suzuki getting a one-year deal. Everything is geared up for the fact that there’s, you know, likely going to be a lockout and that’s where we stand right now. So, I I don’t know which players and specifically regarding your note here from Sam Blum, I don’t know which coaches are going to want to be here other than ones they have in house and other than coaches who are doing this for the very, very first time at the major league level. My guess is it’s either going to be some of the minor league coaches that the Angels would bring up. We talked about Michael WZ who is down in the minor leagues. And I also think I think that’s great. I think that’s a good idea. I also think that there’s going to be some former Angels. I think that they’ll probably use some of the guys that have already been around. Maybe not the big names like Hunter and Pooh Holes, but I think they’re going to use some of the guys that have been around. Uh Chuck Finley might be thrown into the mix. I think that there might be some of those guys that have been with the organization the last few years that might be considered because they have a relationship with Perry Minosian, but they also have a relationship with Kurt Suzuki. So, I think it probably is going to be kind of a mix match of some of those guys. So, maybe we can speculate wildly next week as to who it might be if there’s no information this weekend. Now, speaking of Sam Blum, John, he had a long back and forth with Perry Manosian about you Kikuchi’s comments at the end of the year about the AC not working. Here’s here’s part of that discussion. Now, he was asked about Perry Manosian was asked by Sam Blum about Usay Kikuchi’s comments and the broken air conditioning. Perry responded with the air conditioning is great. It’s very cold. Uh then Sam said, “Well, it didn’t break.” And Perry said, “No.” And so Sam said, “Well, was Kikuchi lying about that?” And Perry said, “I’m not saying he was lying. I don’t know what he said. The air conditioning is fine. We take care of our players.” And the back and forth kind of went back and forth like that. Then there was conversation about the amenities and that Kevin Polar said something and then so Perry Manassian kind of leaned in on Kevin Polar’s com. He’s like he said the air conditioning was broken and Sam’s like well no he said that the amenities are not great here and Perry again just kind of reaffirmed that Kikuchi loves this place and he can’t speak for anybody else but the players love this place and that the air conditioning is working and then kind of ended it with okay great. It was just a weird back and forth. And then we saw later on that day there was a posting for an HVAC technician for the Angels. John, is this Let me ask let me just say this. I I don’t understand if there’s a strategy. I don’t understand the strategy of communication with the angels. Yeah. I I get so frustrated when I see any organization, whatever it might be, I get so frustrated when the organization does not acknowledge the the faultiness or the cracks or the mess. I get celebrating the good. I think that’s part of your PR. I think you want to celebrate wins. You want to start with wins. I get that. But the angels just seem like they absolutely refuse to acknowledge anything that would be based in reality or any sort of narrative that the fans bring. It feels like they’re like, “No, if we don’t if we don’t see it or if we don’t feel it or if we don’t say it, then it’s not true.” And Perry not even acknowledging that Kikuchi said anything and acknowledging that maybe perhaps there was a broken AC. It could have been easier for him to say, “Yeah, we had a we had a broken AC, but we did get it repaired.” So, I’m not sure uh the full extent of why Kikuchi was saying what he’s saying. There have been people now that have gone back to see if maybe he was if it was misinterpreted because he said it in his native language and and and all of those things. I just don’t get the strategy, John. It just feels very gaslighting, right? That’s a the the Gen Z word. It feels it feels very much like you’re you’re not going to get us stuck in a narrative where we talk negative about this team at all. We’re not going to talk about the mess. We’re not going to talk about the poop in the middle of the field. We’re not going to talk about right. We’re not going to talk about anything like that. And I just don’t get that. Do you get that? I don’t understand why it has to be that way when a simple answer could have been, oh yeah, I not aware of any issues that we might have had that Kikuchi spoke on. Like this goes back to something I think we said the last time Perry spoke, Mike, there’s there’s no eloquence in his delivery. And I understand it’s Sam and Sam Sam does really good reporting and and sometimes like these exchanges come across like he’s poking and proddding and so Perry pokes and prods right back and I’m sure there’s a there’s a sentiment in the media room of oh there’s there goes Sam again, right? Yeah. And I think it’s not because Sam is inaccurate or incorrect. That’s what I’m trying to say. Yeah, Sam editorializes and the other guys don’t. Rhett doesn’t, Jeff Fletcher does it. Now, they might throw some comments out there, but Sam will editorialize and it feels like when Sam asks a question immediately they they have their paws up immediately their claws are raccoon. Yes, they’re mad and frustrated and immediately which maybe they feel justified in that, but that’s that’s neither here nor there. It still feels like anytime they get asked a question, it feels like they’re like, “No, everything’s everything’s great.” Bald. I’m not bald. Fat. I’m not fat. Right. Like, that’s not about you and me, is it? I was just throwing out just throw. Yeah. Right. Um, listen, and and you’re right. It it’s it’s perfectly reasonable things to ask like, “Hey, did you hear about Kikuchi? What he said?” And, you know, Kevin Polar also mentioned like that the amenities weren’t that great. Like, do you have a response to that? And and so for Perry to not have a great response to that and kind of play this game of pingpong, I think is silly. Now, look, the the HVAC thing is hilarious, especially the fact that they posted a new listing up on their website like the day of. And so, but there were other part-time gigs. It looked like they posted all their part-time gigs for next season at the same time. So, I’m just trying to be fair. I’m just trying to be reasonable. I’m just trying to say like here’s everything that happened. But that’s not the point. I I understand the the you know the comedy in that, but the point is is the idea that the angels think everything is fine and sunshine and rainbows, which we’ve we’ve said before, and they can’t address the issues. They act like they act like they are handling the New York media, right? And there’s such a difference between, you know, the softballs that they can get. Not that our journalists aren’t asking the right questions, but the but the New York media will come at you and be like, “Well, why did you suck today, Mike?” You know, it’s just like, “Whoa, slow down there.” You know, but but over here, you’re not dealing with anybody who’s trying to get you and got you and things like that. And with this questioning, I don’t know, it’s just more of the same. It it could have been answered so easily. It could have been answered just fine and it didn’t have to become a thing. At the end of the day, yeah, maybe Perry Manassian, the general manager, didn’t know that there was an issue with the AC, and that’s totally fair. Yeah. And so, all he had to do was acknowledge I I’m not I don’t know. Maybe there was an issue that I’m not aware of. Um, you know, we try to take care of things as fast as possible, but maybe maybe uh something got missed. I don’t know. Yeah. But you could do better than whatever the heck this exchange was, right? Yeah. And it felt like when when Sam asked the question, it felt like Perry was like, “No, the ACA is cold.” He’s talking about the room that they’re in. And and so with with Perry, you have to do the dance almost of going uh in the workout room. That’s where he’s like, “You have to get all the details. Why why not just tell Colonel Mustard in the workout room with the dumbbell?” Yeah. Right. Why can’t we just have a normal conversation about this and and and then you give us some some good information? It it felt like It felt like he had been prepared for that. felt like he had been walked through by maybe a PR firm that told him how to Sam asked me about the AC. I know I’m gonna I’m gonna hit him with this zinger. It’s gonna be so great. Now, I listen, I’m I’m I’m a fan sometimes when you’re frustrated with people by by by zinging them back, right? I’m I’m I’m a fan of that sarcasm is is uh our gifting in the French family. And so I I I get that. I understand. Do you want a zinger that’s light and playful or do you want one that’s going to end someone’s life? Right. Yeah. And and I get that, right? And and I think we all have that in us, right? And we have to make a decision on when it when it is going to come out, if it should ever come out, right? But in this situation, you’re the general manager of a baseball team, right? And you have an opportunity to bring clarity to situations. And this all this does is make fans and make the media go, “Yeah, man. This is exactly what we thought it was. You guys are playing ping pong. You guys are dancing around it. You guys can’t admit that everything is okay.” I was in an organization one time where it was not great. And one of the leaders of the organization told another leader, “Everything is okay in our organization.” When it wasn’t and it was like, “That’s manipulative. That’s dumb. Why are you doing that?” And that’s what this feels like with Perry Manosian. Yeah. It it could have been a much simpler situation. It could have been handled much better. I understand the ridiculousness of the situation. The fact that, you know, AC’s broken and they hire somebody and then the amenities aren’t that great. and Kevin Polar speaks to yeah the Angels are kind of behind in that sort of thing. So, it’s basically it’s how everybody handles this situation. But getting back to the point of the Angels, it’s just a matter of just tell it like it is for crying out loud, right? And it never seems like we get a straight answer. For for two years, they blocked off the media from the coaching staff and everything had to be interpreted through Joe Madden and Phil Nevin and you couldn’t talk to any of the trainers, you couldn’t talk to any of the, you know, hitting coaches, pitching coaches, what what have you. And and it’s been that way for so long that they they just get more closed off and back up way back here the more that they stink and they know that they stink and that’s why they get closed off and do stuff like this and it just it it can be really frustrating as a fan. Thanks for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. Coming up, let’s talk about the impact of a manager and if Kurt Suzuki even has a chance to succeed in 2026. We’ll get into those conversations coming right up. Fellas, it’s time to stop making excuses and start making moves. And that’s where Rouette comes in. Rougeette.com offers fast acting doctor prescribed treatments for ED where you can connect with a boardcertified doctor 100% online. No awkward waiting rooms and no in-person appointments. And if you get a prescription, your treatment ships discreetly to your front door. It’s fast, it’s simple, and it’s private and all handled again by real doctors. 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Super Halo Bros on Twitter, Tik Tok, Instagram, Locked on Angels on Twitter as well. Now, we had an everyday comment and say no one should really make a big deal out of this as it really makes zero difference who is assigned as the manager. But is that fully true, Mike? What do you think? I don’t think it’s fully true. Here’s a couple of examples of how managers decisions can influence a game in a positive or negative way. Let me just focus on the Angels for a moment. Remember Ron Ron Washington had Tim Anderson bat fifth on opening day. That impacted the team, right? And then he didn’t move down. He didn’t move him anywhere else. It was a terrible decision. Remember Ray Montgomery would pull pitchers when they’re cruising or put pitchers in when they shouldn’t be in because the analytics say so. That’s a terrible decision. And then let’s go back to the year before. Ron asking a guy to bunt when the pitcher can’t hit the strike zone and then getting mad at the the guy bunting. Like that was a terrible decision. I could even not even talk Angels baseball about managers and making decisions. Remember the ALCS Dan Wilson not bringing in their best arm to face George Springer. Andre Munoz. Yeah. Right. Or not choosing to walk George Springer in that moment. These are gamechanging decisions which show that the manager does have impact on the game and what happens on the field. I got one for you. How about uh Matt Duffy batting cleanup uh 2022 on opening day in Joe Madden’s lineup? Yes. I mean, the managers will have an impact on the game. They’re going to have an impact on the field. And and what I love about what Kurt Suzuki said is that he said, “I will make mistakes, but I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.” So, I’m going to really pay attention to that because remember, this is a prove it to me, Kurt. Prove it to me, Angels kind of year. And and I think that Kurt’s a good guy, but I think that he’s somebody that we didn’t expect and it feels kind of like uh hey, let’s whoever’s sitting around, let’s grab that guy. But the question was the statement more from an everydayer was that managers really don’t have, you know, an impact on the wins and losses, the impact specifically on what happens on the fields. The the the way that they said it was they make zero difference on the game and and on the impact of the game. John, what what kind of impact do you think Kurt’s going to have on our favorite team? I think what’s behind a question like that, Mike, is essentially, does a manager have an impact on this team as long as Perry Manassian is the GM? Arty Marino is in charge. The roster is not as good as we need it to be in order to be successful. I think that’s the sentiment a lot of people hold. And I think that’s totally valid point and truth to to hold on to is the fact that yeah, nobody in this role is really set up for success, but the the gametoame decisions are super crucial. And for Curt Suzuki, when he says, “I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.” Okay. Well, then don’t go to whoever you went to in the seventh and blew the game last night out of the bullpen. Don’t go to them again. Yeah. Right. And and it’s that sort of thing. I I’m reminded of uh the two games in a row that Reed Demer’s just blew up out of the bullpen very early on and how frustrating that was and I thought it was a fireable offense just because of the way things had been going and and all of that stuff and they were just terrible decisions by Ron Washington. Now, in hindsight, at the end of the season, it doesn’t really matter, and it was actually probably good for Demmer to go through that. But when when it’s the beginning of the season, you’re not kicking the can down the road. It’s not a it’s not a washed year, if you will. But it at the end of it, you can go, all right, well, at least Demer went through that in order to grow and get better. But but really, that’s the problem with this team, right? Everything is competitive, but also it’s a growth year and everything is playoffs, playoffs, playoffs, but also well, you know, we’re just trying to give these guys their opportunities. And so it just that’s the problem with the double speak. That’s the problem with the gaslighting, right? That they’re going to be super competitive. We’re obviously really competitive. And as far as Kurt Suzuki goes, I think that he can be a better decision maker. But but there’s nothing at this point that we can go, well, here’s a good situation where Kurt displayed the fact that he knows what he’s doing in this situ like we we can’t do that. Yeah. And you look at what you just said, Dan Wilson game seven of the ALCS doesn’t go to his best relief arm because according to Tai from Lockown Mariners, he hasn’t gone to his best relief arm in any innings other than the eighth and the ninth, right? And so he just clung to that so tightly that it cost them the championship series, which is a darn shame in my opinion. No, but I’m just trying to say it emphasizes the point that you’re make that that you make that yeah, managers can impact these games and no matter who it is, the decisions they make from game to game are going to impact wins and losses. And I think that Kurt Suzuki, I think he’ll do a good job. I mean, being a catcher, I think that’s a huge part of it. But Mike, the other part of this equation is we’ll pile on the manager for making dumb decisions and go, “Well, he cost us this, he cost us that.” So, can we not pile on when they make good decisions? I think I if we’re going to pile on managers for making bad decisions, then yeah, they add wins and they also add losses. That happens very often in this sport. Mike Soa was really good at controlling the game when he was the manager of this team. He was really good. I think he called most of the pitches. He was always calling what were they going to what they were going to do on the base pass. He even was making calls defensively, right? And and he was making calls offensively. Mike Zosa, you could tell he had his handprint all over this team. And that might have been part of the tension that he was fighting Jerry Dotto on because Jerry Dotto says, “No, no, no. You make you make this decision in this moment with these analytics.” And so she’s like, “Nah, bro. Not doing that.” Right? So that that’s what Mike Sosa brought. I don’t know if Kurt Suzuki has the Mike Sosa gear. He feels like a poor man’s Mike Sosa. I just don’t know if he’s going to be able to control and manipulate the game like Mike Sosa did. SOA had to earn that, by the way. And he earned that by winning. And so if we start winning and we see Kurt Suzuki making calls and making plays and I caveat, I hope he is. I hope he’s so active in the dugout that they’re always looking over to see what he’s doing. I get that you you want to trust your players by making calls and and moving, but I hope that they are so active and this coaching staff is so active that they have really done their work to set their boys up to win. I think that the manager and the coaches do have an impact on what happens on the field. Yeah, the players need to play. They need to perform, but we saw that I’ll say it again, Logan Hoppy with the coaches. Like he he wasn’t the same guy trying to learn how to catch and trying to learn how to hit. I I think he I think he got destroyed by terrible coaches. And so it’s good that they’re going to have new coaches there. But I think that that does impact this team and the manager does impact this team. And you’re right, we’re going to pile on them because they made a terrible decision and lost the game and let’s celebrate when they make a really good decision and they win a game. Yeah. With the uh with the coaching staff too, the impact that they have on this team comes down to what are they trying to get these guys to do? Well, I think a good starting point for coach Suzuki is what I’ve been saying he said all week long and that’s every guy at the plate needs to play to their strengths, right? I’m paraphrasing, but that’s essentially what he was saying. Not everybody’s going to be the same kind of guy in this lineup. Will he follow through on that? Well, we’ll see by the hitting coach. We’ll see by the kinds of people that they bring in to work around Suzuki. So, yes, I’m I’m cautiously optimistic. It’s a it’s a prove it to me thing like you said. And when it comes to the impact of a manager from game to game, I mean, it’s certainly there. I again I understand that at the end of the day it’s Arty Marino owns his team, Perry Manasian is in charge. Does the manager even matter? I get that sentiment, but when you’re actually in the nitty-gritty in the game to game, of course they’re going to have an impact on the play on the field. Every Day’s FanDuel has an offer that you don’t want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. So, pick a bet, put down five bucks, and if it hits, you’re going to unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the FanDuel app. And they have so many ways that you can play. You can build parlays, try player props, you can even follow the live lines during live games. Whether you’re a casual fan or you love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. So, stop waiting and go to fanduel.com to download the FanDuel app today and get started. All right, question for you, Mike. With Kurt being a firsttime manager with no experience and actually have some success, can he succeed even though we don’t think that he’s going to be set up for success considering he’s got a one-year deal and no players are going to want to sign here and coaching staff’s going to be newbies? You know what I’m saying? Is there a world where a firstear manager who’s doesn’t have any experience can succeed? I think so. And I think Craig Council is an example of that. He’s done that. He retired as a player, spent three years as a special assistant, and then was named the Brewers manager. Johnny’s managed in 11 seasons, and he’s only had two losing seasons. Wow. I know there’s a lot that went into that. Cubs and Brewers do surround him with really good players, but just in in an island on its own, he is a guy that’s a success story that went from special assistant to the general manager to being a manager without any coaching experience. Brewers Cubs again is where he did this. So, it’s it’s possible. It’s possible. But John with the Angels, is it possible with Kurt Suzuki, considering that he’s not just going to be on an island by himself, but that there is the factors of Perry Manassian and there is the factors of a limited budget and there is the factors of scrap heat guys bargain shopping. There is the factor of Arty Mareno. Do do you think that he could be successful on an island by himself and do you think he can be successful with all of the angel factors that come into play? Yeah, I’m looking at some of the teams that uh Craig Council stepped in to manage and okay, he took over for Ron Reni after he went seven and 18 in 2015. Council comes in goes 61 and 76. So he’s in a situation where probably like Phil Nevin was, right? And then they gave him another year to do something. But the difference here is Mike in 2016 73 and 89 under Craig Council. And I’m like looking at the I’m looking at the teams and the kinds of players that are on these teams and just wondering did Craig Counsel was he set up for success and and I just came across Scooter Janette. I haven’t heard that name in a long long time. There’s a good one. So, um, and then it was 2017 that he finally had a winning record, 86 and 76. Unfortunately, second in the National League Central, didn’t seem to make the the playoffs that year. Um, and the the run differential says that they should have gone 85 and 77. So, they were right in line with their performance, basically just one game better than their performance said that they would do. And I I’m just looking at these teams and just wondering, man, can can he make uh you know, chicken salad out of out of chicken poop like Ron Washington was saying the other day? Um and it looked like Craig Council sort of did that. Now, some of these some of these guys are not like the worst players in the world, but um I’m thinking like, okay, there’s there’s Ryan Braun, right? Say what you will about him robbing the the MVP from Matt Camp and all that stuff. He’s still the guy that was kind of the centerpiece of those Brewers teams. I think about the fact that he’s Mike Trout now. I mean, in the sense of his performance, played 104 games that year that they finally had a winning season and, you know, surrounded by some of these other guys that um aren’t the aren’t the flashiest and brightest names in in the league. And then um the the starting rotation, not anything uh not any names that you would recognize, but still really good performance-wise. So I just think that maybe Kurt Suzuki is kind of in the same situation as Craig Council when he started. The difference is it seems like that they were committed to council and it who knows what’s going to happen beyond this year. Does that make sense? Yeah. I think with somebody like Perz Suzuki, you you just really you have no idea what you’re getting. And yeah, with Craig Council, you had no idea what you’re getting. But it with with the Brewers and and now with the Cubs, it does feel like you kind of know that they’re going to they’re going to make some moves to be competitive, but they’re not going to make some moves to be competitive in the sense of the Angels. They’re going to make some moves to actually, you know, try to get to the playoffs. the Cubs made the trade for Kyle Tucker and probably won’t be back because the Cubs weren’t too impressed with him and probably don’t want to pay the cost. He’ll probably be an angel because that feels like a very angel move. But I think I think with Craig Council there is more infrastructure around him versus what is going on with the Angels right now. If if Kurt is successful this year, it will be miraculous, right? And and I say that not in a in a term like it’s impossible, but if Kurt is successful this year, then that that dude deserves a 10-year deal. Well, then what how do how are we going to define success? That’s what I want to know. I would say that success is that this team finishes over 500. Not 500. I think the team has to finish over 500. I don’t know if I would even say trying to get into that third playoff spot is is going to be in that category. I I I’m going to fall into the category of it’s a it’s a it’s a raving success if Kurt Suzuki can get this team to 83 84 wins. That’s what I would say. If they are in the wildcard hunt the last week of the season, then I’m giving Kurt Suzuki a 10ear deal. I mean, if if he can take this team and do that with this team, I like that would be impressive to me. I would look at these coaches and go, what did what did they do? And can we bottle that and copy and paste it and make it happen for the next few years? So, for me, success is going to be over 500 83 84 85 wins. Uh really incredible success will be that they were last week of the year. they’re still in the the conversation for that third wild card spot. I think that’s a great way to define it and and if they’re over 500 at the end of the season, it’s because the players were used correctly, it’s because they figured some things out with Logan Hoppy, right? It’s it’s a full and healthy season from Zach Neto. Doesn’t miss a month at the beginning of the season. Now, I know he had the shoulder surgery, so that makes sense. But it’s it’s keeping these guys healthy. It’s Mike Trout doing what needs to be done to keep him on the field versus whatever you want, Trout. And and and that goes back again to our first conversation of today is just so much of what the Angels do is like, ah, whatever you want. Yeah, that’s fine. Look, I know you had to do that with Showi Otani to unlock the full potential of Shoi Otani, and he turned into who he was because they did. take the gloves off. But I don’t think everybody’s like that. You when you manage people, you have to manage them. And that means like telling them, hey, you know what? I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I think it’s better that you’re a DH. I think it’s better that you stay on the field. I think it’s better to have your bat in the lineup. We don’t want you getting hurt. And and sometimes you just have to do that. So when I when I talk about success in Kurt Suzuki, it’s who’s he bringing in for the staff and is he getting the most out of the players that we all know are very good. But you and I and maybe some of our everydayers too are confident that they hadn’t been taken in the right direction in terms of coaching, in terms of leadership, in terms of approaches at the plate and what to do. all that stuff that I think that we’ve talked about over the last season and a half really. Yeah. That needs to get better. And so if if you can get the most out of these guys, I think that’s going to be a path to success for Kurt Suzuki. One last thought. I think that if they’re going to measure success, they got to put a number on it. They got to have a metric to it. Because what you just said, I don’t disagree with, but I think that that could be easily said, well, yeah, you know, they got better. Yeah, they got better. They had a better season. Right. And I so I I would say and that my push back to you would be give me a number. Give me ops plus above average over 100 for everybody, right? Like I need everybody to be at least league average. And that’s the problem with this team is I don’t want anybody under 100 weighted run creative plus. I don’t want anybody under ops plus of 100. That’s I guess that’s what I would say. Thanks for making Locked on Angels your first listen of the day. Now for your next listen, check out Locked on MLO game night. You can find that show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Of course, I had to go with the nerd stat to just make my definition. Hey, uh, we appreciate you being here. Give us a follow on Twitter, lockdown angels, superhaler bros on Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok, all those good places. Come on over to YouTube and get into the conversation in the comments section. Mike, when we come back on Monday, what do we have on deck? Johnny, those cheap young players aren’t so cheap anymore, especially with who Zach Neto signed with. And so we’re going to talk about their number, arbitration number on Monday and we’ll discuss what it means for Zach Neto signing with the sports agency that he did all of that Monday on Locked on Angels. All right, looking forward to that conversation. We hope you’ll come back and join us. Until then, my name is John and that’s my brother Mike. And my name is Mike and that’s my brother John. Thanks for being here everybody. And for the sickos who like to watch and listen, we’ll see you back here on Monday. Sickos. So sick. Made me sick. Love this team and we’re sickos for it.

The Los Angeles Angels’ front office faces scrutiny over its communication strategy; are they gaslighting fans and media? The Super Halo Bros. dissect Perry Minasian’s response to Yusei Kikuchi’s comments and the team’s tendency to deny negative reports. How much impact do managers really have on game outcomes? The brothers debate the significance of managerial decisions, from lineup construction to pitching changes. They analyze Kurt Suzuki’s potential as the Angels’ new skipper, comparing his situation to Craig Counsell’s successful transition. Can Suzuki overcome budget constraints and organizational issues to lead the Halos above .500? Tune in for a critical look at the Angels’ leadership and what success might look like in the upcoming season!

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0:00 Intro: Angels gaslighting fans, coaching changes

5:06 Perry Minasian’s evasive response on AC issues

15:58 How managers influence wins and losses

20:49 Can Kurt Suzuki succeed as inexperienced manager?

26:10 Craig Counsell as example of successful new manager

30:53 Defining success for Kurt Suzuki’s first season

34:38 Preview of next episode on arbitration numbers