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Recent scandals in both the NBA and MLB involve prop betting.

Proposition, or prop, betting invites player manipulation. How can the leagues protect the integrity of the games?

Don’t look now, but the Angels are having a good offseason.  Oh, it’s early and they are not making headline-grabbing news, but the sad-sack club in Anaheim is making some solid decisions. 

The Trade:  Sending a 36-home run cleanup hitter named Taylor Ward to Baltimore for a pitcher, Grayson Rodriguez, who hasn’t pitched in almost two years looks awful at first glance.

But Rodriguez was the No. 1 pitching prospect in all of baseball just a few years ago before injuries derailed him and he has a big upside.  He’s just 26 and has four years left on his existing contract. Ward is on the last year of his contract and his low batting average (.228) offsets his power.

Bottom line is the Angels HAD to do something to shakeup a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs in over a decade.

The Hires: New pitching coach Mike Maddux and new hitting coach Brady Anderson are highly respected baseball people.  Maddux has a long and impressive track record and Anderson, the former UC Irvine star, is an acknowledged student of hitting, both practical and analytical.  

The Dismissal: The Angels are seeking to finally buy out Anthony Rendon’s odorous contract ($245 million over 7 years).  Because of injuries, he doesn’t play anymore, does not do any rehab or have any contact with the team.  He just sits at home and collects bushels of money.

Addition by subtraction.

Meanwhile in Hall of Fame news

The Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee will announce two new additions to the Hall this Saturday and they’re expected to be Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy.

Bravo.

*Mattingly.  Six-time All-Star, 9-time Gold Glove winner, one MVP (and one runnerup), one batting title, .307 career batting average.  Yankee captain.

*Murphy: Two-time MVP, 7-time All-Star, 5- time Gold Glove winner, 398 career home runs.

The Veterans Committee is officially the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee and considers players who played after 1980.  It is made up of 16 members and a candidate must receive 12 votes for induction. It is a formidable list of (12) nominees including Fernando Valenzuela, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Jeff Kent.  Voters may cast only three votes. 

Rich arm

Good work if you can get it:  Dylan Cease went 8-12 with a high ERA of 4.55 with the Padres this past season, but still got a whopping $210 million contract with Toronto.

Speed game

How much faster are major league games thanks to the pitch clock?  The 18-inning World Series game this year was 40 minutes shorter than the 18-inning playoff game in 2018.

Swing and miss

The Angels struck out more frequently than any other team in the majors in 2024 – 27.1% of the time.

Dodgers in demand

Ex-Dodger pitchers Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Walker Buehler would be nice bargain pickups for many teams.  They’re all free agents and young enough (May is 28, Gonsolin and Buehler 31) to bounce back from injuries.

Pete Donovan is a Palm Desert resident and former Los Angeles Times sports reporter. He can be reached atpwdonovan22@yahoo.com