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Pearly Gates: An Angels Blog
Pearly Gates: An Angels Blog
Pearly Gates: An Angels Blog

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Saturday, May 01, 2004

Don't worry...

...I'm not going to do what you all think I'm going to do. I'm not going to FLIPOUT! Or GO CRAZY, man. -Halfbaked

Aaron Sele will get his first start of the season tonight in Minnesota, and while I've been screaming at the top of my lungs for Kevin Gregg to get a start, I can't say I disagree with this move.

Sele had a good spring and in the process should have earned a rotation spot over Ramon Ortiz (and even over Lackey and Shields). Sure, he's not the ideal choice, but he was always the most likely candidate to replace Ortiz (which should be the ultimate goal) so a spot start today can only be a step in the right direction.

I'm hoping beyond hope that he is successful. So successful that Scioscia has no choice to install him in the rotation in place of Ortiz, thus forcing the Angels to release Ortiz upon Donnelly's return, thus moving Gregg up the depth chart, where he will eventually replace Sele when he is dealt at the deadline. It's a likely scenario, and it all hinges on Aaron Sele tonight.

And I still don't quite get why everyone is down on Sele anyway. Sure, he struggled mightily last season, but he was coming off shoulder surgery, a procedure many believe requires two years to fully recover from. He is now two years from that surgery. I don't buy into the arguments about his age either, because he's never tried to over-power hitters. As long as he's got that control and that curveball he can be an effective Major League pitcher.

Scioscia's decision to go with Ortiz over Sele seemed to me to be a personal one. Either he doesn't like Aaron Sele, or he loves Ramon Ortiz- it's probably a little from column A, and little from column B. I don't know what those opinions could be based on, but it's clear that they have blinded Scioscia and have affected his decision making abilities. It's not to late for him to fix what's wrong with this team. Hopefully the renovation starts today.