Angels GM Jerry Dipoto "is indeed out," and while not all the details are clear, he and manager Mike Scioscia "never really clicked," according to sources cited by Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. The pair "got along ok during 98-win '14, but struggled to co-exist" this season (TWITTER.com, 7/1). MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez cited sources as saying that Dipoto early yesterday "packed up his office and left." Angels Owner Arte Moreno then "made an appearance in the Angels' clubhouse" last night following the team's game against the Yankees. But Angels officials last night said that "no announcement was pending" (MLB.com, 7/1). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick cites a source as saying that that Dipoto approached Moreno "with an ultimatum that 'backfired'" (ESPN.com, 7/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Tim Brown notes Dipoto "was under contract" through '16 (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/1). FOXSPORTS.com's Ken Rosenthal cited sources as saying that emotions "simmered in a series of meetings over the weekend when Dipoto expressed frustration with the coaches’ failure to convey scouting information to the players." The sources added that at least one coach "responded heatedly" to Dipoto and 1B Albert Pujols "issued a pointed rebuttal to his GM." The intervention of Dipoto in "such a forceful manner is uncommon even in an era when GMs are exerting more authority over in-game strategy." A rift between Dipoto and Scioscia in '12 "stemmed in part from Scioscia’s resistance to data prepared by Dipoto and his staff." The current problems "are rooted in a similar issue." Sources said that Dipoto "believes that the coaches too often rely on 'feel.'" The coaches, in turn, "seemingly do not trust the information they are given, and either are not willing or able to translate it for the players" (FOXSPORTS.com, 6/30).
LONG TIME COMING? In L.A., Mike DiGiovanna notes Pujols' anger was "directed inward," toward an unidentified person who "revealed details of meetings on Friday and Sunday" between Scioscia and Dipoto. Pujols: "Whoever leaked that story, it's really embarrassing, because we're supposed to be family here. I don't know how that information got out." DiGiovanna notes that information "could lead to a seismic shift in the Angels' front office" (L.A. TIMES, 7/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Brown cited one Angels official, who said there were "a lot of closed doors" around team HQ last night. Another source said of Dipoto's relationship with Scioscia and Moreno, "Something's going to give this time. Looks irreparable." Brown notes no matter "where this spirals to, it will come back to Scioscia and Dipoto and whether fundamental differences can be -- or will be -- bridged." The rift "formed when Dipoto fired Scioscia's preferred hitting coach -- Mickey Hatcher -- three years ago." It was "widely speculated" then that the two men "could not work together, that one would quit or be fired, but they found enough common ground to trudge on." The Angels are on pace for fewer wins this year than last, and "perhaps it is that mediocrity that feeds issues that never will be resolved" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/1). Fox Sports' Rosenthal notes Scioscia "has an opt-out at the end of the year" and is owed $18M if he stays. Rosenthal: "Could he get a better deal somewhere else? Perhaps, because there will be jobs open. Does he want to leave? I would say he probably doesn't want to leave” (“MLB Whiparound,” FS1, 6/30).
A WAY OF DOING THINGS: In California, Jeff Miller writes it is "odd that something like how scouting reports are handled could be the issue that ultimately ends the Scioscia/Dipoto pairing." That seems like a "small thing, relative to all the big things these two face, separately and together, on a daily basis." Working relationships in sports "often come apart through gradual erosion rather than sudden eruption, and what happened in the Angels clubhouse over the weekend clearly was an example of something significant wearing away" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/1). FS1's C.J. Nitkowski said of Dipoto attempting to go straight to players with info, "That is not how information should flow throughout a system. Give it to your coaches. Let them disperse it the way that they think is best. ... You have to trust your coaches” (“MLB Whiparound,” FS1, 6/30).
