Nonetheless, there was Howard, only four months removed from major surgery, participating in batting practice with his teammates Wednesday. He donned his No. 6 jersey for the first time in 138 days. That was also the last time Howard made public comments, the night a season of unparalleled expectations came crashing down on his balky left Achilles.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
TEMPE, Ariz. — Albert Pujols is the focal point of the Los Angeles Angels’ 2012 marketing campaign, which kicked off in late January with 70 billboards throughout Southern California, 20 of which refer to the former St. Louis Cardinals star as “El Hombre,” The Man.
One little problem: Pujols would prefer not to be called “El Hombre.”
The slugger asked the St. Louis media and fans in 2010 to refrain from using the nickname because he felt it was disrespectful to Cardinals Hall of Fame member Stan “The Man” Musial, and those feelings have not changed now that Pujols is in Anaheim.
“I feel the same way,” Pujols said before Wednesday morning’s workout in Tempe Diablo Stadium. “I had nothing to do with (the billboards). They haven’t talked to me about it.”
Would Pujols be OK with the Angels using the nickname in future campaigns?
“I haven’t made that decision, so I haven’t talked to them about it,” Pujols said, “but I prefer they not use that.”
The Angels did not consult with Pujols or his agent before launching the campaign, but Tim Mead, vice president of communications, and Robert Alvarado, vice president of marketing and ticket sales, said the team does not normally seek approval from players about how they will be portrayed in ads.
“I haven’t experienced any resistance from players in the past about things like this,” Alvarado said. “It’s all complimentary.”
Mead added that “El Hombre” has a different meaning to fans in Southern California than it does in St. Louis.
“His sentiments in St. Louis were out of respect and deference to someone else,” Mead said. “He was saying, ‘I’m not The Man, Stan Musial is.’ We’re marketing Albert Pujols, Angels baseball. I think there’s a tremendous difference in context.”
However, Pujols said he respected Musial not just for his accomplishments on the field but for what he has done for his country.
Musial, a three-time National League most valuable player who had 3,630 hits, served in the Navy during World War II and last February was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his lifetime of achievement and service.
“That’s something you have to appreciate,” said Pujols, who during his 11 years in St. Louis developed a close relationship with Musial.
If Pujols’ feathers were ruffled, they shouldn’t be for long. The billboards, which cost the Angels $200,000 to lease, will come down in late March after a two-month run.
“That’s typically our media strategy,” Alvarado said. “We do a lot to gear up on the front end of the year to create a lot of buzz. Once the season starts, the buzz is created on the field.”
Alvarado also said the team would check with Pujols before using him in future marketing efforts.
“I’m sure there will be a conversation between Tim and (Angels President) John Carpino and Albert and his team,” Alvarado said, “and we can see how they want to proceed.”
Abreu wants to be
an everyday player
TEMPE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t expect Bobby Abreu to be a distraction in the clubhouse this season.
Speaking a day after Abreu said in a statement to ESPNdeportes that the Angels should trade him if he is going to spend most of his time on the bench this season, Scioscia spoke highly of the outfielder, who will turn 38 on March 11, but stopped short of saying he will play every day.
“I don’t think Bobby’s going to be anything but a player who wants to come out here and wants to help us win,” Scioscia said Wednesday. “Bobby and I have always spoken very candidly. He’s a professional. I don’t think there are many guys any more professional than Bobby.”
With the addition of Albert Pujols, Kendry Morales’ return from injury and Mark Trumbo’s emergence last year, it appears Abreu could lose significant playing time this season.
“I’m an everyday player, and can be in the lineup for a big league team,” Abreu told ESPNdeportes.com Tuesday. “I’m not going to be on the bench knowing I can play. If the Angels don’t have a set position for me, then the best thing they can do is trade me. It’d be the right thing to do. I’m not going to do anything sitting on the bench.”
Abreu hit. 253 last year, his lowest average over a full season and only two points below his 2010 average. His on-base percentage was a respectable .353 last season, but well below his career OBP of .397 and his .390 OBP during a strong 2009 season, his first with the Angels.
Abreu also hit only eight homers with 60 RBIs last year, a steep dropoff from 2010 when he had 20 homers and 78 RBIs.
Scioscia insisted that there will be plenty of playing time for Abreu.
“I certainly don’t see him as a bench player, but I definitely see him as getting value in playing time,” Scioscia said. “How much it’s going to be … there are a lot of guys competing for at-bats, we know that. I don’t think Bobby would be valuable playing him once or twice a week. We would have to play him more than that and there are certainly ways to get a lot of guys into the lineup to where they’re contributing.
“I think what Bobby’s fear is that he’s going to become a bench player that’s going to play once a week. I think there’s a range in there between playing once a week and between playing seven days a week that I can definitely see a role in Bobby’s playing.”
It’s been reported that there is not a lot of interest for Abreu because of his contract that will pay him $9 million this season.
Any deal involving Abreu would likely involve the Angels paying part of his contract or taking a bad contract back in return.
On Wednesday, Scioscia pointed to Abreu’s second-half struggles last season.
After a solid June in which he hit .325, Abreu hit .179 in July and .200 in August.
“If you’re referring to Bobby’s case, you’re not about whether a guy’s production diminishes or not, you have to look at what the guy can do.” Scioscia said. “Bobby’s still is a very, very productive player in some important areas. He still gives you a terrific at bat up there.
“If there are issues, his agent is going to work through them with (Angels General Manager Jerry Dipoto),” Scioscia said. “Bobby’s here, and he’s going to help us win games.”
No timetable for
Ryan Howard’s
return to Phillies
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ryan Howard limped down the hallway from the Phillies clubhouse to the cafeteria at Bright House Field, where he would discuss his tedious comeback from a torn Achilles tendon, and stopped to find a man facing a similar plight.
It was Bill Giles, the Phillies’ chairman, who tore his right Achilles recently while playing golf. All winter, Howard said, people came to him in places such as the grocery store with their own Achilles tales. They showed him their scars.
“I was just trying to get some milk,” Howard said, but soon he understood how common an injury it is.
Giles had his own story, but he’d keep it short. His $125 million investment was late for a live appearance on national TV.
“You’re coming along better than I am,” Giles said.
Howard patted him on the shoulder and kept moving with a hitch, almost as if the batting-practice home runs he had bashed hours earlier had been hit by his twin brother, Corey, as a stand-in.
“He had a very serious injury,” manager Charlie Manuel said, and that is a crucial fact to remember when the videos of Howard swinging, fielding, and jogging are viewed in Philadelphia.
Howard, unlike Phillies officials, was not willing to set a timetable Wednesday for his return. Ruben Amaro Jr. and others have targeted sometime in May as a public answer, but they will exert extreme conservatism.
“Ask me in May,” Howard said. “I’m not going to put a time limit on it. I’m going to listen to my body and see where we are.”
Nonetheless, there was Howard, only four months removed from major surgery, participating in batting practice with his teammates Wednesday. He donned his No. 6 jersey for the first time in 138 days. That was also the last time Howard made public comments, the night a season of unparalleled expectations came crashing down on his balky left Achilles.