Angels fans ignored loss of K-Rod because of stats, not race

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

A well-respected sports columnist, Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register, created controversy when he suggested Angels fans weren’t upset when closer Francisco Rodriguez signed with the New York Mets because of the color of his skin.

Rodriguez is from Venezuela.

Miller’s column prompted a response from another Register columnist, Marcia C. Smith, and a second column by Miller defending his original column.

I don’t agree with Smith because she says the fans were reacting, or not in this case, to Rodriguez’s greed.

But I don’t buy Miller’s argument either. Angels fans, most of them anyway, looked at the numbers and came to the same conclusion that the team did.

Although Rodriguez set a record for saves last season, I agree with Billy Beane and the ‘Moneyball’ folks who don’t believe in overpaying for closers, especially those who have been in that role for more than a couple of seasons, Mariano Rivera being the exception rather than the rule.

I’m not saying Rodriguez won’t have another good year or two in New York, but based on his numbers, his effectiveness is declining along with his velocity. As Miller himself points out, Rodriguez blew seven saves last season and walked 34.

-- Randy Harvey