Former Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia, who won the franchise's only World Series with the team in 2002, showered former owner Arte Moreno with praise following his landmark sale of the team. Moreno sold the Angels for $4 billion on Tuesday, marking the largest sum for a team in MLB history, beating out the Padres' sale earlier in the season. The longtime owner of the Angels took over after their World Series triumph, though controversy constantly surrounded him towards the latter end of his reign.
Fans grew frustrated with his management of the team, drawing anger from his wastefulness of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, refusal to hand out big contracts in key years and a general lack off competitiveness over the past decade, leading to a season-long series of protests in Angel Stadium. Despite the heaps of criticisms aimed at Moreno, Scioscia had his back following his historic sale—going so far as to call him "great." "Arte Moreno was a great owner," he said, per The Sporting Tribune's Ernesto Madrigal-Rodriguez. "Arte and Carol did a great job of giving us talent.
Some years we did really well. Some years we didn't meet the expectations. But for the sale of the team to go through to such a high sports figure...
What he's done with his other franchises, I think you have to be optimistic about where the Angels are gonna be." Scioscia served as the Angels' skipper from 2000-18, with the sole World Series triumph as his biggest accomplishment—cementing himself as the undisputed greatest manager in Angels history. Over his 19 years at the helm, the Angels had a .536 winning percentage, and won the division six times, making the postseason in seven seasons. During his tenure in Anaheim, Scioscial, won Manager of the Year on two occasions in 2002 and 2009.
He also spent the entirety of his 13-year playing career in Los Angeles, though all of those years came with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He made two All-Star Games, received MVP votes in 1985 and won two World Series during his playing career. While he may not manage the Angels anymore, currently holding an advisory role with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, he will surely keep a close eye on the Halos' dealings after Moreno's abrupt leave.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
