Manager KOs general manager in latest Angels rift

The quotes Mike Scioscia provided after yet another in-house controversy with the Los Angeles Angels made it look as if he was completely oblivious to the tension that had been created between himself and ex-general manager Jerry Dipoto.

Dipoto, the highly regarded executive and former big league pitcher, found working with Scioscia so unbearable after 3 1/2 years and felt so powerless that he flat quit one of the most exclusive jobs in baseball even at the risk of ruining his career.

The end came after an apparent clash over the dissemination and use of analytical data.

“I wasn’t able to help the club the way I wanted to,” Dipoto said.

The power in the Angels’ organization belongs solely to Scioscia and owner Arte Moreno, who supports Scioscia like the son who keeps getting in trouble at school but never gets grounded or even a slap on the wrist.

And Scioscia is not oblivious. He just plays the part during tumultuous times. His quotes essentially are his version of the truth, which, according to baseball sources and what was written last week by those close to the situation, isn’t very truthful.

Asked if there was a power struggle with Dipoto, Scioscia said no. Now that’s 100 percent true. Scioscia already had all the power, thanks to Moreno and 16 years on the job.

Aw, shucks, Scioscia admitted, he can be a little hard-headed and opinionated, but “I understand that the manager gets the word ‘no’ more than he gets ‘yes.’”

He must have been talking about the other 29 managers in the majors.

C’mon, man.

That ship sailed in 2012 after Dipoto fired hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, Scioscia’s close friend. Even Scioscia admitted that ticked him off. The nerve of that Dipoto punk.

But it’s apparent that Scioscia had the power, knowing he had Moreno’s unwavering support, to nix Dipoto thereafter. Heck, Moreno nixed Dipoto, or acted independently with the signing of Albert Pujols and Hamilton.

Scioscia, it is said quietly, is a control freak and can be a bully, traits that have worn on Angels players even though Scioscia is a good manager whose teams win.

Nevertheless, those players are left without a GM. Well, there’s interim GM Bill Stoneman, who returns to the role he once held with the Angels and actually hired Scioscia. That should take care of any more manager-GM controversies through the end of the season.

But the Angels are a flawed contender, and this is July. They need help at the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline.

They have light-hitting shortstop Erick Aybar serving as protection for Pujols, which would seem to be the fault of Dipoto.

It’s not going to be Scioscia. That’s the GM’s job, and remember, Scioscia told reporters that he knows his role as manager and there was no power struggle with Dipoto.

The duty normally would fall on the acting GM, though even Stoneman wonders if he has the energy to do the job for three months at age 71. Even when he was a spry 50-something, he never knocked ’em dead at the deadline.

What happens this month remains a mystery to the players, who were expecting something to happen until Dipoto up and left.

It’s possible the Angels could win the AL West or secure a wild-card spot as presently constructed, though they would likely need Houston to slump and for the Rangers and Mariners to not get hot.

Able-bodied Dipoto assistants Matt Klentak and Scott Servais will likely do the deadline work. They were busy Thursday and Friday trading away their international slot monies for minor leaguers, and they seem capable of acquiring big-league talent.

The Angels need the help. They need a GM. They had one, who found working with Scioscia so unbearable and felt so powerless that he flat quit.

The power in the Angels’ organization belongs solely to the manager and the owner, and that’s not good.

This story was originally published July 4, 2015 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Manager KOs general manager in latest Angels rift."