John Carpino, the Los Angeles Angels' president, and Joe Maddon, their decorated manager, sat on adjacent couches on Wednesday morning, a day when 16 other teams would participate in the postseason. Displayed between them was the World Series trophy from 2002, a persistent reminder of the glory that still eludes this franchise in the years since.
The Angels, coming off their fifth consecutive losing season, have begun the search for their third full-time general manager in nine years. Carpino said they are "open to anything" with regards to filling the vacancy of Billy Eppler, whose firing was announced shortly after the regular-season finale.