The 2018 Emmy awards are upon us, and that got us thinking: What if Angels baseball players could win awards in Emmys categories? Who would win for Outstanding Drama? What about Outstanding Competition Series? The votes have been cast, and the Angels Emmy goes to…
OUTSTANDING DRAMA: The Shohei Ohtani Saga
Truly unmatched this season in its ups and downs, Shohei Ohtani’s right arm delivered a tour de force performance this year that could not be denied. When he joined the team, all seemed well. All of a sudden, reports surfaced of some damage to the Japanese Babe Ruth’s right elbow. It was reported that the Angels knew about this going into the signing, but it was cause for concern. Ohtani started the season well, and it seemed all worries about his elbow were behind him. Until a fateful start in Kansas City ended abruptly when Ohtani was experiencing discomfort from what turned out to be his elbow injury, back to wreak havoc on his Rookie of the Year campaign. This was later diagnosed as a grade 2 UCL sprain, keeping Ohtani off the mound for months. It appears this season will leave us on a cliffhanger, as Ohtani now must face the decision of whether or not to have Tommy John surgery, and we can’t wait to see what happens next.
OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION SERIES: Survivor: Starting Rotation Edition
This long-running, tragic show has brought us a truly entertaining season once again. Our contestants this year: Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, JC Ramirez, Garrett Richards, and newcomer Shohei Ohtani. We saw our first elimination on March 31st, as Matt Shoemaker fell to a forearm injury. Shoemaker has had a rough go of it the last couple of years on the show, but he made a surprise return toward the end of this season. Second to go was JC Ramirez, to a UCL sprain that required Tommy John surgery. Ramirez was a surprise contestant in the first place, and hasn’t necessarily been missed this season. Ohtani, a fan-favorite to win this year, fell next, to the UCL sprain that no one saw coming. Richards followed after Ohtani, also to an elbow injury. Then the last of the day one contestants fell, as Tyler Skaggs was relegated to the bench with a groin strain on August 12th. Shoemaker’s surprise return could be enough to make him this year’s winner, but there are still a couple more weeks to go, and as this show has shown us year after year, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES: Ian Kinsler’s Angels Run
The Ian Kinsler Show premiered this last offseason, to overwhelmingly positive reviews. Kinsler’s run lasted nearly six months, until the Angels swapped rights with the Boston Red Sox. Kinsler’s stint will be remembered as one that was incredibly hot and cold, more often than not, leaving viewers wanting just a little more. The highlight of this series, and possibly its biggest saving grace, was the steady relationship that blossomed between the titular character and shortstop Andrelton Simmons. Whenever those two came together, sparks flew. Fans loved cheering for a guy like Kinsler and it was a pleasure to watch this series for its limited run.
Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
