Angels Nation's Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010, Part 2.

Welcome to the 100th Post of Angels Nation, the last post of 2010 (barring some amazing breaking Angels news, oh who are we kidding... its the last post of 2010). Also, the top 5 moments in the world of sports for 2010. Before we continue on with this list, lets start with 3 of the WORST moments in the world of sports.

3. Angels answer Cliff Lee trade by acquiring... Alberto Callaspo.
Yeah, he turned out to be ok, and a few weeks later, we got Dan Haren... but having lost Kendry Morales for the season, the team needed a big bat. Its not like their weren't powerful first basemen who were in the last years of their contracts... Lance Berkman, Carlos Pena, etc. Was it the worst move ever? No. But was it maybe the most meaningless? Probably.

2. Kendry Morales wins game, breaks legs.
Oh man... I just noticed this about the picture. It's got Brian Fuente's Porno Stache in full view, right above Kendry.... Those were the days... right Angels fans? Oh... Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, the list goes on and on. Do your damn job, Tony.

1. US falls in World Cup to Ghana.
They won... in the 93rd minute. :'(

Ok, now that we have gotten all of that negative energy out and in the open, lets move on to bigger and better things. The Top 5 Sports Moments of the Year.

5. King James takes his talents to South Beach.
Did you hear that? That was the sound of my only Cleveland reader closing his browser, tossing his computer out the window, then kicking his dog. Now that Lebron is gone, Clevelandites have nothing better to do than get violent, set shit on fire, and just be angry dudes. I'll admit, watching the super team down in Miami grow together in front of our eyes has been the only thing keeping my interest in the NBA this season.

4. Angels acquire Dan Haren from Diamondbacks.
Was he lights out all season? No. Did he lead us to a Division Title? No. Did he have more wins than losses? No. But really, none of these things were his fault. He lost a couple games on dumb plays by the defense. He lost a few more games because he got ZERO run support. However, a whole calender year of Dan Haren in an Angel uniform is something to still get excited about. Only question now is, who starts on Opening Day?

3. Roy Halladay pitches second-ever postseason no-hitter in his Postseason debut.
Its as if the best pitcher in baseball somehow got better. He had already thrown a Perfect Game earlier in the year, and all but locked-up the NL Cy Young. Then, in his first postseason game in his career, he just goes out and no-hits the Cincinnati Reds. Granted, not the best team, but still a playoff team with a few great hitters. Its almost a shame the Phillies didn't make the World Series, because Roy Halladay vs. Cliff Lee in Game 1 would have been one for the ages.

2. Tracy Porter Intercepts Peyton Manning to seal Super Bowl victory.
It was America's Bandwagon team. The lovable Saints, who came from hurricane ravaged (six years ago, but still) New Orleans. The Drew Brees led Saints are probably the most likable Super Bowl Champs since the (then) underdog Patriots won it all back in 2002. Porters Interception return for a TD sealed the victory, and was a great way to end a great game.

1. Landon Donovan scores in the 91st minute to send Team USA to the 2nd Round of the World Cup
Its probably the most excited I've ever been during any sporting event ever. If the score stays 0-0, the US misses the second round of the World Cup, again. In extra time, out of nowhere (like some sort of soccer superhero) longtime National Team vet Landon Donovan slams a goal home in the 91st minute, securing the victory for the United States. I went nuts. My glasses were flung off my face, rendering me temporarily blind. I'm pretty sure that if I had gone any crazier in my celebration, I would have been arrested for disorderly conduct. Its a shame what happened just a few days later against Ghana, but this sports moment will always stick out as of of my top, all time.


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Well, the time is here to hand out some thanks, seeing as this is my 100th post, and final post of the year.

Thanks to my Wife, for always supporting me.
Thanks to my Mother and Sister, who are my only consistent readers.
Thanks to my friend, Alex Gormley, for giving me not one, but three bitchin' headers for the site, and other various photoshop goodies.
Thanks to my twitter followers and friends, who will sometimes read what I've scribbled on this site.
Thanks to anyone who stumbles on this page accidentally, looking for ceramic angel statues, I apologize for the misleading title.
Thanks to the Los Angeles Angels, for giving me enough news and heartache to occupy 100ish posts (and the rest of the sports world, for filling in the rest)
Thanks to SportsIllustrated.com, for not suing me for using pictures from your website on a daily basis (Mlb.com got smart and made them impossible to hotlink, so thanks for making it so easy on me, too)
Thanks to Bill Simmons, and the writers of: Lookout Landing, I want to go to the zoo with Roy Halladay, fire joe morgan, True Grich, Rex Sanchez and any other sports blog I've used for inspiration.


So, who is ready for 2011? My early prediction: 82-80... AWWW YEAH, .500 baby!

AngelsNation's Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010, Part 1.

First and foremost, we here at Angels Nation hope that you had a fantastic holiday season, and want everyone to have a safe New Year. I figured since the year that was 2010 ends tomorrow, AngelsNation.net should recap the 10 best sports moments of the year, as we saw them. Also, expect an even bigger extravaganza tomorrow, seeing as it will also be our 100th post.

10. Shaun White pulls off the Double McTwist 1260 at the Vancouver Olympics.
-It should be noted that I am no extreme sports fan... nor did I really understand what the move was before Shaun White pulled it off. All I know is that he had already won gold, but wanted to pull off this move so badly, he did it in his victory lap anyway. It was a great moment for Snowboarding, Shaun White, and America (a running theme, get ready for it).

9. Brett Favre throws interception, blows last chance at a Super Bowl.
-While everyone ended up being happy the Saints won the Super Bowl two weeks later, I still remember being bummed out that my last memory of Brett Favre was him throwing away the Vikings chances at being in the Super Bowl. Sadly, months later, I come to find out my last memories of him will be seeing his penis, then seeing him get smashed into what was basically frozen concrete in what will likely be his final game. Damn, and I thought that interception was bad.

8. USA Mens Hockey Team's run in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
-For weeks leading up to the event, everyone had picked Canada to meet Russia in the finals. Crosby vs. Ovechkin, etc... Most experts (read: Canadians) picked the USA team to finish between 4th and 10th. Thats right, tenth. Well, not only did we pick up a hard fought win over those damn Canucks in the qualifying stage... we gave them a run for their money in the Gold Medal game, including a goal with 25 seconds left in the game to send the game to overtime (where pretty-boy Sidney Crosby won the game, but who remembers that?!).

7. Howie Kendricks Walk-Off Bunt
-It was the beginning of an era. After that Bunt, AngelsNation.net began. Truthfully, it was entirely by coincidence that the two events coincided. I would have began to write that day if the Angels won or lost. It still remains the greatest Angels Victory of 2010. It's refreshing to remember a time when we still had hope as a franchise. Now, we are just hoping for Adrian Beltre and Scott Podsednik. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

6. Robert Green hands USA the tie in World Cup Match vs. England.
-At one moment, the United States and England couldn't have been in more different moods. The USA having just scored on a harmless shot, mishandled by English goalkeeper Robert Green. I'm almost positive 90% of English people polled that day would have wanted him hanged (they still do that in England, right?). It was perhaps the most important goal scored in US Soccer History to that point (I have a feeling another goal will pop up on this list...).

What'd I tell you? This list is America heavy. What can I say? We are better at non-American sports than we should be. USA! USA! USA!

My Angels Christmas List.

I don't care about Carl Crawford, Zach Greinke, Cliff Lee or even Adrian Beltre anymore.

All I want for Christmas is news. Any news. News that Mike Napoli had a successful filling on one of his wisdom teeth. News that Mike Butcher's Daughter's Christmas program was "Good, not great". ANYTHING. Something real. Not some BS that Scott Podsednik is someone Tony Reagins likes. Not some other BS that Justin Upton is "really close" to being an Angel.

Something factual, something solid. Not more speculation that Adrian Beltre is asking for Alex Rodriguez money. Or that as soon as Francisco Rodriguez is released from jail, the Mets will trade him back to us for some baseball's and a ham sandwich.

I also have hope that next season, Mike and the gang will be less stubborn about keeping in guys like Abreu, Rivera and Izturis, rather than calling up guys like Trumbo, Trout and Conger. As a baseball fan, and more importantly an Angel fan, I just hope that we field a team better than what was on display for most of 2010.

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Angels Nation would like to wish you and your family the safest and happiest holiday season, from the bottom of our hearts. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Worst Case Scenarios

Angels Fans love to reminice about a time when we were Three-Time Defending Division Champions... or had won 5 of the last 6 Western Division titles. I remember like it were yesterday. Always having something to brag about to my friends who were Rangers, A's or M's fans. I loved always being a champion (even if it meant getting slaughtered by the Sox in October). But, as much as I'd love to relive those glory days, it doesn't mean I'm on the same boat as other Angels fans, who seem to want to bring back Vlad, Figgins, etc.

Don't get me wrong, Vlad seems like a decent fit, but his power numbers only went up last year because he played in a hitters parks, the opposite of what Angel Stadium is. Chone Figgins had, by far, his worst statistical season last year. He had career lows in Runs, Home Runs, Batting Average and Slugging, and career highs in Errors and Strikeouts. Not to mention he grounded into 19 double-plays... that's more than twice he ever had in any other single season to date. Mind you, the Errors would probably decrease when he moves back to Third Base (to make room for Brendan Ryan), but the numbers don't lie. Figgy is not the lead-off hitter he used to be, nor should he be considered for the job.

But the Angels need someone, don't they? Well, someone at the OC Register today kicked around the idea of trading Arbitration eligible Alberto Callaspo and AAAA Player Brandon Wood to the M's for Figgins. I suppose in a worst case scenario, Figgins would work, but we wouldn't be a playoff team. At this point, I'd rather have Erick Aybar (*shudder*) or Peter Bourjos (He can't hit .204 forever, can he?) lead off for the Angels. Don't get me wrong, I'd welcome back Figgy with open arms, and I'd cheer for him whenever I made it out to the ballpark, but I don't think the right move for this team is to revisit the past with players past their prime.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Don't look now, but the American League West just got a little bit worse. When Cliff Lee decided to take his talents back to the City of Brotherly Love, the Texas Rangers slid right back into mediocrity.

This feels very familiar to a week ago when the Angels let Carl Crawford slip right through their fingers, and another team came out of nowhere and scooped him up with a better deal in a "better baseball city".

So, after a month and a half of off-season deals, the Angels and Rangers have gotten little to show for it. A few relievers and a couple of huge miscues on the top two free agents available. In essence, both teams have got nothing to show for the huge amount of money the supposedly had available to spend this off-season.

In the end, the West comes out the losers, once again. The Angels, Rangers and other West Coast teams just aren't as attractive a local for prospective Free Agents. I've begun to come to terms with this, and hope that the table scraps like the Beltre's and Guerrero's of the world can produce better than I think they can.

Reagins: "I'll see your Carl Crawford, and raise you: Scott Downs!"

Lets just go ahead and hand Tony Reagins GM of the Year right now. He knew one thing about the Angels last year. They had no lefties in their bullpen. When Arte told him to fix the problems with the club, he took him quite literally.

Sure, he had pressure from Arte, Hunter and the Fans to sign Carl Crawford, but hey... he had to get some left-handed relievers, and nothing was going to stop him, especially some loser outfielder from Tampa Bay ((Not) Real quote from Tony Reagins: "Tampa Bay? They have a Team now").

Well, even with the Red Sox and Nationals throwing Hundreds of Millions of dollars at All-Star Outfielders, I think its pretty clear that the Angels are going to win this offseason hands down. First Takahashi from the Mets (remember 1986? They are like Red Sox killers over there!!) and now Downs from the Blue Jays (Joe Carter!!!!).

When Arte Moreno calls Reagins into his office after the rest of the Hot Stove season has settled, and starts barking at him for not doing enough, Reagins is going to have a the best defense ever. "Dude, Arte, man... The team didn't have, like, any Left Handed relievers last year... and we like... lost a bunch! *giggles* Well, now I went out and got like, 4 of 'em... how can we lose now?!"

Arte will have to bow down to the superior baseball mind and Tony Reagins will then negotiate his $123 million dollar raise (leftover money from the Carl Crawford fund).

Carl Crawford adds "Orange County Pariah" to his Resume.

Carl Crawford did the unthinkable last night. He signed a 7 Year, $142 Million deal to sign with the Boston Red Sox. Tha'ts right, folks, he has become public enemy number one here in Anaheim. John Lackey and Mark Teixeira, you guys are off the hook.

I've got no problem with big market teams making big market offers. I'm more upset with Crawford, Angels GM Tony Reagins and Angels Owner Arte Moreno. Crawford because, well, he was just leading us on the whole time, and bolted the second Boston threw crap-loads more money in his face.

Reagins because he isn't a very good GM when it comes to dealing with Free Agents. He always under-appreciates players in value, and then offers them deals that look like jokes compared to Boston and New York.

Lastly, I'm mad at Arte for not putting up the money he said he would. He said "oh, I'm mad about losing, so I'm going to spend money to make us look good again", then didn't spend enough to get the top offensive free agent on the market. Mind you, Offense is where we need the help. So if you are going to be a tough guy, and puff your chest, and talk a big talk... back it up with dollars, Arte.

I need to move on from being mad about this, but that likely won't happen until the Angels make a damn move this offseason. And no, while he is a nice piece, the no-name lefty specialist from the Mets isn't going to cut it.

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At this point, the best offensive free agent is Adrian Beltre. Some Angel fans are welcoming him and agent Scott Boras into the Angel family (I know very well that Boras represents players on the Angels, but Jared Weavers hold-out is part of the reason we hate Boras so much) with open arms. I'm more hesitant. Can he still hit? Was last year in Boston a fluke? Was it a result of the tiny ballpark? Is he going to get back on the Roids? I know he will be a terrific defensive third basemen, and at this point, he is still an incredible step above a platoon of Callaspo, Izturis and Wood, but will he be worth the stupid money we are going to throw at him now that we've been burned by Crawford?

Angels Talk to Lee's Agent (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Free Agency)

As the Winter Meetings come to a close, and more players are getting signed, the Angels have stood firmly planted on their stance of not signing anyone you've heard of. Since signing former Mets Reliever Takahashi, the Angels haven't done much of anything, except continue to be in the talks in signing Free Agents Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre. Well, last night, Angels GM Tony Reagins was in contact with Professional Yankee's Daddy Cliff Lee's Agent Darek Braunecker (I've give you a second to catch up with that run-on.... ok, lets go). If for nothing else, just to ruffle the feathers of the Yankees and Rangers (the only two teams considered to be true contenders for the Cy Young Winner). However, there are a number of great reasons for the Angels to sign Cliff Lee, lets go over them now:

1. Our biggest rivals, the Rangers and Yankees, won't have him. This is easily the most important, as Cliff Lee has always had a good track record against the Angels and in Angel Stadium.

2. Between Lee, Weaver, Haren, Santana and Pineiro, the Angels would have maybe the best rotation in Major League history. A man can dream, can't he?

3. It would likely force the Yankees or Rangers to acquire Zach Greinke from the Royals. Therefore making 100% of the games the Angels play against Kansas City a complete waste of time for everyone involved.

While its simply a pipe dream, and to be honest, I'd rather have Crawford and Beltre than just Lee, its still something pretty amazing to think about. Maybe someday, we will get a GM with the balls to pull this off.

As it is now, though, Cliff Lee and his agent are keeping the other top Free Agents hostage. The Yankees aren't going to pursue Crawford or Beltre too strongly until they know if they've got Cliff Lee or not. The Rangers aren't going to do a damn thing either. The Red Sox seem to have made their moves, and everyone seems too poor to make a run at Crawford right now.

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Moving on to other Hot Stove news:

-Carlos Pena has agreed to a one year contract with the Chicago Cubs. I don't think it will be enough to make them contenders, but at worst, it makes them better.

-The Kansas City Royals sign Jeff Francouer. Oh man... I know who my 2011 World Series pick will be now.

-Jack Cust signs with the Seattle Mariners. Oh man... I know who my 2011 World Series pick will be now.

-Paul Konerko is staying in Chicago to play for the White Sox. With how high they were speaking of him, and how no one else really showed any interest, I'm shocked... to say the least.

Arte Prepares to Open His Wallet

Thats right, 7 Years, $126 Million... for Jayson Werth. I love Jayson Werth... especially his beard, but damn... thats a ton of money, Washington. If they are going over-pay people this badly, the president better put together a bail-out package together for Nats. I think it speaks volumes to Nationals fans that this team wants to win now. They lost the strikeout machine (and on-base machine) Adam Dunn to free agency, but they still have youth in guys like Strasburg and Harper, and Vets like Ryan Zimmerman. Not to mention they are interested in Tampa's Carlos Pena.

But what does this mean for the Angels and Carl Crawford? 8 Years, $180 Million is what is being thrown around rumor sites and the like. Something the Angels could afford, but would they have anything left over for a guy like Adrian Beltre or Rafael Soriano? That is really up to Arte Moreno and how much he wants to dig into that wallet of his. Then it comes down to if Moreno and GM Tony Reagins really want to go out and buy half a team, or if they are just going to target one key guy, and put him into the situation the team is currently in.

If Moreno goes nuts, signs Crawford, Beltre, Soriano, and a couple other role players, does that make the Angels a new evil empire? Would we be as hated around the country as Boston and New York? It would be an interesting thing to consider for the Angels front office.

Something else to consider: Guys like Napoli, Mathis, Aybar and others still have arbitration to go through... which means even less money in Arte's pocket.

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Lets go over some other non-Angels Hot Stove goodies:

-Adrian Gonzalez will be swapping coasts and Leagues. The Padres and Red Sox agreed to trade the All-Star First Basemen, and the Red Sox will also give Gonzo a fat new, 7-year Contract, to keep him in Bean Town for the foreseeable future.

-The Diamondbacks have traded slugging Third Basemen Mark Reynolds to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two minor-league relievers. Expect both his home run and strikeout numbers to increase in the AL East and Camden Yards.

-White Sox resigned Catcher AJ Pierzynski to a two year, $8 Million deal... even though he still sucks.

-Both the Red Sox and Yankees have expressed interest in Twins Reliever Brian Fuentes. I don't normally speak in "Internet Speak" around here, but there is only one word to convey my thoughts on this rumor: LOL!
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Dallas Cowboys Legend Don Meredeth passed away today at the age of 72. I am too young to have been able to see him play, but I saw a few years of his Monday Night Football announcing career, and Hank Hill was always quite fond of him. Anyone Hank Hill thinks so fondly of is ok in my book.

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Also passing over the weekend was Chicago Cubs legend Ron Santo. He was 70, and always seemed like one year away from making the Hall of Fame. Hopefully the voters rectify this for 2011.

Angels Finally Make Some Noise.

The Angels and Left-Handed Vet Hisanori Takahashi (most recently of the Mets) are close to inking a multiyear deal with the Japanese southpaw. Takahashi was 10-6 last year with the Mets, including an ERA of 3.61 and 8 saves (after former Angels Francisco Rodriguez hurt himself beating up his step-dad). In his time as a reliever, his ERA was considerably lower. He seems to finally be a solid replacement for Darren Oliver, whom the Angels missed dearly as he helped lead the Rangers to the World Series.

The Angels have also contacted agent Scott Boras regarding Free Agent Closer Rafael Soriano (of the Rays). It seems that in addition to going after big-time outfield bats in Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, the Angels are very serious about solidifying their shaky bullpen. As any Angel fan can tell you, the two things that needed the most help last season were the Pen and outfield offense (even All-Star Torii Hunter had a down year in many categories).

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The second really big off-season acquisition was made today when the Chicago White Sox signed slugger Adam Dunn to a four-year deal worth $56 Million. Dunn, who has played his entire career to date in the National League, will probably see most of his time at DH, but if the Sox fail to resign All-Star Paul Konerko, Dunn could also be asked to fill in at first base.

Its a big deal for the White Sox offense, but the team still has a ways to go before they can compete (on paper at least) with the Tigers and Twins for the Central Division crown.

The Hot Stove is on Fire.

Eh, maybe thats a slight exaggeration. Miguel Tejada is taking his talents to the Bay Area, to replace Juan Uribe on the defending Champion San Francisco Giants. Man, I'd never thought I'd have to type that sentence.

In more hot stove tid-bits:

-The Dodgers (who signed the aforementioned Uribe) traded Ryan Theriot to the Cardinals for a right-handed minor league pitcher.

-The Texas Rangers bolstered (we'll see...) their bullpen by signing Japanese Side-Armer Yoshinori Tateyama, formerly of the Nippon-Ham Fighters (my favorite team name in all of sports) of the Japanese Pacific League. Tateyama had a career low 1.80 ERA in 58 appearances last season.

-The Oakland A's have reported interest in former Astros/Yankee First Basemen Lance Berkman. When asked about the Athletics interest, Berkman was quoted as saying "Woah, someone is interested? Did they not see my 3 month Yankee career".

-The Texas teams signed a couple of lackluster backup catchers this week in Yorvit Torreabla and Huberto Quintero (to the Rangers and Astros, respectively), the rest of the league was reportedly unaware these guys still played baseball.

-The Colorado Rockies handed all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki a blank check Tuesday. It ended up being good enough for the 8th highest contract in MLB History. Thats right. 1 time all-star of the Colorado Rockies, Troy Tulowitzki, is going to be one of the 10 wealthiest men in baseball history. Go figure. Tulo is guaranteed $157.7 Million Dollars over the next 10 years. Insane.

-The Rangers (again with the Rangers? I had to talk about you for all of October, its time for you to go away now) reportedly were interested in signing long-time Yankee Lefty Andy Pettitte, but have recently denied such claims. Rumor has it the Yankees were upset that they were even talking to the winningest pitcher in post-season history, and threatened to offer Cliff Lee even more money to leave Texas. If the Rangers stay relevant, this could be a great rivalry for years to come.

-No word yet on Carl Crawford, but the most recent report I heard was that most GM's and Experts would be shocked if, at this point, he didn't end up an Angel by the first of the year.

I've already written far too much, and for that, I apologize. Oh, and yes, the picture is taken from The Sims, but that was the best picture of a stove on fire the internet had to offer.

Yankees to Jeter: "Test the Market"

Jeter to Yankees: "Yeah? Well **** You!"

Not really, but man, wouldn't that be awesome? Let me preface this post by saying I love Jeter, and like the Yankees, but the Angels take precedence, and my dream world is completely nonsensical. Oh, and the Yankees did, in fact, tell Jeter to test the market, because they think he is asking for too much money, and while that might be true, the Yankees need Jeter more than Jeter needs the Yankees.

Its like telling Babe Ruth or Joe DiMaggio to take a hike, just because they are getting older. Granted, Jeter's 2010 was not a typical "I'm going to be a Free Agent, I need to play better" season. But his worth to the Yankees over the last 15 years is not to be ignored. 1/3rd of the seasons Jeter has been in a Yankee uniform, the Yankees have won the World Series. A Third! Any given season Jeter has been in Yankee Pinstripes, the Yankees have had a one in three shot of winning it all! Not to mention, they have made the world series 7 of those 15 seasons.

Regardless, if the Yankees dont want him, and for whatever awful reason we can't sign Carl Crawford, the Angels should go after him. Well, him and Jayson Werth, because we will still need someone who can actually still hit a baseball. Jeter would be a fantastic fit on the Angels, and a great reason to finally get rid of Erick Aybar, my nemesis.

Jeter is a great clubhouse guy, a team leader on and off the field, and is clutch in September and October. Not to mention it solidifies the Shortstop Position defensively. Even if he doesn't have the range or the arm of Aybar, he is far less prone to stupid throwing errors, or simply giving up on plays. Even if his bat isn't as potent, it can't be any worse than some of the sub-.250 hitters we had last season (Aybar included).

Also, consider this: In 69 Career Games in Angel Stadium, Jeter is hitting .344 with 10 Home Runs and 42 RBI's... Need more convincing? I didn't think so.

I 100% believe that Jeter will still be in a Yankee uniform next season, but if he isn't, for whatever reason, I hope to god its an Angel Jersey.

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More congratulations are in order for the 2010 AL/NL MVP's, Josh Hamilton of the Rangers and Joey Votto of the Reds. I won't pretend to understand why Votto was the NL MVP. He had a really good year on a really mediocre Reds team that happened to have the most wins in a terrible division. Josh Hamilton makes more sense, although he owes a lot to Vladimir Guerrero. Once people found out Vlad could hit again, Josh started seeing a good amount of hittable pitches. Regardless, congrats on the new hardware.

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In some non-Yankees related Hot Stove news, Catcher/First Basemen Victor Martinez (formerly of the Indians and Red Sox) has agreed to terms on a deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Also, the door has almost completely been shut on Hideki Matsui's Angel career. The Angels have not offered the 2009 World Series MVP Arbitration, and it would appear he will be testing the Free Agent market himself.

Say It Aint So, Scott!

Rumors are running rampant that the Colorado Rockies would be interested in trading for Left Handed Pitcher Scott Kazmir. Uh... I'll throw in 20 bucks to sweeten the deal. Is this the Rockies really trying to improve their team? Is this them making up for sending us Brian Fuentes? (kind of a "No hard feelings"deal?)

No matter why the Rockies had this lapse in judgment, lets take advantage of it. I dont care if they want to send us a Turkey Sandwich and a bag of baseballs, if they are taking Kazmir and his contract, let them at it.

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In other news, former Angels Pitching Coach Bud Black won the National League Manager of the Year award. This is great news for Ron Roenicke, who will become the third former Angels Coach under Mike Scioscia to become a manager for another team. The first two, being Black and Rays Manager Joe Maddon, who won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2008.

Everyone here at Angels Nation is incredibly happy and proud for Bud, and wish the best for him in the future.

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In other, other news, Felix Hernandez was announced as the AL Cy Young Award winner today. While its rare that I'm happy for a Division Rival in such a way, its kind of nice. The 24-Year-Old had a stat line of 0-3, 4.13 ERA in 32.2 Innings Pitched against the Angels this past season. Thats right, one of the worst offensive teams in baseball slapped around the Cy Young Winner in 5 starts. Its not the best thing about this season for the Angels, but it will something nice to throw in the face of gloating Mariners fans.

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In More other news, Angels Nation would also like to congratulate the following:
Ron Gardenhire for winning AL Manager of the Year (after being the runner-up 5 times, twice to Mike Scioscia)
Roy Halladay for winning NL Cy Young (Duh..)
Buster Posey and Neftali Feliz for winning Rookie of the Year in their respective leagues.
Dan Uggla for getting the hell out of Florida (I bet Braves fans wish this move would have happened about 4 months ago)
Vladimir Guerrero for winning an AL Silver Slugger award. (No hard feelings, chap)

Slow News Month...

Yeah, I could have talked about the Gold Gloves or the Silver Sluggers, but an Angel didn't win either of those (nor did they really deserve to). I could also go in depth on the Rookie of the Year award, which is about to be announced, but again, no Angels rookies are really in the running, nor should they be (Paul McAnulty was THAT close).

The Free Agency period is already (kind of) here, but most moves wont start happening for a few weeks. The GM meetings are tomorrow and Wednesday, but most of what happens there will be build-up towards the Owners meetings from December 6th-9th. Thats when the Hot Stove really starts to heat up (ugh, what a cliched phrase, shoot me now).

Regardless, when any news breaks about the Angels, or any Angels players (aka former Angels players, aka hopefully Bobby Abreu), I'll post it here about 3 hours after I heard about it on twitter!

Meet The New Boss...

Angels Bench coach Ron Roenicke has been hired as the new Manager of the Milwuakee Brewers. The news came as a shock to Angels and Brewers fans both. For the most part, with the backdrop of the World Series, Angels fans were unaware Roenicke was even in the running. Many Brewers fans thought former Mets skipper Bobby Valentine was a sure thing.

However, Brew Crew fans shouldnt fret. Ron Roenicke has managerial experience in the minor leagues, and has spent the last 5 seasons picking the brain of one of the best managers in baseball in Mike Scioscia. Roeknicke also becomes the third former Angels coach under Scioscia's reign to become a big league manager, with Bud Black in San Diego and Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay being the first two.

I must say, I'm incredibly happy for Roenicke to finally have control of a big league club all his own, and in the weak NL Central, with an already impressive lineup including perennial all-stars in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, he could be poised for a division championship in the very near future. Taking Scioscia's brand of small ball to a small market club like the Brewers makes great sense, and has worked wonders so far in San Diego and Tampa Bay (San Diego hasnt turned that into a playoff team yet, but they came VERY close this year, only losing out on the last day to the eventual world champion Giants).

Suffice to say, Angels Nation will probably have at least some coverage of Roenicke's first week in Milwaukee, and will probably visit in a couple times during the 2011 campaign. We wish nothing but the best of luck to Ron in his new endeavors, and hope he decides to take Mickey Hatcher with him.

Only The Losers.

I almost feel bad for Rangers Fans... almost.

They have had to endure one thing the Angels never have.

We have both shared the 40+ years of play without a postseason series win, or a world series appearance, but now, the Rangers have the ultimate shame. A feeling that now only the Rockies, Rays, Padres (Twice!) and Astros understand. Having made it to a World Series, only to end it without a victory. No champagne (or Ginger Ale for Hamilton), no banners, no streamers, no roaring crowd. Just that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach that you were so close, but couldnt get the job done.

I think the Rangers will get back here in the near future, maybe not next year (because Torii, Carl and the crew are going to take us back to the promised land in 2011), but soon. They have a great core of young, home grown talent in guys like Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz and Colby Lewis, to name just a few. Also, rumors are going around that unless the Yankees absolutely overpay for Cliff Lee by an astronomical amount, the Cy Young Winner will stay in Texas.

Today starts a very interesting Hot Stove Season to say the least. Maybe tomorrow or the next day, I'll go over the big free agents and who I think will be switching uniforms in the next 4 months before Pitchers and Catchers report.

All Star Mustaches and The World Series.

Welcome to the final non-Angels related post on Angels Nation. For too long I've been sullying the good name of Angels Baseball with garbage relating to Bret Favre, Basketball and The Kardashian girls. Good news! All that stuff (and other miscellaneous garbage) will no longer be here. Don't worry, when the Angels get back in the news (for something other than Brandon Wood going 2-3 in the Arizona Fall League) I'll post it here, but the site will likely be quiet through the end of the World Series.

For those worried you will no longer be able to read my musings, fear not! I have decided to take my talents to AllStarMustaches.com (which, for the time being, is currently located at http://allstarmustaches.blogspot.com, but will likely be getting its own url, like Angels Nation). All Star Mustaches will be your one stop shopping for news and reports on the four major sports, and Mustache love, especially when it pertains to the world of sports.

Speaking of Facial Hair, Brian Wilson and his fantastic beard (and the rest of the Giants, too, I guess) beat the Rangers last night in Game 1 of the World Series. I wouldn't write the Rangers off yet, though. I still think this Series is going to go 7 games, and its either teams' championship for the taking at that point.

See you in a few weeks for the MLB Hot Stove reports!

Ducks Win on Parros' Game Winning Goal

The Anaheim Ducks wrapped up another length early-season Road Trip last night in Dallas, against the division rival Stars. Outside of an early power-play goal by Dallas, the Ducks were in command from the start of the second period on. Against a very good Dallas team, the Ducks played their best game of the season, as did Bobby Ryan, who scored twice, doubling his goal total on the season.

The best moment of the night, however, was a breakaway goal by tough-guy George Parros. He blocked a pass and was able to turn that into a breakaway, where he scored off the goalie, Kari Lehtonen, when he tried to stack the pads.

With that win, the Ducks move into second place in the Pacific division, and are just a point out of a playoff spot. Without a doubt, the Ducks are on the rise after a rocky 0-3 start. They still have a losing record at 4-5-1, but with a nice home-stand coming up against more division rivals, the Ducks seem primed to find themselves back into the playoff picture, after looking like the worst team in Hockey after the first week of games.

It seems like Bobby Ryan is going to gel better with Koivu and Selanne on the second line, and it seems like Corey Perry and Getzlaf are going to have more room to do what they do without Ryan in the way. Plus, if guys like Parros can come up big on the 3rd and 4th lines, it will make everyone's job easier.

Lebron Apologists: "Best 0-1 Team EVER."

I'm not a big Basketball fan to begin with, but this game was downright boring. The Heat fell behind early, and never really made it a game again. They scored a total of 9 points in the first quarter, and never fully recovered.

Cleveland Pariah Lebron James scored 31 points in the losing effort, but the "Big 3" went 17-48 with 52 points. Chris Bosh was especially disappointing (other than his amazing ability to look like a Brachiosaurus), only scoring 8 points in 38 minutes.

I want to say that this team will get better with time, but it really looks like they have a long couple of months ahead of them before they get their feet under them. I still think they win the East, but they wont be winning 73+ games. This year...

Angels Nation 2010 World Series Preview

With Game 1 tomorrow, and the first game of the NBA season not for a few hours, I decided to take this lull in the sports world as an opportunity to preview the World Series. Lets dive right in with position matchups:

Catcher - Buster Posey, SF vs. Bengie Molina, TEX: There was a time when the two were splitting time behind the plate, but Posey exploded at the plate, and Molina was considered expendable, so he was traded to the Rangers. In the playoffs, however, I've gotta give the edge to the guy with World Series experience (with the 2002 Angels) in Molina. Edge: Texas

First Base - Aubrey Huff, SF vs. Mitch Moreland, TEX: Only positive for Texas, its not Huff vs. Chris Davis anymore. Edge: San Francisco

Second Base - Freddy Sanchez, SF vs. Ian Kinsler, TEX: Ian Kinsler had pretty rough go of it in the regular season, but still had a better season offensively than Sanchez. Sanchez is a nice piece, but Kinsler will likely be a perennial All-Star the rest of his career. Edge: Texas

Third Base - Juan Uribe, SF vs. Micheal Young, TEX: I love Mike Young, but again, the edge has to go to the guy with World Series experience in Uribe (in 2005 with the White Sox). Edge: San Francisco

Shortstop - Edgar Renteria, SF vs. Elvis Andrus, TEX: I know I've given the advantage to the guys with WS experience before, but what Andrus brings to the table outweighs what Renteria did with the Marlins 14 years ago. His combination of hitting to contact and speed can really give the Giants fits at the top of that lineup, not to mention that in AT&T Park in San Francisco, a well hit ball in a gap would be an easy Triple for a guy like Andrus. Edge: Texas

Outfield - Pat Burrell, Cody Ross and Andres Torres, SF vs. Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz and Julio Borbon, TEX: Although Cody Ross and Josh Hamilton both won their respective LCS MVP awards, they are not created equal. Hamilton and Cruz lead a power-charged outfield that drive the Giants pitchers crazy, not to mention the speed advantage the Rangers have over the Giants when playing at massive AT&T Park. Edge: Texas

Designated Hitter - Pablo Sandoval, SF vs. Vladimir Guerrero, TEX: I like the Panda, but Vlad has postseason experience, and has finally reached the World Series. I know both of these guys will get some playing time in NL parks, but I gotta think Vlad will actually start games in San Francisco, and that give Texas a huge edge. Edge: Texas

Bench: The guys on San Francisco's bench are used to coming in to games for one at bat on a nightly basis, while Texas' bench consists of guys like David Murphy and Matt Treanor, who are solid role guys, they also have Jorge Cantu, who could either shock the world, or do what he has done all season, and fail to hit with RISP. Edge: Tie

Ace - Tim Lincecum, SF vs. Cliff Lee, TEX: The best pitcher in the National League versus the best pitcher in the postseason the last two years. Without a doubt, game 1 will be one of the best displays of dominating pitcher the World Series has seen in a long time, but I have to give this to the guy in his home park, Big Time Timmy Jim. Edge: San Francisco

2, 3 & 4 Rotation Guys - Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner, SF vs. CJ Wilson, Tommy Hunter and Colby Lewis, TEX: I think CJ is a great story, and Tommy Hunter has come up big during the season (not so much in the postseason) but Matt Cain would be an Ace on most teams, and Sanchez has amazing, if somewhat inconsistent, stuff. Edge: San Francisco

Bullpen: I love the guys in Texas' pen, like Oliver and O'Day, but there are members of the Giants pen who are downright scary, and Javier Lopez, who has done nothing but make Left-handers look silly this postseason. Edge: San Francisco

Closer - Brian Wilson, SF vs. Neftali Feliz, TEX: You've got Wilson, who is more guts than stuff, and Feliz, who can throw 100 MPH. I think Feliz could be the MVP of the Rangers this season, because without him, who knows what Frank Francisco would have done to all those 9th inning leads. Edge: Texas

Coach - Bruce Bochy, SF vs. Ron Washington, TEX: Ron Washinton is a crazy guy, and fun to watch, but Bochy has been here before, granted it was a sweep at the hands of the Yankees in the 1998 World Series, but with his overwhelming amount of postseason experience, and some of the crazy shit he pulled in the NCLS against the Phillies, that worked, I gotta go with Bochy. Edge: San Francisco.

So, for those keeping score at home, you should know that the final tally comes to 6-6-1. Yeah, this is probably going to be a good series.

Prediction: With the better pitching and coaching, the Giants overcome the least exciting offense in baseball to win the 2010 World Series in 7 Games.

Giants Shock Phillies While Bret Favre Struggles.

What a sports weekend.

Saturday, the Number One Ranked Team in College Football loses for the 3rd week in a row (Oklahoma upset by Missouri), and the Giants pull off the biggest NLCS upset in my lifetime.

The Phillies had the Pitching, the Hitting, and the Defense. The Giants really only had the Pitching. The Phillies have about 5 Future Hall-of-Famers, the Giants would be lucky to have more than one. The Phillies had home-field advantage, oh, and the guy who two weeks ago, threw only the second no-hitter in the history of postseason baseball.

The Phillies were EVERYONES pick. I'm pretty sure that before game one, even bay-area papers were selling the Giants. Even when the Giants went up 3-1, there were still experts and analysts who said the Phillies would come back and win the series. But the Giants pushed through all the adversity, including having a less talented team, and won the NL Pennant. Its just the fourth time since moving to San Francisco, and the first time since 2002, when they lost to the Angels.

They have another tough opponent in the Texas Rangers waiting for them in the World Series, but for right now, the little team that could continues to celebrate.

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After an amazing Saturday, there was no way Sunday could be any better, except it almost was.

Many of the televised football games went to the last minutes of action, one between the Ravens and Bills (thats right, the now 0-6 Bills) went to Overtime.

The Dolphins lost to the Steelers on a botched call by the officials, the Chargers fell to the Patriots by way of a missed field-goal that would have tied the game.

But maybe the most heartbreaking defeat was by the Minnesota Vikings and Bret Favre. Favre had a regular Bret Favre game. He threw three interceptions, but still kept Minnesota in the game, even on a gimpy leg. However, when Bret Favre threw the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left on the clock, it was reversed by instant replay. Clearly, the receiver, Percy Harvin, had his foot out of bounds, so it wasn't a catch, but ten years ago, before instant replay, that's the go-ahead touchdown and Bret Favre is the hero today, and not the goat.

I'm 100% behind instant replay, and especially in this case, where the evidence was pretty clear, and the right team won because of it. But you have got to feel for a guy who, 10 years ago, would have been a hero in this game. Instead, he will be ridiculed by the media, be begged to retire by the fans, and why? Because he threw 3 picks and had a passer rating (maybe the dumbest stat in all of professional sports) of 50?

Bret Favre will always either be praised or hated. There is no middle ground. Either he won the game, or he lost it. In Minnesota or around the country, it doesn't matter. Its unfortunate that for the next week, he will be a pariah in Vikings Country, because without him, the Vikings lose last night, not by 4, but by 20.

Molina Leads Power Surge Past Yanks

Ok, Angels Fans, I'm giving you one more chance to hop on the Rangers bandwagon.

I told you back, right after the season, that they were going to do big things. You should take that negative energy you used all season against the Rangers, and use it for good. They were the lesser of 4 evils. I could go on.

But the best reason to root for the Rangers, as they inch themselves one game closer to a World Series berth, is that Bengie Molina is playing like its 2002 all over again. Josh Hamilton will probably win the ALCS MVP, but Molina's impact on both this series, and the series with Tampa, is irrefutable.

Don't get me wrong, Angels Fans, as soon as Postseason Baseball comes to a close, and a World Champion is crowned, I'll go back to hating the Rangers like I always do, but for right now, they are my horse in this race, and it looks like I picked the right horse.

Oh, and enjoy the Karma, Mark Teixeira. It couldn't have happened to a better person.

The Yankees: "Cliff Lee Is Our Daddy..."

Seen here is Cliff Lee taking a break from dominating the Yankees on the mound when Brett Gardner challenged him to a rodeo contest. Cliff Lee won that too.

Last night, Cliff Lee looked like Christy Mathewson, or Walter Johnson, or some other mythical pitcher whom we never saw play, but have heard about how great they are from grandparent and great-grandparents. At some distant point in the future (around when the Yankees Payroll reaches 1 Trillion Dollars), I'll have a little niece or nephew on my lap, and I'll tell him I saw the great Cliff Lee shut down the Mighty Yankees.

Cliff Lee's performance last night all but solidified the Yankees desire to have him in pinstripes, and the rest of the leagues desire to keep him out of the Empire State. With every dominating postseason start against an Eastern Division foe, Cliff Lee must hear the cash registers in the back of his head. If he doesn't sign the biggest contract in the history of baseball in the winter, the owners are doing it wrong. Its been pretty clear, at least since he joined Texas, that Cliff Lee is the most dominant pitcher in the game right now. Not only is he making opponents look silly, they are the Rays and Yankees, the two best teams in the American League.

I have nothing but respect for what Roy Halladay has been able to do in Philadelphia, but lets be fair, its been against the Reds and the rest of the paltry National League, where he gets to face a pitcher 3 times a game. I know he showed his dominance against he AL East for the first decade of his career, but what Cliff Lee has been able to do has out-shined all of that. However, should the Phillies meet the Rangers in the Series, Roy Halladay vs. Cliff Lee in Game 1 would be absolute must-watch TV.

If Cliff Lee can do the unthinkable, and carry Texas to a World Series Title, anything less than making Cliff Lee the most wealthy man in the world wouldn't be enough.

Cam Fowler: What Brandon Wood Should Have Been.

Last Night, the 18-year-old, 2010 First-Round Draft-Pick, Cam Fowler scored his first NHL goal. Add that to 2 asssists he had previously, and he has already had a pretty productive first six games in his career. Keep in mind that he is a defensemen, so points aren't really his specialty. However, Cam is quite the special player. Going into last nights game, he was averaging 22 minutes a game (a great number for any defensemen, let alone one who cant drink yet).

However, not too long after his second period goal, Fowler was slammed into the boards by way of a cheap shot from veteran Shane Doan. It wasn't Doan's only cheap shot of the night that went unpunished. He also hit forward Dan Sexton in the back of the head with an elbow as the refs were looking the other way. Thankfully, he was suspended three games by the league for his actions last night. In other good news, it was reported that Fowler simply had a broken nose, and that he is probable for Wednesdays game in Columbus.

In the last two seasons, the Ducks had lost Chris Pronger to free agency, and Scott Neidermeyer to retirement. Their blue-line was tapped, and when a few became injured in the pre-season this year, the Ducks even panicked and signed Andreas Lilja from europe. However, with a guy like Fowler, should his career continue to progress the way it has these first six games, this is someone you need to build around. Once Selanne and Koivu retire, and guys like Perry leave for more money in free agency, you will want to have a young nucleus who has plenty of NHL experience. They already have a proven young goal-scorer in Bobby Ryan, now it seems like they have a blue-liner of the future in Cam Fowler.

Maybe The Greatest Photograph of All Time.

This really has nothing to do with the Angels, Baseball or sports in general. This is just an incredibly awesome photograph that I felt needed to be posted.

President Barack Obama records an episode of the Discovery Channel’s television show MythBusters with co-hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage in the Library of the White House, July 27, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Rangers Keep Hope Alive, Tie Series 1-1.

The Rangers took the lead early and, unlike yesterdays collapse, never gave it up. They continued to pour on the runs, ending up beating the Yankees by a 7-2 score. It was Texas' first ever postseason home victory. It also ended a 10 game losing streak to the Yankees in postseason play.

The Rangers used a little bit of everything to get past the Yanks. Elvis Andrus stole home to score the first run of the game, David Murphy homered, and there were plenty of clutch hits with Runners in Scoring Position.

Robinson Cano was the sole run-scorer for the Yankees, scoring from third on a double, and hitting his second home run of the series. He also took Neftali Feliz deep with two on and two out in the ninth, but it was caught off the wall by Nelson Cruz to end the game.

If the Yankees want to win this series, they are going to need to have the rest of the lineup step-up like Cano. The last thing they wanted to do was give the Rangers momentum going back to Yankees Stadium with Cliff Lee on the mound in Game 3. The Yankees will respond with Andy Pettitte, they all-time Winningest Pitcher in Postseason history, but this is more of a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" kind of league, so Cliff Lee has a big edge in that match-up.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch Roy Halladay throw another No-Hitter against the Giants (6 down, 21 to go).

Its Just The Yankees Being The Yankees...

The Rangers had a 5-0 lead on the Yankees. Then a 5-1 lead. Then 5-2. Then 5-4. Then it was tied, 5-5. Then the Rangers had lost the lead, and eventually the game.

Spearheaded by a 5-run 8th Inning, the Yankees did what the Yankees always do, find a way to win in October. The Rangers used five different pitchers in that 8th inning, none of them able to stop the bleeding until it was far too late. Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera then came in and shut the door. Before you knew it, the State of Texas had gone from jubilant to shell-shocked. Once again unable to beat the Mighty Yankees in the playoffs.

Some people could blame the wonky strike-zone the home plate umpire had, some could blame the over-managing on the part of Ron Washington. In all honesty, you cant really blame anyone. The Yankees have the payroll and the history, especially against the Rangers. You thought the 8 game winning streak vs. the Twins was impressive? The Yankees have now won 10 straight in the playoffs against the Rangers, and are 10-1 all time.

Angels fans can certainly sympathize. For the better part of two decades, the Boston Red Sox had been our impassable object from the East. Trust me when I tell you, Rangers fans, all this abuse makes the moment you get past your Achilles heel so much sweeter. When the Angels came back last year to beat the Red Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS, it almost felt as good as Darin Erstad catching the final out of the World Series.

Colby Lewis takes the slab for the Rangers today against Phil Hughes of the Yankees. Good luck, Texas, you will need it.

Rangers' Lee Dominates to Push Texas Into ALCS

One final dominate pitching performance in the ALDS was really all it took for the Rangers to find themselves in the ALCS. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, struck out 10 and only gave up one earned run to help lead Texas to its first Playoff Series victory ever.

The Rangers used small ball to get an early lead, then more small ball to push the score to 3-1. Ian Kinsler added insurance in the 9th with his 3rd Homer of the Postseason, and the Rangers went on to win 5-1, and win the series 3-2. It was the first time in baseball history that the away team won every game of the series.

The Rangers have home-field advantage in the ALCS, however, and their sights have to be on winning Games 1 and 2 at home, because the Yankees in October are near un-beatable in Yankee Stadium. Cliff Lee will be ready to go in Game 3, the first game in Yankee Stadium, but if the Rangers find themselves in an 0-2 hole, then it might be too little, too late.

Regardless of what happens in the ALCS, however, you have to consider this season a success for the Rangers. The first Division Title in ten years, and the first playoff series victory in franchise history. When you throw all that together with the fact that this team was bankrupt and being threatened by Major League Baseball to get their act together, or the league would seize control of the club six months ago, not to mention the positive drug test for Manager Ron Washington, which led many in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area calling for his job, this season will be as much of a success for this team as whomever wins the World Series, in my opinion. Granted, a trip to the World Series or even a Championship will taste even sweeter for Texas, but they should be really proud of where they are.

Oh, and a nice note from the Rangers celebration, Josh Hamilton (who overcame drug and alcohol addictions to make a comeback to the Majors), who was relatively absent from the Western Division Championship celebration because of all the champagne and such, was doused by his teammates in Ginger Ale. Its kinda silly, but its cute.

By the way, I was 100% correct in my Division Series predictions, and my LCS predictions will come tomorrow, so you will know who makes the World Series a week before anyone else.

Why Bret Favre Should Keep Playing.

After throwing a late interception (which was returned for a Touchdown) to blow the game for the Vikings last night against the Jets in New York, many sports writers, bloggers and experts came out saying today that Favre should retire immediately and let someone like Tavaris Jackson take over as the Vikings quarterback.

Let me start off by saying that I am probably a better NFL Quarterback than Tavaris Jackson, and I am available for the rest of the season, Minnesota. Second, Bret Favre is still one of the top 5 quarterbacks in the league, and you are just going to have to take the good with the bad. He has thrown INT's his entire career, and that wasn't going to change, just because he put on some purple.

Bret Favre still put up 3 Touchdowns against one of the best defenses in the NFL, all in the second half, through rain and hail. Bret Favre still has another 20 or so games in the tank, and the window for a Vikings title run is closing. Don't slam the door prematurely with Tavaris Jackson.

Oh, and concerning those nude pictures Favre sent of himself to a female team representative while on the Jets, if she didn't complain or find it offensive (which all reports currently say she didn't), then I don't either. Favre's biggest problem out of this entire thing shouldn't be a looming suspension or media ridicule, it should be having to explain this to his wife. Good luck, buddy.

Good Night, Sweet Prince.

2,504 Wins, 15 Division Titles, 5 NL Pennants, 1 World Series Title, 4 Manager of the Year Awards, 158 Ejections.

These are just the surface of the impressive resume of now former Braves skipper, Bobby Cox. The Braves lost to the Giants last night, 3-2, and lost the series, 3-1. With the Braves now out of the playoffs, Bobby Cox is off to a very happy retirement.

Perhaps the finest NL manager of my lifetime, Bobby Cox led the Braves to 14 straight division titles in the 90's and 00's. Granted, that only led to one World Series championship, it was still an impressive feat that will likely never be copied.

Maybe my favorite part of Bobby Cox's legacy will be his 158 ejections (also 3 postseason ejections, bringing the total up to 161). You could argue that someone who managed as long as Cox would be a shoo-in for a record like that, but Cox has such a fiery demeanor, it was usually must-see television whenever he went out and argued a call.

Something you might not know about Bobby Cox, is that before he was the manager of the Braves, he was their General Manager, and drafted Chipper Jones with the first overall pick in the 1990 draft. He is a good baseball mind, and will be missed across the league (except maybe by Mets fans).

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Oh, and not to gloat or anything, but if the Rangers win tonight, my First Round predictions for the playoffs will be 100% accurate. Yankees and Phils won in 3, Giants won in 4 and the Rangers will have won in 5. I'm a genius, someone get me to Vegas, stat!

At Least We Aren't The Ducks...

The Angels could have it worse. They could have played 2010 like the 2010-11 Ducks.

Through three games, the Ducks have been outscored 13-2. 4-0 loss to the Red Wings, 4-1 loss to the Predators, and a 5-1 loss today against the Blues in St. Louis.

The defense is horrendous (outside of the surprising play of 18-year-old rookie, Cam Fowler), the "scoring line" of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan has zero points, and while Jonas Hiller is still one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, there is only so much he can do when no one else on his team can play decent hockey.

They have had their moments. There were times in Nashville against the Predators that it looked like they could jump out to an early lead, or even win the game. But 3 2nd period goals surrendered and a number of hit goal-posts ended all hope of a victory.

I know its impossible to write off this season with 79 games still left to play, but if the Ducks find themselves 5 or more games into the season without a point (much less a win), its going to be very hard for them to recover.

Michael Young Blasts Rangers Past Rays For 2-0 Lead.

Man, Dustin Diamond really looks bummed.

The Rangers have assumed a dominant 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 series against the East Division Champion Tampa Bay Rays. Michael Young's 3-Run-Homer didn't decide the game, but it was more like the icing on the cake. CJ Wilson shut down the Rays lineup, who looked almost as bad as the Reds.

If they cant find a way to get guys on base (and then get them home), the Rays will be the first East Division Champion to be swept in the ALDS since the Red Sox back in 1995, the first ever year of the Division Series.

With the series going back to Texas on Saturday, things are looking good for the Rangers to win their first ever Playoff Series. Its never to late to hop on the bandwagon. Just Sayin'.

Roy Halladay Slings 2nd Ever Postseason No-Hitter

Thats right, Angels Fans, Erick Aybar + Joe Saunders + two Prospects = Playoff No-Hitter.

For those that don't understand that math, that was the Blue Jays asking price for the best pitcher in baseball last off-season. The Phillies (and Mariners) had enough guys to get the deal done, but the Angels were in the fast track to secure Doc Halladay and only had to give up Aybar, Saunders and two prospects no one has ever heard of. But Tony Reagans liked Aybar and Saunders too much to give them up. What a clown.

Saunders is now a Diamondback (don't get me wrong, I love Dan Haren, but a guy like Halladay comes around once a lifetime) and Erick Aybar had a season-long slump in 2010 after a career-high year in 2009. I wish Angels Management hadn't put so much stock into the absurd numbers the Angels offense put up in 2009. Abreu is too old, Izturis couldn't avoid injuries forever, and Aybar just isn't that talented.

Oh well, Live and Learn, I suppose.

Former Angel Molina Powers Rangers Past Rays

A quartet of Former Angels help propel the Texas Rangers past the Rays in Game 1 of the ALDS in Tampa. Bengie Molina hits a solo-shot (after already hitting an RBI Single), Vladimir Guerrero hits an RBI Double, Darren O'Day and Darren Oliver pitch a scoreless 8th inning, all helping the Rangers secure the Game 1 victory.

Seattle send-off Cliff Lee struck out 10 Rays, and Nelson Cruz added a solo-shot of his own. The Rangers looked GOOD. The Rays never looked like they even had a foot in the door. If they are going to play like this for 18 more innings, the Rangers will easily win their first postseason series in franchise history.

I thought the Rangers would take Game 1, but never in such a commanding fashion. If David Price can't slow down the Rangers potent lineup, the rest of the Rays staff doesn't stand a chance.

Angels Nation 2010 Postseason Preview

Just so we are all clear, Angels Nation is officially on the San Francisco Giants' and Texas Rangers' Bandwagons. If you are uncomfortable with this, please note that the rest of the league is evil, and should be treated as such. The Yankees, Rays, Braves and Phillies all come from the super evil East Coast, not to mention the Rays play in Florida (Voted most evil state by committee of voters), the Twins and Reds, well, they arent evil, but they are the two worst teams in the playoffs (fact), and no one wants to bandwagon a loser.

Lets start with the matchups in the National League:

Giants vs. Braves - Bobby Cox's last season as a manager, nothing would be a more fitting send off than a World.... boo hoo hoozle. Go cry about the loss of your manager some more Braves Fans. Oh wait, the Braves fans don't even like the Braves. The are probably all bandwagoning the Rays right now, considering they have a better shot at postseason glory. The Giants, on the other hand, have one of the best starting 4's in Baseball, Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and Zito. They also have Buster Posey, who is maybe the greatest rookie catcher of all time.
Prediction: Giants in 4

Phillies vs. Reds - Lets get things straight, I dont like the Phillies, but I'll be damned if they dont have the best team in the playoffs. The hitting is amazing, the pitching is out of this world, and they have a coach who has taken this team to the World Series the past two years. I like the story of the Reds, but they dont have the pitching to keep up with the Phils.
Prediction: Phillies in 3


American League:

Rangers vs. Rays - I don't totally hate the Rays, but their unfortunate affiliation with the state of Florida, not to mention their lack of fans with enough income to actually attend their home games, makes me like them very little. Rangers have taken the last month and a half off. They should be the most rested team in baseball right now (the Reds might be just as rested, but they have a crappy team, so...), not to mention they have Cliff Lee, who was really the only bump in the Yankees road to glory last season. Sure, they have to get through a tough Rays team who won the best division in baseball, but they dont have enough starting pitching to keep up with the Rangers.
Prediction: Rangers in 5

Yankees vs. Twins - No Morneau, Mauer isn't at 100%, their best pitcher is probably Carl Pavano, oh, and they have Brian Fuentes. How on earth did the Twins get this far?
Prediction: Yankees in 3

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Angels Nation will continue to be your source for biting 2010 MLB Postseason coverage well into November (because that's when Game's 5-7 of the World Series will be, for some dumbass reason), then, we wont have anything to talk about for a while, except the hyjinks of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney (and all their Kardashian pals!)

Angels End 2010 Campaign with a W.

In what was likely his final game as an Angel, Hideki Matsui hit a homerun, part of 6 runs that helped propel the Angels past the Rangers for their 80th win of the season. It was his 21st of the season, and his 83rd and 84th RBI's on the season. Sure, those are slightly down from his season last year which culminated in a World Series MVP award, but much better than I would have thought back in May, when he was struggling at the plate and losing AB's to Juan Rivera.

Mark Trumbo finally got his first big league hit yesterday on an RBI-Single. Its highly unlikely he will start the season anywhere but Salt Lake, but the the kind of promise he showed (even going hit-less until yesterday), I doubt he will stay there long.

Dan Haren got his 12th win of the season yesterday, and his 5th as an Angel. In his 14 games as an Angel, Haren posted a 2.87 ERA, going 5-4 with 75 K's to just 25 Walks. His strikeout pace fell a bit, but he continued to get guys out and put the Angels in a position to win.

It was a competitive weekend series with the Rangers, and the Angels were able to hold their own with the West Champs (who begin their Postseason run in Tampa on Wednesday, which we will cover more tomorrow.) As a fan, I'm looking forward to 2011. With Kendry Morales back in the lineup, and a sturdier Bullpen, the Angels could make a deep October run.