Angels 2013 Trade Deadline Report

Brand new Angel (well, Bee for the time being) Grant Green.

Welcome back to Angels Nation everyone.  As I may have said before (likely two-three years ago), there are two types of teams that are fun to follow and write about.  The very good (2009 Angels) and the very bad (2013 Angels).  An average team with mild expectations is just about the most dull thing on the planet.  Well, good news!  The Angels are atrocious and with the recent assigning of one Albert Pujols to the disabled list, management seems to have officially thrown in the towel.  Not long after putting Pujols on the DL and getting swept by the first place Oakland A's, they announced that Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and others would be available at today's Trade Deadline.  Now that the Deadline as come and passed, lets take a look at the moves the Angels did make.
(Note: occasionally, a deadline deal gets made that the real media doesn't hear about until much later, and seeing as I'm fake media, I hear about it even later, so if this isn't 100% up to date, blame Jerry Dipoto, Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney, in that order)

LHP Scott Downs to Atlanta Braves for RHP Cory Rasmus
So, this was probably the easiest move to make.  Scott Downs has been up-and-Downs (ha!) all season in terms of production and effectiveness, plus he only has 2 months left on his original 3 year/$15 Million deal that he signed back in December 2010.  It's not a ton of money that the Angels are saving, but it helps a contender strengthen their bullpen for pretty cheap, and in return, we get a bullpen guy for the near future (Rasmus has seen some major league action already with Atlanta), who isn't eligible for Arbitration until 2016.  Great move on both sides, especially if Downs helps Atlanta in the postseason.
Winner: Everyone

Infielder Alberto Callaspo to Oakland Athletics for Infielder Grant Green
This move is a stroke of pure genius on someones part, but I can't decide if its Jerry Dipoto or A's General Manager Billy Beane.  Alberto Callaspo's numbers have been dipping every year since he arrived from Kansas City back in 2010 for Sean O'Sullivan (I miss that guy).  I can't quite understand why Billy Beane, a big sabermetrics guy, is all over Callaspo.  His On-Base Percentage has dipped from a career high .366 in 2011 to .324 in 2013.  For comparison, the A's current second-baseman (where Callaspo will play in Oakland) Erik Sogard has a .337 OBP in 2013... it's not a huge difference, but its enough of one to question the move.  Sogard is also a more steady defender, especially when you take into account that Callaspo hasn't played second base since 2010.  BUT, very few moves that Billy Beane ever makes come back to bite him in the ass.  He didn't give up a whole lot in Grant Green, a former Canyon High (Anaheim) and USC star, but I can't imagine the Angels could have gotten anything close to Green from anyone else, considering the down year that Alberto is having.  I'm excited for Grant Green to get called up from Salt Lake, mostly because he will have one of the best "baseball names" on the team.  Alliteration is the best.
Winner: Probably the Angels, but Billy Beane is a witch-doctor, so who knows.

So there you have it.  Our first trade deadline as sellers since, gosh, 2003?  We didn't do a whole lot, but we did clear out some of the cobwebs, and between losing Pujols to surgery and some of our not-so-wiley Vets in trades, we have cleared up some room to bring in our youth and see exactly what we have to build around for 2014 and beyond.  Good chance that Kendrick and Aybar's names will come up again in the offseason when we once again look to add quality starting pitching.

Six Ways to Cope With A Losing Team

In their 53 seasons of existence, the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels have only started 2-8 twice.  The first was in 1961, the Angels' first season, and now, in their 53rd season, the Angels have once again started 2-8.  After only picking up one road win each in Cincinnati and Arlington, the Halos are an embarrassing 0-4 to start the season in Anaheim, including a 5-0 loss against the Houston Astros on Friday night.  A team many projected to be among the league's worst clubs this season, and finish with less than 60 wins.  Now, the Astros are a decent 4-6, and are two games ahead of the Angels, who sit alone at the cellar of the AL West.

What can we do?  As fans, we can't fix the pitching.  We can't get timely hits.  We can hardly root for this team, right?  Wrong.  But how does one cope with a last place team?  Let this article be your handy guide!

1. Don't Sweat The Small Stuff - Bad teams are bad for a reason.  They either don't have the talent, or chemistry, or drive of their winning counterparts.  It's hard to tell at this point in the season what the Angels are having trouble with, but it's clear that the formula isn't working.  So simply don't sweat the small stuff.  Albert Pujols doesn't run out a ground ball?  Don't worry about it Albert, you have to stay healthy for another 8 years!  Eric Aybar strikes out looking?  At least you didn't ground into a double play, buddy!  Kevin Jepsen allows two home runs in 2/3rds of an inning?  Don't let it get to you, Kevin.  It could have been 4!

The first and second rules are very similar, but also vastly different in a very important way...

2. Get Excited About The Little Things - Normally, a lot of little things in a game can go a long way.  Say Pujols grounds out, but it gets Mike Trout to third with one out.  That's amazing, cheer loudly.  Jason Vargas gives up three runs over six innings of work in a losing effort?  The offense will get you next time, and hey, that's a quality start, keep your chin up!  That pretty much puts you in the upper echelon of Angels pitching this year.  Anything that is a positive for the Angels will stick out like a sore thumb, it won't be hard to notice.

3. Root for Former Angels on New Teams - Vernon Wells is tearing it up in New York.  Hitting over .300 and with a similarly high OBP, the change of scenery did great things for his mojo.  He may not have set the world on fire in Anaheim, but he was the nicest guy imaginable.  Speaking of impossibly nice people, Torii Hunter is hitting over .400!   Sure, Detroit may have weaseled their way into the playoffs last year in an easy division, but it's still better than rooting for the Red Sox.

4. You Get A Chance to See Our Talent Grow - The Minor Leagues are for the birds.  Why wait when you can have the future of your team here today?!  With injuries to Aybar and Alberto Callaspo, Luis Jimenez got the call from Salt Lake to join the club on Friday.  He may be a little raw, but thanks to our rough start, there is very little pressure on this kid to perform at a major league level right away.  If things continue to look rough, look for more prospects to join the team well ahead of schedule!

5. Don't Buy Tickets For Future Games Now - Just imagine the pie on your face in July when the Angels have a 31-59 record and tickets to Friday Nights game are just $2 at the door, and you paid $45 back in April!  You should still go to games, but be smart and wait for bargains!  A $2 ticket will get you in the door, and by the 7th inning you will be sitting behind the Angels Dugout!

6. Update Your Resumes - I get the feeling there will quite a few job openings at Angel Stadium in the coming months if things continue to look this bleak.  Imagine how awesome "Interim Manager" would look on your resume in a couple years!

Thoughts From The Last Two Weeks

My absence from posting the last few weeks hasn't gone unnoticed, and I'd like to preface by saying: I HAVE been watching the games (or most of them at least), and they have still been winning, so that's a relief.

So, what do I think of the last two weeks, including today?  Well, brace yourselves, I have the answer to that question no one wants to know the answer to.

Regarding the Angels:
- Watching Ernesto Frieri right now is what I remember watching Francisco Rodriguez in 2002 was like.  He came into the game, and you knew two things: no one was getting a hit, and more importantly, you were going to see one or more strikeouts (usually more).  He is dominant in a way that I would have never expected.  I'm really glad the club has the rights to him for the next few years.

- Garrett Richards is the real deal, and is ready to make a permanent impact on this team NOW.  If we spend the next few months (probably the rest of the season) yanking him back and fourth between Anaheim and Salt Lake, trying to decide if we really trust Ervin Santana to look like June 16th Ervin or The Rest of 2012 Ervin, its only going to blow his confidence and then we have another Brandon Wood/Dallas McPherson/Kevin Jepsen on our hands.  No one wants that.  Either trade Santana or send him to the bullpen.

- Mike Trout deserves all the love he gets, from me and from anyone else giving it to him.  His numbers make him an All-Star (should be a starter, but missing April will probably kill that chance), and god forbid he goes on another stretch like he did in May.  He could be an MVP candidate at the end of the season.  Oh yeah, and he will win a Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year too, just because he can.  When the Angels slim their salary this offseason (by either trading away/releasing Vernon Wells and Ervin Santana, plus re-signing Hunter at a huge discount), they need to focus on two things: giving Frieri support in the Bullpen (assuming Downs leaves as well), and saving up to give Trout the huge Evan Longorian contract extension he already deserves.

- On a more somber note, I want to see Peter Bourjos play everyday in a Major League lineup.  If that has to be in Washington, or Houston, or wherever it has to be, he deserves to play.  Sitting on the bench 85% of the time isn't going to warm up his bat.  We can get some of that bullpen help now, or even a more capable defensive 3rd baseman than Alberto Callaspo.  I know Callaspo doesn't commit errors, but I think that is more because of his lack of range and athleticism than his skilled defensive prowess.

Regarding the Rest of Baseball:
- The Washington Nationals are the real deal, people. They are going to make some deal at the deadline and run away with this division.  The Phillies are dead in the water and neither the Mets nor Marlins are talented enough to make a serious run, in my opinion.  The Braves could give them a scare, but they will likely choke it away.

Regarding the Rest of the Sports World:
- I'm happy for the Los Angeles Kings, and their devoted (read: not bandwagon) fans, but I'm still a bitter Ducks fan who won't be happy until their "dynasty" has dissolved and they are back in the draft lottery with us.  That being said, its only two months until Training Camps!  The Ducks have made a number of positive moves this offseason, I hope that can equate to the 3-4 extra wins they would have needed to be the 8 seed in the West (the seed the Kings were, and rode to the Stanley Cup).

- It looks like the NBA Finals isn't going to be as good as we all hoped.  Lebron and the Heat seem to be running away with things (now up 2-1 after winning Game 3 in Miami about 15 minutes ago).  Oh, and the next two games are in Miami too.  With the way Kevin Durant and the Thunder have been choking away opportunities, I'm guessing its going to be a 5 game series and Lebron will finally get his ring.

Chronicling Irrational Superstition

Recently, my wife and I had noticed that since being in attendance for Jered Weaver's No Hitter, we had not actually watched the Angels win a game.  Any time we attended a game or watched it on television, the Angels would lose, any game we missed (for one reason or another) the Angels would win, without fail since May 2nd.  So we put this to the ultimate test... we stopped watching the Angels.

Day 1 - After losing to the Athletics the previous day, not only was watching our team depressing (they were on a 3 game losing streak against San Diego and Oakland... brutal), but we had noticed the track record of our watching the games over the last month.  So we agreed that until the Angels reached .500, we wouldn't watch another game this season.  Result: Angels win, 5-0 (Oakland).

Day 2 - Well, those were some nice results on day one.  But this study is going to take further testing until we get some solid results.  Result: Angels win, 3-1 (Oakland).

Day 3 - Hey, this team is playing cohesive baseball, Albert Pujols has hit some home runs... Mike Trout continues to be the most exciting young player in baseball... well, this test is starting to sting as the team is finally becoming watchable, but hey, its pretty clear now that they are winning because we aren't watching.  Result: Angels win, 3-0 (Seattle).

Day 4 - Ok, We now really want to watch this team play baseball... we are fixing the rules... When they finally lose, we can watch them again... that was put to the test almost immediately, when the Mariners were winning for most of the game on Friday night... you know, before the great comeback the Angels made in the 9th.  Result: Angels win, 6-4 (Seattle).

Day 5 - Now the 3-day weekend has set in... surely they will lose at some point so we can watch the game on Memorial Day, right?  Well, not today.  Pujols homers in his 3rd straight game, plus Alberto Callaspo hits a pinch-hit grand slam.  That was probably fun to watch.  Oh Well.  Result: Angels win, 5-3 (Seattle).

Day 6 - Ok, the Sunday day game... right before a plane ride back to Anaheim to face the Yankees on Memorial Day.  There is no way they win this game, right?  Well, Morales and Trumbo had other plans.  It wasn't as exciting as the last couple games, but they have just swept 4 games in Seattle.  Result: Angels win, 4-2 (Seattle).

Day 7 - So, I can't watch the game on Memorial Day? Fine. I've got to catch up on Mad Men anyway.  I like our chances tonight with Weaver on the mound.  But it is the Yankees, and you never know with them in town.  My Mother is a lifetime Yankees devotee, and so I got some text updates during the game.  The early 3-0 lead, Weaver leaving the game with a bad back... oh boy... this is where the wheels fall off our season.  My experiment has taken a deadly turn for the worse.  Well, 13 runs later, it's tied up 8-8 in the bottom of the 9th for Trumbo.  He hits the walkoff bomb and the Angels have won 7 in a row, reached .500 and have begun to pull away from the bottom of the pack in the AL West.  Sure, we are still 6.5 back of the Rangers, but only 2.5 back of the second Wild Card spot (new to the league this year).  This is getting silly.  Result: Angels win, 9-8 (New York Yankees).

So, here we are, Day 8 of our experiment, and we have both agreed that even though the Angels have reached .500, we can't watch this club until they finally lose and break this winning streak.  So, I don't really know what I'm rooting for most... the streak to continue (and my odd superstition continues to work), or for the streak to end so I can finally watch this team play baseball.  Because they are finally playing like the team we thought they were when it was assembled in December of last year.

Why Alberto Callaspo is So Important

First off, let me start off by saying that the entire Angels Roster had a decent game today (outside of Brandon Wood, who, by all accounts is done. Guess I'll have to chalk that one up to just being wrong about a guy, oh well). Sure, Hunter and Wells both struck out 3 times, but both also had late RBI's to help the Halos push further and further away from Tampa Bay, giving Dan Haren his first win of the year.

Now, lets get on to why Callaspo is such a key for the Angels this season. He can play any infield position (I don't trust him at Shortstop, but hell, I don't trust Aybar at Short), and now that his wrist has healed, he has turned into the best all-around hitter in our lineup. He has two home runs, 9 hits and 5 RBI's in 20 AB's on the year. Throw in the fact that he is a solid third basemen defensively, and we have proven to the baseball world that we didn't, in fact, need Adrian Beltre. Sure, Beltre might have a bit more pop, and he plays gold-glove caliber third base, but Callaspo is more than just an average big-league player.

If the Angels manage to get Callaspo into 150 games this season, he could hit 20-25 Homers, drive in 80-90 runs and hit somewhere around .320. Thats a damn fine season for someone most had written off at the end of last season. His at-bats will decrease once Kendrys Morales returns, because Scioscia loves getting Izturis as many at bats as possible, but the Angels need to find a way to get him into the lineup everyday, and maybe even start hitting him as high in the order as 2nd or 3rd. Imagine the RBI opportunities he'd get if he had Bourjos, Izturis or Kendrick hitting right in front of him 3-4 times a game.

This team looks much better than it did even a day or two ago, but it looks like Tampa Bay is shaping up to be one of the worst teams in the league if they can't turn around their offense. But at the same time, Kansas City is about to improve to 5-1 on the season, winning their last two against the White Sox, so maybe we lost 3 of 4 to a better team than we thought. Regardless, the Angels are 3-3 and look to be turning the season around rather quickly. Lets hope we can keep the winning streak alive in our home opener against Home-Run Champ Jose Bautista and the Blue Jays.

I Told Ya So

Alberto Callaspo and Hank Conger led the Angels offense today, which helped push the club past the struggling Tampa Bay Rays, 5-3. Jered Weaver pitched an almost flawless game, his only real mistake coming on a solo shot to former Angel Sean Rodriguez (Yeah, the same one we traded to get Scott Kazmir). Jordan Walden made his first appearance as the Angels new Closer (a position anointed to him today), and shut down the Rays in the 9th.

So... I told ya so. Callaspo needs to find a way into the lineup everyday, and maybe Conger should split starts with Jeff Mathis 50/50. I know Mike Scioscia just made the move to get Walden closing games, and he isn't known for a ton of on-the-spot decisions at the same time, but the firing of Rodney (don't get too excited, he is still on the team) is a good start.

Dan Haren looks to improve the Angels to 3-3 tomorrow in the series closer against youngster Jeremy Hellickson, who was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 2010.

Just Another Disappointing Day in Anaheim

I didn't get to see most of the game, but I heard most of it.. and what a dismal performance. You'd think in a game where we scored 4 runs, I couldn't get on the offenses case, but here we are. They left a ton of runners stranded in Scoring Position, and had numerous instances where they had a runner on second or third with fewer than two outs, and still failed to produce the run.

Equally as depressing as the anemic offense was the play in the field, which pushed across a run on a strikeout. Then the haphazard bullpen, whose star is Kevin Jepsen, put KC over the top for good in the 8th. If Mike Scioscia goes back to Jepsen in a similar set-up situation ever again, his sanity should be questioned. I almost hope that we get all these bullpen kinks worked out now... even if it means we have to start out 1-5, just so we establish the right guys in the right roles before the games start to mean more in August and September.

The only positives today were Alberto Callaspo and Erick Aybar, who went a combined 4-7 (with a walk) and drove in half of the Angels 4 runs. Torii Hunter hit his 2nd home run of the season, and Ervin Santana looked good, but had obvious room for improvement.

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!

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.

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 Get Nice Win; NFL Season Kicks Off

Although the Angels are still 9.5 games out of first place, and the Rangers magic number is down to 14, the Angels got a really big win last night, outlasting the Cleveland Indians in 16 innings. After a Torii Hunter double led off the inning, Callaspo moved him the third which set up the sac fly by Jeff Mathis to win the game.

The Angels still only had 6 hits in 16 innings, and their offense looks as abysmal as ever, but wins like this could propel them back into second place, and help finish the season with a winning record. Also, Peter Borjous hit his third major league Home Run last night. I cant wait to see what this kid can do in a 162-game season with major league time under his belt.

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The NFL Season Kicks off tonight with the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints vs. the Minnesota Vikings (the team the Saints beat in the NFC Championship game to get to the Super Bowl).

I'd like to take this time to just throw out a few predictions for the upcoming NFL Season, and get some of you used to seeing football on here a bit more.

Playoff Teams:
NFC: Cowboys, Vikings, Saints, 49ers, Eagles and Packers.
AFC: Jets, Bengals, Colts, Raiders, Patriots and Steelers

NFC Championship: New Orleans Saints defeat Dallas Cowboys
AFC Championship: New York Jets defeat Indianapolis Colts
Super Bowl: New York Jets defeat New Orleans Saints

Yeah, its a homer pick, but part of the charm of the upcoming NFL Season is that no team is really a clear favorite. Every team has a number of weaknesses, and I think the Jets have the fewest weaknesses (even fewer is Mark Sanchez finally comes into his own as a great NFL QB).

Oh, and to be super cool, lets go ahead and add an NFL prediction section to this blog.

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Texas Rangers Magic Number (to Eliminate the Angels): 14
Carl Crawford Countdown: 94

NFL Opening Day Prediciton (Record: 0-0):
Saints defeat Vikings

Its A Race Again.

Dan Haren. 'Nuff Said.

While Dan Haren and Alberto Callaspo aren't exactly the same as Cliff Lee and Bengie Molina, they might be just enough to make this a race again. Even though the Halo's lost three of four over the weekend in Texas, they still only find themselves 7 back with 10 left to play against Texas, including three this weekend in Anaheim.

Dan Haren is not having the best year of his career, but when you consider the fact that he was pretty much stuck on a go-nowhere team that had just about no chance of going anywhere, he obviously knew he couldn't do it all by himself. I don't want to say he gave up, because he didn't. He is still top 10 in the league in terms of strikeouts, and was having an above average year, but you could tell he wanted out of the desert.

Alberto Callaspo is not going to be an all-star, on or off the field, but he is a better option at third base than Brandon Wood or Robb Quinlan, and with Macier Izturis back from injury, our infield depth is at a season high.

The best thing about Dan Haren, while not only does it make the 1-2-3 punch of Weaver-Haren-Santana sound fantastic for a postseason series (should they make it that far), is that he is signed on through at least the 2012 season, with a club option for 2013.

The Angels have exactly two playesr who will be free agents at seasons end, Brian Fuentes and Scot Shields. If we can manage to trade for or sign another quality closer, pick up Carl Crawford and maybe another arm for the rotation/bullpen (Rich Harden, Chris Young and Matt Thornton look to all be available). The 2011 Angels will be a frightening force to be reckoned with.

Important series starts tonight as the Angels welcome Boston to town for a three game set. I expect everyone to make it out to the game tomorrow to boo the living hell out of a modern day Benedict Arnold, John Lackey.

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Joe Saunders. You will be missed. My favorite memory of you is when you matched the eventual Cy Young Winner Zach Grienke pitch-for-pitch in an amazing 1-0 win over the Royals last season. Grienke was pitching out of his mind, and you beat him. Good luck in Phoenix, Joe.