What to Watch on TV Tonight Because the Angels are Probably Going to Stink; Part 1

It's never a good sign when we trot our third best starter out to the mound, and he loses, 7-1. An even worse sign? Our sixth best starter is getting trotted out tonight, against the same team. Last time Matt Palmer Started a game, Dan Haren got the win. Somehow I doubt history repeats itself. So, what are you going to do tonight? Watch the Angels get embarrassed for the second night in a row? There is no need to do that, not with this handy "What to Watch" guide for Tuesday!


If you have MLB.TV:
Roy Halladay is pretty much always must-see-tv, and tonight when he faces off against former Philly Brett Myers and the Milwuakee Brewers. Yeah, I know we all have a strong moral stance against the National League and everything it stands for (Boredom, Actually having a guy who hits .100 in your lineup (who isn't named Jeff Mathis)), but trust me when I say that this is going to be a really good game between two possible playoff teams.
Philadelphia Philles vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 4pm PST, MLB.tv, MLB Network


If you have Cable:
Listen, I know its a show about Fishing, but The Deadliest Catch is one of the best shows on television, period. I can't really explain why, but its damn amazing. So far, you've only missed a two-hour premiere, and now is the best time to jump in if you haven't already.
Deadliest Catch, 9pm PST, Discovery Channel/6pm PST Discovery Channel HD

Josh Gates is in Antarctica to hunt ghosts on tonights season finale of Destination Truth. If none of those words, especially intertwined, don't get you excited, you are dead to me as a person.
Destination Truth, 9pm PST, SyFy/6pm PST SyFy HD


If you don't have Cable:
Go buy basic cable... seriously... You really want to be stuck watching some bullcrap like The Biggest Loser or Seinfeld reruns? Although... if you are really stuck with basic TV, Seinfeld Reruns are always the way to go. I'm sure they are on one channel or another at some point all night.
Seinfeld, Syndicated, Check your Local Listings.

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Also, I don't want to say we lost because Jeff Mathis was in the lineup.... but.... we lost because Jeff Mathis was in the lineup... He is my go-to guy for guilt, regardless of how he performs. I just assume Hank Conger would have gone 4-4 with 4 HR and 6 RBI, and called a perfect game from Ervin Santana.

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!

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)

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.

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).

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.