In Downs We Trust

For whatever reason, when it comes to closers (not named Brian Fuentes), Mike Scioscia seems to have them on a very short leash.  After allowing to Tampa Bay Rays to come back and win in the 9th inning last night, Scioscialism seems to have pulled the plug on Walden being our full time closer (for now).  He said today that the closer of the immediate future will be Scott Downs, who has easily been our most reliable arm out of the bullpen the last two seasons.

But is this the right move?  Not only is it completely stunting the growth of Jordan Walden (who might never be the same after losing his job like this), but is the role right for Downs?  He seemed very comfortable over the last few seasons as a lefty specialist and set-up man, but not everyone can make the transition from the 8th to the 9th.  We know Downs is clutch, but it takes a special kind of player to get the hardest three outs of a ballgame.

Starting him off as the Closer in Cleveland is a very smart idea, its a lineup of predominately left-handed hitters, so any situation he might find himself in late in the game, he will likely see at least one left handed hitter.  This is also the right time of the season to make changes like this.  We just have to wait and see if its actually the right move for the Angels.

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It was also announced today that Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals super prospect and former #1 overall pick in the draft) was going to get called up to the Majors on Saturday and would make his major league debut.  My only problem with this?  He is off to a cold start in AAA.

In only 82 Plate Appearances, Harper is hitting an incredibly average .250 with 1 home run, 3 RBI's and a few doubles.  He is slugging only .355, which is an Ecksteinien number.  The Washinton Nationals need this kid to be the next Ryan Braun, not the next David Eckstein.  I have him in 2/3rds of my fantasy leagues, so I'm happy about that, but I still think the call-up is too soon for the blossoming star.

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Just an observation I made yesterday that I didn't vocalize on Twitter (@Angels-nation): Angels radio announcer Terry Smith made a very solid call on the Walk-Off Home Run yesterday by the Rays.  He almost sounded excited that he was there to be a part of it.  Clearly not as excited as he would have been had the Angels been the ones walking off, but still happy for the Rays, none the less.  Some might not care for that in their hometown announcer, but a bit of neutrality is good for announcers, even if they aren't on National TV/Radio.  He just sounded happy to be witnessing a great baseball moment, no matter the team.  I appreciate that, and there are few in the league as good as Smith.  We are lucky fans.

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This is from Reddit.com, and is awesome:

The Dan Haren Treatment

The Dan Haren Treatment is a term used in baseball for when a Los Angeles Angels pitcher pitches well enough to win the game, but the offense gives him anywhere between 0-2 runs of support, causing the pitcher to get the loss or no decision.

As you can see from the wikipedia entry, this is a totally real thing, and you should all take it very seriously. Today, Joel Pineiro (in his first start this season after coming off the DL) tossed 7 innings, had just 1 run on 4 hits, and ended up with the no decision. If not for a "clutch" RBI ground-out by Kendrick in the top of the 9th, poor Joel would have ended up with the loss. Pineiro's only mistake (other than pitching for a team that refuses to hit consistently?)? A lead-off home run to Matt Joyce in the top of the 5th.

Otherwise, Pineiro was brilliant, giving Angels fans a ton of hope that we actually have a solid pitching rotation past our 1-2 punch of Weaver and Haren. There were a few situations where guys like Bourjos, Amarista and Conger could have come up big and gotten the Halos the lead, but they aren't going to be able to do it all season. I think its time for our 2-3-4 hitters to put up or shut up. Abreu, Hunter and Wells went a combined 1-12 with 12 strikeouts and a run. Pathetic. These are the guys who should already have 5 or 6 homers with 15 RBI (at least). Instead, they are grounding into double plays or just striking out.

If the Angels hope to contend for a Western division title this year, they had better stop giving guys like Haren and Pineiro the Dan Haren Treatment.

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Fact: I started writing this in the top of the 10th, knowing full well Fernando Rodney (or someone else) would blow it in the bottom of the frame, giving us yet another extra inning loss....

Entire Nation Glued to Angels/Rays Rivalry

As most of the sports world is focused on the NFL Draft, any baseball fan worth anything has their tv time dedicated to the fierce rivalry between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels. Last time these two faced off, the tensions were high, and the Angels used their superior starting pitching to help lead them to a two-game sweep.

As many of you already know, this ferocious rivalry goes back to Tampa Bay's inception in 1998, when the Rays took up the Angels turf as the team with the silliest looking jerseys. Since then, the two have been in a heated battle for American League supremacy. Things got even more heated when former Angels bench coach Joe Maddon took the job as Manager of the Tampa Bay Rays.

2011 has been no exception, and the entire baseball world is enthralled with this weekends series between the two hated rivals. I mean, why else would MLB Schedule makers give the Angels 5 games in Tampa Bay before we even face Seattle once? We must be enormous rivals with deep-seeded hatred towards one another... right?

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.

In Which I Obsess About Uniforms, Part 1

Being totally honest with you guys... I'm SHOCKED I got through 11 months of blogging without gushing over my love on uniforms. Well, now that I've finally found out the lineup of "retro" uniforms that my beloved Angels are going to wear at every Friday Home Game, I can't hold it in any longer... I freaking love baseball uniforms (while were at it, uniforms in ANY sport are pretty bitchin', but baseball has the best). While this article might feel a little Uni Watch'y (the "famed" uniform periodical from ESPN.com's Page 2), believe me, it's totally ripping it off, and I'm seriously hoping Paul Lukas doesn't sue me.

While there are always some teams who just get uniforms right (The Yankees, Cardinals and Red Sox come to mind), there are other who just seem lost in their own awfulness. Take for example, the Seattle Mariners and their awful teal alternates:

That color DOES NOT belong on a baseball uniform unless you have the misfortune of playing for the Marlins... and then, who gives a crap what you wear?

While I'm on subject, there is one Florida team who has finally done uniforms right after a decade of wrong. The Tampa Bay Rays (formerly the Devil Rays, and that connection to Satin must have been the source of those awful rainbow's uniforms), who have switched to some of the slickest jerseys in an AL East already packed with sexy uniforms. They have very neat home and away jerseys, with two equally as sexy alternates:Do you see it now, Seattle? There is a way to do light blues and dark blues and not muck it up on an annual basis. Tampa Bay learned their lesson, why can't you?

Sadly, the "Patriotism" caps will return for a 4th Season. I like the idea at first, and the blue hats with the logo colored by the flag were still the best looking of the set, and since then, they have just gotten worse and worse. The Red ones were ok for teams with red in their pallet, but they looked god awful on teams like the Dodgers and Yankees. Then last year came the white abominations they put on players heads with either red or blue brims... simply awful... No word yet on what will be the new design this year, but I can only assume it will be awful.

Speaking of the Dodgers, they have decided to bring back (in spirit only) one of the worst looking uniforms of all time. The results are actually pretty nice. Back in the 40's the Dodgers actually wore shiny satin blue uniforms for evening road games. The results were as humorous as they sound:
I encourage you, print this picture out and use it to tease all of your Dodger friends. "Yeah, we wore periwinkle for a time in the late 90's, but who didn't? At least we didn't wear this!" When I heard the Dodgers were bringing this back, I was SOOOOO excited for all the laughs this would get, however, they found a way to not totally screw it up.

Pretty Slick, right? I'm actually jealous. Touche Dodgers.

So, that's about all the time I have to bore you with Baseball Fashion this week, but I'll be damned if I don't see some loser team wearing some loser alternate that I'll have to post about the second I see it. Oh, or someone like the Rays could come out of nowhere and put on another masterpiece of an Alternate jersey, and they will receive their due kudos.

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.

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'.

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!)

At Least We Aren't The Dallas Cowboys.

"America's Team" lost again yesterday to the Chicago Bears to start the season 0-2. Right now, under head coach Wade Phillips, they look more like Cowgirls than anything (and even that might be underestimating Cowgirls).

The Angels, however, beat the Tampa Bay Rays again to win the weekend series. They almost look like a real baseball team again. They were one Fernando Rodney Saturday blow-up from sweeping the second best team in baseball.

The Angels days are still numbered, however, as the Rangers won a game this weekend to bring the elimination number down to 4. The Rangers are in town for the next three games. By tomorrow night the Angels could officially be out of the race. Conversely, by the end of Wednesday, the Angels could be only 7.5 back with 10 to play (11 for Texas).

It would be the worst late-season collapse in Major League history, but its very unlikely. The Angels are still trying to find their identity, while the Rangers are playing for their first postseason in ten years.

Although, if the Angels can do the unthinkable and find themselves 3 or 4 games back of Texas when they start their final series of the season in Arlington, it would make for some damn interesting games.

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Speaking of the Cowboys, Kim Kardashian recently broke up with Cowboys Wide Receiver Miles Austin (again). Its pretty clear that Austin needs to step his game up. At this time last season, Kim's old beau Reggie Bush was 2-0...

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Angels Elimination Number: 4
Carl Crawford Countdown: 83 Days

Cleveland, Now 100% More Depressing.

Who thought that could even be possible?

Another loss to the last place Indians puts the Angels 11.5 games out in the West, and dwindles their elimination number down to 6. That means as soon as Sunday night, the Angels could be eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2006.

For all intents and purposes though, the season is over. Even if the Angels win the rest of their games, the Rangers still have 10 remaining games to win 6 more, and eliminate the Angels. Its not like its going to be difficult, either. All 10 are against either the A's or Mariners, including a 3-game set in Seattle starting tonight. With the Angels in Tampa for 3 against the first place Rays, its very likely the Angels season will be over Sunday night.

Personally, I wont be watching this weekends games. In fact, I probably wont watch another baseball game on TV until the playoffs begin in three weeks. The Angels have been hard to watch, even in victories, and my attention has shifted towards the NFL season, and the upcoming NHL season (Pre-season next week!)

However, that doesn't mean Angels Nation is dead for six months, no sir. Once the season is actually over (somewhere around October 4th) I'll do a 2010 season retrospective, along with the seasons best moments and an in-depth look at the season ahead. Not to mention 2010 Postseason and World Series coverage, and once we get into November, some of the most opinionated Hot Stove coverage on the internet!

I was thinking about using the slogan "Angels Nation: Where Angels Baseball is Always On", but I don't want to get sued by the MLB Network, so I've opted for the much more appropriate "Angels Nation: Carefully Documenting How The Angels Will Suck Next Year, Too"

Angels Elimination Number: 6
Carl Crawford Countdown: 86 Days.

What Could Have Been.

The Angels just finished off a sweep of the First-Place Minnesota Twins. They now sit 6 games back of the reeling Rangers. The pitching was amazing, and the hitting was clutch as ever.

Ok, lets get a grip and come back from dreamland... Instead, the Angels sit 8 games back after losing two of three in the Twins new home, Target Field. The Pitching was ok, but the Offense was the real story, because they disappeared, again. Minnesota has a good pitching staff, dont get me wrong, but to look as bad as they looked this weekend (with the exception of the 7 run explosion on Saturday), it takes a special kind of suck.

They aren't patient at the plate, they aren't hitting to their strengths, they arent able to move guys over for productive outs... they aren't playing Angels Baseball. In other words, its like an entire team of Eric Aybars.

Things aren't going to get any easier. The Angels come back home to welcome arguably the best team in baseball to Angel Stadium, the Tampa Bay Rays. They have more offense and more pitching than the Twins, and with the Angels bats in one gigantic slump right now, it wouldn't shock me if the Angels get swept.

The Rangers, however, will have a much tougher time this week, playing the Twins (rather than the cupcake Orioles they had this weekend). But in order to get back any of the ground we lost this weekend, we not only need the Rangers to lose, but we will need to muster up a couple wins against one of the hottest teams in baseball.

Rangers Magic Number: 31
Carl Crawford Countdown: 111

This Team is Under Construction.

Wins will not be available during construction. For all your Wins needs, please visit one of our other 29 teams.

It seems like just yesterday, we had won 3 of our last 4, and things were looking up... Because it WAS yesterday.

Now, the Angels have lost 3 of 4, drop an important home series. The Angels have dropped to a dismal 6 games below .500.

Its really hard to find one thing that they did wrong, I mean, other than play average defense. Budde had two passed balls, and the fielders just looked lost out there.

I'm almost positive that Erick Aybar is not an actual player, but a hologram. Jared Weaver had a fantastic game on the mound with 12 k's in 7 innings of work. He only allowed one earned run. Its pretty clear that Budde and Weaver should NEVER be battery mates again this season. I dont really like Napoli behind the plate when Weaver pitches either, but at least he catches balls. You know... like a "Catcher".

A few thoughts:
- I'm too mad to think

Angels Record: 15-21
Outlook: If the Angels cant win the weekend series against Oakland, this place will be one step closer to becoming a Washington Nationals blog.

Feels Good, Man.

It was not pretty. But Juan Rivera's sacrifice fly to win the game in the 11th inning might be the sweetest victory the Angels have had all year. Walk-off wins are always nice, but against the best team in baseball, and with the opportunity to gain a half-game on the two teams ahead of them in the division, this one felt good.

But, it should have never gotten to that point. Aybar even made getting lucky look difficult in the first inning, eventually scoring the first run of the game. Torii added a home run in the 3rd, and Napoli hit a no-doubter for two in the 4th. Pineiro was dominant all game, and left the game leading 4-0.

Rodney gave up a run, but otherwise looked solid. One run in a four run game isnt going to ruin anything. Then Brian Fuentes, with his newly added porno 'stache, looked to close the door on the game. After giving up a solo shot to the good Aybar (Willy), letting a couple guys get on, he gave up a two-out double to Evan Longoria, who drove in the tying run.

There were some fine defensive plays in the extra frames. Bulger came in and had a great showing. Trevor Bell struck out Longoria, and that ended up earning him the W.

Morales got a great opposite field single, Willits did his job and bunted him over, and with Rivera at the plate, a wild pitch (although it should have been a passed ball, I digress) got Morales to third, and a deep fly ball drove home Morales.

Great win for the Angels, and a great game to watch, even though it went almost 4 1/2 hours. Tonight, I'm hoping for an even better, and hopefully shorter, game. Its a match-up of Kazmir, who may or may not be facing the Rays for the first time since being traded last year, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm gonna say he is, because its a better story, and Jeff Niemann, someone who I've never seen pitch before, but is 2-0 with a nice ERA. Plus, its bucket cap night... aw yeah.

A few thoughts:
- Personally, I LOVE Fuentes' new Porno Stache. Its currently his only redeeming quality.
- Good to see Napoli FINALLY turning his season around. Thankfully its not too late.
- I'm still wondering why Brandon Wood is still starting. Frandsen has been nothing but solid.
- I'm also happy to see Trevor Bell back in the bigs. He had a rough go of it last year, but he is going to be a fantastic young pitcher.
- I'm not promising anything, but I would not be surprised if we are back over .500 by the end of this homestand.

Angels Record: 15-19
Outlook: Incredibly positive

This is getting really old.

First off, kudos to Macier Izturis (Why the hell isnt this guy starting every day?) and Erick Aybar for breaking up the 1-hitter, and later, the shutout. Eat it Verlander.

Todays game was a really entertaining pitching duel... up till the dreaded fifth inning. Why does it seem like our pitchers are amazing till the 5th inning? It seems to me like a stamina problem, which would be on the training staff. Also, lets blame the Pitching coaches, and Scot "LOL" Shields. Anyway, after the Tigers took a 4-0 (and later 5-0) lead, it just got depressing.

Verlander retired 23 in a row before Izturis got a single in the ninth. There were a couple more hits, a few "Defensive Interference"'s and a run later... Matsui grounded out to end the game.

Cool Story, Angels

A few thoughts from todays very early (and short) Angel game:
- Aybar isnt taking as many pitches as he was last year, neither is Abreu. We need these guys to start taking more pitches at the top of the lineup if we are going to have a shot at winning the division. I dont care if you strikeout looking, because it seems like you are only striking out swinging 0-2 or 1-2 anyway.
- Weaver looked fantastic till the Tigers got a few bloop hits in that 5th inning, then he got frustrated, like he always does. Why on earth is everyone on this team so predictable?
- I know he is the final link to the 2002 World Series team, but its time to designate Scot "LOL" Shields for assignment. Hopefully he will get picked up by a NL team with a struggling pen, so he can have a mini career resurgence in a weaker league.

Also, I'm watching MLB Network while writing this, the Tampa Bay Rays powder blue unis are pretty awesome looking.











Oh, and Fister is no-hitting the Rangers for the M's right now. There, I said it. Now he will blow it, and Kinsler will hit a bloop single. Eat it, Fister!

Angels Record: 12-14
Outlook: At least we are in a very winnable division.