Long Off Season For The Angels

It has been one week since the Angels fell from the heavens in defeat to the Yankees. I could hardly bring myself to write anything about this. Last night, I turned watched the television in total disbelief. The World Series was on and I did not see John Lackey as the starting pitcher on the mound. Instead, I saw the "finely tuned" machine known as C.C. Sabathia. All I could say to myself is, "Man. That just wasn't Angels Baseball. I cannot believe we are not in the World Series." As I watched the screen, I heard voices in the background saying, "Get 'em Phillies!" and "Beat those Yankees." When the game ended and I had time to reflect on what I had just seen, I said to my buddy, "You know something. I don't care who wins this series. I'm not going to watch another game. I'll just read it in the news." He laughed and said, "Right!" But truly...now that the Angels are out...I don't care. I do not want to be reminded of what could have been...what should have been. Time to look towards next year and think, again....It'll happen next year.

Now the Halos proceed to the off season with many things in tow. We have 7 players up for free agency. Darren Oliver, Bobby Abreu, Vladimir Guerrero, Chone Figgins, Robb Quinlan, John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar. What will be the outcome of the negotiations? Who should we be interested in keeping? I cannot truly speculate on these decisions. I can only give you my humble opinion, as an avid fan, who the Angels should spend there money on. First and foremost should be the sealing of a deal with Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu. Next would be to try to establish negotiations with the John Lackey and Darren Oliver camps. I cannot imagine we would want to sign Vladdy for more than a year or two, but why even bother with that? As for Robb Quinlan and Kelvim Escobar...unfortunately I think they are both expendable. Let Quinny go and see if he can get some consistent playing time with a club that could use him. Escobar is just plain questionable. Do we really want to spend the time and effort into someone who may not even pitch next year? These are the things I will ponder all off season. I can say this though, no matter what the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim do, I know they will still be a team to be reckoned with in 2010.

So, if you are unable to wait for all the deals and haggling to be over with. Or, you just want to ensure you get tickets to next year's All-Star Extravaganza, make sure you click the picture to the right. Get your 2010 Angels season tickets now. Don't wait for them to disappear. Let's go Angels....Let's go Angels. That chant is months away....don't get too excited.

It has been one hell of a season. Until the Next!

Angels Down, But Not Out At 1-3 In ALCS

On a brighter note, last night's Angels 10- 1 loss to the Yankees was not as bad as that 16-4 debaucle against the Giants in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series. Does anyone recall what the outcome of that series was? I'll give you 2 guesses, but I'm thinking you'll only need 1. That's right, the Halos went on to win games 6 & 7 and became the 2002 World Series Champions. I was there for every game, drinking my Guinness on the rail at the Knothole Club and watching my favorite team kick butt. Now, the Los Angeles Angels are down 3 games to 1 against the New York Yankees. Our boys in red need to win the next 3 games to advance to the World Series. We have been the comeback team all season...we can be the comeback team for the post-season. I know the Angels have the talent to win the whole thing, but after last night's bitter loss, do they have the will to pull out another miracle? Does anyone else believe except me? What will it take for the Angels to regain post-season glory?

Inevitably, if Mike Scioscia and the Angels are not able to come through and win the next 3 games, people in Southern California will be quick to blame the officials. Truly, this would be an easy and convenient scapegoat. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, you cannot win games if you cannot field or hit the baseball. The Halos got only 1 run on 5 hits last night and committed yet another error in the field. C.C. Sabathia, on only 3 days rest and with little effort, gave up only 5 hits and 1 run in 8 innings. In addition, the Los Angeles pitching staff has failed to contain New York powerhouse Alex Rodriguez, who belted his 3rd homer in as many games.

The Angels will definitely need to get their bats back. Hell, those Damn Yankees scored 10 runs last night and we can only muster up 10 in 4 games. We're batting a measly .201 over those games and have a team ERA of almost 6. With those numbers, it's a wonder that we didn't get swept completely. Scioscia will need to get his team focused. Focused at the plate and in the field in order to keep World Series hopes alive. With the end so near, they need to keep their eye on the prize and play ball....play damn good baseball.

We are down, but not out of the race yet!!!!!

We want a victory Angels....Light Up that Halo....PLEASE!!!

Angels Need a Miracle

Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees tied 2-2 top of the 11th inning. Gary Matthews, Jr. gets a free pass and Erick Aybar moves him to second with a sacrifice bunt. Up steps Chone Figgins, struggling with a pathetic 0-18 at the plate in the playoffs to this point. Figgins takes an Alfredo Aceves fastball and drives it into left field between Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon. Matthews on his horse, 3rd base coach Dino Ebel waves him around 3rd and towards home. Johnny Damon is not known for having a very strong arm, but he is pretty much a soft toss away from home plate. Gary Matthews crosses the plate as the ball arrives to put the Halos up 3-2.

Brian Fuentes comes into the game to close out the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. First batter, powerhouse for the Yankees, Alex Rodriguez. Fuentes, American League saves leader during the regular season goes up 2 strikes on the MVP 3rd baseman. With a chance to put the first out on the board, all Fuentes needs to do is pitch around the strike zone and bait A-Rod into swinging at something unhittable. Brian Fuentes floats a meat ball down the center of the plate and Alex Rodriguez forces the ball over the short porch in right field to tie the game at 3-3.

When Chone Figgins knocked in the go ahead run in the top of the 11th, I thought to myself, this is it. I jumped for joy in utter jubilation with my fellow Knotholers. And, when Alex Rodriguez planted that ball over that 314 foot right field wall, my heart dropped right out of my chest. All season long Brian Fuentes has been frightening me....just as Francisco Rodriguez had the season before. You never know what closer you're going to get when he takes the mound. You never know if his stuff is going to be Major League or just Major Disappointment. As, Melky Cabrera hits a slow bouncer between Maicer Izturis and Kendry Morales, I'm thinking to myself, "Cool... double play! We got this." Izturis is unable to make the play and then attempts to do too much. Truly, his only play is to 1st base and get a definite out. Instead, he tries to force a play at 2nd base and throws the ball away. The ball ends up near Chone Figgins glove and he is unable to handle the ball. As it slips out of his glove and hands, Jerry Hairston, Jr. rushes to the plate...sliding into home for the game winning run.

A comedy of errors? I was not laughing. I was not even amused. A flurry of texts hit every phone in the room. It was every Yankee fan that we all knew...sending us their celebratory jeers. What could one say? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The entire room went silent and all anyone could do is ignore the barrage of seemingly never ending texts. We now look towards Monday afternoon. It will be sunny and hot and 1:00 in the afternoon. Hopefully fun in the sun will be the theme for the Angels. I still believe. This is one of the best teams that Mike Scioscia has managed. This is one of the best teams that I've seen in Anaheim. We need to get back to baseball basics: Fielding, Hitting and Running. If the Angels could put all these things together, they can pull it off. They can pull off the final comeback of the decade. YES WE CAN!

2009 ALDS - SWEEP - Bring on Those Damn Yankees

I woke up early Sunday morning, went to Albertson's for some game supplies. Limes - check, olives - check, salt - check, celery - check, bloody mary mix - check and a bottle of Skyy vodka - check!!! Wow, was I really out and about at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning? And, for what? Sunday brunch with the boys? A mud football game in the park? No!!! It was game 3 of the ALDS. Early plans to have a huge Knothole gathering fell through. The backup plan....Bloody Marys, Pozole and Tacos at the Stadium Loft condos across the street from Anaheim Stadium. Four Knotholers gathered that day to watch the Angels try to seal the deal and sweep the Red Sox. Would we be disappointed? Our happiness would depend on a band of brothers in grey and red uniforms. A group of guys with one common bond, baseball and the pursuit for one more day in the sun.

All was going well until the bottom of the 3rd inning. Boston scores 3 runs off determination of Dustin Pedroia. Kendry Morales would cut the score by 1 with a big fly to right field, but the Sox added 2 more with a 2 run big fly of their own by J.D. Drew. The Angels would add an additional 3 more runs through the 8th inning, while Boston added just 1. The score at the top of the 9th inning seemed unbelievable at 6-4, in favor of the Boston Red Sox and JonathanPapelbon on the mound. Papelbon came into the 9th inning, not giving up a single earned run in the post season, ever. That is, he had not giving up a single earned run in 27 post season innings, a rather ominous stat in itself. That being said, Papelbon quickly sat down "Mighty" Maicer Izturis and Gary Matthews Jr. to make it a quick 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, leading by 2 runs. This is right where Papelbon and the Red Sox wanted to be....in control and about to close out the inning to force a game 4. But, this was not to be. Not on this day. Not in front of a Boston sell out crowd. Erick Aybar was down to his final strike when he nails an 0-2 fastball into the outfield for a single. And, the rally begins. Papelbon then walks Chone Figgins putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Now up to bat, the Angels go to guy for RBI's all season, Bobby Abreu. Abreu ropes a double off the Green Monster and drives in Aybar, Figgins stops at 3rd base. What does Terry Francona do next? He has Papelbon intentionally walk Torii Hunter to get to Vladimir Guerrero. Vladdy, a guy who has been less than spectacular in post season play. Francona figured, this guy is slumping and all we need is this one out. One out and Vladdy swings at everything and cannot hit the fastball anymore. This thought process would be the undoing of the Boston Red Sox. Vladimir Guerrero proved that he can still hit the fastball. He did just that, connecting on a 1st pitch fastball dealt by Papelbon. Guerrero put that ball in just the perfect spot in centerfield, between Ellsbury and Bay...Chone Figgins and Bobby Abreu both score to put the Angels up 7-6. Papelbon had given up 3 runs in the top of the 9th with 2 outs.

Unbelievable? I say nay....it's the Angels...the "Comeback Kids." We've been doing this sort of thing all season. Francona brings in Okajima to close out the top of the 9th and give their batters a chance to pick up the win. It was not to be....closer Brian Fuentes, AL save regular season saves leader, sat the batters down 3 straight. One, two, three and the Boston crowd was completely silent. This completed the SWEEP of the Boston Red Sox and the Angels got the "monkey" off their back.

While we watched the game, we looked for Angels fans in the crowd at Fenway Park. Where were the Angels fans? What was up with the coverage? The telecast did not show a single Angels cap in the crowd...were they there? Did Boston not let any Angels fans in the game? As we jumped for joy in that Anaheim condo, we felt as if we were jumping with the Angels in Boston. It felt as if we were the only fans to have experienced this joy.

Amidst the laughter and jubilation, our thoughts turn to the Yankees. We can only hope that they lose their later game to the Twins and extend the playoffs. Could we beat the Yankees....Hell yes WE CAN!!! Will we beat the Yankees....HELL YES WE WILL!!! Bring on those Damn Yankees. Bring on ARod, Jeter, Tex, Damon, Posada, Rivera and Pettitte. The Angels have the best track record against the Yankess than any other team in baseball. These are the arguable the 2 best teams in MLB. I can definitely see this series going down to the wire....7 games. I do hope that the Angels can finish them in 4 or 5 games. It would be nice to get the rest for the 2009 World Series. There is a good possibility for the Angels and the Dodgers to meet. Let's Go Angels!!!!!

2009 ALDS - Game 1 - Bring on the Red Sox

Why will the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim win the 2009 ALDS? In simple terms, Mike Scioscia is the best manager in baseball, that's why!!!! Terry Francona is definitely no slouch in his own right. But, the fact of the matter is, the 5 game short series is unlike any other playoff in all of professional sports. This monster requires precise managing of pitchers and players. While Francona's managing style is as fierce as it is delicate, the Angels and Mike Scioscia will feast in his mediocrity. The Halos are faster around the bases than any other team in baseball. They have the ability to manufacture runs by going from 1st to 3rd like no other Angels team has in the past. While they have a myriad of home run hitters, they live by the small ball philosophy and have taken it to another level. Under Scioscia, they take pride in stealing bases, bunting, taking that extra base and moving runners over at will. Mike Scioscia has brought that National League offensive mentality to the Angels and they have literally ran with it.

With the tendency to rise in the strikezone, the fastball sometimes gets pitchers into real trouble. All too often does a pitcher rely on that heavy cannon of a pitch that is almost impossible to keep down in the zone with great consistency. While the Angels definitely have the bats and wheels to run the score up, no lead is safe when playing the Red Sox. The Angels will need to back up John Lackey with fierce competitiveness to guarantee a Game 1 victory. Without a highlight reel night at defense, the solid offense just may not be enough. Lackey needs to try to pitch to contact, which usually is not his game, and let his fielders do their job. It is highly unlikely, considering Boston's deep lineup, that John Lackey will go double digits in strikeouts. He will need to rely on Figgins, Aybar, Izturis, Kendrick and Morales to pick him up between the bags and Hunter to run down those long fly balls in center field. It is imperative that Lackey show composure and keep that ball down. His first priority will be to sit down the top of the lineup for Boston in quick fashion. One, two, three would be a thing of beauty to see in the 1st inning for the big right handed hurler out of Texas.


The fate of Game 1 for the Boston Red Sox rests on the shoulders of southpaw Jon Lester. Lester utilizes an array of quality pitches to sit batters down. His 4 seamer tops out at around 97 mph, while averaging somewhere in the vicinity between 93-95 mph. Lester also uses a 2 seamer, a cutter, an above average change-up and a wicked curveball. Like John Lackey, Jon Lester is a powerful strikeout pitcher and relies heavily on his 4 seam fastball. The command of his fastball is impeccable. That being said, that pitch makes all his other pitches highly effective when intermingled amongst a barrage of screaming 95 mph bullets. The key to success against Lester is for the Angels to jump all over that 1st pitch fastball and drive it long and hard. If the Halos can get runners on base quickly, they have the ability to run the score up and knock Lester right out of his rhythm. Getting to the bullpen will be the goal of the Angels. In the middle innings the Halos tend to bring in the runs in multitude, while the Red Sox, well, let's just say their 6th and 7th innings are not even worth comment. The bullpen of Los Angeles will need to step it up in the 8th and 9th and not put runners on for that deep, deep Boston lineup.

The chant from 2002 World Series still resounds in my head....YES WE CAN....YES WE CAN....YES WE CAN!!!! And, you know what.....Yes we can. This is one of the deepest lineups that the Angels have put up against the Red Sox in all of their meetings. In the end, it will be how well Mike Scioscia manages his pitching staff and his baserunners that decides the outcome of the game. I hope all of you were able to get tickets to tonight's and tomorrow's games. I want to hear the thundersticks. I want to look into the crowd from my Knothole Club perch and see Angels red....a Sea of Red. I want hear the Let's Go Angels resounding over the chants for Boston...they will be there, but I don't want to hear them. All I want to hear at the end of tonight's battle is the cheers of triumph for the Boys In Red - our Los Angeles Angels.

Angels Claim Third Straight AL Western Division Title

The Hunt for Red October is over!!!! Not since 1990 has any team in the American League Western Division performed the 3peat! On Monday, September 28, 2009, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim did just that, by whipping the Texas Rangers in an 11-0 showdown. On Tuesday, they downed the Rangers yet again to ensure a 3rd straight ALDS battle with the Boston Red Sox. Torii Hunter contends that the history between the Angels and the Red Sox means nothing. John Lackey says that the past has nothing to do with today. And, you know what? I agree with both Hunter and Lackey. There is not a pitcher in baseball that these boys in red cannot hit and no batter in the majors that can't be K'd. The Angels' post season nemisis will be ill advised if they go into the ALDS with full confidence that they will triumph.

In all likelyhood, the starting rotation for the Halos will be John Lackey, Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders and Scott Kazmir, while Ervin Santana takes another postseason in the bullpen. The starters for Beantown should be Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz. If we can get on top of Beckett early in game one, we can get to that shaky bullpen of theirs. Will Lackey rise to the occassion? His last 2 starts have been somewhat lack luster at best. John Lackey has the playoff experience and the good stuff to pull off a game one win. He just needs to get his 1st pitch strikes across the place and not aim the ball. A game one victory will set the tone for the rest of the series - 2 wins at home and 1 win at Fenway Park would be ideal.

The Angels lineup is incredibly deep and fierce. Halo players are all over the American League category leaders for hitting stats. Chone Figgins is the best leadoff man in the AL this season leading all batters in runs scored with 114. Figgy is also batting .300 with 181 hits, 101 walks and 42 stolen bases. Kendry Morales tops charts with 34 HRs (6th), 107 RBIs (5th), 43 2Bs (7th), .304 AVG (14th) and a .571 SLG (2nd). As far as offense goes, the Angels will meet the Red Sox pitching contingent with speed and power. Boston fans should be worried, very very worried about what these boys can do once they get on a roll.

The picture of Shane (an Angels batboy) holding Nick Adenhart's jersey during the Halos victory celebration will be etched in my mind for years to come. To those people who think this was a shameful or disrespectful act, I say, "Shame on you! Shame on all of you." Yes, it is very tragic to have lost Adenhart so early in his young career. I see this as a celebration of his life, a celebration of his time, for all eternity, as an Angel. Nick Adenhart will always be an Angel and the boys were celebrating that, including him in their joy. If Nick were here, I can guarantee he would be right there with them. He was right there with them, as far as everyone involved was concerned. His presence is felt every day in the lives of these players and to say their celebration was disrespectful, wow....I say get a clue people. This is just another way of carrying on this young man's legacy, his life and his memory.