If you were granted a wish that you could have tonight's game go exactly how you drew it up, what would you call for?

I know my first choice would be for a total blowout because I am tired of the game-long agony this team has been putting me through; However, if I really could call the shots, here is how I would like it to go: 

Angels look miserable all night--maybe even no hits--and trail, say, 3-0 because Lackey is doing a decent job. Top of the ninth, I want to see Papplebon (I know he might not play, but this is fantasy) get ripped for back-to-back-to-back-to-back homeruns by Garrett, Tex, Vlad, and Hunter--all with two outs and two strikes.

Then I want our closer Frankie to serve up three straight gopher balls that each outfielder goes over the wall to catch. 

Top that! 

 

On the way to work this morning, Colin Cowheard (sp?) of ESPN Radio led off his show with something like this:

There has never been a more insignificant 12-inning playoff game in history. The Angels are going down in flames because Lester does not lose in Boston. It was a "fun little" game, but it is over tonight.

Here's hoping that we can shut that stuff up right away. I know I will be listening the same time tomorrow to see what he has to say after we win. 

I am involved in a good-natured debate with a USC fan about the type of players USC is able to recruit versus the ones our Bruins can pursue due to academic standards.

You all saw the Times article this weekend about Pete Carrol, right? Well, our discussion started out when I questioned (only a tad seriously) the real reason that Pete Carrol trolls the streets of South Central at midnight: he is selling the USC brand and building good will to see that the athletes from L.A. come to USC when that time comes.

I explained that UCLA can't touch many of those players due to our academics and my friend acted like she never heard of such a thing, and accused me of sour grapes (as would I her, if it were the other way around).

She said that it is harder to get into USC than UCLA and that the playing field was surely "even" in regards to admissions for athletes, with both schools having to meet the same standards.  

Now we know that is not true, but how do I prove that to her?  

Other than the anecdotal evidence, I can't think of what sources I have to win this debate. Can any of you help me?

UCLA signee Reeves Nelson out of Modesto just set a playoff record in the NorCal Division Playoffs Wednesday. Nelson is just a junior and has a year of seasoning before he hits the floor for the Bruins. From Richard T. Estrada of the Modesto Bee:

After running its first two playoff foes out of the gym, the Crusaders ran into a team willing to play their urban-style game -- both the balling and bravado.

"We knew they'd come out and run with us and shoot 3s, and we were excited," Nelson said. "It's the playoffs now and everything is getting a little more intense."

No one could match Nelson's intensity, as he scored a playoff-record 53 points to lead MC past Encina 122-100 in a Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal at Tokay High.

53 points in a high school game! Not only did he score, but the Bee also reports that he showed some real competitive fire:
Reeves put his personal stamp on this game in the third period.

With MC up by 20 points, Nelson broke from the pack and went up to slam. Knaules, though, rose up and tipped the ball from behind.

Moments later, Nelson was in the open again. Knaules didn't try for a block this time, instead slamming his body into Nelson as he was up in the air.

He crashed to the ground with a thud -- but bounced up just as quickly and thumped his chest against Knaules in a bit of bravado common for the playground.

It earned Nelson a technical, but it also earned him respect -- and showed the fiery side of a player whose playful personality has been misconstrued as lethargic.

"It should have been an intentional foul, the way he went into Reeves," said coach Gary Porter, whose UCLA-committed star scored 30 in the first half to help MC to a 60-40 halftime lead. "It was an emotional moment and he got right into the guy. I understood why he got a technical.

"He has emotion, it's just that he isn't the type of player who goes out to do that every time."

While Nelson kept the crowd entertained with his dunks, 3-pointers and open-court dribbling, guard D.J. Seeley celebrated a homecoming of sorts.

Wow, let's hope he keeps on getting better in the next year and saves some of that for the college game.

Is K-Love good for more than one and done?

There are people who think so because they are of the opinion that he will not be such a success in the NBA.

In fact, I know a long-time basketball observer who is a personal friend of Pete Newell and has helped at his Big Man Camps who thinks Love is not a first rounder.

Not only does he think he is not going in the first round, but he thinks that he will stick around for three years.

Whoo Hoo! I sure hope he is right, but I don't know.

Here are the observations that I would love to hear your takes on:

*Love is not 6-10, but only 6-8 and a half. He is huge, but not strong and needs to replace some bulk with muscle.

*While Love has dominated many inside players in the Pac-10, my friend said he would not have similar success against real NBA centers who can actually jump and have some athleticism. The Lopez twins and Brockman are not very athletic and don't jump well either.

*Said friend says he would play forward in the NBA and challenged me to think about what would happen if he tried to guard, say, Lamar Odom.  

*He asked me to name a big white guy who was ever drafted highly who turned out to be a huge star.

*He said Love lacks the impeccable timing to block shots that Walton had, even though he is often compared to him.

*Finally, he says he needs to lose 10 pounds of fat and add 10 pounds of muscle and then he could be a middle second rounder in a couple years.

What do you think? Is my friend full of it or does he have some good points? I sure hope some NBA people share his opinion so that Love will stick around and play for us a while longer.

Ok, it will probably end up being an insignificant--albeit ugly--wart on the face of what will probably be a wonderful season, but man, do I HATE to lose.

Figuring most of us here despise a loss to SC as much as we hate male pattern baldness, I was wondering what you would trade if it were possible to trade for a victory today.

Now I'm not talking about engaging in a I'll-see-you-fifty-and-raise-you fifty male macho contest of hyperbole to see who is the biggest fan; I am talking about what you would really swap for a different result in today's disaster.

If you have to buy the win, I guess that is OK, but it would be a lot more interesting (and maybe even funny) if we think of other, less conventional things to barter.

This came up because I was so excited about this weekend: I get Monday off, I have nothing pressing that I HAVE to do, and my Bruins are on TV!

Obviously my weekend is now completely ruined, so I was wondering what deal I could make with the basketball gods if things could be put right.

I decided that I would trade my highly anticipated 3-day weekend for a different result in today's game.

What would you sacrifice?

After seeing how much Oakland moans and groans about injuries doing them in this year, I decided to mentally (always a dangerous thing) chart the Angel injuries. I really think we have had more than our share too, it's just that others have picked up the slack. Feel free to help me out because I am sure I will miss some.

Garrett Anderson (multiple visits to the DL)
Kotchman (current injury at least and one other?)
Kendrick (out for at least a month at one point)
Figgins (ditto)
McPherson (gone for the season)
Rivera (almost all season)
Izturis (still out)
Hillenbrand (couple of weeks, right?)
GMJ (today)
Spier (man we miss that dude)
Colon (still not right?)
Weaver (missed most of first month)

Who did I miss? Can the A's top that?

Apparently I am about as out of touch as a fan can be. Tim Miller of the Orange County Register was talking about Evans' home run the other day and how it as an incredible moment as FSN showed his father shooting a video and Evans hitting the HR on a split screen. I just heard about it. Does anybody know where I can see that video? I couldn't find it on youtube. I know, I should watch Sportscenter. I don't have cable because I would do nothing all day except watch Sportcenter; that's why I don't have cable.

I am in need of a little help from this community. Where better can a man go than to a group of like-minded individuals, right?

I have two tickets to The Police show at the Honda Center (Arrowhead Pond) Thursday night. I can't use them because I am in Northern California (long story) and I need to sell them because I am not a rich man who thinks nothing of eating $200 worth of tickets.

Face value is 95 bucks and I would like to get that, even though they cost me more with the "service charge." Obviously, I am not in a position to drive a hard bargain.

Who wants to go? There is no game that night.  

I am not a pessimist. Really, I'm not. But compared to the posters on this blog I am a regular Eeyore!

Other than the D, we stunk--can't even make lay-ups/put backs. I have zero expectations of future tourney success after the way we have played in three of the four last games. This team is not playing well.

I'm amazed at how people here manage to stay so positive about Ben Ball in the midst of such a colossal near-choke job.

If the Bruins were so mentally tough and prepared--as some asserted in the game thread as reason for their victory--they would have won by 10. At least.

It cracks me up that after all the cussing and fussing during the game that now people are happy campers.

Yes, it is good to win, but it is better to win  and be good and the Bruins are anything BUT right now.

I am sorry to be so real, but it defies logic that a team can play so poorly and still make its patrons happy. I don't get it.

I know, I am a sad case: not happy when they win, not happier when they lose. Such is the life of a realistic fan.

Now I have a face to put on my fear: Jeff Weaver's.

The reason that we can not give up on that injury-prone sack of K's named Dallas McPherson was leaping up and down celebrating a World Series victory tonight. It's simple, we trade Dallas, he turns into a superstar. Ditto Kotchman.

Please Mr. Stoneman, do not let those two turn into another Jenks, Weaver, or even a Glaus.  

Without looking into the minutae of the stat sheets, but thinking globally instead, I think it is very clear that if the A's go on to win this division it can be chalked up to one big difference: Frank Thomas.

The irony of this, of course, is that Billy Beane was widely derided on this blog for pinning his hopes on Thomas. I didn't search back to find the actual words of those who snickered at the A's knuckleheadedness, but I am sure that there were some strong words used to criticise our rivals from the North.

I didn't say anything in dissent at the time because I don't fancy myself as being as knowledgeable of some of our great Halos Heaven pundits; I just hoped they were right even though I really thought it was a no-risk move on their part. Obviously their minor gamble has paid off big time.

Can you imagine if we had made that move and were the recipients of those 37 HRs and 101 RBIs?

I know, I know, when is the last time you heard someone complain about a guy batting .425? Well, you're hearing it right now.

The man formerly known as Big Daddy Vladdy has been a major drag on our offense this year and I am beginning to wonder when (if ever) he is going to snap out of it. The way I remember it, he tailed off as the regular season wound down and, of course, famously disappeared for the entire playoffs.

The dude is in a 7-month slump.

Now I haven't seen all of his 40 at bats this year, but from what I have seen, he is just not getting good wood on the ball. He has only one extra base hit and that came on his only homer on opening day. (OK, one ball was hit so hard off the leftfield wall that it was only a single.)

The vast majority of the hits I have seen have been pure luck. The guy has got to have the league's worms running scared this year with his collection of ground-pounding bouncers squeaking through the infield.

And it seems like none of those hit-'em-where-they-ain't bloopers and bleeders come at opportune times. How do you hit .425 and have only 5 RBIs?

I'm also worried when the guy strikes out 25% of the time. When are all the announcers (home and away) going to stop saying how he rarely strikes out?

I understand that he has gone through an unimaginable situation with the death of his cousins, and I am wondering if he is having a hard time keeping his mind on baseball. You certainly couldn't blame him if he was.

All I know is, something is not right. Hopefully that changes soon or the Angels are going to be in worse trouble than anybody ever imagined this year. They need Vladdy.

Before we get too much further into our countdown thingy, there is something that I have got to throw out there:

If Nolan Ryan doesn't end up numero uno on the big listo of the greatest Angels, I am sure that I am not the only one who is going to be hot.

I don't know much about win-shares (but am willing to learn), and I don't know much about all the other fancy pants stats we have out there now, but some things are beyond numbers.

Nolan Ryan WAS the Angels.

In the midst of their long-term suck-ativity, there was only one guy who was the source of pride for the few downtrodden fans of the Halos.

When the Angels were a joke of a team, he was the one who made all the pain tolerable. Even when he was in pain (bone chips, hamstrings) he was the focus of the team.

His impact could be seen at the box office like no other Angel. I went to tons of games where less than 10K were scattered in those orange seats, but when Ryan pitched, the place was electric.

In considering Ryan's ranking in Angel lore, we need to consider his entire career, not just those spent in Anaheim. Bavasi ruined our destiny and we were forced to share our bounty with Houston and Texas--it was not Ryan's fault that he was not an Angel all those years.

I know that he walked far too many people and was only a .500 pitcher for his career, but when Ryan took the mound we felt like champions before we ever were.

Okay, so a great night for me is obviously nothing like the Rev experienced, but here goes the poor man's version of an awesome night at the ballpark.

I had promised my 12-year-old son that when the Angels came to Oakland we would trek on over there from Modesto and catch the Halos one last time. As far as "being there" moments, it turned out to be one of the best in my 33-year fan career (countless Nolan Ryan games are right up there too). Here are the highlights:

**We got pretty good tickets on the field level from scalpers that accosted us as soon as we got off BART. I feel good because I talked (used to be able to say "jewed") them down on the price, but then I see Rev Halofan and he's sitting right by the dugout behind the really expensive seats just a few feet from the field. He paid less than me for more expensive seats! He told me the key was arriving two innings late. I am not sure I want to make that tradeoff, but I file that info for later.

*I am sitting next to a great guy and fellow ex-patriot SoCal guy, Mike. We talk Angels all game long and then when I finally spot the Rev, it turns out Mike is a poster on this board too. He goes by Angels95. Mike, I didn't get the chance to say that it was good meeting you and your friend--it was! Go Angels!

*I was very thrilled last month when I took my son to the "K-Rod drops the ball" game and we managed to get autographs from Donnelly and Shields. Today we went straight to the top and got a picture and autograph of Arte Moreno.

*People threw things at me. Oakland fans are very knowledgeable and kind, but as the Angels danced on the field at the end, I got pelted by a few harmless peanuts from the upper decks. I am so glad that I my team is actually good enough that people would throw things at me because of them!

*As further proof that this is the not nearly the night that our fearless leader had in Oakland, one of my highlights was meeting the fearless leader and Mrs. Halofan. I know, I know, if this is a highlight you'd hate to see a lowlight, but I live a sheltered life. I figured I would find the Rev pretty easily, but since he didn't arrive until the second, I didn't even see him until the 5th. One thing I noticed about him, is that he is always standing up as if he wants to make sure everyone knows he is there.

*Other good Rev Halofan news is that he DID NOT run naked out onto the field.

**Finally, it was great to finally leave the Coliseum last night as a winner instead after stupid-pet-trick defeats like I witnessed every other time. High-fiving perfect strangers in red as the Greenies moped out was a lot of fun.

Yesterday was not Larry Krueger's day.

The San Francisco Giants talk show host stumbled upon not one, but two new ways of offending people and will certainly lose his job as soon as the caterwauling becomes shrill enough or congress gets involved--whichever comes first.

In the same commentary where he coined the ethnic slur, "Caribbean" (http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/3865854), he tried to improve upon the common metaphor, "his brain is mush," used to describe someone who doesn't think clearly.

Instead of the word "mush," Krueger got fancy and used the actual name of an actual mush, Cream of Wheat, when describing Giants' Manager Felipe Alou's brain.

He picked the wrong cereal.

Cream of Wheat packages have the picture of a smiling black chef offering up a bowl of steaming cereal to entice us. Apparently Krueger saying, "You have a manager in Felipe whose mind has turned to Cream of Wheat" is some sort of code for "Felipe Alou looks like that subservient black fellow on the box of Cream of Wheat.

Good thing he didn't use Count Chocula.

He could simply have said that Alou was a Fruit Loop--that's a cereal. And come to think of it, Fruit Loops have the advantage of being many different colors. They have diversity, yeah! You could call into question a persons mental processes and imply that they are part of the rainbow coalition all at the same time! Not to mention that a toucan is part of the rain forest.

It seems that Mr. Krueger needs to attend some sort of sensitivity class for serial offenders. Maybe local supermarkets could expand their businesses by conducting such classes right there in the cereal aisle. Certainly if you are going to be in radio you would need to know all the various connotations of foods in your grain group.

I wonder what would it have meant if he used Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal as his mush of choice. Wouldn't it be more offensive for a Dominican to be called an old white guy with a wig?

Somehow I don't think anyone would have even noticed if that was the cereal he picked.

For a moment I asked myself who I should root for in the current Rangers/A's series, but I soon came to my senses because the answer is obvious: Go Rangers!

The A's are more than a force to be reckoned with; there is no doubt that they are going to make things very scary for our guys in red at some point during the next few months.

I actually wrote this diary entry two weeks ago when we still had a double-digit lead on Oakland.  Unfortunately, not once, but twice I hit something that erased my lengthy piece before I finished it. I was not in the mood to retype it a third time. Now that the Oakland surge continues, I just had to sound the alarm again and hope that this time my wayward fingers don't betray me.

Oakland's pitching is better than the Angels. I feel that we have performed a bit over our heads pitching-wise in the first half and can't replicate the success over the rest of the season.

Oakland, on the other hand, is doing what they were supposed to do from the mound. Except for a bit of a pitching slump in May when they really were at the low point of their season, the staff has been very very strong. I expect them to continue with their recent winning ways. It doesn't look good.

And don't look now, but the A's are starting to hit too (have been for more than a month). Having finally hit their stride offensively, I think there will be a real fight for the division at some point in the next months. I knew it was too good to be true when I saw the green and gold barely playing .400 ball.

Be very afraid.    

Though I entertained serious doubts before the season about picking up a 40-year-old centerfielder, I am not among those who want to write this off as a bad deal--yet. That in mind, I really think the Finley news of the last few days is a real positive thing for the team at this time.

For one, the revelation that he has been injured all season gives us hope that he might have something left to offer when he is finally healthy. I am not totally convinced that his "this is not an excuse" excuse is really the cause of his woes at the plate, but we'll see how he does when he comes back without a sore shoulder. (I sure wonder why he waited half the season to mention that there was a problem.)

Second, it gives all of those who have been calling for his benching a chance to see if things are better without him. Maybe Figgins in center will provide a chance for someone like DaVanon or Rivera to get going. This is really pie-in-the-sky thinking, but you never know! Also, without Figgins or Quinlan to play third (and with Izturis playing short for now) maybe we get Dallas a chance to progress sooner into the star player he will be one day--no more sitting out every few days because there is a lefty pitching.

All in all, I have never been happier that someone is injured on my team.

I say we put B. Molina at DH as soon as he gets off the DL. He hits well in the clutch, he hits for average, he hits for power, and he has a high OPB. With his leg injuries, he just gets hurt too often squatting back behind the plate. Nobody else has jumped up to claim the position, so I think this would be the right move. Comments?

Why don't we go to a 4-man rotation like in the good old days? Can anybody tell me that? We can avoid the Lacky problem almost entirely and let him work out his stuff in the pen or as a spot starter.

I have been doing a little research (very, very little) on the demise of the 4-man rotation and so far I haven't found anything conclusive. What I mean is, you would assume teams had some epiphany that pitchers were been worn out by the 4-man, but what I have seen so far doesn't indicate that it was because of durability concerns. Anybody out there know for sure why pitch counts and 5-man staffs came into prominence about 1975? Any guesses?

The frustrations of an Angel fan away from the fatherland:

1. Went down to SoCal for five days and of course the team was on the road (did pick up a nice new hat at the team store, though).
2. Find out while I'm down there that Escobar is going to pitch in Modesto and that's where I'm from. Of course, I miss that too.
3. Get home early Saturday morning and realize that what I thought was a night game in Oakland was actually at 1:05.
4. Made a grueling 2-hour drive, bought tickets from a guy on the freeway off-ramp and fortunately made it in time for the first pitch.
5. See a great game (in a lousy stadium) decided in the stupidest way possible in favor of the guys in green.

I think I should move back to SoCal!

 

A couple of weeks ago I posted my diary of the 5 things that most concerned me going into this season.  To prove that I am not always negative, I will post here the things that I haven't started worrying about yet:

1. Paul Byrd-I have a real good feeling about this signing and predict he will make a great contribution. How does 15 wins sound?
2. Injuries-Just playing the odds, but I don't think we could possibly have as tough a year health-wise as last.
3. Garrett Anderson-Will have a much better season after enduring the trials of last year.
4. Vladimir Guerrero-He will terrorize the league once more.
5. K-Rod-He's been through two full seasons after his awesome 2002 debut and I feel safe in saying that he's not a flash in the pan.

Now before you scoff at some of the no-brainer predictions, you must consider that to think anything good will ever happen is completely out of character for me.

While browsing at Barnes and Noble last night with Mrs. Dodger Hater, I came across an interesting stat in a national baseball magazine.

Let's see if anyone can guess/knows which pitcher in Angel history has the highest career winning percentage as an Angel (at least 900 innings pitched).

No prize but pride for winning.

While you guess, I'm back to trying to get MLB TV to work on my computer (it stinks living outside of SoCal during baseball season!)

Seems like most are agreed that the Angels will win the division, but where will the rest fall in? Going more on feelings (I'm such a sensitive guy) than on baseball acumen, here is what I come up with:

2nd place: Oakland A's. I just don't see them falling apart; it seems that no matter who they lose, some unknown steps up to play well. That team has some magic beane or something.

3rd place: Texas Rangers. While I tend to see last year as mostly a fluke (see Kenny Rodgers' win total for exhibit #1), they DO HAVE an incredible offense.  If the starting pitching holds its own until their bullpen comes on, they could be trouble. Also, didn't they have a young starter, Ryan Drese (?), who looked ready to break out and be someone special?

4th place: Seattle Mariners. This was another fluke and there is no way they will be as bad in 2005--their two big free agent signings should see to that. Depending on how well Sexson comes back from his injury and how close Beltre can come to matching his awesome  2004, the M's could be right in the mix. Seems to me they also had a young pitching talent who took it to the Angels twice in one week towards the end of last season.

(Wow, that's it. It sure seems lame having only 4 teams in a division; I still can't get used to that.)

Anyway, botom line is that I think the division from 2nd-4th is going to be bunched up pretty tight with movement up and down the standings all season long. Nobody is going to fall completely out of contention like Seattle last year.

As for the Angels, I HATE picking them to win, but I guess it would be pretty dumb not to. I do think it won't be as easy as some people think. Anything can happen (and throughout Angel history, it has) and I won't be surprised if any of the three teams jump up to snag the West.

Sports Illustrated has just come out with its 2005 MLB preview and the annual Player Value Rankings that come with it.  Now don't look to me for an explaination of PVR, but let's just say that it takes into account a lot of different stats to rank the most valuable people at each position.

Of interest to Angel fans is the ranking for our 2005 outfield. Guerrero is ranked # 1, Finley, #15, and Anderson #22.

What does everybody think, are they the best in the bigs or does another team have a stronger trio?

Five things I am concerned about as we approach opening day (When it comes to my team, I am a first-class worry-wort.): 1. Having a 40-year-old centerfielder. 2. Counting on Dallas McPherson to have the impact everybody seems to think he'll have. 3. Having a sustained run where ANY Molina is healthy for any length of time. 4. Whether we will ever use the word "ace" and Jarrod Washburn in the same sentence again. 5. Getting a more productive offensive season out of Darin Erstad.