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Last night the Angels took the best punches the Yankees could throw and at the end of the day, they counter punched and threw some big bombs of their own and stood victorious. Any other team would have probably folded, but as we all know, this bunch is not like any other team.

I don’t normally do much analysis of the games in this blog. It’s not that I don’t have opinions or agree with everything the Angels do; I just figure there are plenty of other people out there doing that kind of stuff. My goal for this blog is to bring you something that’s hopefully unique and somewhat entertaining.

Never-the-less… I just have to say that for the record, I would have left John Lackey in the game with the bases loaded to face Mark Teixeira. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to win or lose with Lackey on the mound. I can only imagine how hard it was for Scioscia to walk out to the mound to take the ball from a warrior like Lackey. My heart ached for Lackey because I felt like he wanted this game in the worst way. John is not afraid and I absolutely love that about him.

I also would have left Jered Weaver in the game to close things out. When he came in the game and wrote N.A. in the dirt, I had to gulp and fight back a tear. If Lackey wasn’t going to finish this thing, I wanted Weaver to carry the torch.

Well, what do I know? It doesn’t really matter and all I need to know is that the Angels are still in this thing...

And how about the offensive play of Jeff Mathis all series? So many different players have stepped up every game. I was talking to a colleague (his name is Joe and he’s a Dodger fan, but I try not to hold it against him) at work last week and he was telling me about a conversation he had with a buddy of his about the difference between baseball and the NBA. In the NBA you pretty much know who’s going to take the last shot… be it Kobe or Lebron James or whoever. Basketball teams pretty much get to dictate that stuff. Even in the NFL, you can put the ball in the hands of whoever you want. In baseball, it all depends on how the roster turns over. You never know who’s going to be at bat in a key situation and anyone can be a hero. Everyone is going to get roughly the same amount of at-bats. I love this about baseball.

Today is John Lackey’s birthday. John just got a great present. It might not have come wrapped the way he wanted it, but I doubt he’s complaining much now.

Tim McCarver just celebrated a birthday. He said one of the things he wanted for his birthday was a seven game series. I do believe he’s going to get his wish; after all, guess who’s taking the mound Saturday? Joe Saunders. You know Cheryl and I love that. I have to say, I like the Angels chances in that one.

Last night was all about demonstrating the resolve that is within this team. It was about Tim Salmon throwing out the first pitch and Brian Fuentes making the last one. It was about Juan Rivera coming up with a big hit, just when I was about ready to give up on him. It was about telling the Yankees, “not in our house.”

I love this team. I genuinely like all the players on this team. Every last one of them. It’s not often you can say that about a team. I really wasn’t a K-Rod fan. Not because he made me nervous, but because I hated all of his on-the-mound antics. Speaking of antics, Joba hasn’t much to get excited about in his last two outings. I don’t know if I could stand watching him act as if he was going through a difficult bowel movement again.

Other observations… it was a beautiful sight to see so many Yankees taking the walk of shame back to their dug out after looking at strike three. When the game ended, I closed my eyes and faced the heavens with my arms reaching into the sky. When I opened them, I didn’t see any Yankee fans. It was a beautiful thing. "New York, New York" wasn’t playing in any of cars leaving the stadium and only the people that actually know how to drive (Californians) were headed home.

I only wish I could have heard John Sterling, the obnoxious Yankee broadcaster screaming… "the Yankees lose, the Yankees lose, Thaaaaaaaaaa YANKEES LOSE!" I’ll take Rory Markus screaming “Just another Halo Victory” instead any time.

A tip of the hat goes to 514 Fanatic Kim, who sits next to Cheryl for many of the games. When Kim goes to the potty, the Angels score. This has been going on for years. It really works quite a bit. It’s to the point where I think Arte Moreno should give her, her own private bathroom. On the door, there should be a sign saying “Home of the Rally Bladder.” Guess who was in the bathroom when the Angels scored the three runs to take back the lead? You got it. Now, if you ever hear people chanting, “Go Kim Go” – you’ll know what that’s all about. In fact, if you want to bring her cold drinks all game long, just stop by Row F and pass it down to her. Heck, even when she’s not at the game, people will call her when the Angels are at bat to see if she’s doing her duty.

Oh the things we do to help our team.

On to New York. Good luck Angels, we’ll keep the light on for you while you’re gone. You can’t miss it; it’s on top of the Big A in the parking lot.