Swing Away

I got nothing.

I guess that’s what happens a week after returning from spring training. My mind is still in Tempe, even though I’m back in So. Cal. The blog has been pretty quiet this week and for that, I’m sorry.

All I have right now are some random thoughts.

First of all the Angels lost to the A’s today. I hate the A’s (that’s an FYI, in case you’re not a regular reader of this blog) and I hate it when the Angels lose to the A’s even if it’s just in the Cactus League.
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I really hope Terry Evans makes the 25 man roster. I’d really like to see this young man carve out a major league career and I’m very curious about seeing what he could do at the next level. He’s always been very nice to us at spring training and he’s a fan of one of my favorite pastors; John MacArthur. I recently learned that Evans frequently refers to MacArthur as Johnny Mac… just like I have over the years.

It was odd hearing Dallas McPherson’s name on the radio today. I’ve been keeping tabs on him since leaving the Angels. He’s bounced around the league quite a bit and continues to have back troubles. Injuries have robbed him of a career to date, but it’s nice to see he’s still chasing the dream. I really wish him well – even if it’s in Oakland (so you know I really like this kid). I would like to see what he could do with good health and plenty of at-bats (although I’d feel better if he was not in the ALW).

I still believe the Angels did the right thing when they let Troy Glaus walk to give this guy a shot. Sure, hindsight shows it was the wrong thing to do; however, it made a lot of sense at the time. I really wanted to see McPherson succeed and still do.

McPherson reminds me of the character Merrill Hess played by Joaquin Phoenix in the movie “Signs” with Mel Gibson. Hess was a prolific homerun hitter in the minor leagues, but was also notorious for striking out. Swing away McPherson, swing away.

What’s really sad is that people try to compare Brandon Wood to McPherson and some believe Wood will not live up to expectations simply because McPherson didn’t. I don’t know how these people come to these kinds of crazy conclusions, but they’re definitely out there. I mean seriously; they’re two different people and the comparisons are ridiculous.

Brandon Wood deserves better.

The Angels haven’t won a game in the Cactus League as of yet; granted, they’ve only played three games, but it seems odd given how well they played last spring. They play Oakland again tomorrow. Is it too early to start guaranteeing wins?

Part of me thinks the world has gone mad because Garret Anderson is trying to make the Dodgers’ 25 man roster. He’s trying to make the team as a bench player. That’s just strange and wrong on so many levels, isn’t it?

There is a certain sentiment out there among some Angel fans who would love to see either Anderson or Erstad end their careers as an Angels’ bench player. Personally, I’d hate to see either one take the roster spot away from a guy like Terry Evans or Freddy Sandoval. Don’t get me wrong, both had wonderful careers in Anaheim, but their time has passed. In any case, the Angels haven’t shown any interest in bringing either back; so that conversation is moot.

Thirty days until opening day.