Spring Fever is back

Admit it. You’ve got a little extra pep in your step these days, don’t you? It’s okay; after all, it’s spring and baseball is back and opening day is just around the corner.

As the season gets closer and closer, I’ve got a few things on my mind that I’d like to share with you regarding the Angels. Before I get to that; my apologies to all of you who have been checking for updates only to find nothing new of late. I’ll be updating this blog more frequently moving forward, starting this weekend. Stay tuned because I hope to have some fun and interesting stuff to share with all of you. And thank you – thank you for taking the time to actually read this blog.

First things, first…. Mark Trumbo is a beast and I mean that in the most flattering way possible. The guy is giving the Angels every reason to keep him on the 25 man roster. He currently leads the Cactus League in homeruns with five and is hitting a .348 as of yesterday (3/15/2011). Granted, it’s hard to get too excited about numbers in spring training, but when you look at Trumbo’s body of work going back to last season and the winter league, he looks like he could have a huge impact.

I don’t know about you, but I’d like to see what he can with some regular playing time right off the bat. Assuming that Kendry Morales is healthy, I’d even be fine with the idea of having Peter Bourjos sit; move Hunter back to center field and put Trumbo in right. This offense can use all the fire power it can get and Trumbo could be huge. “Could be” is a huge if, but I’d like to see if his potential is real.

The homerun he hit yesterday was off a change-up. That’s a good sign. Any batter can tee up a fast ball, but when hitters are able hit the off speed stuff, that’s definitely a positive.

I’m just saying it’s time to give the local kid (went to Villa Park High School) his shot.

Speaking of shots, it looks like Maicer Izturis is going to get the first shot at the starting job at third base. Even though I like Izturis, I can’t help but yawn at this idea. I just can’t get excited about a 5’8” third baseman. Izturis is best served as a utility man in my opinion. Face it, he’s not about to break Cal Ripken’s iron man record either.

This is just another one of those head scratchers for me.

Of course, nothing makes me scratch my head more than the thought of Jeff Mathis as the everyday catcher. We’ve been down this road before and I’d rather not go into all the reasons why I hate the idea again.

Now, I don’t want to sound like I’m all doom and gloom because I’m not. I’m very excited about this team and what they can do on the field. I’m looking forward to seeing Kendry (or should I say Kendrys?) Morales back in the lineup. I can’t wait to see Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells leading the way. I an especially excited to see Jered Weaver assume the role of team ace and club house leader on this team.

Speaking of Weaver… it’s funny what you find when you search the internet for stuff about a favorite player.

Here’s a couple of youtube videos that you might enjoy. First is an interview with Weaver and the second is a song recorded by a big Jered Weaver fan named Afton MacDonald, who co-wrote the song with her sister Ellie.





The lyrics are a little hard to hear, but I think the singer sings something along the lines of "I'd ask you out on a date simply because of your ERA." Face it, True Grich brings you the best stuff about the Angels. It doesn't get any better than this. Oh and don't blame me if you end up humming this tune in your head all day. I'm just saying.

Speaking of the best - let me say again how much I am looking forward to seeing Kendry Morales back. I am betting the rest of the AL West isn't too thrilled though.

I found this little commercial featuring Morlaes and Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners that's pretty funny. I don't know when this was done - but I hope Morales still has some of this swagger...



Last but not least - here is yet another song dedicated to an Angel... this one happens to be a rap dedicated to Torii Hunter. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Hunter is just my favorite baseball player, period. He's just a great all-around guy and even though he's a fine baseball player; he's an even better person. I can't wait to see him again this season and I plan to enjoy every moment that he's on my favorite team.