Faithful till the end

Last night in the 8th inning when the Rangers expanded their lead to 4-2, Cheryl looked intently at the action on the field and said, “We still have six outs.”

When Erick Aybar singled in the bottom of the 9th, she gripped my hand tightly. She didn’t want the season to end just yet. When Russell Branyan came to bat, the intensity was too much for her. She let go of my hand to cover her eyes and said “I can’t watch.”

It was soon after that moment that the ball went sailing past Rangers’ catcher Yorvit Torrealba and the crowd let out a roar. She looked up, looking for the ball and asked what happened. I told her the ball got past the catcher and Aybar was now on second.

She was excited and nervous at the same time – but she was into it; boy was she into it.

Maicer Izturis flied out.

Then Peter Bourjos singled to drive in Aybar, Cheryl’s adrenaline was pumping big time. She let out a yell, clapped and pumped her fists. Her body language said “We can do this.” She still believed.

I wanted to believe too, but as I sat and watched the game unfold, I was already done. My emotional tank was empty and I was waiting for the inevitable.

As Howie Kendrick struck out to end the game and the Angels play-off hopes, I felt a little sad – not for me, but for my wife who was faithful to her team till the end.

Sure, she had her moments when she was utterly disgusted with the team and may have even verbalized the idea that she too was done at certain times during the season – but her actions said otherwise.

All season long, she didn’t understand how this team could not play better. She knew they were capable and her desire for the team to win never wavered. She saw the flaws in the team as clearly as anyone. She would often say, “We need a big bat! They keep saying they’re going to get one, but here we are again…” Never-the-less, she still believed they could get it done.

She never failed them, but unfortunately, the Angels failed her.

It took 160 games for the Angels to be eliminated, but they broke our hearts all season long. Time after time – they lost games they should have won. The team failed on so many levels; offense, defense, bullpen, front office…. It was hard to watch, but we watched just the same.

A tremendous season for Jered Weaver and really solid seasons by Dan Haren and Ervin Santana were wasted. Pitching this good should be in the post season. It’s a darn shame they’re not going to have that opportunity this year.

Now that the Angels have been eliminated – Cheryl and I will become Diamondback fans for the rest of the year. It is our sincere hope that Joe Saunders gets a ring – a championship ring. Who knows, we may even make a trip out to Arizona to see a game or two. We’ll see.

It’s a long time till spring rolls around. We are exhausted. We started this journey in Kansas City for opening day on March 31. We attended tons of games and even made trips to San Bernardino to see the 66ers and trips to Texas and San Diego as well. I even made a trip to Dodgers Stadium. I should probably count how many games we saw and at some point, I just might. We didn't miss many.

We tried our best to look at this season as a story unfolding before our very eyes and it was just that; only problem was there was no happy ending.

All year long I have written in this blog that the margin for error was ever so small. After 160 games, that really came to be true.

We’ve been season ticket holders for a short time; only since 2004 – but we’ve been spoiled with five post season appearance. Not going to the playoffs for two years in a row hurts like heck and as I said before – I don’t ever want to get used to this feeling.

I’m a lucky man; my wife loves Angels baseball and we get to share this great game together. When all is said and done – baseball has provided us with lots of memories and we have been blessed to be a part of this season and others. It’s all about the journey and we can’t wait till the next one begins.

In the meantime, I will still be blogging and Cheryl will still be right here by my side feeding my ideas and keeping tabs on the Hot Stove season.

Thinking out loud

When Cheryl and I left Angels Stadium Sunday we knew we should feel pretty good about taking two out of three from the Yankees; however, we felt a little empty instead. A sweep would have been so much sweeter and remaining a game and a half back of the Rangers was just much more manageable in our minds.

A couple days have passed and the Angels now find themselves three games back after a disappointing loss to the stinkin’ A’s while the Rangers were idle. Listening to AM 830 a bit this morning, I wasn’t surprised to hear Roger Lodge had received an email from an Angel fan in Rancho Cucamonga who was throwing in the towel. There are always a few who look for immediate gratification and get discouraged when things don’t line up just perfectly.

If Cheryl and I had thrown in the towel every time things didn’t go just right for the Angels, we would have cashed out a long time ago. Don’t get me wrong – riding out this rollercoaster is tough at times – but we ride it out in hopes of a huge reward in the end.

We want more than anything for those last three games in Anaheim against Texas to mean something. I really don’t want to have to write another “Dear John” letter this year. Just saying.

The road to the end of the season is going to be difficult. Not just from a baseball schedule perspective, but from a fan’s perspective. Being in a pennant race is fun, but I’d much rather have my team leading as opposed to chasing. There’s definitely an emotional toll in living through this race for the play-offs.

How do we deal with it?

We are doing all kinds of crazy things while following this race. I tune into Ranger games on XM Radio. I’m constantly checking scores on the blackberry. We’ve even go so far as to water a plant in our yard called a “Texas Ranger” in hopes it will bring us luck. Don't laugh, it actually works quite a bit (not that we’re superstitious because we really aren’t).

We even do cheers for the teams that are facing the Rangers. Speaking of which… Let’s go CLEVE-LAND! Beat the RANG-ERS!

What shirt do we wear? Which hat should I put on? If we find a penny or a nickel or any money at all – we think of it as good luck for that day’s game. We even have a strange and funny thing called the Rally Bladder (check the link for details).

Does it really have an impact? Well… there have been some funny and strange coincidences, but no – of course not (at least I don't think so) - it’s all part of being in the race and part of the tradition of being a baseball fan.

We grasp for ways to impact the outcome of games; knowing full well, we can’t possible accomplish such things. It’s just part of the fun and I’m sure you have some traditions/routines of your own.

When all is said and done, it’s really all on the team.

And if I stop to think about the team long enough – I’m actually amazed that they are where they are. They did little to upgrade an offensive from 2010 and their bullpen has been suspect at times. Still, we fans want what we want and nothing short of a division title will suffice. I mean, the team has come this far – why give up now?

I also must admit that having guys like Peter Bourjos, Mark Trumbo, and even Mike Trout and more recently Jerome Williams have added a lot of excitement to this year’s edition of the team. They’re fun to watch and easy to cheer for.

We really don’t want to end this season in September and the thought of such a thing is just downright depressing.

I’ve talked a great deal about the margin of error being slim and sometimes when I stop and think about the times the Angels appeared to have “given away” games, I get a little crazy and a whole lot of cranky.

Losing too many games to Seattle and Oakland is just downright inexcusable. Adding to my anxiety is the return of Jeff Mathis to a starting role in three of the last four games. Every time he shows the smallest glimmer of hope, Mike Scioscia seizes the opportunity to play him more. It really has become almost comical and a huge source of fan angst all season long.

Never-the-less, we press on.

I know the offense has flaws, but this team has such great pitching that it would be a crime to waste it. I want to see Weaver and Haren going back to back in a play-off series against anyone. I’ll take my chances with those two and Ervin Santana anytime and anywhere. It’s just that this team needs to find a way to get there.

I'll be honest, I’m leery of the trip the Angels have to take back east and I’m fearful that it could all go horribly bad in Baltimore and Toronto. I hate feeling this way, but this team has a way of sapping one’s confidence at any given moment.

One can only watch Vernon Wells or Jeff Mathis fail in key hitting situations only so many times. It just takes its toll.

For every Mark Trumbo walk-off homerun, there seems to a few bonehead errors by Erick Aybar or a base running blunder by Torii Hunter or some other miscue that leaves Angels fans pulling their hair out.

Look, I know fans have unrealistic expectations in that we expect our team to execute every play flawlessly. I get that. I know players aren’t perfect and are bound to make mistakes, but when you’re in a pennant race – it doesn’t ease the pain and frustration of watching your team lose winnable games. Do you feel me?

So here we are with sixteen games left in the regular season. I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I’m skeptical and optimistic at the same time. I’m a walking, talking contradiction.

Every now and then I flash forward and think about next season, but I usually dismiss that train of thought because I want this year to count.

I know some baseball fan bases go years and years without any joy (Hello Cub fans). I know that the Angels had an awesome run in the last decade. That being said, I just hate losing and having a baseball team that’s not relevant in October just plain sucks.

Cheryl and I are emotionally invested (as always). We are willing to risk disappointment because we want to experience the joy of 2002 all over again. We’re greedy that way. It was just too much fun and something we want to experience again and again. Anything less will just be a let down.

Sure, life will go regardless, but winter is a lot more tolerable when you can call your team “champions.” 2010 was awful for so many reasons – that go beyond baseball. Let's just say that w could really use a great 2011. I don’t know if we deserve it, but we want it just the same.

I’m not going to make any excuses for what we want and I’m certainly not going to apologize for it either. We want a championship and at the very least, we want to watch our team in October, period.

I don’t know how we’ll get there, but I do believe we can get there. Yes, I really do. How about you?

An old adage gets put to the test

There’s an old adage in baseball that “good pitching beats good hitting.” I’ve heard that expression ever since I can remember and even though it’s not absolutely true, anyone associated with baseball has been spouting that little mantra for years.

Well that claim is going to be tested this weekend at Angels Stadium. It’s the ultimate challenge of good pitching vs. good hitting. The Yankees lead major league baseball in runs scored with 778 (as compared to the Angels who have scored 586). The Angels have the lowest ERA in the American League at 3.58.

The Angels have given up just 118 HR’s all year; second lowest in the American League. The Yankees have hit the most homeruns in MLB with 200. Curtis Grandreson has 38 and Mark Teixeira has 36. Eight Yankees have hit double digit homeruns including Robinson Cano with 25 and Nick Swisher with 22. Think about this – the four I just mentioned have combined for more homeruns(121) than the entire Angels team.

To make things even more interesting, the Angels will be sending their three best starters, who have all been exceptionally tough at home. Jered Weaver has a 1.87 ERA in 13 games at home; Dan Haren – 2.68 in 14 games and Ervin Santana – 2.96 in 16 games. Our top guns are headed to the mound for an epic show down.

Something has to give.

You can crunch numbers all day long… you can look at all kinds of splits and matchups until your calculator explodes. At the end of the day; it’s still all about the Angels pitchers against the Yankee hitters and whether or not that old adage about pitching vs. hitting holds up.

That being said – don’t be surprised if the Angels end up winning games 10-9 or something strange like that; because quite frankly, that’s baseball at its unpredictable self.

This series couldn’t have possibly lined up any better for the Angels rotation. Weaver goes on Friday; Haren on Saturday and Santana on Sunday. The Angels best against the most explosive offensive team in baseball. Baseball fans everywhere will get a chance to see how these two teams stack up in September. It’s a classic matchup in every sense of the word.

I’m anticipating a play-off like atmosphere at the stadium. These are crucial games for the Angels who are trying to run down the Texas Rangers who head into the weekend with a 2.5 game lead.

Like the Rangers, the Yankees also boast a 2.5 game lead in their division (over the Red Sox) and although their play-offs hopes are not in doubt – they’re striving to win the division and best record in the American League which would give them home field advantage; something every team covets.

The Yankees rotation will lead off with ex-Angel Bartolo Colon who is having somewhat of a resurgent season. He has a 3.72 ERA, but hasn’t won a game since July 30 and his ERA during that period of time is 5.00. On Saturday C.C. Sabathia will be vying for his 20th win of the season and figures to be the Angels toughest challenge in the three games. Of course, now that I’ve said that – the Angels will probably score 15 runs against him (let’s hope!). On Sunday the Yankees send out another reclamation project in Freddy Garcia who is also enjoying a nice comeback season with a 3.50 ERA.

Here’s the thing… we can look at these matchups all day long, but the bottom line is that these games mean a heck of a lot more to the Angels because of their position in the AL West pennant race. My hope is that Angels Stadium will be rocking with Angels fans; wearing red and being loud. Nothing disgusts me more than seeing our house full of fans from the opposing team.

Angels fans need to come to the stadium fired up and ready to rock and roll. We fans can make a difference and even though we don’t have any control over what happens on the field – we can certainly make the environment one that’s inspiring to our players. The Yankees need to know they’re in our house and Angels fans need to represent.

I’ve been thinking about this all week… Weaver, Haren and Santana. No excuses. These are big games and our best have to step up. If you can’t get excited about this – you might as well call it a day.

Angels vs. Yankees baby! Let’s do this.

All things considered...

Fifty eight games into the 2011 season and the Angels have lost as many games as they’ve won (29-29). It’s kind of funny how “even” they’ve been of late. In their last ten games, they’re 5-5. They’re 16-16 on the road and 13-13 at home. Their season so far can sort of be described as simply treading water.

All things considered; I say that beats the heck of out sinking like a rock. Sure, there are times when they frustrate me to no end and yet, there’s something about the way they go about their business that gives me a sense of peace and feeling that they’ll be there in the end.

I always feel that that they’re just on the verge of going on a run and are about to peel off several victories in a row. At the same time, just when I think they’re on their way, they stumble. Again, think treading water.

Even when they blow a game in an unnatural way (like the time Kevin Jepsen threw a wild pitch on an intentional walk to give a game away), they do something special; like come from a 5-0 deficit to win. They continue to find ways to overcome adversity and stay in the hunt; the hunt for a return to the top of the American League West.

So as a tribute to their .500 season, I thought I’d list five things I like about the team so far and five things I don’t…

Things I like:

Mark Trumbo who is “country strong” (to borrow a phrase from Stuart Scott of ESPN who usually says that to describe Adam Dunn) and his ten homeruns to lead all AL rookies has been a pleasure to watch. I love his attitude and his desire to get in the batter’s box and compete.

Peter Bourjos on the fly is a beautiful thing to watch. He has electrifying speed and when he runs you can’t help but stare. He makes your jaw drop and he’s just one of those players you have to watch whenever there’s a play that involves him.

I never, ever get tired of watching Torii Hunter play baseball. He has had his struggles and yes, he does make a base running boo-boo every now and then, but he still has that infectious smile and attitude and there’s no questioning his desire to win and compete on a daily basis. When he’s done playing this game, I will truly miss him. So, in the mean time – I’m going to continue to soak in every moment that he’s on the field.

Every single time I see Hank Conger’s name in the lineup I smile. It’s not just that his being in the lineup usually means Jeff Mathis is not; it’s more than that. It’s seeing the fulfillment of the promise we hoped for when he was drafted in the first round in 2006. It’s seeing a young man who really seems to be enjoying his time. He never seems overwhelmed of overmatched. He just seems ready and I get the sense that he will only get better and better with time.

Jered Weaver and Dan Haren are studs. You can’t help but love it when they’re on the mound; however, I have really enjoyed watching Tyler Chatwood do his thing thus far. He’s the youngest starting pitcher in the majors and he’s shown incredible poise and “swagger.” Say it with me – Tyler Chatwood has swagger. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Things I don’t like:

Jeff Mathis. Need I say more? Well, I am still working on a good old fashioned True Grich rant about Mathis, but let’s just say that I still don’t get it. I don’t understand why Mike Scioscia loves this guy so much. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to understand what it is that Mathis has that Scioscia admires so much, but I just don’t see it. Perhaps I have to reach a certain level of enlightenment to understand or maybe Mathis is some sort of catching idiot savant – but then again, I think that’s a stretch. More on Mathis at a later time.

Kevin Jepsen. I know; I know Fernando Rodney is just about every Angels’ fan’s whipping boy, but for me – no one frustrates me more than Jepsen. Call me crazy, but a guy with a 9.00 ERA just doesn’t work for me. And it’s not like he comes in when there isn’t anything on the line; no sir, he comes in with men on base or in critical situations and as soon as he does – my head hits the palm of my hand. He makes me scream at the TV even though I know the TV can’t hear me. Let’s just say that when he comes in the game my blood pressure rises, my eyes squint and my ears probably turn red.

This next post is about the only player who appears on both my “like” and “don’t like” list. Peter Bourjos striking out makes me crazy. He has struck out 60 times in 199 AB’s. That’s roughly 30 % of the time. Despite his upside in other areas of his game, this one thing absolutely drives me nuts. He needs to find a way to get on base more; that .292 OBP isn’t cutting it. I don’t care if he’s batting 9th; Bourjos needs to get on base because when he’s on base, he’s dangerous. In fact, he just needs to find a way to put the ball in play more. He’s no threat and can’t make things happen when he’s simply walking back to the dugout.

The #4 thing I don’t like is this team’s lack of punch. The Angels are 10th in the American League in homeruns (17th overall). Chicks aren’t the only ones that dig the long ball. Nothing is as deflating as seeing the other team hit a three-run homerun and nothing feels better than seeing your own team do the same. This team which is mostly made up of smurfs still needs to add a big bat or two… and getting Vernon Wells back isn’t the kind of “splash” I’m thinking about either. Just saying.

Last, but not least I really don’t like all the talk about bringing Mike Trout up to the major leagues, like… oh… well, like - yesterday. Baseball fans are very impatient and Angels’ fans are no exception. The idea that he can come in and transform the team into some sort of super power is just too much. He’s 19 years old and should be handled with caution, in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong – I can’t wait to see him on the major league roster, but I am willing to wait until the time is right. When might that be?

I have no idea – perhaps Mark Saxon’s piece on ESPN LA will give us some clues. Then again, once you read this piece, you’ll probably be one of those fans who will also start clamoring for his arrival now. Resist the urge – he’ll get here when he gets here.

So, there you have it.

I’m sorry if you’ve been checking regularly for an updated post from me. Let’s just say that I’ve been so busy, it didn’t realize that Russell Branyan was on the team until last Friday when I finally had time to tune into a game (He played in his first game, two days earlier). Hey, it happens.

I hope to get back to more regular postings and owe you all a post about my trip to see the Inland Empire 66ers and my Jeff Mathis rant (I promise you it will be funny... at least I hope it will be). Please stay tuned; those posts are coming.

Keeping it real

In an ideal world Jered Weaver and Dan Haren would pitch every night. In an ideal world both of them would at least be scheduled to pitch against Texas. In a really ideal world Jeff Mathis would… well, you know.

Well, the world is anything but ideal and that pitching scenario isn’t going to develop for us this week. Last night Ervin Santana took the mound; tonight it’s Matt Palmer and finally on Wednesday – Weaver will be on the hill. That shouldn’t stop the Angels from taking care of business; although, they failed to do that yesterday.

I admit, I was pretty darn excited about the game, but by the time I got home to see it, it was out of hand. It happens. Thankfully, they’ll play each other another 18 times over the course of the season.

That’s 18 more opportunities to right a wrong in my book. It just bothers me to see Texas in the position they’re in; a top the division and the favorites to win the west. I’m accustomed to hating the A’s and I’d really rather not have to loath the Rangers as well. I’d much rather see the Angels put the beat down on the team from Arlington and for me to not have to give them a second thought.

Wishful thinking, I guess.

What makes it worse is how some Angel fans are so darn fickle. I mean, judging by the message boards, some blogs and the call-in shows – some Angel fans are ready to jump off the deep end. This should never surprise me and yet it does every now and then. We’re sixteen games into the season folks and the Angels are off to a pretty darn good start; all things considered.

162 games is a lot of games and were bound to have some ups and downs and some highs and lows. Disappointment is going to hit us every now and then and we can only hope that when all is said and done – we’ll still be watching the Angels in October.

Never-the-less, I’d really love it the Angels managed to beat the Rangers in… oh say, the next 18 times they face off. If that’s not doable (or realistic), I’d at least like to see someone put Ian Kinsler on his hind parts with a brush back pitch or a hard slide into second base. Just saying. Oh, and I’ll settle for winning at least 15 of the next 18 against the new division darlings; thank you very much.

While I’m making requests, please don’t make me watch Mike Napoli come to the plate with a chance to do any kind of damage. Trying to follow the action on my blackberry while riding on a train yesterday afternoon was enough to make me lose my mind. Napoli was up with two men on and my blackberry wouldn’t update me. I kept refreshing and seeing the same count and situation for what seemed like an eternity.

When I finally was able to catch up to the action, the Angels were down 3-0. The only good thing about that was finding out that Napoli wasn’t the one doing the damage. Small consolation, but I’ll take that just the same.

Napoli not coming through with runners in scoring position is vintage 2010 stuff, but I’d rather not have to deal with the possibility just in case. So, again – keep the bases empty when Napoli comes to the plate ok?

Onward…

So Matt Palmer takes the mound tonight and I know some of you aren’t expecting much. Well, this is exactly the kind of game that the Angels end up winning. I’m not making any bold predictions, but I do have a good feeling about tonight. So... Go Angels! Let’s do this. Enough said.

What a difference a day makes

The weather was perfect (game time temperature was 62 degrees); the seats were awesome (six rows from the field, just beyond third base) and yet somehow it all went so wrong as the Angels fell to the Kansas City Royals 2-1.

Losing is bad enough, watching your team lose in walk-off fashion in an opponent’s stadium is not the best experience you can have for sure.

It’s kind of hard to explain and something Cheryl and I never experienced before. There’s something about being far from home while watching your team go down the way the Angels did that’s just surreal.

Again, it’s hard to explain. In case you don’t know the details – Kila Ka’aihue hit a homerun in the bottom of the 9th off Michael Kohn to give his team the walk-off win.

In many ways, game two was quite contrary to the opener. First of all there were only 13,302 fans in attendance (as opposed to 40,055 on Thursday) and it was a fast game; lasting just two hours and twenty-three minutes (as opposed to three hours and fifteen minutes the day prior). It was seventeen degrees warmer and the thing that was most different… the Angels lost.

I guess going 162-0 wasn’t realistic.

Highlights of the game included Mark Trumbo getting his first hit of the 2011 season; Howie Kendrick going yard in the first inning; Dan Haren pitching seven solid innings and Jordan Walden coming through in a clutch situation with two strikes outs in the 8th. It was also nice to see Erick Aybar get a couple of hits.

Low lights?

Let’s just say that Jeff Mathis looked a little more like the Jeff Mathis we saw last year; going 0 for 3 and air mailing a throw into centerfield while trying to throw out a runner stealing second; and of course the walk-off homerun given up by Michael Kohn. The Angels went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and just couldn’t get things going.


Sadly, we won’t be at the game on Saturday as the Angels portion of our road trip ends.

We started the day with a trip to the Negro League Baseball Museum (unfortunately, you can' take photos inside the museum) and the Harry S. Truman Library.

Along the way we ran into several Angels fans; some from California, some from Oklahoma, Kansas and other places around the country. We even ran into Hank Conger’s dad, who was with Chris Pettit’s dad at the Negro League Baseball Museum. Also at the museum, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles, Lyle Spencer of MLB.com and Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Earlier in the day while having breakfast, we saw Mickey Hatcher walking down a street in the Country Club Plaza area of Kansas City.

More details will come later. Right now, I need to get some sleep before yet another early flight….

Walk this way

One of the great things about spring training is seeing the players up close and personal in a more “relaxed” atmosphere. Sunday prior to leaving for their game with the Rockies the Angels were gathered in Tempe for a little stretching and batting practice. Torii Hunter was being; well, Torii Hunter. Torii was teaching Peter Bourjos how to walk with rhythm. Rather than try and explain how he did this, let’s just go to some video…


Bourjos appears to be everyone’s little brother. When fans called out for Bourjos to encourage him, Howie Kendrick made sure we all knew that he should be referred to as P-Bo.



This is the kind of fun stuff you learn at spring training. I also learned that Joel Pineirio is a funny guy. He was having a lot of fun with Bobby Abreu Sunday. Abreu was playing catch and Pineiro was giving him grief about even bothering with playing catch; saying “you’re a DH now, your life is in the little circle (referring to the on-deck circle).” A short time later, Abreu who was pretending to be a catcher (Vernon Well pretended to be a pitcher) – missed a ball that skipped off his glove. Pineiro (who was sitting the time), got up and handed Abreu his bat and glove, as if to say – “I told you so.” It was classic.



Equally classic was Reggie Willits hitting one out of the park during batting practice and then taking a bow as the crowd began to cheer. Cheryl and I had seen something along these lines before….

After the Angels left for the Rockies game, we headed over to the minor league complex where a couple of Single A games were taking place agains the Cubs. We managed to get a brief glimpse into the future when we saw Kaleb Cowart.



Below are a few more pictures from Sunday.

First up, raise your hand if you're the ace of the staff! Next, anyone seen an Angels legend lately? Could that be Bobby Grich? Why, yes it is! Next... Joel Pineiro is having a good time:



More pictures... Mark Trumbo, Peter Bourjos, Dan Haren....



More pics... Looks like Bobby Grich is doing a little mentoring with Howie Kendrick; Vernon Wells plays a little catch, and that's Reggie Willits chewing the leather.



And yet a few more... Jered Weaver with Hisanori Takahashi, Jeff Mathis (don't say it...), and Maicer Izturis walking with Howie Kendrick.



It was just a great trip over all and the perfect way to get ready for the 2011 season.

Yes, I'm beating a dead horse

On October 5, 2010 I saw a headline in the LA Times that grabbed my attention. It read “Arte Moreno is mad, and he’s going to do something about it.” It was just the kind of thing a fan and especially a season ticket holder wanted to see from the owner.

The column, written by Bill Plaschke had some interesting quotes from Moreno. Here are several of them:

First Plaschke wrote “Did the owner of an underachieving Los Angeles major league baseball team just tell me that he was angry, disappointed, and would spend whatever it took to return his team to the playoffs?”

Moreno’s reply? "Yes," Arte Moreno said... "That's how I feel. That's what I'll do."

More quotes from Moreno:

"If you want to continue to perform at the highest level, you have to keep building the business," Moreno said. "And that's what I intend to do."

"We know where our weaknesses are, we know where we are thin, we know where we have to go to market," Moreno said. "It's going to cost money, but our fans need to know what we're committed to winning."

"You're not in the playoffs, you're not a happy person," Moreno said. ''I just don't like losing, and we're going to make adjustments."

"We're trying to improve how we operate, from the baseball side," he said. "We were thin this year. We didn't have the depth we needed. Everything starts with how we draft and how we develop, and we will do a better job of that."

"Championship teams develop their players like we have, we know that," he said. "But sometimes when the prospects aren't there, you have to bridge that area, and I'm willing to do that."

The fans need to see that we are doing something..."

"Am I going to go down to talk to the press and say I'm mad?" he said. "I was always taught that you wash your dirty laundry at home. Yes, we want to communicate to the fans, but in this case, the fans can see what's going on."

Read those quotes again and let them sink in.

Two months have passed. What have we heard since then? Just crickets….

We know what has happened since that time. Yup. The Angels signed two left handed relief pitchers on the down side of their careers One will be 35 by opening day (Scott Downs) and the other will be 36 (Hisanori Takahashi).

The Angels missed out on Carl Crawford and now seem to be held captive by Scott Boras over the negotiations for Adrian Beltre.

In the mean time – Tony Reagins has made statements like signing Takahashi was a big splash… His latest gem came in an interview with Terry Smith (which you can hear on LAAngelsInsider.com) where he makes a statement along the lines of signing Takahashi, Downs and getting a full season of Dan Haren and Kendry Morales is like signing four free agents.

Really?

I guess Tony Reagins really thinks we are idiots. I expect this kind of spin from a politician, but not from a baseball general manager with a season ticket base that is as large as the one the Angels enjoy. We deserve better.

Let’s see, on one hand we have an owner who basically tells us he’s going to do what he needs to do and on the other we have a GM who acts like everything is hunky dory. Imagine Reagins as the captain of the Titanic and telling his passengers, “we’ve just run into a little ice and we’ll be at our destination in no time.” What Captain Reagins neglects to tell his passengers is that the “destination” is the bottom of the ocean.

Is the ship really sinking in Anaheim? No, not really – I like to exaggerate a little for effect. Is it taking on some water right now? Yeah, I think so. Are they working frantically to correct things? I sure hope so, but appearances are not encouraging.

The longer this off season goes without any really solid good news… I mean the kind of news that makes a fan pump his fist, and say, “that’s what I’m talking about…” the more anxious we become and the more we focus on empty statements like the ones above.

I’m trying to imagine what Moreno is thinking these days. Is he still mad? Is he apathetic? Confident? Concerned? Frustrated? Or is he still motivated to get things going in the right direction?

I want answers, but I’m not likely to get t hem. I basically have to sit here, be patient and wait to see what happens. In prior years, I haven’t had much of a problem with doing exactly that, but my gut keeps telling me we may be headed for a repeat of 2010.

I hope I’m wrong. I would love to be dead wrong about all of this. I would prefer to find out I was paranoid for no good reason, but the bits of information that make it out into the public for our consumption leaves me more pessimistic than I’ve ever been.

Let's look at two of Moreno's statments again...

First: "The fans need to see that we are doing something..."

Correction Mr. Moreno, we want to see that you are doing something significant and we don't want Mr. Reagins spinning us a load of crap.

Second: "Am I going to go down to talk to the press and say I'm mad?" he said. "I was always taught that you wash your dirty laundry at home. Yes, we want to communicate to the fans, but in this case, the fans can see what's going on."

We see what's going on all right and we're not happy. What really makes us angry is when Reagins talks to us like we're idiots and tries to play spin doctor. He's better off just keeping his mouth shut all-together.

At the end of the day, you need to remember the old saying "action always speaks louder than words."

Miracle in Minnesota. Oldest living man hits a triple

Jim Thome is about 115 years old. He hadn’t hit a triple since 2004; that is until June 28th of this year when he hit one against the Detroit Tigers. One would think the chances of him hitting a second triple in one season had to be about as likely as Reggie Willits hitting his first homerun. We’re talking long odds and slim chances.

It was darn near impossible to consider such a feat; unless of course, Juan Rivera happened to be playing left field and Thome decided to hit one… say in the direction of the man I’ve come to call a Tub of Goo.

I didn’t see it happen, but I had a very vivid picture in my head as Terry Smith of AM830 made the call. The ball went skipping off Rivera’s glove and if it had lips it would have been laughing all the way to the wall as Jim Thome, the 115 year old DH (okay he’s really a week away from his 40th birthday) went chugging into third for his second triple of the year. It wasn’t just his second triple this year; it was his second triple in nearly six years. SIX YEARS!!

It’s a good thing I wasn’t watching this on T.V. because there’s a chance I would have picked up the nearest object and flung it at the tube. Instead, I was listening to the call on the radio while driving, which was probably a heck of a lot more dangerous. A lesser man would have driven their car off the road or into a tree. How I managed to stay cool is beyond me. It could have been ugly.

Imagine having to explain what happened to a Highway Patrolman. I’m sure all I would have to do is utter the name Juan… and before I could even say his last name, the officer would say “never mind sir, I totally understand.” Heck, he’d probably give me a police escort all the way to the funny farm.

I can hear him now. “Lock him up boys, another victim of listening to the call of a fly ball hit to Juan Rivera while driving.” Friends shouldn’t let friends drive while Rivera is in a ball game.

Juan, Juan, Juan. Oh how you test me. You’ve made me come up with new ways of saying the word “stink.” Words like putrid and horrific fly off my tongue like they can’t wait to leave my mouth. Luckily I don’t swear, but I swear you make me want to in the worst way.

Rivera has some sort of super hero like powers. He can single handedly destroy the euphoria of a victory that came less than 24 hours ago.

I wish the Juan Rivera story ended here, but there was more (of course). Rivera, major league outfielder that he is, also lost a ball in the grey sky that ended up landng a good 30 feet behind him. That one left me speechless.

I know... I know I’m being too harsh, right? Wrong. Juan Rivera may not have lost the game, but he sure made the defeat all the more painful. He’s good that way.

Speaking of good; what good is Dan Haren? Haren is sporting a 4.55 ERA. And the man the Angels traded for Haren? Well, good ol’ Joe Saunders has a 4.24 ERA since going to Arizona. Neither is lighting it up, but let's not forget that Joe was Cheryl and my favorite.

I’m not a math guy, but even I can see that Haren is kind of picking up where he left off in Arizona and that’s not a good thing. Here’s some more math for you. Dan Haren is making $8.25 million this year. Compare that to Saunders’ $3.7 million. Wait, it gets better – Haren will make $12.75 million next year and that same amount again in 2012. Saunders will most likely have to go to arbitration to get a slight increase in his salary.

And to think some people actually wonder why I’m cranky this year. It’s one thing to take Cheryl and my favorite pitcher away from us, but it’s another to replace him with someone who doesn’t appear to be any better and costs the team a boat load more money.

I know the experts all loved this trade and because they love it so much, I even tried to justify it in my head; all the while hating to see Saundo leave. Well now, I'm getting grumpy.

Danny Boy; it’s time you started to show me something. The honeymoon is over and it’s time for you to live up to the hype. Cheryl and I even bought shirts with your name on it. Don’t make us regret that decision more than we already do. We wanted to show our support. Don't make us want to show you the door.

These are not good times. I’m just saying.

Signs of life

Last night was like old times. The stadium was full and blanketed in red (sixth sell out of the season), the Angels had good pitching (Dan Haren got his first win as an Angel), they ran the bases aggressively and even managed to squeeze home a run.

It was simply a fun night to be at the ball park. The 514 Fanatics were also out in force for “Break out the Red” week. Bo & Mary, John & Linda, John & Ann, Jeff, Bob, Stephen, Dori, Wendy, Nick & Patty and others were out in force to cheer on the Halos.

Oh how I had missed these kinds of evenings.

We even were treated (yes, I said “treated”) to a Brian Fuentes save, but not before fans moaned as he trotted in from the bull pen. Yes, it was a vintage night of Angels baseball for sure.

Despite all that, as we look at the standings today – with 47 games left in the Angels’ season – we see the Texas Rangers with an 8.5 game lead. Is there enough time?

If you read the message boards and listen to sports talk radio – there are plenty of people trying to give Angel fans hope. They’ll point to the fact that Texas still has games left with the “Beasts in the East” – Yankees, Rays and Red Sox. They’ll point out that the Angels and Rangers will tangle in seven of the final fourteen games.

I’m all for having hope. I would love for nothing more than the Angels to be playing meaningful games in September. The thing is – I’m not that optimistic. I’m just not.

It would be one thing if Kendry Morales was still in the lineup or if Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera and Hideki Matsui were having years like they had in 2009. Fact is they’re not. Virtually every player has under performed or under achieved this year. I can’t see them flipping the switch to make a run. They haven’t given me any reason to believe they’re capable of doing that.

These are desperate times.

We’ve come to the point where the Angels lineup is basically what I would call “make shift.” Let’s be honest, a lineup with Maicer Izturis as the #5 hitter isn’t the kind of lineup any of us had probably envisioned for this team.

That’s not a knock on Izturis because he’s a fine player. Thing is, he’s a fine role player and not the kind of guy who should be in the lineup every day, let alone batting in the heart of the order Besides, I keep waiting for him to break.. When he made a diving catch last night, I fully expected to learn that he’d be put on the DL today because he’s just fragile.

This lineup lacks pop and until last night – they weren’t manufacturing runs. Like it or not the offense is stagnant and requires maximum effort every night just to compete. Too many things have to go right because there doesn’t appear to be a lot of three run homeruns in the tank.

And then there’s the glaring fact that the Angels haven’t been very good against the best teams in the AL. You could look it up….

I will say this – for all the whining people do about Brian Fuentes, he’s one of the few bright spots on this team. He’s saved 17 of his last 18 games. He’s only blown four saves all year. I love to yell “B.F.F – Brian Fuentes Forever” whenever he walks in from left field. I guess I’m just contrary that way.

Now just because I’m not feeling confident about the team doesn’t mean I love them any less. I haven’t stopped going to games and I certainly haven’t stopped cheering. I still watch and hope, but I’m also trying to keep it all in perspective.

If all we get out of the rest of the season is the emergence of Peter Bourjos and a return of Scott Kazmir to his old self, I’ll be somewhat happy. In the mean time, I will look for more games like last night’s game and hope for the best.

More games like last night’s and I’ll have something good to focus on and perhaps a reason to believe.

The Angels have a video they show from time to time at the games with music from The Bravery singing the song “Believe.” The chorus is "So give me something to believe." At this point in time, that’s all I’m asking for. Last night and the past few games have been a good start. I’d just like a little more of that. Is that too much to ask?



What are we waiting for? What are we waiting for? So give me something to believe…

Saying good-bye is hard to do

This one hurts. If you’ve spent any time on this blog you know Cheryl and I are big fans of Joe Saunders. In fact, that’s probably an understatement. We’ve been downright fanatical in our appreciation of Joe. He’s simply our favorite pitcher.

When the news came down that he had been traded (our friend and fellow 514 Fanatic Jeffrey called me with the news), my first thought was how was I going to break the news to Cheryl? I knew she’d take the news hard and she did. She thought I was kidding. I really, really wish that was the case.

Today we’re feeling a little empty and more than a little sad. Watching Joe break down when asked about the trade made it all that much tougher. Joe was a rock on the mound. He never, ever got rattled or shaken no matter what the circumstances. Seeing him so vulnerable when talking to the press made us even sadder. He clearly loved being on this team.

For us, Joe wasn’t just another guy in an Angels' uniform. Joe was “our” guy. He was the pitcher we loved to follow. He was the guy we most wanted to see at spring training every year. He was the guy we’d wait hours for in hopes of getting a few minutes of interaction. We “lived” and “died” with him every time he took the mound. You could even say that every victory was just a little sweeter for us when Joe was the winning pitcher.

Joe is just a great guy. He’s accessible, appreciative, polite, charitable, and well, I could go on and on. He and his wife Shanel were becoming a huge part of the community with their work with Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). His departure creates a huge void that goes beyond baseball.

Now if you’re a baseball analyst you probably like the deal the Angels made. I’m not an analyst (although I play one from time to time on this blog) and I am somewhat skeptical of the deal. How it all works out is anyone’s guess (and there are plenty of people giving us their opinion on the matter). So I’ll just say this - Dan Haren has been a good pitcher.

I should emphasize that “has been” part. He’s been all over the place this year; striking out tons of batters (was tied for the NL lead), but has also given up tons of homeruns and had an ERA that is really no matter than Saunders’.

So, the big question is what are we getting? Are we getting a three time all-star who just needs a change in venue or are we getting another Scott Kazmir? I really don’t want another guy who had his best seasons somewhere else. I’m just saying.

It’s clear (at least to me) that as of right now, the Rangers are a better team. Winning three out of four this past weekend kind of makes that obvious, doesn’t it? The idea that Ian Kinsler might be celebrating an AL West Pennant just isn’t sitting well with me. I don’t like Kinsler and I’m not a fan of C.J. Wilson either.

I’m very disappointed that the Angels didn’t put a dent in the Rangers’ lead. Come on – we kept hearing over and over again from the Angel players how they had a lot of head to head games left with this team. Well, they didn’t seize the opportunity.

This season is reminding me of 2006, the last time the Angels didn’t win the division. Seeing Howie Kendrick at first base yesterday emphasized that memory. In 2006 the team was constantly putting make-shift lineups on the field. Hmm. We’ve been here before.

And while I do believe that Alberto Callaspo is an upgrade at third base, I’m not convinced that this team has the pieces to make a serious run at any kind of title this year. I hope I’m wrong and pleasantly surprised, but I’m just not seeing it.

To make matters worse, we’ve lost Joe Saunders. Sometimes being a fan just sucks. Then again, at least I get to boo John Lackey on Tuesday, so maybe things are looking up.

Meanwhile, I'm still behind on my posting and hope to get caught up this week. So again, thank you for checking in and please bear with me.

In closing, Cheryl and I would like to thank Joe. We'd like to thank him for being so friendly and kind to us. We'd like to thank him for the memories and for providing us with so many memorable moments. We'd rather not say "good-bye" because it sounds so final and we've had more than our fair share of those. We'll simply wish Joe the best and look forward to seeing him again.

By the way, we're wearing our Saunders shirts tonight. Seems like the right thing to do.

Time for some last minute shopping

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good boy. Okay, I admit I’ve said a few foul things about the Oakland A’s, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon and a few others. I guess I showed poor form when I said John Lackey was dead to me after he signed with the stinkin’ Red Sox. Oops, did I say stinking? Sorry about that.

No really, I’ve been so good, that I don’t even need anything for myself. My wish is for the Angels to land a top of the rotation pitcher. I know it’s a tall task, but I’ve heard your elves do some pretty amazing things. I mean Sony, Apple and the like have nothing on your dudes.

And just to show you I'm not unreasonable, your posse doesn’t even have to build one. You can just go get one. You see, there’s this guy in Florida named Josh Johnson and he’d look really good in an Angels' uniform. I’m just saying…

I might also suggest an alternative by way of Dan Haren in Arizona. I’d be willing to overlook the fact that he played for the A’s at one time. I’m accommodating that way, don’t you know?

Then there’s this super pitcher in Kansas City named Zach Greinke. If you put him on the Angels, he’d probably think he was the one getting the gift. You’d get double points on that deal. Think about it; I mean talk about win-win.

Look, people have been trying to push you out of the spotlight for quite some time now. You don’t even hear people saying “Merry Christmas” very often. I mean come on dude, helping the Angels out could really give you some good PR. You’d be bigger than Mickey Mouse. You might even get invited to Letterman.

Heck, they might even make a movie about you instead of that Grinch character. I mean you have much nicer skin than he does and everyone likes a jolly guy more than a grouch.

And think about this; the Angels owner Arte Moreno is in the billboard business. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Imagine your picture plastered along side every freeway from here to the North Pole. Boo-ya. You’re liking this aren’t you?

Now, I know this request is coming to you at the last minute and you’re probably already air born, but I figured you might check your blackberry or iphone now and then. Isn’t technology awesome? By the way, do you have a twitter account? I’d love to follow you because I bet you could tell us some crazy stories, but I digress.

Back to my request. Remember it’s not about me; it’s about the Angels. Okay, maybe I get a little bit of a benefit out of this as well; after all, I am an Angels fan. But don’t think about me here; think of the kids, Santa. It’s all about the kids. Think of how their little faces would light up if they learned that next year’s opening day starter was going to be Justin Verlander or a healthy Brandon Webb.

Seriously, tis the season for dreaming really, really big, I say and that doesn’t mean C.C. Sabathia. Not that the idea of him in Anaheim would be a bad one, mind you. It’s just that he’s probably right where he belongs and when I say “big” – I’m thinking a marquee kind of pitcher and not necessarily one that’s physically big.

Are you feeling me yet? I mean come on – Christmas came early for Seattle and even earlier for the White Sox when they got Jake Peavy. By the way, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that one. Did you lose A.J. Pierzynski’s check list? No way, that guy was good all year and yet he gets to catch Peavy. Go figure.

I’m telling you Santa we can regain your market share during this time of the year, but you need to work with me. Remember, the Angels wear the same color as you do and I’m fine if you want to make this a “red” thing. That way, no one can accuse you of playing favorites.

I guess I’d better get some sleep now. My wife Cheryl put some cookies out for you. They’re homemade and trust me, they’ll better than anything you will find in a Red Sox or Yankee household, guaranteed bro.

Thanks and Merry Christmas, big guy.