What? Me worry?

I’m frustrated.  You’re frustrated.  Every Angel fan in America is frustrated. 

Take all that frustration and multiply it a hundred times and I’m guessing that’s how the players, coaches and front office feels too.  I’ve got a list of complaints – it’s probably the same list as yours with the juggling lineups and lack of playing time for Mark Trumbo at the top of it all.

I get it.  It’s insane.

And yet – I’m not here to pile on.  There are plenty of bloggers, talk-show hosts, columnists and fans in general doing enough complaining and ranting.  Why add to it?  It’s not much fun and at this point it’s redundant.  I’m not much for following crowds anyway. 

Besides – we should have all seen it coming.  Whenever Sports Illustrated starts touting your favorite team as the best, stuff is bound to happen.  I became very nervous when so many “experts” starting picking the Angels to dominate. I kid, but only sort of.

I keep thinking back to 2008 when the Tigers acquired Miguel Cabrera and everyone picked them to win the whole thing.  What happened?  They went 74-88 – that’s what happened. That’s baseball and even though teams look great on paper – if they don’t go out and execute – they’re not going to do a darn thing.

I’m not saying the 2012 Angels are going to end up like the 2008 Tigers.  I’m just saying the Angels have been delivered a wake-up call and it’s up to them to respond.

So here’s the thing – this thing is going to turn around.  I know it.  You know it and more importantly – the Angels know it.  There is too much talent on this team for me to believe anything else.  And there’s also Mike Scioscia, who I happen to believe is the most important Angel of all.

I know – some of you are calling for his head.  You think he’s lost touch with his team and they’re not responding to him, and blah, blah, blah. Please.

Who would you rather have run this team?  And before you answer that – you’d better be careful what you wish for.  All I’m saying is that Mike Scioscia is not the problem.

You’re better off blaming Sports Illustrated because that makes more sense (even though that’s also pretty silly).

I’m going to speculate a little bit here.  My guess is that this team started to believe the press clippings a little too much.  They probably thought they’d ride Albert Pujols’ coat tails for a bit and start to get after it later in the season.  Albert was making it look pretty easy in the spring.  Well, stuff happens.

Again – 19 games in and they just got a wake-up call.

Look – they’re human.  You can call Albert – “The Machine” – but at the end of the day – he puts his head on a pillow like the rest of us.  They all do. 

It’s going to get better.  So, in the mean time – don’t stop watching because when this thing turns around – you want to be there.  I mean it.  You need to be there – be it in front of the television, at the stadium or in your car listening on the radio.  That’s what this fan is going to do. The way I see it, if I can endure the pain of watching them lose, I should get to enjoyment out of seeing them win.  You feel me?

The off season was long.  I couldn’t wait for the spring and for baseball to be on the daily docket every day.  I’ll be darned if I’m going to give up on this season so fast.

Okay – maybe that’s easier said than done for some of you.  Maybe you need something to take your mind off the 6-13 start.  Okay, I got a few things for you to focus on.

Last year, after 19 games the Cleveland Indians were atop the AL Central with the Kansas City Royals a game back.    Everyone thought the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox were headed for a show down in October.  In fact, the Angels were a half game up on the Rangers at this point.  It all changed over the course of a long season.

It was early then and it’s early now.

Don’t panic.  That’s what the other guy does.  Let them do that... like in Boston where they're jumping off bridges.  Detroit isn't running away with the AL Central just yet either.  There's time folks; lots of time.  I know the Rangers are hot, but the long hot summer is coming.  Just saying.

I'll leave you with this - in Albert’s time in St. Louis his team only had a losing record once and that was the year after they won the World Series in 2007. Albert Pujols is going to get this thing going and when he does - lots of other things will fall into place.  It's not like we're relying on Jeff Mathis to save us.  And... don't forget - there's a certain someone (Mike Trout) tearing things up at Salt Lake City.  

This season has a story in it - and you need to let it unfold.  Any good story isn't necessarily predictable... so enjoy the ride.

Post-season baseball brings out the best in all of us

When it became clear the Angels were not headed to the play-offs (was that back in May?), I started hoping the San Diego Padres would win the NL West. I figured I could pull for a team that had Buddy Black as their manager and David Eckstein playing second base.

When the Padres faltered (okay, choked); I looked at the post-season and decided to align myself with the Twins, Rays, Reds and Braves. I wasn’t necessarily picking the teams I thought would win, but rather the teams I wanted to win.

Well, we know how that turned out.

So here we are on the verge (well sort of on the verge, if you count waiting for three days) of the League Championship Series’. What’s an Angel fan to do?

The ALCS is like my worst nightmare.

I can’t cheer for the Yankees and I really can’t stand the Rangers. Yeah, that’s right – I have no love for the team from Texas even if it’s full of ex-Angels. None what-so-ever. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be a huge Bengie Molina fan and I have nothing but the highest regard for Darren Oliver and Vladimir Guerrero. Heck, I even like Darren O’Day and Gary Pettis, who is their first base coach.

It’s just that… well, I can’t stand Ian Kinsler.

If you've followed the “rivalry” between the Angels and Rangers than you obviously know about Kinsler’s “get the bleep off my field” comment from last year. I haven’t forgotten it and every time I think of the Rangers, I think of him spouting off. He just ruins it for me.

I don’t care what Donny Osmond sang all those years ago; for me it’s a clear case of one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch.

Some might argue that I should be loyal to the AL West or the AL in general. I don’t see it that way. If we’re talking about the All-Star game (a game that really matters, don't you know) well then sure, but that’s where my loyalties end.

I just might have to go with an NL team this year. Then again; maybe... just maybe I should go with the team that has the best video? Just watch…









Now aren't you glad you found this blog? I mean come on, where else can you get this kind of analysis and post season coverage?

I know what you're thinking. You've seen all the videos and you've made up your mind. You're thinking "Go Giants!" aren't you? Yeah, me too.

This is play-off baseball and it doesn’t get any better than this.

Angels become older, slower and are now without an "Ace"

John Lackey just punched me in the stomach. Worse yet, he punched every little kid who wears his jersey or t-shirt in the stomach as well.

Okay maybe that’s a tad bit over the top and maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but word is Lackey is in Boston for a physical, which points to the likelihood that he will be a member of the Red Sox in 2010. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated takes it a step further and says Lackey has agreed to a five-year, $85 million deal.

The Boston Red Sox? Really, John? I thought you were "old school." I guess I was wrong. Old School doesn’t sign on with a hated rival. No way, no how.

I didn't see this coming. You had me fooled, John. I guess I was a real sucker.

If I sound bitter it’s because I am! Hello? We’re talking about the best Angels pitcher since Chuck Finley not just leaving, but leaving to go to the team that has been more than just a thorn in the side of the Angels; they’ve been a spear for goodness sake.

I don’t fault Lackey for going for the biggest pay day; after all, most people would do the same… but Boston? Come on, that’s like making a deal with the devil and I doubt too many people would do that. In my mind, Lackey no longer has a soul; he just sold it. Can you picture Lackey and David Ortiz in the 2010 post season pouring champagne on one another and hugging like long lost brothers?

I didn’t want to believe the reports when they first came out. When the rumor first appeared as being "twitter-worthy" I had to chuckle. I was even ready to blast Ed Price of AOL for being irresponsible. Turns out he got it right.

Now my wrath is just going to be aimed at John Lackey. Again, I don’t blame him for taking the money, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I said as much in a previous post titled: An Open Letter to John Lackey.

I guess part of me is still 12 years old. Part of me wants to believe there are still players in the game that aren’t all about the money. Randy Wolf was willing to re-sign with the Dodgers for less than Milwaukee offered him. Tim Salmon took less money to stay with the Angels his whole career. I thought Lackey might do the same. Boy was I wrong.

Just goes to show you how little we know about what a player thinks and finds important. Just goes to show you how shallow loyalties run these days. That’s not a judgment; just an observation. And yes, I know loyalty goes both ways and I have no idea what the Angels offered or didn’t offer. I’m just reacting here.

I mean we’re talking about leaving the Angels. We have an awesome fan base and Southern California is a great place to live with an ideal climate. On top of that, the Angels have a world class owner and manager. I know Boston is a great sports town, but I never would have pictured Lackey in a Sox uniform. Then again, what do I know?

I feel like Lackey just gave the Angels the finger and I don’t like it much.

In other not-so-good news, the Angels appear to have a one year, $6.5 million deal in place with 35 year old Hideki Matsui. Great. Whoopee.

Don’t worry Matsui makes up for his lack of youth (he will be 36 next June) with bad knees. That’s right… both of them are bad. He’s really going to be a force on the base paths or is that a road block? I really thought the Angels were past the point of signing players past their primes to contracts. I mean I know the whole retro thing is cool these days, but this is crazy. I assume Bobby Abreu made them believe they can continue to find lightning in a bottle.

While the Angels definitely needed to add a left handed power bat, I was hoping for better than this.

I guess this also means Abreu isn’t going to DH and will continue to be somewhat of an adventure in right field. I like Abreu, but I like him as a force in the batting order and for what he can teach about hitting to the rest of the team. As for his fielding…well, not so much.

But wait, there’s more…

The news keeps getting better. Word is that Roy Halladay is heading to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to Seattle as part of a three team block buster. Up to the minute details can be found on mlb.traderumors.com.

Wow.

Lackey to the Red Sox. Halladay to the Phillies. Lee to the Mariners. I don’t know about you, but this off season just became a downer for me. Not only did the Angels lose an all-star third baseman and their ace, but Seattle just added one of each.

Let’s recap. The Angels just got older, slower and no longer have an ace. Beautiful. What’s even funnier is that it’s time to renew my season tickets too.

I'm a very optimistic guy. I can even be accused of wearing rose colored glasses when it comes to the Angels. That being said, I'm not happy today. The good news is that it's only December and Tony Reagins and Arte Moreno still have time to do something, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I don't like what I've seen so far.

Figgy Watch 2009

I am blogging to you live from the Big "A" in Anaheim, where I am on Figgy Watch 2009. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but following Chone Figgin's journey into free agency seems like a major news event.

For those fans hoping he stays in Anaheim (myself included), there is some good news coming out of the GM meetings in Chicago today. Kenny Williams the general manager of the White Sox said they won’t be pursuing Chone Figgins. Details of his statement can be found on Inside the White Sox, the Chicago Sun Times blog. The White Sox have been the most popular destination for those predicting where Figgins might go. We've heard for a couple years now how much they covet Figgins. Well, unless Williams is playing poker here, it looks like we can cross them off the list.

Couple that report with the one from Jon Heyman of SI who claims Tony Reagins and Chone Figgins have been talking for two months and Reagins is "hopeful" something can get done. This doesn’t really tell us a whole lot, but it is very encouraging to hear they’re trying to get something done and that the interest is mutual. We'll see what happens.

More good news. The price for a team other than the Angels to acquire Figgins just went up. As noted in Yahoo’s baseball blog – Big League Stew, Figgins has been ranked as a Type "A" free agent (Figgins was previously ranked as a Type "B" free agent). That means if someone other than the Angels (who would have to offer Figgins arbitration) signs Figgins, they’ll forfeit their first round pick to the Angels (unless that team’s pick falls within the first 15 picks of next year's draft – in which case they’d lose their second round pick). Teams that lose a Type "A" free agent are also awarded a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds. Had Figgins stayed ranked as a Type "B" - the compensation to the Angels would only be a sandwich pick to the Angels between the first and second round. Supplemental picks do not cost teams that sign them any picks.

Mark Whicker of the OC Register ran down some possible destinations for Figgins, including Atlanta – which is where I predicted Figgins would land in my Let's get cookin’ in Anaheim post. Whicker notes about Atlanta: "It's close to home for Figgins, and the Braves sense they can contend next year. Figgins could succeed Garret Anderson in left field and would get some third base time on Chipper Jones' nights off. The Braves didn't have a 20-steals guy last year."

Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports' Circling the Bases quotes Jon Heyman as now saying the Philadelphia Phillies are serious about Figgins. Poulit also lists the Cubs and Yankees as destinations to become their centerfielder. Personally, I don't see Figgins as a center fielder. Even though Figgins is very versatile; I see him as being limited to third base, second base, left field and/or right field. Again, Figgins just isn't a centerfielder.

Although he Phillies did not exercise the option for third basemen Pedro Feliz and are now in the market for his replacement. Bill Conlin of the Philly.com Sports doesn't believe Philly will attempt to sign Figgins. He believes Mark DeRosa is their #1 target (even though some others believe they'll pursue Adrian Beltre) Conlin says "(Ruben) Amaro more likely will pursue Mark DeRosa... Charlie Manuel is said to love the versatility and intensity of the former Penn quarterback."

Conlin's colleague - David Murphy offers all kinds of scenarios for the Phillies third base needs, but lists Figgins as the best of the bunch. Even still, Murphy also emphasizes the Phillies fondness for DeRosa.

Let’s cross the whole state of New York off the list.

Per the New York Post, there is some chatter taking place claiming the Yankees are "plotting" to resign Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettite. I would think if they do that, they would not pursue Chone Figgins. Not that New York has been mentioned a whole lot, but any time you can take the Yankees out of the equation, the better the results might be.

The Mets don’t look like a good fit for Figgins either. According to Newsday Omar Minaya is looking for a "power hitter." The article also points out the Mets needs for first base, catcher and starting pitching.

Things are definitely cooking out there. Any team looking for a third baseman can pick from among Figgins, Beltre, Melvin Mora, Troy Glaus, Feliz, DeRosa, and perhaps Miguel Tejada (who would move from shortstop) among others. So keep your fingers crossed Figgy fans.

Life isn't always fair

It wasn’t supposed to end this way, but sometimes life just isn’t fair. Sometimes in real life, the good guys don’t win. Sometimes good people have bad things happen to them and in the worse case scenario a young man, full of promise loses his life through no fault of his own. Unfortunately, that’s life.

The Yankees are going to the World Series and the Angels aren’t. The Yankees simply played better baseball than the Angels and even Mike Scioscia acknowledged that.

Losing hurts. It sucks to no end and when the sting of a loss is still fresh it’s hard to focus on anything other than the pain. There’s no sense in pointing fingers or casting blame because none of that changes anything and quite frankly it doesn’t make me feel any better.

This team overcame horrific circumstances to make a run at a title. The fact that they came as far as they did is a testament to their courage and their determination. It’s hard to do anything with a heavy heart, let alone compete on the biggest stage in the world. I am proud of the Angels and for the manner in which they conducted themselves all year long.

I have no idea what the future holds and I don’t even really want to think about it right now. All I know is another season has ended. The hours, days and months have all suddenly come to an abrupt halt. Our hearts are broken and we are extremely disappointed, but come spring, we’ll risk everything once again and take the plunge back into another season of tears and cheers that is better known as major league baseball.

Cheryl and I want to thank the 514 Fanatics who remained positive and hopeful throughout the season. You know who you are. We cherish your friendships and loved sharing the adventure that is baseball with each of you. We can’t wait to be with all of the Fanatics again in 2010.

To those of you who have taken the time to read this blog, thank you for humoring me and for reading about the ramblings of this die hard Angels fan. Some of you have had kind words to say and I sincerely appreciate your sentiments. In case you’re wondering, I will continue to blog in the off season because I still have much to say. It just won’t be nearly as often.

Although I am extremely disappointed, I find comfort is knowing that God is good. I was reminded today by Roger Beard, who is the retired pastor of Parkcrest Christian Church that each of us is a masterpiece, created by God. Yes, even Alex Rodriguez. I know God wants me to love even those who wear the pinstripes. That’s a lot to ask of me right now, and the best I can do is to tip my cap to them. I’m sorry, that’s as good as I can do today, but I promise to work on doing all that He commands in the days to come. Thankfully, God is always patient with me.

You know, today wasn’t the worst day in my life and in some ways it was a terrific day. Roger retired from Parkcrest last year and Cheryl and I have missed him tremendously. Today he was invited back to Parkcrest to teach, just like he used to. It was great to see him again and no matter what else happened today, I knew this day couldn’t be all bad.

This whole entire week has been one big adventure. It started with a terrific win for the Angels on Monday and an even more amazing rollercoaster of a win on Thursday. Sandwiched in between was a humbling loss, oh so painful to watch. On Friday I had to say a few words about the passing of a colleague. I could barely make it through that one. I then followed that up by accepting a service award for a professional organization I belong to. Minutes before all of that, Cheryl had a flat that ended up shredding the tire of our car on the way to the luncheon where I would be speaking; thankfully, she arrived safely and just in time. You could say my emotions have been through the ringer this week. I’m exhausted both mentally and physically.

It’s time to get back to work and to life away from baseball. Spring will be here before we know it and I can’t wait.

In closing today’s blog, I want to tip my hat once again to the Yankees – you earned your way to the World Series. That being said, I really want to wish the Phillies the best of luck. Go Philly!

Ringing in the ALCS

Okay, so the Angels just swept away one obnoxious fan base and what do you know? Here we go again to face another batch of the loud and the proud. Forgive me for painting these two fan bases with a broad brush. I know it’s not fair to the fans of those teams that actually can conduct themselves in a civil manner, but humor me anyway just so I can get through this post.

Get ready to hear the “got rings?” mantra over and over again. If they’re not saying it, they’re usually wearing it in the form of a t-shirt. My answer? No, I don’t have any “rings” and neither do you, unless you were actually employed by a team while they won a World Series.

What you Yankee fans do have is a boat load of memories and the experience of seeing your team win it all 26 times. We get it. We know all about your rich tradition. Albeit, you will have to go back a little further than us Angel fans to recall your last title. In fact, taking 2008 off from the play-offs probably made you more nostalgic than ever … until now.

And for the record Yankee fans – this is all about the “now.” So when the Angels put the beat down on the Yankees, please don’t ask me the "rings" question. Please don’t resort to that because you have nothing else to fire back at us Angel fans. That's as weak as Johnny Damon's arm. It’s 2009. It’s a new day and it’s all about the scoreboard. If you want to give us a history lesson, at least wait until our team has had their parade.

Am I predicting an Angels victory? Well, I’m actually really not here to do that. I’m just laying the ground work for a conversation we might be having sometime soon. And it goes both ways.

So, let’s set the ground rules now. Let’s talk about this season and this series. Let’s agree that the two best teams in the American League are about to get it on. Winner goes to the big party. Loser goes home. I don’t want to see you standing on the platform shouting out the “got rings?” question as our train pulls away from the depot. I’d just rather see you give us a simple wave and be on your way. If your team proves to better, I’ll do the same.

Let’s not rehash the past. We got plenty of that with the Red Sox and how… well, let’s not even go back there.

Every play-off series should be treated like a Heavyweight Title Fight. The winner is crowned champion. There’s no “look at all the other guys I’ve beaten.” Or even better, “got belts?” A boxer is only as good as his last fight. This should be the case for baseball teams as well. The only real fan base that has any bragging rights are Philadelphia Phillies fans and until their team is knocked out they should be the only ones doing any talking.

Look, I promise not to bring up any recent Angels/Yankees play-off history. What’s the point? It would be hypocritical of me to talk about the recent past, right? I’m glad we agree on the ground rules.

Now, there are some things I can not promise you. I may claim the devil wears pinstripes. I will probably let out an A-Roid chant now and then and throw in a Madonna joke or two. I’ll do a little cheater, cheater, Derek Jeter (just because it sounds good and he did cheat on his taxes). I may even refer to your team as the NY Mercenaries. I will definitely laugh when Jorge Posada tries to throw out Chone Figgins stealing a base. And all that’s just for starters. Just know it’s not personal. It’s part of the fun.

Is it Friday yet? Let the games begin.