Good-bye Vernon Wells... Hello 2013 Season

So long Vernon Wells… and so ends another chapter in the legacy of Tony Reagins.  Slowly, but surely, Jerry Dipoto – the General Manager of the Angels who was hired to replace Reagins is reshaping the Angels to become the team they’re supposed to be.  It hasn’t been easy; although, Dipoto seems to be making it look that way.  Granted, there is much to prove on the field – but it all starts on paper and so far, so good.

The best thing about Vernon Wells going to the Yankees is the simple fact that Peter Bourjos can take a deep breath and just play baseball.  Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing Bourjos have his breakout season.  Mark my words – it’s going to happen.

And since I’m in the mood for predictions, I have a few other nuggets of observation to lob your way…

Don’t be surprised if Josh Hamilton struggles a tad this season.  If it can happen to Albert Pujols, it can happen to anyone.  It’s not something I hope happens, but it’s something I’m prepared for.  Even though I am monumentally excited about the fact that Hamilton will be the Angels’ clean-up hitter, I won’t be surprised if his stats dip a bit.

On the other side of the coin – don’t be surprised if Mike Trout has an even better season in 2013 than he did in 2012.  I know, I know – that would be amazing, but I’ve come to expect amazing from Trout.  It seems like every analyst and expert is saying that there’s no way Trout can replicate what he did last year.  Something in my gut says otherwise…  I truly believe we are seeing a once-in-a-generation type of player and he’s going to be fun to watch. 

People, people, people.. Mike Trout’s power is real.  While most are predicting less than 30 homeruns for him, I won’t be surprised if he hits more than 40.  I say that while fully acknowledging the fact that the only Angel in team history to do that is Troy Glaus who hit 47 in 2000 and 41 in 2001.

Speaking of homeruns – we might see something really amazing in 2013.  In 2000 Glaus, Mo Vaughn, Garret Anderson and Tim Salmon combined to hit 152 homeruns.  Could Albert Pujols, Mark Trumbo, Hamilton and Trout surpass that?  They would have to average 38 between them. That 2000 team hit a total of 236.  I venture to say the 236 is safe, but the 152 is definitely in play.

The long ball is not a big part of Angel history – but this year, it could be.  There have only been 34 or more homeruns hit in a season by an Angel just 11 times in 50+ years.  And no one has done that since 2001.  Make that number 35 homeruns and the list goes down to just 7 times.  All that could change this year.

From a fan’s point of view – this is exciting.  Think about it, Angel fans have rarely had the opportunity to think about homeruns as such a big part of the team’s offense.  In fact, most years under Mike Scioscia it’s all about the pitching.  We’re entering un-chartered waters….

As we head into the 2013 season, the American League West landscape has changed dramatically.  The Texas Rangers don’t look to be the favorites, the “hated” Oakland A’s are (according to many of the “experts”) and the Seattle Mariners are much improved.  This might be one of the most competitive seasons for the AL West in a long time.  Welcome to the American League West, Houston Astros – be prepared for a beating.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the Angels will open 2013 in Cincinnati.  I love the fact that the AL West now has five teams, but I’m not thrilled with inter-league games taking place so regularly.  I’m wondering what the opening day lineup is going to look like and whether or not Mark Trumbo will be in the lineup when the team heads to the NL.

Catch phrases for 2013… courtesy of True Grich…

“Prodigious power.”  Don’t you love saying “prodigious power?” I love that phrase.  Who does that make you think of?  If you’re a Marlins fan you probably think of Giancarlo Stanton, but as an Angels fan – the name Mark Trumbo comes to mind immediately.  Not only is he “country strong” as ESPN’s Stuart Scott would say – but he definitely has prodigious power.

“Trout-a-here.”  That’s the phrase Cheryl and I will be using whenever Mike Trout goes yard.  With a hat tip to the stellar Angel radio announcer -Terry Smith who uses the call “that ball’s outta here” – we’ll be doing our own version.

“No Fly Zone.”  Yes, the United States Air Force and even NASA has declared the Angels outfield as a place where fly balls go to die…  with Trout, Bourjos and Hamilton patrolling the outfield – no fly ball is safe and each one will be terminated with extreme prejudice.

Things Cheryl and I are looking forward to…

Booing A.J. Pierzynski in a Ranger uniform.  A match made in heaven if you ask us… oh and if A.J. ever has a son who makes it to the major leagues – well boo him too.

April 19, 20, and 21, 2013 - Torii Hunter’s homecoming.  We miss Hunter and we’ll continue to miss this great ambassador of the game, but we look forward to seeing him back in Anaheim –even though he’ll be wearing another uniform.

The return of Joe Saunders to the AL West.  Our appreciation for Joe is well documented in this blog and we look forward to seeing the ever-classy, under-appreciated, ultra-competitive, all-around nice guy when the Mariners come to town.

The Mariano Rivera good-bye tour.  If ever there was a Yankee that I admired and respected – it’s Mariano Rivera (Bernie Williams too).  It will be nice to say farewell to a man who has had an unbelievable career.  We just hope he doesn’t get in any games while in Anaheim for obvious reasons.

So there you have it… a few predictions and observations.  My apologies for the lack of posting in the off season.  It was a long one and quite frankly, I needed the break.  

Vote Halos

Angel fans, I have a bone to pick with you.  For whatever reason when it comes to all-star voting – you (okay – we) are an apathetic bunch.  By in large our fan base lacks passion and that really shows when it comes time to putting Angels on the all-star team. 

It’s a darn shame that Tim Salmon never made an all-star team.  As one of the teams with the best attendance, there really isn’t an excuse for that gigantic mistake.  We felt content to leave it up to the players and coaches to see to it that Salmon made a team instead of voting him in as a starter.  That didn’t work out so well now did it?  Look, I was as guilty as anyone in that case.  I admit it and I regret it.

As a fan base – we suck sometimes.  I don’t know how else to say it.  Sure, we can fill up a stadium when it’s play-off time, but we don’t do the other things that make a fan base great.  Look, I know some of you are great fans, but by in large – we just don’t support our team in all the ways we should and one of those is by voting for deserving Angels when all-star ballots are available.

You know where I’m going with this don’t you?

Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout deserve to be all-stars; more than that – they deserve to start, but in order to make that happen they have to be voted in. 

Now, if you call yourself a die-hard Angels fan and you haven’t voted for Trumbo and Trout – shame on you.  Seriously, it’s not that hard and no one (at least not me) is asking you to vote 1,000 times.  I’m not even asking you to vote a 100 times (although that would be nice).  All I’m asking is that you vote the 25 times Major League Baseball will allow you to vote (on-line) per email address.

Doesn’t Trumbo and Trout deserve as much?

The only Angel who is in the top five of votes for any position thus far is Albert Pujols and he’s fifth among American League First Basemen. 

I’m not asking you to vote for Albert (Paul Konerko is much more deserving in my opinion) and I’m not asking you to stuff the ballot with all the Angels.  All I’m asking is that you vote for the two guys who have given you the most joy this season and that’s Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout.

When you look at the league leaders in statistics, you’re going to see Trumbo and Trout well represented.  Trumbo is 10^th in batting average (.326), 9^th in RBI’s (47), 6^th in OPS (1.009), and tied for 11^th in homeruns (16).  Trout is 6^th in batting average (.337 – just qualified last night with enough plate appearances), his .929 OPS is 14^th best, he’s 4^th in stolen bases (19) and is playing gold-glove caliber defense.

Did I really need to cite those stats to you? 

Look at this way – both players are having phenomenal seasons – if everything goes the way they should they will both have fantastic careers.  Trout has already been compared to several Hall of Famers and although it’s early in both their baseball lives – they are laying the foundation for careers of significance.  When all is said and done – part of their legacy should be as all-star game starters.  Not just participants, but as starters.

Do you hear me?  Does that resonate with you at all?

Let’s not leave it up to the players and coaches.  Let’s not forget the mistakes we made in not making sure Tim Salmon made a team.

Think about the players we never voted on to the squad as starters and then left for another team where they voted them on.  Players like Jim Edmonds (2000, 2003, and 2005) and David Eckstein (2005).

The list of players who we voted on to the starting squad is small.  It includes Vladimir Guerrero (2004, 2005, 2007), who undoubtedly benefited on his popularity long before he became an Angel; Troy Glaus received enough votes in 2003 (one of his worst seasons), but failed to get voted into the starting lineup in 2000 and 2001 when he had monster seasons hitting 47 and 41 homeruns respectively.

Wally Joyner made one all star start in his career and that was in 1986; his rookie year.  Don Baylor only made it once; his 1979 MVP season.

Heck, Bobby Grich was only voted on as a starter once (1982) as an Angel (he was also voted on in 1976 as a member of Orioles). 

Angel fans loved Darin Erstad.  Did he ever get voted on as a starter?  Nope. Bengie Molina?  Nope.  Jim Fregosi?  Nope.  Garret Anderson?  Heck no.  Sure some of them made all-star teams, but it wasn’t because of Angel fans.

How about players who have been all-star starters prior to coming to Anaheim – only to not get voted on the starting squad again?  Well, there’s Torii Hunter for one.  Vernon Wells is another (okay, not the best example). 

There are players who continued to have success in the voting prior to and during their Angel careers – but they’re Hall of Famers – Rod Carew (4 times) and Reggie Jackson (2 times).  Even Fred Lynn had one all-star start as an Angel (1983), but had five prior starts as a member of the Red Sox.

Over time, Trumbo and Trout will get more and more of the national vote.  Their talents are too good to be ignored and it’s only a matter of time before the whole nation begins to appreciate them and recognize them as bona fide stars.  In the mean time – it’s up to us to push them into the spot light.

Look at the current vote leaders in the American League.  Do you really want a team full of Texas Rangers?  Just saying.

One last thing – some of you will whine and belly ache when the national media ignores the Angels or doesn’t give enough love to Angels having great seasons or even a great game and yet – when given the opportunity to push those players into the view of a national audience yourself (via all-star voting) – you sit on your hands.

Let’s do this folks.  #VoteHalos  Vote online now.

E-8... Fred Lynn drops the ball

Fred Lynn must think he’s something special. Every now and then a baseball player will do something that will leave me shaking my head and that’s exactly what happened Saturday night.

As part of the Angels’ 50th Anniversary celebration, they’ve had various alumni from the past 50 years come out to the stadium for a ceremonial first pitch. They then come out to a designated area after the second inning to sign autographs for a hundred fans. Every now and then – someone has to cancel or they can’t fulfill the autograph portion of the evening because they’re working in the broadcast booth or in the dugout of the opposing team or some other logical reason.

There have been some notable players participating in this event and a list is available on the Angels’ web site.

Fred Lynn’s turn came this past Saturday and I would say it was an event of more than moderate expectations. Even though Lynn is not a Hall of Famer, he’s a player of note and one a great many Angel fans were looking forward to seeing and possibly meeting.

The game was scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start and the gates opened at 4:00 p.m. A lot of fans who wanted Lynn’s autograph arrived at the stadium prior to 4:00 p.m. to get in line and then make their way to the autograph area to get a wrist band – which is handed out to the first 100 fans. Cheryl and I arrived around 4:20 p.m. and made our way to the staging area and we received our wrist bands.

Then the waiting began. The wait can be a good 2.5 hours on some nights give or take. Fans pass the time talking Angels baseball, showing what they might have the alumnus sign, etc. As the time gets closer, the anticipation of the meeting grows and a buzz kind of hovers over the group of people who paid their dues to get the autograph.

Well, Saturday night – the fun was sucked out of the air.

Sometime between the start of the game and the time Lynn was to arrive – the news started to circulate that Fred Lynn would not sign any “personal items.” That meant no balls, bats, photos, cards, etc.

What?

We were told he would provide an item that he would sign. Okay… What item? The ushers were instructed to not tell us (although it was clear some fans were being told never-the-less). When Lynn arrived we were told he would be signing a hat being provided by the Angels.

Turns out the hat, was one of the left-over give-a-ways; the “flash back hat.” Yes sir, sponsorship logo and all.

Now, some of you might not think that’s a big deal, but consider this. A lot of fans showed up a few hours early for the opportunity to get an autograph on the item of their choice. There is a sign that clearly articulates the process and the rules. Fans arrive with certain expectations and those expectations were not met. We weren’t given any notice what-so-ever and were basically held captive until the session started.

Sure, we could have walked away at that point, but most decided that getting something was better than nothing. In retrospect, that was probably a reach.

Some people purchased items specifically for the session. Some had items that they had been saving for years in hopes of having this opportunity.

Fred Lynn didn’t care.

Word is Lynn usually gets paid for his autograph and wasn’t going to sign any personal items that he normally would be paid to sign. I have no way to verify this, but it is believable.

Funny – Rod Carew is a Hall of Famer and he had no such restrictions. Tim Salmon is as beloved as any player to ever wear an Angels uniform and he had no such restrictions. Neither did Brian Downing or Doug DeCinces or Bengie Molina or Garret Anderson and a host of others.

Most people never get a chance to interact with a baseball player; past or present. Most encounters are brief, but the memory of such occasions can be long lasting.

Fred Lynn was nice. He was cordial. He reached out to shake the hand of every fan. He smiled. He did everything, but the one thing fans wanted most.

It was very disappointing and not the kind of memory any of us were hoping for.

Now, I know not everyone who comes to these things is collecting autographs for their own personal collection; but I would venture to guess that the overwhelming majority do. I will even acknowledge that within the group of fans that show up – there are certain ones who try to take advantage of the situation, push for things they know they’re not supposed to and try to bend the rules and ignore common courtesy and etiquette. Never-the-less, the majority of fans who come want to create a memory for themselves and Fred Lynn dropped the ball (he's a former center fielder, thus the E-8 in the title).

He could have made a 100 fans happy, but I guess that was simply too much to ask.

The 50th Anniversary Celebration has been awesome. The alums who have taken the time to sign autographs have been tremendous; with a special note to Clyde Wright, who has filled in more than his share of times when someone was unable to fulfill their obligation.

The process; while at times a little bumpy has for the most part been fair and well organized. It is something we have enjoyed and continue to look forward to participating in. We even hope it becomes an annual tradition.

I just thought that Fred Lynn spoiled a good thing on this particular night and it bothered me enough to blog about it.

End of story. Take it for what it’s worth.

Other things to check out (good reads):

From SB Nation: Mark Trumbo on pace to join fairly exclusive group of sluggers

From Yahoo Sports: Road to discovery

In case you haven't heard; Angels pitching prospect Garrett Richards will make his major league debut today. For more on Richards, check out AngelsWin: Garrett Richards gets the call

Even more about Richards from Halos Heaven: Garrett Richards Pitching Debut Wednesday

Baseball is in the air

The way I see it the 2011 season has a very different feel to it. It feels as if we are on the verge of some sort of turning point in Angels' baseball history. It’s more than just the 50 year anniversary for me; it’s about turning a significant page. I can’t really put my finger on it. Let’s just say that I get a strange vibe when I think about where the Angels are and where they are going.

It all began when Scot Shields announced he would retire after the 2010 season. Granted, Shields had not been anything like his “old self” of late and it was time; but it was more than that. We are seeing player after player from the 2002 World Series team hang up their cleats for good. It’s as if an era is coming to an end and a new destiny is being forged.

This week Garrett Anderson announced his retirement. David Eckstein and Troy Glaus are without contracts. Bengie Molina has basically retired; although I have not heard of any official announcements from him. They’re joining Tim Salmon, Darin Erstad, Jarrod Washburn, Troy Percival and a host of others from the 2002 team that are no longer playing baseball.

A handful of guys are still out there; guys like John Lackey, Francisco Rodriguez, Chone Figgins and Jose Molina, but the list is dwindling and none of the remaining players are a part of the current Angel team.

At the same time – there are a few new faces on the roster; most notably, Vernon Wells. Other players like Brandon Wood and Jeff Mathis are at a turning point in their careers. It’s do or die time for them. To a lesser degree the same might even be said for guys like Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar.

Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter are in the twilight of their careers. Young players like Hank Conger, Peter Bourjos and Mark Trumbo are trying to make their mark and then there’s the prospects like Mike Trout and Tyler Chatwood both of whom loom big on the horizon.

It’s as if the team is going in a million different directions and I’m not sure what to expect. Maybe that’s a good thing. I haven’t really decided yet.

I know my blog has been relatively quiet lately. Mostly because of just being busy, but also because I’ve just been thinking; thinking about this team and trying to wrap my mind around what I might expect. I haven’t really come to any conclusions yet.

A lot of focus in the AL West seems to be on Texas and Oakland. In some ways, I like that. Even though I’m optimistic about this team’s chances, I am also waiting for an identity to emerge that I can embrace.

My hope is that this team plays the game with a bit of a chip on its shoulder. This team has something to prove and I believe they will get down to the business of winning the AL West again. I expect them to grind to and to play hard in an effort to make things happen as opposed to watching things happen.

I get the sense that this is becoming Jered Weaver’s team and I like that notion quite a bit. I have a feeling that a couple players will emerge from the shadows and shine brightly when it matters most. I expect Vernon Wells to silence his critics and for Danny Haren to return to being an all-star caliber pitcher.

When all is said and done, I believe people will once again marvel at the job Mike Scioscia has done and many will be ashamed for ever doubting this organization.

It’s spring and I want desperately to believe. After all, this is what fans are supposed to do. Writing this post has helped me sort some things out in my head. Putting words on paper once again has given me some renewed energy.

Baseball is definitely in the air and I’m ready for some. Are you?

The ten greatest Angels of all time

The ten greatest Angels were revealed today as part of the Orange County Register’s (OCR) 50 greatest Angels survey of various panelists including writers from the OCR, administrators from Angel fan sites like AngelsWin and Halos Heaven, Jeff Biggs (radio personality), Tim Mead (Vice President of Communications) and yours truly.

The top ten include: Troy Percival and Rod Carew (tied for 9th), Brian Downing (8), Bobby Grich (7), Chuck Finley (6), Garret Anderson (5), Vladimir Guerrero (4), Jim Fregosi (3), Tim Salmon (2), and the greatest Angel of all – Nolan Ryan.

I can’t say that I’m surprised that Ryan won out and I can certainly see how anyone would have that opinion, but in the case of this poll, Tim Salmon was robbed. Despite receiving more first place votes than any other Angel (5), Tim Salmon came up short due in large part to the voting of the OCR’s Mark Whicker and Bill Plunkett. Whicker’s votes have been all over the place and today’s top ten reveals a lot about his mind set. He voted Salmon 12th. Not only that, he left Brian Downing completely off his list. Hello? Whicker left five of the top ten off his own top ten.

I could go on and on about Whicker, but I’ll save that for another day.

Overall, I really can’t find fault with the top ten and even the top five. My own voting went like this for the top ten: Tim Salmon (1), Nolan Ryan (2), Garret Anderson (3), Chuck Finley (4), Bobby Grich (5), Jim Fregosi (6), Brian Downing (7), Troy Percival (8), Vladimir Guerrero (9) and Frank Tanana (10).

Why Tim Salmon? Ask most Angel fans who they consider “Mr. Angel” and they’ll say Tim Salmon without hesitation. During his time in Anaheim he emerged as the face of the franchise. He was drafted and developed by the Angels and spent his entire career in one uniform. He is among the all-time leaders in most offensive categories and his relationship with the fans was second to none.

In my opinion any of my top three could have been number one. Yes, even Garret Anderson because it is he who owns most of the Angels all-time offensive records. Had he finished his career as an Angel, I would have had to give him even more consideration for that top spot. The one drawback with Anderson is the relationship he had with the fans which was never what it could have been.

For whatever reason and whether you believe it to be true or just perceived, Anderson was never fully embraced. I can tell you from my own personal experience that he never seemed approachable or friendly whenever he was around fans. At spring training he would walk past fans hoping for a signature or photograph without as much as a wave. On photo days at the stadium, he would stand as far away as possible. He just never took the time to interact with fans.

Salmon was the polar opposite. He almost always made time for the fans and the media. He took less money to play for the organization that gave him his shot. He was highly involved in the community and was just an excellent all-around role model.

I feel really proud of my top ten. Two of us – myself and Jenelyn Russo, who is a contributor to the OCR’s Angel blog, had nine of the top ten on our ballots.

Some other interesting things about the list show that I voted higher for Troy Percival than anyone else (8) and my bias as a Grich fan was also evident. Russo and myself voted him 5th, higher than the rest of the panelists.

I also placed Finley higher than all but Halos Heaven’s Mat Gleason by ranking him 4th. Finley has won more games than any pitcher in Angels' history (165), is second in strike outs (2,151), has pitched more innings than any other Angel (2,675), and ranks 4th in complete games (57).

All in all, it was a fun exercise and one that I was honored to be a part of. I’d like to thank Keith Sharon of the OCR for inviting me to participate.

Faster than a speeding bullet

Tradition. That’s the word that’s been used as the theme for the 2010 season... Well, if there’s one tradition the Angels can point to more than any other, it’s having a history of fast, athletic center fielders; guys who can really get after a baseball.

Names like Jose Cardenal, Mickey Rivers, Gary Pettis, and Chad Curtis have covered center field like white on rice. Others such as Devon White, Jim Edmonds, Darin Erstad and Torii Hunter have approached legendary status for their abilities to rob hitters of homeruns, haul in sinking line drives to deny hitters of extra bases, and collect Gold Gloves.

The latest in this long line of center fielders is none other than Peter Bourjos. Bourjos’ name became known to many Angel fans for the first time last season when he was mentioned as a possible trade piece in the Angels attempt to acquire Roy Halladay. It’s no wonder. The kid plays a mean center field.

Bourjos is a 23 year old out of Park Ridge, Illinois where he was a 10th round draft pick by the Angels in 2005.

Last night, Angel fans got their first “official” look at Bourjos in Angels stadium (he made an appearance during the pre-season freeway series as well).

So, how fast is young Peter? Let me break it down for you…

Bourjos is so fast, the FAA has declared center field a “no fly zone” and the United States Air Force has issued a stern warning that any fly balls in the PB (Peter Bourjos) Zone will be terminated with extreme prejudice.

That’s right – Bourjos is that kind of fast.

He’s so fast, that he’s a threat to make it to second base on a walk. He’s so fast, that runners trying to tag up from third base on fly balls hit to him are often stunned to find him waiting for them at home plate for the tag.

If the Coyote had his kind of speed, the Road Runner would be toast.... err, lunch.

Let me put it to you another way. What does it say when Torii Hunter a nine time Gold Glover volunteers to move over to right field? It says that Peter Bourjos is the real deal and you'd better believe it.

Bourjos is so fast that once he gets on first base, he’s a threat to score from there on a squeeze play. Once a ball is in the air, he can run into the stands, sell some popcorn and then run back on to the field to wait for the fly ball to land softly in his glove.

He’s fast enough that he can catch fly balls in front of Juan Rivera. Okay, that’s not saying much,but this has actually happened since his call up. Let's just say I breathe a little easier knowing he’s patrolling center field.

Last night as we were watching young Peter’s Angels Stadium debut, 514 Fanatic Bo (also known as HaloBo from his comments on this blog) commented that” he’s faster than a rat running down a high wire.” I say “you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.”

Imagine an outfield with both Mike Trout (see the post prior to this one) and Peter Bourjos. That will be one high octane duo.

Yes Angel fans the future is looking bright. We have the kind of player in Bourjos that baseball fans just love. The kind of guy who only has one gear and that’s full bore. We love players that hustle and play great defense and it’s clear that Bourjos is going to be a fan favorite.

Speaking of fan favorites; Garret Anderson was designated for assignment by the Dodgers yesterday. Okay, I know many Angel fans have had kind of love/hate relationship with Garret over the years, but let’s be clear about one thing… Anderson owns virtually every significant statistical record for the Angels.

Even though I’ve never been a huge Anderson fan myself, I fully recognize his contributions and accomplishments as an Angel. Why am I bringing this all up? Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Angels sign Anderson for the rest of the season to let him retire as an Angel.

I think it would be a fitting way to pay tribute to Anderson for all he has meant to the Angels franchise. The rosters will be expanding in September anyway and wouldn’t it be nice to have the opportunity to thank and recognize Anderson as he moves on to the next phase in his life?

Moving on is something Don Wakamatsu the manager of the Seattle Mariners is doing today after the being fired by the Mariners yesterday. You know who really should be fired? All those so-called experts who picked the Mariners to win the AL West. I’m just saying.

Photos of Bourjos in this post were taken at spring training this year.

Light it up

Last night Cheryl and I made our way back to Angels Stadium for the first game of the three game Freeway Series against the Dodgers.

It was nice to be back, but where were all the 514 Fanatics? Only a handful of the faithful were on hand and our section was over run with Dodger fans. Not the ideal way to return to the stadium, if you ask me.

In any case – when the Dodgers went up 3-0 early I overheard a Dodger fan telling his wife/girlfriend that “it’s over.” I had to chuckle; although the way Clayton Kershaw was pitching at the time, the same thought might have entered my mind for just a split second only to be followed up with the thought of him eating his words later on.

In the sixth inning, things got interesting. Brandon Wood walked. Howie Kendrick singled and Wood moved to second base. Up came Kevin Frandsen who hit a fly ball to the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp in center field. As the play unfolded, I expected Wood to tag up and move to third, but he never went. The throw to third was off line and Wood would have easily made it which prompted me to wonder what’s going on? This wasn’t Angels baseball. Where’s the aggressive base running? What happened to putting pressure on the defense?

Well as I was questioning the base running of Wood and the Angels, Bobby Abreu stepped up and delivered a three run homerun – making the previous play moot. I have to tell you, I like three run homeruns. Sure beats the heck out of scratching out runs one hit at a time.

In the 7th inning Juan Rivera led off with a double and moved to third on a balk by Kershaw only to get picked off by Russell Martin. Needless to say I wasn’t too happy and thought there went the Angels chance to go ahead. The angst was compounded when Mike Napoli struck out.

Then it happened. Good old fashioned Angels baseball happened. Jeff Mathis and Brandon Wood had back to back singles. That’s right – Brandon Wood! Mathis went first to third on Wood’s single. Now we’re talking.

The Dodgers changed pitchers and Howie Kendrick greeted Ronald Belisario with a run scoring single that also advanced Wood to third base. The Angels were cooking.

Up steps Frandsen. Now, I have to tell you – even though Frandsen has been hitting pretty well since being called up, I have yet to embrace him because his fielding is so horrible (he made his 4th error last night). In any case – Frandsen doubles on a line drive to left field where none other than our old friend Garret Anderson was playing.

Funny thing about Anderson – during the radio broadcast Jose Mota made a comment about how no one has played left field better than GA in all the years he’s been watching the Angels play ball. Well, Mota must have jinxed GA because Frandsen’s double escaped GA for an error and Frandsen ended up on third base. Two runs scored and the Angels were up 6-3.

Now it was time for me to crow a bit and as we were high fiving with Angel fans in our section, I yelled out, “It’s over!” I love it when things work that way.

It wasn’t long after that inning that the Dodger fans behind us left the stadium. True Blue indeed. I’m just saying.

I was wearing my “Light it up” Angels shirt last night and it proved to be an appropriate choice. Can’t wait for more action this evening.

Mr. Matsui comes to Anaheim

Angel Stadium had nearly twice as many fans tonight than last night. It was even a little loud at times (but don’t tell our usher that). It’s starting to feel like baseball season once again, even though the air has been cold at night.

Between the end of tonight’ game and the start of Monday’s game, the stadium will get a little make-over as the decorations come out to signify the start of a brand new season. I’m getting that old familiar feeling that comes with the start of a new hunt for a red October and yet, something is a little different this year.

Could it be the trees behind the center field fence? How about the new paint job around the concession stands or some of the new food choices around the Big “A?”

Well, it’s none of those things.

It’s all about Hideki Matsui. I heard on the radio today that some 70 media credentials were handed out for opening night. That’s a lot of microphones, lab tops and cameras!

Matsui got to play left field tonight and I can only imagine the news that will generate back in Japan. It’s certainly going to be an interesting year with all the extra media following the Angels around. Perhaps the coverage of Matsui will eventually lead to more Angel fans in Japan. I love the idea of expanding the Angels brand around the world. Heck, a lot of people look good in red.

I am really digging the idea that a whole wave of new fans are going to be exposed to the Angels brand of baseball and that names like Kendry Morales and Erick Aybar might become household names in Japan. I know the media will be covering Matsui, but there are only so many Godzilla stories one can tell, right? Sooner or later, they’re going to find their way to Torii Hunter and Jered Weaver and all the other Angels.

Think about it.

I’m picturing little boys and girls in Tokyo wearing Napoli jerseys. I’m picturing tour buses outside of Angel Stadium for every game. Japan’s rock star is on tour and his new home base is Anaheim. Yup, I’m envisioning a good time in 2010.

Speaking of visions, there was a very strange one on the field tonight; Garret Anderson in Dodger blue. It just seems wrong on so many levels. The only way it would have been even more strange is if GA had dived for a ball in the outfield. Hey, I’m just saying…

The Angels won the game in the bottom of the 9th. As we were leaving the stadium, we headed down the escalators and there were puddles of water near the top of the escalator for some reason. One Angel fan shouted that the water came from the tears of Dodger fans. You gotta love it. Baseball season is here.

Here are a few photos from tonight. A couple of Matsui, followed by Jeremy Hill and Garret Anderson in blue.

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.
.
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.

True Grich's All-Decade Team Part 2

Time for the True Grich Angels All-Decade Pitching Squad. Like the previous picks for the position players, these picks are based on the best single season of a pitcher in a given year, as opposed to a comprehensive look at who did what over the last ten years.

Occupying the #5 spot in the All-Decade rotation is a personal favorite of mine and my wife Cheryl’s in Joe Saunders. Saunders was a solid performer in 2008 when he led the team in both wins (17) and had the lowest ERA among the starters (3.41). Saunders was one of three Angel pitchers to be selected to the all-star game that year. Saunders threw his first complete game that year and managed 103 strikes outs. Saunders; who relies on his defense (by pitching to contact), really came into his own as a starter in 2008.

The #4 starter for the decade goes to the pitcher who shares my birthday (April 11) and that would be Kelvim Escobar and his 2007 season. Escobar had his finest season in the majors that year, going 18-7 with a 3.40 ERA. His strikeout to innings pitched ratio was a solid 7.4 (he struck out a total of 160 batters). Escobar also had three complete games, including a shut out. Early in the season, he was among those being discussed as a possible CY Young candidate, but never factored into the voting by season’s end.

Ervin Santana’s 2008 performance gave the Angels reason to sign him to a 4 year, $30 million (with a club option for a fifth year). That year he went 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA and 1.119 WHIP. He also had an impressive 214 strikeouts in 219 innings for an 8.8 strikeouts to innings ratio. He joined Saunders on the all-star team and finished 6th in the CY Young balloting. He threw two complete games, including a shut out. His performance earns him the #3 spot on the True Grich Angels All-Decade squad.

Interesting tidbit about “El Meneo” (Shaker) is that he seems to pitch best in even numbered years. Hopefully, 2010 will be a good one for Santana.

The #2 spot is occupied by an old friend of the Angels in Jarrod Washburn, who’s 2002 season ranks as the second best performance of the decade (in my opinion). Washburn was 18-6 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, and 139 K’s. Washburn didn’t make the all-star team, but finished 4th in the CY Young voting. He was clearly the ace of the staff during the Angels championship season, even though he went 0-2 in the World Series.

The top dog on the All-Decade squad goes to a player who is now "dead to me." Yes, “you know who” had an amazing 2007 season, going 19-9 with a league leading 3.01 ERA, 179 K’s and two complete game shut outs (both against Seattle). The pitcher, forever to be now known as “Judas” made his first and only all-star performance and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting.

If I still sound bitter, it’s because I am. Never-the-less - John Lackey (cough) gets the top spot on the True Grich Angels All-Decade Pitching staff.

Jered Weaver did not make the cut, but had a short, but fine 2006 season and a solid 2009 campaign. He just didn’t have the numbers to crack the top five (in my opinion), but could/should dominate in the next decade.

The closer of the decade is between two pitchers who will go down as two of the all-time best for the Angels; Troy Percival and Francisco Rodriguez.

Rodriguez saved an astounding 62 games in 2008. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young Voting, made his third all-star team (at the time), and even finished 6th in the MVP voting. All that being said, I believe his best season was 2006 when he lead the league with 47 saves. In 2006 his ERA was lower (1.73 to 2.24), his strike outs to innings ratio was higher (12.1 to 10.1) and even his WHIP was better (1.096 to 1.309). He also only blew 4 saves in 2006 as opposed to 7 in 2008.

“K-Rod” was known to give Angel fans a roller-coaster ride during his last couple seasons in Anaheim, but he was easily the most successful closer in Angels' history. But the question is - was his 2006 season the best of the decade?

Before we get to that, let’s look at Troy Percival.

Even though “Percy” made the all-star team four times, his best season (in my opinion) came in a year when he didn’t make the mid-summer classic; 2002. That year Percy had a career best (as a closer) 1.92 ERA. He saved 40 of 44 games and averaged nearly 11 K’s per nine innings. He also racked up seven saves in the post season, including the most important one (game 7 of the World Series) in Angels' history.

So, who was better? Who gets the nod on the All-Decade squad?

They both do. Only Percy wins the closer award and K-Rod wins as the best set-up man of the decade.

With apologies to Scot Shields, K-Rod’s 2004 season cemented him as one of the game’s elite relievers. That year he had 12 saves to go along with 27 holds. He averaged an incredible 13.2 K’s per nine innings. Shields has never hit double digits in that category.

K-Rod had a 1.82 ERA which better than any season by Shields and only gave up two homeruns (oh for the good ol’ days) the entire season. He is the True Grich Angels All-Decade Set-up Man.

If you want to make a case for Rodriguez as the Angels’ best closer of the decade, you won’t get much of an argument from me; however, I am picking Troy Percival as the closer and Francisco Rodriguez as the top set up man (remember this is based on a single season performance).

As we close this decade and the all-decade selections, you may have noticed (like my friend and 514 fanatic, Jeffrey did) that I neglected to pick a top DH. For the most part, that role has been a revolving one Mike Scioscia has used to give some of his players rest. I chose not to include it for that reason. Brad Fullmer was purely a DH, but he was average, at best.

My pick of Darin Erstad as the best player of the decade (based on a single season performance) doesn’t really provide us with a true picture of who the best Angel player of the decade was. I chose to do that on purpose, believing my criteria made for a more interesting list.

Had I gone the route of who was best based on statistics alone, the award would have come down to two players. One, who made my all-decade team (Vladimir Guerrero) and one who ironically did not (Garret Anderson).

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that both players drove in more than 100 runs four times during the decade, but it probably will surprise you to know Anderson actually drove in more. He drove in 479 in those four seasons (2000-2003) to Guerrero’s 475 in his four (2004-2007). Anderson was a machine for the first four years of this decade and vastly under-rated. Guerrero was everything that was advertised and highly celebrated.

Who was better? An argument could be made either way. Anderson’s impact was over a much longer period of time (9 seasons) and included a World Series title. Vlad’s six years were very impressive and included an MVP title. If you pushed me to pick one, I’d give the edge to Anderson, simply because of his longevity.

The irony of all this shouldn’t be lost. I guess in some ways it’s a reflection of GA’s career and the perception that surrounded him. Anderson was very much under-appreciated as a member of the Angels, but holds almost every statistical record for the franchise. Some even thought Anderson to be “lazy,” while my friend and fellow 514 Fanatic, Bo simply called him “Mr. Smooth.”

Also ironic (probably only to me) is that I was never a huge Erstad fan and yet he ended up as my Angel of the Decade (again based on specific criteria). In any case, I hope you enjoyed this exercise as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

True Grich's Angels All-Decade Team

As the decade comes to a close I thought it would be a fun exercise to pick the Angels All-Decade Team. As I started this process, I found myself picking players mainly from the 2002 squad, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, that team had a nucleus of players who were a part of the organization for a good part of the decade and contributed to the team’s overall success to start the new millennium.

To make things more interesting, I thought I would pick a team based on the best single season performance of a given player. What’s the big deal? Well, it means Darin Erstad’s performance as a left fielder in 2000 trumps any season by Garret Anderson, who gets left off the all-decade team. Now any knowledgeable Angel fan knows Anderson is one of the all-time Angel greats; however, based on my criteria he’s being left off the squad.

So here we go…

At first base – Kendry Morales. Morales put up monster numbers in 2009. Morales’ 34 homeruns, 108 RBI’s, .306 batting average with a .924 OPS were absolutely stud-like. It even beats Mo Vaughn’s 2000 season even though Vaughn had more homeruns and RBI’s; Vaughn struck out 64 more times than Morales and actually led the league with 181 strike outs. Ouch. His OPS was also 70 points lower.

To tell you the truth, I don’t think I could live with myself if Mo Vaughn ended up on my list. More ammo for Morales - he had a slightly better fielding percentage in 2009 than Vaughn did in 2000 and to top things off Morales finished 5th in the AL MVP voting. That’s good enough to get the top spot at first base for the True Grich Angels All-Decade Team.

At second base – Adam Kennedy gets the nod for his 2002 season; easily his best as an Angel. That year Kennedy hit .312 with a career best .795 OPS. His three homerun performance in the ALCS that year doesn’t hurt his case either. Kennedy’s competition - Howie Kendrick is a fine player and may ultimately have a better career, but for this decade Kennedy is The Man.

Third base is a contest between two contrasting players in Troy Glaus (who was known for his power) and Chone Figgins (who is known for his speed). True Grich gives the nod to Troy Glaus for his 2000 season. There’s an old commercial touting “chicks dig the long ball” and well, True Grich digs them too. In 2000 Glaus lead the league with 47 homeruns and had an outstanding 1.008 OPS. He also made his first all-star team and captured his first of two Silver Slugger Awards.

I suppose one could make a case for Figgins’ 2005 season when he lead the league with 62 stolen bases or his 2009 season when he scored 114 runs and lead the league in walks with 101, but Glaus’ overall performance in 2000 still beats him in my opinion. Glaus even walked 112 times (which bests Figgins' 2009 total) in 2000 and didn’t even lead the league.

This past decade gave us three shortstops in David Eckstein, Orlando Cabrera and Erick Aybar. No question, the sentimental favorite is Eckstein, but who had the best single season? Erick Aybar’s 2009 season pales by comparison to both Eckstein and Cabrera’s best years; however, it’s very close between the latter two. Cabrera’s best season as an Angel was clearly 2007. He posted his best OPS as an Angel at .742, scored 101 runs, drove in 86 and won a gold glove. Cabrera made three fewer errors than Eckstein while handling 47 more opportunities.

Eckstein’s 2002 season bests Cabrera’s OPS with a .752, and he scored more runs 107 while driving in a respectable 63 runs from the lead off spot. Then there are the intangibles… Yeah, that’s right; I’m playing that card and giving the edge to Eckstein. Eckstein was the catalyst in the Angels drive for a world championship. Eckstein had a knack for getting on base when the Angels’ needed him to do exactly that. Known for his ability to make pitchers throw a lot, he saw 3.69 pitches on average per at-bat compared to Cabrera’s 3.39. True Grich’s Angels All-Decade Shortstop is David Eckstein.

When comparing catchers, you almost have to compare Bengie Molina to the tandem of Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli. For the record I compared the 2008 season of Mathis/Napoli to Molina’s 200e season.

Offensively, Napoli alone bests Molina in most categories; however, defensively neither holds a candle to Molina who won gold gloves in 2002 and 2003. In 2003 Molina made only 5 errors compared to 13 by Mathis and 7 by Napoli. Molina threw out 44% of those attempting to steal a base against him. That’s a number that neither Mathis nor Napoli has ever come close to matching.

In 2003, Molina hit14 homeruns with 71 RBI and a .281 batting average. Molina drew fewer walks than Napoli/Mathis, but didn’t strike out nearly as much.

Molina was #1 in our programs and #1 in our hearts and is easily the True Grich Angels Catcher of the Decade.

Right field was the home of Mr. Angel, Tim Salmon for many years and although Salmon had some fanatic seasons his best of the decade (2000) pales to Vlad’s 2004 MVP season. Had I been able to include Salmon’s 1997 season in this analysis, the decision might have been closer, but Vlad was absolutely huge in 2004.

Vlad lead the league in total bases with 366. He also led the league in runs scored with 124. He was an all-star and a Silver Slugger Award winner. He pounded 39 homeruns and drove in 126 runners. He even stole 15 bases. (Salmon’s career high was 9). He will best be remembered for putting the Angels on his shoulders during the last two weeks of the season and propelling them past the Oakland A’s for their first division title this decade.

I’m sure Range fans still have nightmares about what he did to their team that year.

Tim Salmon may be the best player in the Angels’ history, but the best Angels right fielder of this decade was Vlad Guerrero, hands down.

Centerfield is a position for the rock stars of baseball. It’s the position most likely to make ESPN’s “web gems” and a place where legends are made. The Angels have a long history of great centerfielders going back to Devon White, Chad Curtis, Jim Edmonds, Gary Pettis and others. This decade started with Garret Anderson in CF in 2000, and then saw the emergence of Darin Erstad as a Gold Glover, the debacle that was Steve Finley, the return of Anderson to CF in 2004 and the arrival of the incredible Torii Hunter.

Sorry Ersty fans, but one of the grittiest players to ever wear an Angels' uniform doesn’t make the cut here. Erstad’s offensive numbers just weren’t impressive enough and his intangibles didn’t quite make up the difference either.

The competition for centerfielder of the decade comes down to Anderson’s 2000 season and Hunter’s 2009 season. As good a season as Hunter had this past year, it could have been even better had he not been injured for part of it. That being said, he did win a gold glove and was getting MVP mentions early on.

Anderson had a wonder campaign in 2000 with a career high 35 homeruns, 117 RBI and .286 batting average. He also scored 92 runs, but his on base percentage was only .307 (he only walked 24 times). In 2009 Hunter walked more than twice that in far fewer games and had an OBP of .366 and a superior OPS of .873 to .827. In 2009 Hunter added an all-star appearance and a Silver Slugger Award. He continued being a human highlight film and covered centerfield with authority.

The True Grich Angels Centerfielder of the Decade is none other than Torii Hunter.

Anderson’s 2000 season was far from his best (he had better years in left field); but ironically 2000 was Erstad’s best, only he was playing left field. Even though Anderson had some great years in left field, especially in 2002 and 2003 when he lead the league in doubles, no other Angel performance compares to what Erstad did in 2000.

Erstad not only wins the True Grich Angels Leftfielder of the Decade award, he also wins the True Grich Angels Player of the Decade Award for his 2000 performance.

Erstad did it all in 2000. He won a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger Award, was an all-star and finished 8th in the MVP balloting. He led the league in hits with 240. He stroked 25 homeruns and drove in 100. He had a career best .409 OBP and a career best .951 OPS. He also hit an astounding .355. He had 366 total bases (the same number Vlad had in 2004). He stole 28 bases and scored 121 runs. He probably also helped old ladies cross the street and pulled a cat or two out of a tree. If he had more time, he might have done some brain surgery as well.

Erstad was a one man wrecking machine. He could beat you with his bat, his glove or his legs and was far more compelling than the guy in the Dos Equis commercials.

There you have it. The True Grich All-Decade Team (based on their best individual single season):

1B – Kendry Morales
2B – Adam Kennedy
3B – Troy Glaus
SS – David Eckstein
C - Bengie Molina
RF – Vladimir Guerrero
CF – Torii Hunter
LF – Darin Erstad

Next time, we’ll take a look at the True Grich All-Decade Pitching staff.

Hot Stove Predictions - Part 3 (1B, C, OF)

Amazingly (or maybe not) there aren’t any Type A free agents among the available first basemen. The top guys are Carlos Delgado, the oft injured Nick Johnson, Adam LaRoche, and a couple of guys who should get a good look from teams in Russell Branyan and Hank Blalock.

I’ll start with Blalock, who I see going to Cleveland. Here’s a team that desperately needs some power in their lineup (they finished 10th in the AL last year in homers) and Blalock can provide that. He’s not great at hitting lefties, but he will give a team 25-30 long balls. He could even platoon with Andy Marte, who is coming to the point in his career when he’s either got to put up the numbers or find his way to the bench or worse. Blalock is only 29 years old and still has some upside and would be a nice piece for the Indians to add.

If ever there was a player that fit the Billy Beane mold, it’s Nick Johnson. Johnson has a career OBP of .402. He’s a walk machine. Problem is he has a hard time staying healthy. It’s the “if he’s healthy” label that intrigues people and I can’t see Beane passing up an opportunity to sign a guy like this. He’s made for Oakland. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a Sacramento native.

As for the others out there, I believe Carlos Delgado will return to the Mets, Adam LaRoche will head back to Atlanta and Russell Branyan will resign with the Mariners. Pretty boring… I know. Other free agents include Eric Hinske and Ross Gload. Either one could end up in a backup role in Atlanta or Florida, but are more likely to head to the AL where they can also DH some. I’ll pass on predictions for Kevin Millar, Dmitri Young, Doug Mientkiewicz and others like them…

As for catchers… I can’t figure out why anyone in the world would be interested in Jason Kendall. He can’t hit very well, doesn’t throw out runners and is now 35 years old. In my opinion, the best he can hope for is a back up role at this point in his career. I can see him replacing Brad Ausmus for the Dodgers.

I love Bengie Molina. He’s one of my all-time favorite Angels. I really would have never of imagined him being as productive as he has been the last couple years. Now that he’s 35, he’s probably only going to get a one year deal some where. It could be the Giants, but I have a feeling he’ll end up catching for the Mets – which seems to be a popular predicted destination for Molina. He’ll make that pitching staff better and I think he’s an excellent fit.

Miguel Olivo had a pretty good 2009, all things considered. He managed to crank out 23 homeruns while hitting .249. He just doesn’t walk very often and has a low OBP. Never-the-less there is a place out there for Olivo and I believe it will be in Detroit where he will put up more solid numbers.

Yorvit Torrealba will be heading to Milwaukee where he will be an upgrade over Kendall and be “the” guy. Rod Barajas will resign with Toronto. The Blue Jays can’t afford to let him get away.

Next up, outfielders…

If you’re buying what the media is selling about Hideki Matsui, he’s headed to Seattle. That doesn’t make sense to me since they have Ken Griffey, Jr. I see Matsui in Texas as their DH.

I’ve already predicted Dye to Oakland, Bay to the Angels and Guerrero to the White Sox.

Next up... Marlon Byrd, who will become a Giant replacing Randy Winn. Byrd is one of those guys who is probably not as good as his statistics would show. He had a solid season last year in Texas, but how will he do outside of Arlington Stadium? We’ll see, but I wouldn’t expect too much. Garret Anderson will join him in San Francisco as a slightly better option than John Bowker in left field.

Look for Xavier Nady to find his way back to his original team the San Diego Padres, replacing Brian Giles who may be forced to retire and Rick Ankiel will return to the Cardinals

Andruw Jones will head to the Cubs because the Cubs seem to have a propensity of making bad decisions and because they’ll believe he can play center field. I’m kidding; then again maybe not. After the debacle that is Milton Bradley, I can see the Cubs doing this. He’ll be reunited with his hitting coach from Texas, but it won’t matter much; Jones’ best days are behind him.

The big prize of the free agent class – Matt Holliday will play for the Mets. I’m not alone in this prediction, that’s for sure.

As for the mercenary that is Johnny Damon, I’ll go out on a limb and predict his destination will be the White Sox. Damon would probably sign with just about any place willing to pay him enough.

This prediction thing is a lot of work… but I’m having a little fun with it. I did kick a kick out of the news that Vizquel is likely to sign with the White Sox – which is something I predicted the day before the news broke. Yeah, I know… I’m that blind squirrel people talk about…