Dare to imagine...

Imagine a world where Derek Jeter played baseball for another team. Hard to picture? Well, take it a step further and imagine that team being the Boston Red Sox.

Did your head just explode?

I know that when all is said and done, Jeter will most likely be back in New York wearing pinstripes and making more money than he deserves simply because he’s Derek Jeter, but it’s fun to think about the pure chaos that would envelop the world if Jeter were to somehow end up in Boston.

It’s the kind of scenario curses are made of.

Imagine the media circus that would follow. It would be bigger than the O.J. Simpson trial. There would be rioting in the streets of both New York and Boston. Jerseys would be burned; Jeter-like dolls would be hung in effigy from bridges and trees.

Imagine the confusion … one day you hate a guy, the next he’s on your team. The look on the faces of both Red Sox and Yankee fans would be priceless. Some of them might even be speechless (yeah, right).

Could it happen? Is it even remotely possible? Perhaps.

Consider these words from Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ General Manager (courtesy of ESPN NY): “We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account. We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That’s the way it works . . . We feel Derek Jeter gives us the best chance to win. But we’re not dealing with Derek alone. We’re dealing with our closer, we’re trying to add to our club, and if putting all our eggs into one basket takes away from our ability to add to our club, I ain’t gonna do it.”

This could get ugly and yet it would be beautiful at the same time. You see it too, don’t you?

Cashman went so far to say “We've made an offer and we hope they strongly consider it, [But] there are things we have concerns with -- his recent performance over the last few years, and his age. And that has to be factored into this negotiation."

It’s been reported the Yankees have offered Jeter a three-year, $45 million contract. It’s also been reported that the Yankees have offered Cliff Lee a six-year, $140 million contract. Do the math. The Yankees are actually trying to show some fiscal restraint… well, theoretically at least.

I have to admit all of this comes as a bit of a surprise. I mean most of us thought a deal would get done without any problems and yet things are getting interesting. I guess if the Giants can end up in the World Series against the Texas Rangers anything can happen, right?

What’s next? Barry Bonds comes out of retirement and signs with the Dodgers?

In other Hot Stove news the Detroit Tigers have signed Victor Martinez to a four-year $50 million contract. This is good news for Angel fans. Why? Well, the Tigers were reported as being one of the teams interested in Carl Crawford. This signing puts a dent in their checking account and when you factor in their signing of Joaquin Benoit to a three-year $16.5 million contract and their need to fill other holes; it looks like we can take the Tigers off the table.

So… that leaves Boston and possibly the Yankees and that’s not all bad because I believe the Red Sox have more interest in Jayson Werth than Crawford… and the Yankees? Well, they have yet to express any interest and are hopefully more focused on Lee and Jeter.

Let’s just say that I’m hoping for some big news by Thanksgiving morning. A boy can dream, right?

Angels News:

ANAHEIM, CA – The Angels today announced the club will not offer salary arbitration to outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui. Today’s announcement was made by General Manager Tony Reagins.

Matsui, 36, batted .274 with 21 home runs and 84 RBI in 145 games with the Angels in 2010. The former World Series MVP led all of Major League Baseball with a .371 batting average (43/116) from August 14 through the end of the season.

A native of Ishikawa, Japan, Matsui has combined for a .297 (2499/8402) career average, 493 home runs and 1,570 RBI in 2,329 professional games between the Japanese League and Major League Baseball.

It's the offense, stupid

Angel fans haven’t been this frustrated in years. Watching the Angels play baseball is akin to being staked to the ground under the grueling desert sun with army ants attacking you. It’s agonizing.

And yet – there is a certain group of fans who refuse to look at the evidence and actually discuss the short comings of this year’s team. They’d rather focus on those of us who are critical of the team rather than the team itself. Sure they might brush upon the subject of poor play now and again, but they’re mostly consumed with the people who are not a part of the problem – other Angel fans.

Well, I’m here to tell you the truth about the 2010 version of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The problem is simple. It’s the offense stupid.

That’s right – every player with the possible exception of Torii Hunter is under performing (and even Hunter is under performing - just to a lesser degree). Compare the offensive statistics of every player and you’ll see a huge drop off. We’re talking Grand Canyon sized gaps in performance.

Erick Aybar is hitting 41 points lower than 2009 (.271 compared to .312), Juan Rivera is down 30 points, Howie Kendrick is hitting 21 points below his .291 average from a year ago, Bobby Abreu's average is down 27 points, Hideki Matsui is hitting 23 points lower, Mike Napoli's batting 18 points lower, and the list goes on and on.

Do the math. It isn’t pretty.

The Kool-Aid bartenders of the world (you know who you are) have been telling us what a great second half performer Matsui is and how the Angels players have all this great experience and have played in big games, but fail to tell us how that will actually translate into winning games on the field.

There for a while the Kool-Aid drinkers went on and on about not being worried and how there was plenty of time left in the schedule and how Texas will fade.

This group ignores the facts. They neglect to acknowledge the Angels poor play against the better teams in the league. They talk about June (The Angels’ one good month) like it was 2002, but ignore the other months like they never existed.

I get a little tired of hearing about this being the "Golden Era of Angels baseball. " I get that. I agree with it. That doesn’t mean I can’t be critical of what they’ve done this year. It’s not that I’m ungrateful; I’m just fed up with this season. So don’t try to change the subject.

Jeff Biggs of AM 830 likes to deflect the discussion by telling us that Arte Moreno wants to win as badly as anyone. Hello? What does that have to do with the price of spam in Hawaii?

The front office has had a really bad year. Not because they let Vlad Guerrero, John Lackey and Chone Figgins walk. Those were understandable moves. What makes this year such a disaster is their failure to anticipate those losses and/or adjust to them.

And then there’s Darren Oliver which in my opinion may have been the biggest goof of all. We all know that good relief pitching is one of the most valuable commodities in baseball. Oliver had been solid for all of his three years in Anaheim. He was probably the best pitcher on the team in 2009 next to Jered Weaver.

So what did the Angels do? They failed to offer him arbitration. They let him walk. In my opinion the front office got a little full of themselves by believing Oliver would come back for less money than he would get in arbitration. They were wrong and Oliver is having yet another fantastic season – only he’s doing this in Texas.

Forget Vlad, Figgy and Lackey – how can anyone explain letting Oliver go so easily?

Don’t answer that. It doesn’t really matter.

Again, the front office has had a horrible year. Yes, I know they’ve done wonders since 2002, but I’m not here to do a recap of the decade. I’m here to talk about this season. This isn’t the time to do a retrospective of the past and to pat each other on the back. It’s a time to step up and be accountable.

The players need to held accountable because they’ve under achieved. Mike Scioscia needs to take some blame because he drives the organization. Tony Reagins needs to held responsible because his team has been exposed for its lack of depth.

And then there’s everyone’s favorite whipping boy – Mickey Hatcher. When other teams go into the kind of a hitting funk like the Angels’ have this last year – their batting coaches get fired. I’m just saying.

The hitting woes of the Angels are of catastrophic proportions and that cannot be emphasized enough. Again, do the math.

Forgive me for not thinking that this Angels squad has a shot this year. As much as it hurts me to say this – Texas is simply the better team.

By the way, I'm curious what you think of Jeff Biggs. Please take my poll located to the right of this post.

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…

Things that make you go hmmm

I’ll be honest with you. I really thought Vladimir Guerrero was done. Nothing I had seen in the last two years made me believe he would ever be the kind of player he once was. You know the kind of guy who could single handedly demolish an opposing team. The kind of guy who makes you go “wow” when he connects squarely with a pitch.

Boy was I wrong. In fact, I couldn’t have been more wrong. More importantly – the Angels front office guessed wrong too. Branch Rickey, the late legendary baseball executive once said, “It’s better to trade a guy a year too early than a year too late.” Mind you he said that before there was this thing called free-agency, but I’m guessing he’d have applied that theory to free agents as well.

Rickey was widely considered to be an innovator in his day. He was the man who signed Jackie Robinson and drafted Roberto Clemente. He’s credited as being the man who developed the frame work for the minor league system and is considered one of the greatest baseball executives in the history of baseball. One should take what he has to say pretty seriously.

That being said, the Angels clearly let Vlad walk at least a year too early and even if Rickey’s advice is correct, it doesn't make me feel any better the morning after Vlady basically demolished the Angels by himself.

Imagine how Tony Reagins feels. I wonder if he got any sleep last night.

You know what's worse? Vlad’s performance is magnified by the struggles of Hideki Matsui. While one guy is struggling to make contact the other is taking batting practice. It’s only natural for fans to compare the two and grimace. Some might even feel a little sick today. I’m serious. Ever had something you really valued stolen or lost? Remember that sick feeling you had? It’s like that for a lot of Angel fans today.

You know it was easy to smile and wish Vlad well when he was creating havoc against other teams, but when he started doing it to the Angels it wasn’t fun any more. It hurt. I guess we now know a little bit about how Ranger fans felt for all those years Vlad was launching rockets against their pitching staff. No wonder they wanted to sign him.

Last night's game was the kind of night nightmares are made of. Vlad hit a grand slam and a solo homerun. He had four hits and drove in five of the Rangers’ six runs. He owned the Angels last night and that trade mark smile of his was flashing all night long.

It was so bad, I swear I could see the pitchers in the Angels bull putting on helmets and starting to dig fox holes. No one beyond the outfield fence was safe.

Imagine being a 12 year old kid, who grew up watching Vlad do this for the Angels and then being at the game last night to witness a former Angel coming back to haunt his old team. It’s the kind of thing that can make a grown man cry, let alone a 12 year old.

I had intended to write about Tuesday night’s game before this post, but what’s the point? I’m too shell shocked to even remember much about Tuesday night (but I’ll try in a bit).

I doubt anyone saw this coming. There’s no way the “experts” saw it – especially the ones who picked Seattle to win the AL West. Even the folks who do projections didn’t see it coming either.

Bill James gave the most optimistic projection of 24 homeruns and an .877 OPS. Vlad is likely to blow that out of the water by season's end. He already has 18 bombs and an OPS of .962. I can't even believe that I'm typing those numbers. Are you kidding me? Vlad's comeback is like Rocky Balboa getting up off the canvas to beat the daylights out of his opponent. It's as unreal as Robert Redford in "The Natural." Did anyone check Vlad's bat? Was "Wonder Boy" etched into the wood?

On one hand I’m happy for Vlad. I’m glad he found the motivation within himself to come back with such vengeance. On the other hand, I have to wonder – where was this the last two years and where in the world was this kind of offense in the post-season? And did he have to do this against the Angels? Good grief.

Well it’s time to quote another great baseball man by saying it’s “time to turn the page.” I’m sure that’s what Mike Scioscia is telling himself and his team today. Time to move on.

A few quick notes about Tuesday night (a happier time).

Cheryl’s cousin Larry and his wife Cathy were out for a visit from back east and we invited them to an Angel game. Now, they happen to be huge Red Sox fans. I know, I know… I was horrified when I learned this. Okay, maybe not so much horrified as I was I was shocked and mystified. How did I not know this after years of being married to Cheryl? I'm kidding of course… Larry and Cathy are great baseball fans and I can forgive them for their baseball team preference; especially since the Angels finally got the Red Sox post-season monkey off their backs last year.

On our way into the stadium Cheryl and I introduced ourselves (along with Larry and Cathy) to Jeff Biggs and Jason Brennan. I have to tell you Biggsy looks much younger in person (I had only seen a picture of him on the AM 830 web site) and both gentlemen were kind to say they read this blog. We had been meaning to say hello previously but we hadn’t gotten to the stadium early enough until Tuesday night.

These two do a great job of giving Angel fans an outlet to talk about Angels baseball. Keep up the great work guys!

In any case – we had a great time showing Larry and Cathy around the park and the game itself proved to be outstanding. We even enjoyed the video tribute to Vlad – although Larry didn’t really appreciate the highlight of Vlad driving in the winning run against the Red Sox in the deciding game of the 2009 ALDS as much as Cheryl and me.

One funny (then again maybe not so funny) note – we were listening to Terry Smith on the radio during the game like always when Smith noted how Kinsler had only hit two homeruns this year after knocking 31 last year. You know what’s coming next don’t you? Bam! As soon as Smith uttered those words Kinsler went yard. I’m telling you it’s uncanny how often this kind of thing happens. I cringe every time I hear this kind of statement on the radio and I’m not even superstitious.

Okay, so the rubber game of the three game series is tonight and Jered Weaver takes the mound. I hope Weaver sends Vlady a friendly little message in the way of an inside heater the first time he faces him. Vlady is looking a little too comfortable up at the plate.

This is a big game (I don’t care what Scioscia might say) and I want the Angels to remind Texas whose the boss (And I’m not talking about Tony Danza either) tonight.

Now, let’s do this!

Two steps forward, one step back (or is it the other way around?)

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; 2002 really changed everything. By winning a World Series, the Angels effectively raised the level of my expectations forever. Barring a change in ownership and/or the manager - my expectation (at the minimum) is for a Western Division title every year. In my mind, losing is no longer acceptable and certainly not expected.

In the years following 2002 (other than the hangover year of 2003) the Angels did things that grew my optimism to the point of supreme confidence. Five division championships in six years will do that. You could say that I have been drinking the Angels kool-aid for quite a while now and I know my bias is severe. In fact, I don’t even bother trying to hide it. Even in 2006 (when the Angels failed to make the play-offs) I believed with all my heart that the Angels would find a way to win the west. That’s simply my expectation every year now.

So, where am I going with all of this?

This season has been hard to watch. My confidence is fading and my optimism is being tested. I tried to dismiss the early season struggles and kept repeating the “it’s early” mantra over and over again. I saw a glimmer of hope when the Angels swept the hated A’s this past weekend.

I began to believe the Angels had turned the corner and I could get back to enjoying the winning ways of Angels baseball. Then the Texas Rangers happened and it hit me… I’m no longer confident when I watch this team. Instead, I’m just anxious.

I’m anxious when I watch Brandon Wood come to bat. I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach when balls are hit to the corner outfield positions. I find myself wanting to close my eyes quite a bit. When they get down early, I feel pessimistic and become frustrated in the thought that it’s going to be another long game.

I’m not used to this and it’s just not fun.

Let’s face it; this team is not playing “Angels baseball.” They’re not nearly as aggressive on the bases as we’re accustomed to seeing them be. They’re not stealing bases and they’re not doing the things that put pressure on defenses. To compound matters their defense has been suspect (24th in the major leagues with a .981 fielding percentage) and their pitching has been inconsistent (25th in the major leagues with a 4.72 ERA). They’re not manufacturing runs and seem to make mental errors on a regular basis.

I keep expecting things to change, but every time they take one step forward, they follow up by taking two steps back. I don’t know what it will take to turn things around. Is it a change in mindset or personnel? All know is this team has flaws and those imperfections are being exposed on a regular basis.

The corner outfield positions are slow and un-athletic. In fact the overall team speed is lacking. Kendry Morales, Hideki Matsui, Juan Rivera, Mike Napoli and even Bobby Abreu are slow and none of them are very athletic. Even though Erick Aybar is fast, he’s not getting on base enough and even when he does; he’s not being the catalyst the team needs at the top of their lineup. He’s only stolen five bases in nine attempts. This is what I expected.

Prior to the season and throughout the off season, I raised some concerns about Aybar’s base running and the signing of Hideki Matsui. I proclaimed early on that the team had gotten older and slower and had lost their ace (John Lackey). Despite all of that, I tried to remain hopeful and even projected that an ace would emerge in either Jered Weaver or Scott Kazmir. Weaver (while not perfect) has stepped up to fill that role in my opinion thus far and despite yesterday’s set back is as good as there is in the AL.

The bench is weak and made even weaker by Maicer Izturis’ stint on the DL. And what is it about Izturis that makes him find his way to the DL regularly? This team lacks depth. I mean, when you have to go to career minor leaguers like Michael Ryan and Kevin Frandsen, you know you’re in trouble.

Freddy Sandoval once appeared to be the heir apparent to Robb Quinlan, but he’s only hitting .210 in Salt Lake. Peter Bourjos could certainly do a better job defensively than either of our corner outfielders; however, his offense is not ready for prime time. He has .315 OBP and that simply isn’t good enough.

Why Terry Evans isn’t on the major league roster over Reggie Willits is beyond me; not that he could help this team right now any way.

And then there’s Brandon Wood. Needless to say, the fans are growing impatient with this experiment. One Angel blog – Monkey with a Halo is already calling for the Brandon Wood era to be over. And as much as I’d like to disagree with that sentiment, I can’t blame anyone for being done with Wood.

So what do we do? Can this team still win the west? Can it go beyond that?

For the most part, I believe the personnel are there. Granted the team has holes, but it also has the pieces that can make a real run at a fourth consecutive division title; however, how we get the Angels “into their game” as Mike Scioscia likes to put it is beyond me.

And it’s not like the Angels have the prospects to go out and make a deal either. Granted there are some guys at the lower levels like Mike Trout, but I don’t think the Angels can afford to trade their youth. Now I know as soon as I write that, there will be some faction of the fan base who will disagree. Let me just say that any good organization builds a core from within and trading away those kinds of pieces ultimately results in failure.

The Angels' success – and yes, they’ve been highly successful since 2002 is based on the principle that you build from within first. That not even remotely debatable in my mind.

This roster isn't likely to change much this year. Next year’s another story, but this one has to get it done with the players they have.

I know that games against Texas in May aren’t necessarily important games, but I need to see some signs of life or else I may just lose my mind. It’s not even just the back to back losses in Arlington either; it’s the manner in which this team has gone about their business all year long. It’s been ugly, frustrating to watch and painful to endure.

Happy days are here again (The week in review May 10-17)

Happy days are here again
The A’s were swept, the Angels win
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Now that’s what I’m talking about. The Angels played three outstanding games over the weekend - putting a nice beat down on the Oakland A’s.

It all started with an “atta boy” performance from Joe Saunders, who threw a complete game four hit, shut out. This is the Joe Saunders we’ve been waiting for. This is the Saundo we expected to see all season long. How big was this peformance? Saunders lowered his ERA from 6.19 to 4.96.

Saunders effort was special. He was facing Dallas Braden who was coming off a perfect game. It was reminiscent of last year’s complete game shut out against Cy Young award winner - Zach Greinke and the Kansas City Royals. Like last season, Saunders stepped up to out shine an opposing pitcher who was getting a great deal of publicity coming into the game.

Cheryl and I usually wear our Saunders shirts when he pitches, but we didn’t Friday night. It was our own little version of showing a little “tough love” to our favorite pitcher (not that he would know or care). In our minds, he hadn’t deserved that kind of support. Call it silly, call it whatever you want, but it was own our mild form of protest.

Those t-shirts are a big deal to us. In 2008 Saunders didn’t have his own shirt yet in the Angels Team Store. Even after making the all-star team the store didn’t carry one. Cheryl and I took our complaints to anyone who would listen and it wasn’t long after, that shirts with his name on the back started appearing. The fact that it had come to us not wearing those shirts meant something.

Maybe in some strange way it worked to make him pitch better (again, I know this is a reach). Maybe it was the group of kids Saunders had brought to the game; a group called Team Saundo. Whatever it was – it helped restore our faith in his abilities.

Happy days are here again
When Saunders throws the Angels win
So let’s wear our Saundo shirts again
Happy days are here again

Saturday night saw the Angel bats come alive in a 12-3 victory over the A’s. I have to tell you, seeing the Angels pound the A’s never gets old. It doesn’t necessarily happen often (the two teams are notorious for close ball games), but when it does – it’s a beautiful thing.

Ervin Santana pitched a strong six innings, giving up three runs (2 earned) while striking out six; however, the big star of the night was Kendry Morales and his two homeruns and five RBI. Even Brandon Wood got into the act with a hit and two RBI.

Funniest moment of the night came in the 7th inning. Jack Cust watched a catchable ball hit by Hideki Matsui sail over his head for a double; at which point I commented out loud that Cust might be the worst left fielder in baseball. Those words proved to prophetic as he three batters later he would watch a fly ball from Brandon Wood skip off his glove to score a run.

Cust looked at his glove in bewilderment. It’s always funny when players do that. Needless to say the fans let him have it pretty good and when he caught a routine fly ball hit by Michael Ryan the next inning, they were on him again. Cust was a good sport about it as he gave the fans a thumbs up and a tip of the cap.

Did I mention that the Angels won 12-3? I just loved the sound of that; 12-3 over the hated A’s.

Happy days are here again
Jack Cust cant’ field the Angels win
So razz the guy over and over again
Happy Days are here again

The third game of the series was a thing of beauty as Joel Pineiro looked magnificent in his complete game, 4-0 win. Pineiro only needed 98 pitches in the victory as he struck out five and only walked one batter.

Bobby Abreu went yard and the Angels had their sweep.

Don’t you love the sound of that? The Angles sweep. Even better, they swept the A’s. To top off a perfect weekend, John Lackey and the Red Sox lost. How perfect was that?

Happy days are here again
John Lackey lost, the Angels win
I’m so happy; I don’t know where to begin
Happy days are here again

Yes, I hate the A’s and sweeping them has been the biggest bright spot of the season to date. I could get used to this.

Mean while, this week’s True Grich award goes to Joel Pineiro who did not give up any earned runs over 15 1/3 innings in two games. I like this signing a lot.

In other news...

Between the games Cheryl and I managed to attend Tim Salmon's book signing at the Borders in Brea. Salmon's book is appropriately titled "Always an Angel" and we are looking forward to reading it.

There was a nice turn out to see "Mr. Angel."

When we finally made our way through the line to Tim - he looked up and saw my "Salmon Nation" shirt and said, "I've seen that shirt before." I reminded him that we sent him one; to which he said, "you're those people?" with a smile. He then told us that he as chest at home where he stores some special keepsakes and the Salmon Nation shirt is folded and put away there. Very cool.

The week in review May 3-9, 2010

The offense is not getting it done. Quite frankly, neither is the pitching, but more on that in a bit.

Batting averages for Angels with double digit at bats for the past seven days:

Kendry Morales - .222
Bobby Abreu - .192
Erick Aybar - .231
Howie Kendrick - .200
Torii Hunter - .136
Hideki Matsui - .136
Juan Rivera - .238
Mike Napoli - .316
Brandon Wood - .105

As a team the Angels hit a pathetic .216 for the week.

In looking at the season to date, the team is 26th (out of 30 teams) in OBP. Even though they’re 14th in homeruns with 30, they’re 23rd in runs scored and 21st in OPS at .706.

Their offensive woes are compounded by horrible pitching. The Angels rank 26th in the major leagues with a 5.09 ERA. They’ve given up an AL league high 41 homeruns. Every time I turn around a guy who hasn’t hit a homerun this season is getting his first one of the year against Angels pitching. Reggie Willits is starting to wish he could hit against this staff. I’m just saying.

Blah, blah, blah. Plain and simple – the Angels stink right now. The outfield appears old and slow; they’re not tearing it up on the base paths and the pitching; especially the bull pen has been suspect. Every time a reliever comes into the game they start issuing free passes to first base. It’s as if they’re offering some sort of time share presentation at first base and all you have to do is step into the batter’s box and you’re on. It’s maddening.

So this week’s True Grich Award goes to Jered Weaver, who was the lone bright spot in a week of underwhelming performances. That being said, there was nothing underwhelming about Weaver’s one start. Weaver shut out the Mariners for 7 1/3 innings while striking out 7.

Weaver is currently tied with Ricky Romero of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL lead in strike outs with 47. He has a fantastic 2.66 ERA over 7 games. I know it’s early, but we should be talking Weaver up as the potential AL starter for this year's All-Star game.

Who’s with me?

The Week in review April 12-18 plus one

I have to admit that I didn’t watch a lot of Angels' baseball this past week. Those two 10 a.m. starts in New York conflicted with this thing called a job. Never-the-less, it was nice to know the team managed to go 4-2 on their first road trip of the year.

I’m very encouraged by the performances from the pitching staff and I’m especially pleased that Joe Saunders took a step forward in dismantling some of the projections that have been published about the kind of season some are expecting from him.

The one thing I really can’t understand is the continued “hating” by some fans on Brandon Wood. It’s as if some people really want him to fail. It makes absolutely no sense to me what-so-ever. And if you’re one of those fans who have gone so far as to boo Wood, shame on you.

Brandon Wood succeeding would be a good thing. Having a rock solid third baseman for the next several years would really be a shot in the arm for the organization. In any case, whatever is going to happen is going to happen on the Angels’ terms and not ours (as in us fans).

Face it; there were a great many fans who wanted to see Maicer Izturis start over Erick Aybar (I may have been among them – but my memory is a little foggy, don’t you know) and many continue to pine for a Mike Napoli over Jeff Mathis (again, I know a certain blogger who might have been on this wagon as well). In both cases, Mike Scioscia is showing us all (once again) that he knows best.

So here’s the thing; I trust Scioscia and I take it seriously when he said the following (as reported by the OC Register’s Dan Woike) “He will get an opportunity because we really feel good about his defense,” Scioscia said. “We have some options if we have to take some pressure off him. There is no finite amount of at-bats where we will make a decision and say, ‘This is it.’ Brandon is going to get an opportunity to contribute because we think his bat will play really well in the big leagues. We’ll see moving forward.”

I mean does anyone really see Maicer Izturis as the long term solution at 3B? I like Izturis as much as the next guy, but Wood’s upside is too high for him not to get a legitimate shot. Be patient folks. If you really want something right now and you can’t wait – go to Starbucks for coffee (better yet – support a Long Beach company like It’s a Grind); otherwise, enjoy the ride with Brandon Wood. It could be a lot of fun. And if you play your cards right – you could have bragging rights down the road and be among those of us who believed in Wood. Seriously, there’s plenty of room in the spotlight for this one.

Okay, so last week I gave the True Grich Award to Hideki Matsui. This week that distinction (because there’s no actual trophy) goes to Joe Saunders who edges out both Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana. Saunders went eight strong innings against the Blue Jays without giving up a run, allowing five hits, walking one and striking out 2. It was vintage Saunders. I expect more of this from him all season long.

Even though Monday was part of this week and not last – I have to comment on it just the same; after all, the Angels only played six games last week and not seven like opening week.

How awesome was it that John Lackey tanked on Patriot’s Day in Boston? This was good news on so many levels. First of all, the Tampa Bay Rays swept the Red Sox in four games in Boston for the first time in their club’s history. Secondly, Lackey gave up eight earned runs in just 3.1 innings and saw his ERA blossom to 5.63. All the while, Joel Pineiro combined with Kevin Jepsen and Fernando Rodney to shut out the Detroit Tigers.

The only thing that would have made it a better day is if Johnny Damon had gone hitless. He even threw out a base runner much to the shock of this blogger. Go figure.

I look forward to more days like this.

The week in review April 5-11, 2010

In a word the week was disappointing. Make those two words as in “extremely disappointing.” A 2-5 start is not what I had envisioned for the Angels. This team has too much talent to be this bad. I don’t care if it’s the first week of the season; matching last year’s longest losing streak of four games is totally unacceptable.

Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Angels as they head off to play the Yankees and Blue Jays on a six game road trip. The Yankees are well… the Yankees and the Angels have historically not played well in Toronto over the years (let’s hope my saying that changes their luck).

In any case as I look back on the week, the highlights were dominated by Hideki Matsui, who clearly hasn’t missed a beat since his MVP performance in last year’s World Series. I look forward to watching him all season long and believe he will be a tremendous asset in the post season as well. And yes, the Angels will be in the post-season despite this week’s lack luster effort.

It was also good to see our fellow 514 Fanatics and welcome some new additions to our section; including Bobby and Ashley’s daughter KayLynn and new comers Erik, Michelle, Elisa, and McKala. KayLynn attended her first ever Angel game on Saturday; which the Angels won 4-3. Perhaps we’ve found a new good luck charm.

The stadium looked prepped for the 2010 All-star game with new decorations and had a very festive feel.

We checked out two new concession stands this week – Chix the new eatery that features “freshly prepared chicken” and Major League dogs featuring “famously topped hot dogs from around the league.” Chix didn’t cut it for either Cheryl or me. The service was slow and pretty bad (they kept giving our order to people who ordered after us) and the sandwich wasn’t anything to write home about.

The hot dogs from Major League Dogs were a winner. I tried the Chicago Dog and Kansas City BBQ dog and both were delicious. The KC BBQ dog is a great deal, not only do you get a hot dog, but it includes barbequed beef brisket on top of the dog! Very delicious too.

Overall, the concessions didn’t get the best of reviews as I heard complaints of waits of up to 30 minutes and even one stand running out of hot dogs on Opening Night. One 514 Fanatic (Jeffrey) also noticed that the Angels were selling “blue” cotton candy and wondered aloud at that color choice. I guess when your team is getting beaten, everything looks bad.

As for the baseball… well, as I said earlier – it was extremely disappointing.

The low lights were Howie Kendrick’s two errors, the Angels only throwing out one runner in five attempts, Brandon Wood’s seven strike outs, Joe Saunders giving up four homeruns in two games and the overall poor performance of the bullpen with the exception of Brian Fuentes and Kevin Jepsen. The staff gave up eleven homeruns in seven games and walked far too many batters (26). They also hit two batters. That’s 28 free passes in seven games. Ugh.

The team didn’t do a good job of manufacturing runs this week and only managed to steal one base while being caught twice (once by Erick Aybar, of course).

The highlights aside from Matsui’s offensive display was the solid pitching of Jered Weaver, Erick Aybar’s .385 OBP for the week, Torii Hunter’s .994 OPS and Howie Kendrick’s solid week at the plate.

The True Grich Award – which will be used in this blog to recognize the most outstanding Angel of the week, goes to none other than Hideki Matsui. Matsui lead the team with 5 RBI, and a team high 1.080 OPS.

Other memorable moments included Jered Weaver receiving the Nick Adenhart Award which will be awarded annually to the Angels most outstanding pitcher, Mike Scioscia receiving his Manger of the Year award and Torii Hunter being presented with the Silver Slugger Award. It seems like most of the highlights came off the field, unfortunately.

Bobby Cassevah made his major league debut and pitched well in his first appearance. The 25 year old was a Rule V pick of the A’s this past December and was returned to the Angels in the spring. He was called up this week to replace Robb Quinlan, who was sent to AAA. This could be the end of the line for the 33 year old veteran.

Not the best opening week, but at least there is still plenty of upside for this team and this season.

I could get used to this

Hideki Matsui is bigger than Sony and Toyota right now; at least in Anaheim; where he is winning over the Angels’ fan base one at bat at a time. What a monster of a week for the man affectionately nicknamed Godzilla.

This is big time fun. Matsui has brought a buzz to Southern California. There’s a new energy in the stadium when he comes to the plate. There’s a confidence in him that’s growing amongst the fans and he’s the one guy you want to be in your seat and watching when he comes to the plate to hit. He’s been better than one could have imagined and we’ve only seen him in just six games.

If this any indication of the kind of impact he’s going to have. We had better hang on because this is going to be one heck of a ride. If he keeps this up, they’ll rename the 55 Freeway, The Matsui Express.

Vladimir Guerrero may have been Superman, but Hideki Matsui is fast becoming a super hero in his own right. I can’t help but reflect on the differences between the two sluggers. Vlad is a free swinger and Matsui is the polar opposite; a patient hitter. In his final couple of seasons in Anaheim, Vlad’s production in clutch situations seemed to diminish greatly, as we saw a shell of the player that won the 2004 American League MVP award. Matsui may not make fans forget about Vlad, but he’s certainly eased the pain of those were upset when the Angels let Vlad walk.

I’ve heard the term “professional hitter” attached to players like Matt Stairs over the years, but if ever there was a true professional hitter; Matsui defines the roll perfectly. I love the fact that he absolutely kills lefties. His three biggest hits; the two homeruns and last night’s walk off single have all come against left-handers. Oakland may be regretting the fact that they intentionally walked Torii Hunter to get to Matsui.

I know one thing; the Angels certainly don’t regret signing him and the same goes for Angel fans; myself included. If you haven’t been out to the stadium to experience Matsuiland yet, you need to get there soon.

There goes the perfect season

This just in. The Angels are not going to go undefeated this year and if that catches you by surprise, you’re not alone. I was quite certain this team wouldn’t lose a game all year long. I mean, how could they? With that lineup, rotation and bull pen? Come on. It just didn’t seem possible.

And to think that Joe Saunders could actually lose a game in April (something he’d only done once before) seemed out of the question. How did this happen? I want some answers and I want them now!

Look, I’m just kidding about the 162-0 deal. I actually think the Angels will only win about 150 games (give or take). I also thought that Jered Weaver would either throw a perfect game or just a no-hitter in the opener and that Brandon Wood would either hit for the cycle or smash four homers.

Before you try to strap me into a straight jacket; read on….

My point is that this is the month for supreme optimism. Then again, there are fans out there who take the opposite track and are ready to dismiss the season after one at bat or one play, let alone a game or two. Our opinions are likely to have wide swings both ways.

It’s like the 2008 season when Jon Garland pitched for the Angels and made his debut in Minnesota. He won that game going eight strong innings, while only giving up six hits and one run for a 9-1 victory. Some fans were ready to ink him to a five year deal right then and there.

The next game he gets hammered for seven runs in a 10-4 loss to Texas. Those same fans were ready to DFA (designate him for assignment) him. We’re a fickle bunch, aren’t we?

So, here’s the thing about last night. I believed the Angels would come back. I really did. I thought Hideki Matsui would tie the game in the bottom of the 7th win a big fly after Torii Hunter had doubled. I thought the Angels would find a way to win. After all, Terry Smith (Angel’s radio broadcaster) kept telling us how badly Nick Blackburn has pitched against the Angels in his career. I know, I know – that was the kiss of death.

Speaking of which… why does that always happen? You know when a broadcaster makes one of those absolute statements that end up jinxing a player? Take opening night for example; I kept hearing over and over again how Bobby Abreu had at least one base hit in every opening day of his career. As soon as I heard it, I knew he’d go hitless and he did. When I kept hearing about Blackburn’s history against the Angels, I got that bad feeling again and just like clock work, Blackburn delivered a win for the Twins.

Now, I’m not a superstitious guy at all. I find them pretty silly and yet, time after time – someone makes a statement about how good or bad someone is and the next thing you know, that which is never supposed to happen, happens or that which is always supposed to happen doesn’t. It makes me crazy (which could explain my 162-0 prediction).

You would think by now that people would just stop pointing out these things. It’s like everyone assumed the Angels would lose to the Red Sox in last year’s ALDS because that’s what always happens. And then on the flip side, most Angel fans assumed the Angels would beat the Yankees in the ALCS because again, this is what always happens.

The world doesn’t work that way and quite frankly, that’s a good thing. Stuff happens and that’s why we play the games. Thankfully, the Angels have at least 160 more.

Here’s a blogging heads up for the regular readers. My goal is to post as often as I can during the week; this will often mean the day after; however, one of my goals is to also do a recap of the week on Sundays. That’s when I’m more likely to include any videos and photos from the week. It won’t be rehashing stuff I’ve already written; instead, I’ll be adding fresh content that will hopefully keep you coming back.

As always, thanks for reading.

Opening Night Review

The 2010 Angels opened to a sell out crowd last night and the reviews are in. Granted, you’re basically only going to see my review on this blog because well, that’s just the way I roll. I’m just saying.

Hideki Matsui was easily the star of the night with two hits (including a homerun) and two runs driven in. His arrival in Anaheim seems to be a big hit; as fans in the right field pavilion greeted him with a sign reading “MatsuiLand.” Very cool. It was reminiscent of the Wally World gang that established their beach head back in the Wally Joyner days. I don’t know about you, but I love stuff like this. Kudos to the fans in the right field pavilion!

I guess it’s time for me eat some crow. During the off season, I posted an entry voicing my concern over the Angels’ interest in Matsui. One game into the season, and I’m already prepared to say I was wrong. Not only is Matsui fast becoming not only an offensive force, but a fan-favorite as well.

I love the Matsui dynamic in the clean up spot. For the last six years, we’ve basically had the free swinging Vlad Guerrero in that role and although Vlad was tremendous as an Angel; having an OBP machine like Matsui in there makes me feel very confident.

It appears Matsui’s impact is far reaching. Even as we were leaving the stadium last night, there were two camera crews from Japan interviewing fans about the game. It’s the kind of stuff that creates a buzz in the stadium and I like it.

Jered Weaver didn’t exactly rock the house, but our “rock star” definitely got the job done. The bull pen was solid; although I have some concerns about Fernando Rodney’s velocity which topped out at just 89 mph. Here’s a guy who reportedly can hit 100 mph on the gun throwing significantly below that.

Side note: When asked about Rodney’s velocity on the post game show, Jeff Biggs replied to one caller with “his velocity is fine.” I’m hoping Biggsy provides better responses than that moving forward. It looks like the post-game show might go through some growing pains initially as they iron out some of the logistics. I’ll excuse the fact that he’s in a studio and not in a locker room, but this show needs to have better access to the players and manager after the game.

Onward…

Erick Aybar looked like a force to be reckoned with. I loved his debut as the every day lead off hitter. He had two hits, a walk and two runs scored. If he keeps that up, Figgins will become a distant memory.

I know, I know, I walked right into a Brandon Wood discussion with that last statement and while it’s true that Wood struck out three times last night, I’m simply not concerned. If anything, I’m anxious because I want him to shut the doubters up once and for all. He will. Trust me.

I’m thinking that Kendry Morales just put the American League on notice last night with his first homerun of the season. This one came from the right side of the plate and if this is a sign of things to come, the AL West and the rest of the league are going to have their hands full. It’s early, but Morales has the potential to be the most dynamic hitter in the history of the Angels.

There, I said it. What’s more; I believe it too.

Now, what was up with the crowd last night? It was pretty quiet until about the 7th inning. I heard a caller on Roger Lodge’s show this morning saying last night had a play-off-like atmosphere. Huh? I don’t think so. It was as if the fans were waiting for something to happen.

Looks like Josh and Jake (514 Fanatics) will have to get the crowd going tonight.

Joe Saunders takes the hill; so you know Cheryl and I love that.

One door closes and another opens

Opening day is tomorrow and it’s time to look forward; however, before we step into a new season, I thought it would be appropriate to kick the door shut on the spring.

The big questions of the spring have basically been answered. Brandon Wood is going to be the starting third basemen (filling the big shoes of Chone Figgins) and Bobby Wilson and Terry Evans; two players who are out of options (they can’t be sent to the minors without clearing waivers) have made the 25 man roster along with veteran Robb Quinlan.

Scott Kazmir will start the year on the Disabled List (DL); however, he’s scheduled to just miss one start. Matt Palmer will start in his place on Friday, April 9 against the hated A’s, with Kazmir rejoining the rotation for the series in New York against the Yankees the following week.

The Angels’ bull pen may be the best in baseball with Brian Fuentes, Scot Shields, Kevin Jepsen, Fernando Rodney, Jason Bulger, and Brian Stokes. That’s a group that should be able to step on the neck of opponents and crush any attempts at overcoming any leads the team has during the year.

I really don’t see any Cinderella stories emerging in the AL West this year. The glass slipper isn’t going to be there for Texas and certainly not for Seattle or Oakland in my opinion. The Angels look like champions of the west again and if the shoe fits… well, you get the picture.

They’ll be lacing them up tomorrow night with Jered Weaver making his first ever opening day start. The rest of the rotation will have Joe Saunders going on Tuesday with Ervin Santana on Wednesday, Joel Pineiro on Thursday and Palmer on Friday.

We are going to see an entirely home grown infield with Kendry Morales, Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Wood. Add Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli to that group and again, you have a core that was drafted or signed by the Angels and then developed through the Angels’ minor league system. In fact 13 of players on the 25 man roster came up through the Angels organization. These foot soldiers are ready for the challenge ahead.

Rounding out the 25 man roster are Maicer Izturis, Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera and Hideki Matsui. Reggie Willits will start the year on the DL.

Last, but not least Mike Scioscia the 2009 AL Manager of the year will be back to make sure everyone toes the line.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to kick it up a notch. It’s time to step on some toes (if necessary), make tracks in the sand and get this shoe err, show on the road. I’m ready for some Angels baseball; either that or a shoe commercial. Quick start the season before I use the line "There’s no business like shoe…" oops… too late.

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.

More musings from Tempe

Going to Tempe over the weekend was just what I needed. Now that opening day is less than a week away, I don’t think I’ll go crazy. Plus there is an exhibition game Thursday night against the Padres and then the Dodgers on Friday night. Yeah, I think I can make it.

As always, spring training was a blast. It’s hard to remember all the stories, but having this blog actually helps. Between Cheryl and me, we can usually remember everything that happened.

One of the funny moments of the trip happened on Saturday. Cheryl and I were standing right behind Torii Hunter (you had to know he was involved, right?) as he was playing catch. A high throw from Reggie Willits had us flinching a bit, but Hunter caught the ball easily. He turned around and said, “I got your back.” Cheryl responded with, “I got your back too!” Hunter turned around, smiled and said, “You literally have my back!”

That’s the kind of moment that makes spring training special. These little interactions with the players are simply good fun. I suppose it’s kind of funny that we flinched when the ball was sailing over Hunter’s head though. I mean, I think Hunter has won a gold glove or nine! It’s not like we were standing behind Manny Ramirez. I’m just saying.

It was also nice of Joe Saunders to spot us, recognize us and say hello. Funny story about Joe; after his game on Saturday we saw him the next day as he was making his way back from the practice fields. He stopped for pictures and autographs and as he was signing for fans, one fan asked him what he threw to Bengie Molina (who hit a bases clearing double off him)? Joe’s response? “A bad pitch.”

Again, these are the kind of priceless moments fans share with the players.

I haven’t said much about the game on Sunday because quite frankly, it was forgettable. Luckily it’s just a spring training game. That being said, I did have one observation to make from the actual games.

Erick Aybar is not going to be much of a base stealing threat. I’ve said this before, but he scares me when he tries to steal a base. So far this spring he’s stolen one base and been caught or picked off three times. I’ve seen two of the three in the two games I watched. This is not good.

Now, I’m not worried about him getting on base and running the bases after the ball is put in play (he scored from first on a single in one game); I’m just worried about what happens when he has it in his head that he’s going to steal a base.

How does a guy with that much speed get caught so often? I know, I know for a couple years now he’s kind of been everyone’s whipping boy and that all seemed to fade after his solid 2009 performance, but I still have some concerns. I suppose if this is the least of my worries, I don’t have much to be worried about.

Then again, every time an inning ends with Aybar making an out on the base paths; message boards all over the internet will go off. Count on it.

I'll close with a few photos from the weekend. In order... Torii Hunter hanging out at the batting cage, Hideki Matsui admiring one of his long balls, Brandon Wood looking as if he's ready for lift off (check out his feet), and Ervin Santana is ready to kick off the season (he looked good by the way).



And a few more; including my favorite picture of the weekend (courtesy of Cheryl's photo skills); Howie Kendrick getting it done. Also the Indians' Carlos Carrasco, Shin-Soo Choo (who just doubled in this photo) and Juan Rivera unloading a throw from left field.

Tis the season.... baseball season

Yesterday was “officially” the first day of spring. Personally, I think of the first day of spring as being the day pitchers and catchers report, but that’s just me.

The way I see it; there’s only one season and that’s baseball season. The rest of the time is merely the days between the end of the baseball schedule and the beginning of a new one.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating just a little.

I can’t wait for the season to begin and for the 162 game schedule to be under way. The anticipation of a new season is always exciting. I know there will be many unexpected things taking place just about every day. Hopefully, the “surprises” will be things we enjoy and want to happen.

You know it’s funny; we wait all winter for the season to begin and before it even gets under way, we start thinking about the fall and another play-off run. Sometimes we look so far ahead we forget to experience the season at hand.

I try not to do that. I love the way a season unfolds and I try to savor every game. By the end of the season so much of it will be a blur, but some key moments will also stand out I’m sure. I’m thinking of Jered Weaver’s first no-hitter (probably against the A’s) or Brandon Wood’s forty homerun season. Hey, it’s spring and this is the time to dream big.

Baseball is so very unpredictable (a good thing) and yet we fans can be very predictable (a funny thing) at times.

One of the things we know will happen is that the Angels will be aggressive on the base paths. There isn’t a team in baseball that’s better at going first to third on singles to the outfield. The Angels will run and they will run often.

Also predictable is how Angel fans will react to that aggressive style. It’s kind of a love/hate thing. We’ll love seeing them take the extra base but we’ll also moan when they get thrown out trying to be aggressive. When they’re successful, we’ll say “that’s Angel’s baseball.” When they’re not, we’ll exclaim “what was he thinking?”

We become walking, talking contradictions.

We also love to see the Angels put the ball in play and force the action, but we’ve also come to appreciate seeing them take a few pitches too. Last year the team took a giant step forward with their patience at the plate. We celebrated their higher on base percentage. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Not Bobby Abreu that’s for sure.

That being said, if they’re taking pitches, they better not strike out. If they strike out looking, we’ll scream “take the bat off your shoulder.”

We basically expect perfection from a sport that’s designed to make people fail time after time.

We can count on a great deal of the “what in the heck is he… oh my – nice play!” scenarios to play out over and over again. We’ll turn second guessing Mike Scioscia into an art form. We will bemoan the bad plays way more than we’ll celebrate the good ones.

I have no idea why that is; it’s just what fans do, I guess.

It’s all going to be a part of yet another amazing season. And when you think about it, this year is set up to be exactly that – amazing.

How can it not be? We have the all-star game! We have the two-time Manager of the Year and a new cast of characters to cheer for in Brandon Wood, Hideki Matsui, Joel Pineiro, Fernando Rodney, Brian Stokes, and a full season of Scott Kazmir. We have the return of Scotty Waddy Do-Da (forgive me, that’s Cheryl and my nickname for Scot Shields).

It’s all going to be good.

There are some big games on the schedule this year. Some much bigger than most. The one everyone is waiting for is John Lackey’s return to Anaheim. I know that will be an electric night. It will be charged with emotion. It will be hyped and it will be hyped some more. Heck, I’ll be hyping it right here.

I can’t think of a game Angel fans want to win more than that one at this point in time. Of course, there’s a chance Lackey won’t end up pitching against the Angels in Anaheim, but let’s hope he does. You know he wants that game as much as we do.

We’ll also see Chone Figgins, Darren Oliver and Vladimir Guerrero in “strange” uniforms multiple times. They too will be emotional games, but they won’t have the same kind of tension and/or energy that playing Boston does. Figgy, Oliver and Vlady will undoubtedly receive huge ovations and deservedly so.

Inter-league play will see the Angels travelling to play two historic baseball organizations in the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

There’s so much to look forward to, but the thing I am looking forward to the most is the pennant race itself. I think it’s absolutely awesome that the Rangers and Mariners have upgraded their teams. I’m excited that the competition is rising to the challenge.

As for the A’s… well, let’s just say they’ll find ways to annoy me one way or another, I’m sure.

Everyone in the AL West has something to prove, but the Angels have something even more special in my opinion and that’s a division title to defend. I’d much rather have a team that has something to defend rather than something to prove. If you’re out to prove something, it usually means you’ve fallen short in the past. If you’re out to defend something, it’s because you’ve accomplished a thing or two or should I say three years running and five out of six years?

Ah yes, the season is getting close and I feel my swagger coming back.

More than anything I want the Angels to make their news on the field and not off of it (hello Dodgers). I want to the focus to be between the lines and for this season to be about accomplishments, realized potential and FUN.

That’s right; fun. Baseball is fun. We should all take the time to enjoy each and every game and embrace every pitch.

Fourteen days until opening day.