Two series, two sweeps - Time to retool - and an Adios from yours truly

Below is what I began typing up as the game was going on. As I type this, the Angels trail 5-3 7-3 in the ninth with the 5, 6, an 7 hitters coming up. JC Romero can't get anyone out, and Chris Bootcheck is coming in throwing gasoline on the fire, and the Angels will soon lose their fifth straight game and drop into a tie for last with Seattle.

Look, I hate people like me. I hate people that predict doom and gloom all season long. There are plenty of people on the Kings message board that do that, and I hate them too. But you know what, they were right. Regardless, half of the energy I spent rooting for the Kings was really spent just wanting to prove those guys wrong. And here I am, turning into one of them.

This is why I'm quitting this blog indefinitely, or at least the Angels related portion of it, which these days, is pretty much all of it. My Angels blogging days are over. I don't know when or if I'll start up again. I've kept it up for over a year now, but I refuse to dwell on what is really a depressing situation. This team is awful, and if I continue to write about them, I'll continue to get depressed, and I'm going to turn some of you from people who root for the Angels to people who root for people like me to be wrong. Rather than continue down that road, I'm ending this for now. Call me a bandwaggoner if you'd like. I'll still be watching every game. I probably won't shell out to go the Cell next week, but that has more to do with the larger crowds and Illinois State Mid-Am Championship than the quality, or lack thereof, of this team.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I'll see you when I see you.
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Well, this one was pretty uneventful until Jason Kendall decided to act like an ass.

I think it's time to just about close the book on 2006. Trade Kennedy and Cabrera. Call up Morales, Weaver, and Wood. Shut down Bart for the year, and let's get this train ready for 2007. This team can't compete over a full season. They simply can't hit, and there's too much pressure on the pitchers to be perfect. As I type this, the A's are ready to remove any doubt from a game that essentially ended before it began. It's really sad when you can put runners on first and third for your 3, 4, and 5 hitters, and you can't even move the back runner up a base. And they aren't facing Nolan Ryan, folks. They're facing the A's sixth starter.

A's 2; Angels 1

And the long slide into mediocrity out of mediocrity and into downright suckitude continues. And with the schedule for the next week, it doesn't appear that thing will get any better. Look, the horse is dead, so he's not going to mind the beating, but this offense is just absolutely awful. Yeah, I know that Anderson and Salmon hit a couple of balls pretty hard. Big deal. A loud out is still an out. As I said over the Rev's site, it's gotta be a great feeling rooting for the Angels' opponent, knowing that as soon as you get a lead, the game is essentially over. They have one guy that can get them back into ballgames, and he's hitting just as poorly as everyone else right now.

Lost in the shuffle was a fine beformance by Pipo, who held the A's to one run through six strong innings. But you could tell watching this game that one run was going to be enough. They. Can't. Score. Runs.

In about a week I'm going to be ready to call up Weaver, Wood, and Morales, trade Kennedy, cut Alfonso, and just throw 2006 to the history books. Just tell the kids that no matter how bad it gets, they're going to play, because this is becoming a lost season. In about a week, after they lose another 1-0 or 2-1 game to the A's and their Cy Young candidate Brad Halsey tomorrow, after they've dropped two Detroit, three of four to Toronto, and after they get swept in Chicago, they'll be officially done. Give Bart the rest of the year to recover, give the kids a ton of at bats, and let's get 'em in 2007.

Congratulations to Kendrick on his first major league hit. He was tied for the most productive hitter on the team tonight. Although looking at this lineup, it's nothing to brag about.

Lost Weekend - Sox 6; Angels 5

Another game against the Sox, another loss, and is increasingly becoming the case, another loss helped along by completely icompetent umpiring.

Ervin Santana was not very good today. He had a crazy preoccupation with base runners, which really caused him to lose his effectiveness. He alllowed five runs in seven innings, and though he only walked one, it seemed like he was in trouble quite a bit (he also hit Joe Crede's bat, which apparently gets you a trip to first base these days). Despite his struggles, the Angels had chances to win. Santana gave back a 2-0 first inning lead, then blew a 5-3 lead in the sixth with help second base dipshit umpire Greg Gibson. Rob Machowiak singled (yes, singled) to left center field. Upon sliding into second, he overslid the bag, where he was tagged by Adam Kennedy on two separate parts of his anatomy. But in Greg Gibson's world, you're apparently allowed to overslide second much like you're allowed to overrun first. Machowiak was allowed to stay at second, and later scored the tying run. It stayed that way, thanks in part to a baserunning miscue by Tim Salmon in the bottom of the sixth, until a single by Chris Widger, a stolen base by Pablo Ozuna, a sac bunt by Scott Podsednik, and a wild pitch by Shields did the damage and allowed the winning run to score.

Right now, like most of last season, the Angels aren't very good. They can beat up on bad and middle of the road teams, but they're going to get killed by good teams, as they were this weekend. The offense is offensive, and the pitchers have essentially no margin for error. That's not recipe for success. The schedule doesn't get any easier with two versus Oakland before trips to Detroit, Toronto, and Chicago. I think a 4-7 over that stretch is actually setting the bar pretty high at this point. This season could get real ugly real quick.