Angels 6; Rangers 5; Lead 2.5

Quick one tonight since I have to get up to go to work tomorrow. This one was sort of unexpected. Once they got down, I expected them to lose, because they were due for one, and the Angels have a tendency to be shut down by pitchers who have no business shutting them down. But as much as we've ripped on Scioscia recently, he played most of the right cards in this one. He went back to Ztu, despite my prediction that he wouldn't, and it didn't end up hurting the team. He got the big hits from pinch hitters Quinlan and Molina (and a hit from Finley, but it wasn't big, since it didn't lead to any runs). He got burned a little by Donnelly, but Christiansen got the lefty, Shields looked terrific in the eighth, and Frankie was great in the ninth, save for a lousy call on what should have been strike three to the lead off hitter, Rod Barajas.

Lackey didn't look particularly sharp, scattering a number of baserunners, although he did have two perfect innings. The last two games have brought returns of the Lackey inning, which may survive the regular season, but could be big trouble in the post-season.

Three game lead in the loss column, and thanks to the Twins, the magic number is nine, same as the White Sox. A executive assistant at work brought in donuts this morning because she was in a good mood after the Sox win last night. I think we're all getting all expense paid trips if they win the World Series.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Mark Gardener at the Metro, 9/20/05

Mark Gardener led off the evening, but honestly I missed most of his set. I showed up for his final five songs. However, I was there for the good parts. For those unaware, Mark Gardener was one of the creative minds behind the influential shoegazer band Ride, of whom I'm a big fan. He played Vapour Trail, an indie classic, and In a Different Place near the end of his set. He's supposed to back in December with a full electric setup (tonight was just him and two other people, no percussion, all acoustic), so it will be interesting to see if he does more Ride stuff.

BRMC came out next, or rather, Peter Hayes came out next. A little background, BRMC's first two albums were fairly straightforward rockers. The self titled first album was critically a mixed bag. Hailed by some as a return to rock and roll, it was criticized somewhat for being a rip-off of any number of bands, including the aforementioned Ride, as well as early Verve (circa A Storm in Heaven), maybe some My Bloody Valentine, and most obviously, the Jesus and Mary Chain. Didn't bother me. I really like all of those bands, so I thought it was a pretty good listen, and it made for a good live set (I saw them for the first time in 2001 when they opened for the Charlatans at the Double Door, so that makes this the fourth time I've seen them). The second album, Take Them On, On Your Own, was more of the same, and got even worse reviews than the first, but again, made for some really great live tracks.

While writing the latest album, Howl, Robert Levon Been (formerly Robert Turner) and Peter Hayes had a falling out with drummer Nick Jago. The result was a number of songs with percussion as an afterthought. The album is slower and quieter, drawing more from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson than William and Jim Reid. Somewhere along the line, fences were mended, and Jago is back with the band, but there's not much for him to do on a number of songs. Critically, this was a step in the right direction, and honestly, it's growing on me, although initially I didn't care for it as much as the first two, start to finish.

So anyway, Peter Hayes came out solo and did the first couple songs by himself before being joined by Levon Been and Jago for the rest of the set. The set was panned by a few people on the way out. This is probably a weird situation for the band, as the first two albums are clearly more crowd friendly at a rock concert, but I'm sure the band wants to play a lot of the new stuff. Tonight, the band won. In this blog's tradition, the following is a setlist, which should be pretty complete, since the show just ended a few hours ago. The first few songs are in order, then it's a free for all:

• Devil's Waitin'
• Fault Line
• Restless Sinner
• Weight of the World
• Shuffle Your Feet
• Ain't No Easy Way
• Howl
• Still Suspicion Holds You Tight
• Love Burns
• Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll (Punk Song)
• White Palms
• As Sure as the Sun
• Spread Your Love
• U.S. Government (a weird version of this, with only the words remotely similar to the veriosn that appears on Take Them On....)
• Stop
• Sympathetic Noose (Very different than the version on the album as well, but the same basic melody, just louder)
• Promise
• Gospel Song
• The Line
• Open Invitation

I think that's it. They played pretty much all of the new album, except for Complicated Situation. Levon Been broke a bass string on one song, which I've never seen before, but it looked cool. Also, his voice clearly wasn't as strong as Hayes'. At first I thought it was the microphones, but you could tell when at one point, the two switched sides. Hayes was terrific all night on vocals, guitar, harmonica (I love it when bands bust out the harmonica live for some reason), and even trombone on Promise near the end.

Personally, the set didn't bother me. While I would have loved to hear more than the just the two songs they played from Take Them On..., and I would have been ecstatic if they'd played Awake, I pretty much figured they'd play a lot from the new album, so I wasn't shocked or disappointed when that's what we got. Definitely worth my $16. And since it was an early show, I was home in time to see the last few innings of the baseball game. Definitely a change for the better from their last show. Two years ago, the show was supposed to start at 10:00. Because an early show ran late, and the band still wanted their full sound check, the doors didn't open until 11:30, and the show didn't start until almost midnight. This meant BRMC opened, and the Stratford Four had to go on second, at about 1:30 am, by which time most of the crowd had cleared out. That's gotta suck.

Angels 2; Rangers 1; lead is 1.5

Steve Finley has finally found a buddy for the bench. The old man ought to clear a space for MaicEEEr Izturis, becuase I don't think MaicEEEr is going to be doing a whole lot of starting from here on in, and he may have just cost himself a spot on the post-season roster.

When MaicEEEr wasn't booting balls at third, Bart was working on his 20th win, the first 20 game winner for the Angels since Nolan Ryan in 1974, which means he's the first since I've been old enough to actually pick up a baseball, right around the time I started walking and talking. Congrats, Bart. Escobar pitched a solid 8th, working around a one out walk to the Junior Sarge. Frankie did his Frankie thing again, putting runners on, striking batters out, and generally giving everyone a heart attack. Rivera continued to make his case for being in the everyday lineup with a solo homer, which gave the Angels a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

And the White Sox finally won, which ought to allow their fans, who are gripping seriously hard, a chance to back away from the ledge a bit. Crede homered in the tenth right as I pulled into my parking space as I returned from what you may have just read about in the post above.

We do it again tomorrow night.

Brian Jonestown Massacre at the Metro (9/14/05)

This was the first time I've seen BJM. You might have seen the movie Dig, or you might have read my half assed review of it, or neither. If you've listened to late '60s Rolling Stones, you know what Brian Jonestown sounds like. Some background, the music is great, the lead singer, Anton Newcombe, is psycho. That's about it.

The show lasted over two hours, and they played 10 songs. Seriously, ten songs in over two hours. There were two reasons for this. Some songs were seemingly endless. For example, they closed with "Swallowtail" and it lasted probably close to a half hour. No joke. The songs that didn't take twenty minutes to play were usually followed by 15 to 20 minutes of ranting from Anton. This isn't really a surprise for anyone who has seen the movie. Anton comes off as someone who is pretty sure that he's the most brilliant fucking person on the planet, and I'm sure there are enough people surrounding him who feel similar that it just feeds his ego. Anyway, the rants are funny at first, but start getting old if you're my age and back starts to hurt after standing in roughly the same place for 3 hours. What's not clear, at least to me, is if Anton has always been this way, or if the band's newfound popularity since the opening the of the movie has convinced him that he needs to play to type. I never saw them before the movie, and it was filmed over seven or eight years, so you never know whether what shows up on film is the real deal, or if he's been edited to seem like even more of an asshole than he normally is. Also, keep in mind that the lineup that you see in the movie is completely different. BJM at this point is essentially Anton and whoever he can get to tour with him. No Matt Hollywood, no Joel Gion, no Miranda Lee Richards, no Peter Hayes, etc. Although, Peter Hayes will be in the same venue on Tuesday fronting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as they play tunes from their new album Howl, which I didn't like all that much at first, but is growing on me. I hope to be there.

The setlist, such as it was, stuck pretty closely to Tepid Peppermint Wonderland, which is the 38 song retrospective that was released shortly after the movie, and a good use of thirteen bucks (see, all of you iTunes freaks, buying actual CDs can still be a good value). The played one song off of Strung Out in Heaven, called Jennifer, that doesn't appear on TPW. The rest, from memory (and remember, it's like 5 days later now):

• When Jokers Attack
• Servo
• If Love is the Drug (this one lasted forever, too)
• Vaccuum boots (I think, but don't hold me to this one)
• Nailing Honey to the Bee
• Nevertheless
• Let Me Land Next To Your Flower
• Hide and Seek (again, they may or may not have played this one, but I think they did)

That's all I can remember/recognize, or think I can remember They did not play Who, Mary Please, or Anenome, which all would have totally rocked! Oh well.

The guys that opened for them, the High Dials, were actuallly really good for the two songs that I heard. I'll be checking out their album on Rhapsody.

Angels take two over the weekend

Didn't see much of last night's game for a couple of reasons. First, it wasn't on Extra Innings. Must have been on local TV in LA, and the Tigers weren't broadcasting. It was on MLBTV, but I didn't really want to sit in front of the computer all night, so I turned it on, turned the sound up, and laid down on the couch. There weren't too many reasons to get up and watch until the 8th inning, and by that time I was waking up from a long nap, so I was too tired to watch. I did listen, however, and watched Frankie shut down the ninth.

I have today's game recorded, and I'll skim through it later, but it was bright, sunny, and 80 degrees here, so I hit the links again, this time at Cinder Ridge. Kind of a rinky dink front nine, better back nine, but it could be in better shape. 41-36-77. Not bad for the first time I've seen it, and I started to put it together a bit on the back nine. Anyway, my dad gave me the play by play of the ninth inning on the drive home. The bullpen continues to be shaky, but Paul Byrd continues to show that the Angels are better off bringing him back next year over J-Dub.

Went to a local sports warehouse bar (seriously, the place is enormous) so that I could watch the Bruins beat up on a mediocre Oklahoma team. I'll take it. It's been a while since there's been a Bruins team that could beat up on any team, including the mediocre ones. Drew Olson looked terrific, and the defense created some turnover, and took advantage of some sloppy play. I could have ordered it on PPV, but I figured the money was better spent on beer and food, plus I could watch my dad's Spartans take on my friends' Irish at the same time. They play an awful Washington team next week before they face their first real test at home versus Cal, who beat up on the Illini this week (at least in the second half). We'll give the Illini a few years to blossom under Ron Zook.

Angels 7; Tigers 6

It was a little too late for a recap last night, and by now, you probably know what happened. I'm not sure I really have any more to add to what Matt has said. Besides, I've already said it a million times. Finley sucks hard, and Erstad has no business batting fifth. However, there were faint glimmers of hope last night, as Scioscia finally removed Finley in a pressure at bat with another left hander. Sure, Kotchman struck out on a pitch that was nowhere near the strike zone, but it was a step in the right direction.

The Angels reclaimed sole posession of first after an extra inning loss by the A's, so let's hope the same happens again today.

Bruins v. Sooners today in what's really a make or break game for Dorrell. Oklahoma is wounded and vulnerable, while the Bruins' offense is clicking. The stars are going to determine the outcome of this one. Olson, Drew and Marcedes Lewis against the Sooners defense, and on the other side, it will come down to Justin London and Spencer Havner against student of the year Adrian Peterson. I think the Bruins are going to win, but it will be struggle, as I think they still need to gain confidence. I'm not sure they believe they can play with an Oklahoma team, even one that's poor by Oklahoma standards. If it's tied at half time, or the Bruins lead, they win the game. If they trail at the half, it will go to Oklahoma.

The post where I give up

Seriously, is there any reason to watch these sacks of crap anymore?

Can hockey season start now, please?

Fuck 'em all

I've never seen a team score nine runs in a game where I could say "they really deserved to lose." If you score nine runs, you usually deserve to win. But not this team. This team is made up of probably the dumbest group of players I've ever seen, all led by their dunce-in-chief in the dugout. Fuck'em.

Mariners 2; Angels 1

Mike Scioscia deserves 100% of the blame for any game in which Steve Finley plays. That goes double for any game in which Erstad bats fifth. It's that simple. On top of that, he refused to pinch hit for Darin Erstad in an obvious pinch hit situation. The logical choice would have been to call up Quinlan in that situation. Erstad was unlucky, as he hit the ball hard, but right at Beltre. Doesn't matter. It was a predictable situation, as it's a lot tougher to control the bat against a lefty with a good curve ball.

For the second night in a row, the Angels face a guy who should be selling life insurance, and they make him into an award winner. This offense is absolutely putrid. Thank God for the schedule, or at least the A's drawing the tough teams part. The easy schedule for the Angels looks like it will prove to be anything but.

Under .500 since the all star break. This, folks, is not a good baseball team. Winning three straight over another incredibly overrated team over the weekend doesn't change that.

Assuming I come to my senses tomorrow, there probably won't be a game recap. It depends on how badly I want to go see the Brian Jonestown Massacre. The Angels just gave me one more reason to NOT stay home.

Mariners 4; Angels 1

It's only the sixth inning, but this one is over. Joel Piniero has an ERA over 6 against the rest of the league, but against the Angels, they make him look like the second coming of Cy Young. And I don't mean to imply that he turns it on against them. I mean exactly what I said. This offense absolutely sucks against Piniero. At one point he threw Darin Erstad five pitches out of the strike zone and struck him out. He's thrown 49 freaking pitches through five innings. They had an entire inning that lasted as long as Barry Bonds' first at bat. Seriously. He's faced 7 teams more than once. His lowest ERA against any of those teams besides the Angels is 3.77 against the A's. Everyone else that has faced him two or more times has killed him. But the Angels treat him like they're facing his fading promise, as opposed to his true ability.

Whatever strides this offense took over the weekend, they've politely stepped right back to where they were before heading to Chicago. It doesn't help that Scioscia wants to believe so badly that he continues to punt a lineup spot by playing Steve Finley, not to mention weakening the defense at the same time.

Santana has not been sharp lately, and tonight was no exception. I'll admit, I thought his solid July and August were going to be good enough to send Escobar to the pen, but I've changed my mind. He was behind to almost every hitter. He had no control over his fastball. He's keeping his poise, but he just isn't getting guys out, and with this offense, they can't afford to have a starter give up four or five runs a game. If they don't move Escobar back into the rotation, I think they're in huge trouble. If they just throw him out there and pray, they're going to lose the division. It doesn't help when their 'gold glove' second baseman can't make a simple throw to the plate on a double steal.

Let's put this one in the books as an overmatched pitcher against a tired offense, and let's be thankful that we don't have to face Piniero again. On the bright side, maybe Finley will be returned to the bench for good. It's nice to forget about this team's problems every once in a while, but they have a great way of reminding us just how flawed they are.

Angels 6; White Sox 1

Watched the good parts of this one on the DVR after I got home from another mediocre round of golf. Not much to say, really, other than it's really awesome to listen to Hawk call a game where the White Sox just get hammered.

It's gonna take more than two decent games to get me to stop hating Finley, but he had a couple more hits to today. Garret is starting to get a bit of a power stroke back, which is going to be very important down the stretch. Going down the list, of the guys who have been regulars all season, only three are showing the power at either the level of expectation or better. Vlad, Figgins, and Molina. But what's happened to this point is water under the bridge. What matters now is what happens down the stretch. And if they can play a little long ball for the next three weeks, they'll be tough to catch.

Lackey was excellent again, as he continues to grow into an ace. It may be that growth, even more than the emergence of Santana, that makes Washburn expendable after the season. They would have three front of the rotation starters, and really Wash would be number four in next year's rotation (maybe #5 if Santana improves over the off-season). What he will command on the market is a lot to pay for a fourth or fifth starter, but it's less a reflection on him, and more a indication of the strength of this pitching staff. I realize that those roles are strictly definitional, and nothing says you can't have five number one starters. But at this point, I'll take Byrd for another year over Wash at a big number for four or five more.

Three more up the coast before the team returns home. Honestly, they've already won one more game on this trip than I expected. Hopefully they'll get three more.

Angels 10; White Sox 5

Only caught bits and pieces of this one during commercials in the Notre Dame - Michigan game. I was with a bunch of Domers, so I didn't complain. They're everywhere in this town. The parts I saw, Bart looked shaky, which seems to jibe with throwing 111 pitches in six innings. But apparenty, he's healthy, which is incredibly important. The old man and the really old man both hit homers, which is pretty amazing. Considering this team could barely score in five straight games, scoring in five straight innings is something I never would have expected. Yan was apparently crappy, but hey, he got the job done last night when it counted. I don't care if he's crappy in games in which the Angels have big leads. Incidentally, that's the second time the Angels have put up 10 against the White Sox.

They've already won as many games as I expected them to on this trip, and they cling to their lead over the A's, so if they can win two more, I'd imagine they'd head home no worse than tied for the division lead.

Great game - Angels 6, White Sox 5 (12)

I gave up on this game at least six times. But we stayed through the final pitch, and in the end, I was the only guy in our section cheering. The Angels almost always lose when I go to Commiskey, but tonight they found a way to get it done.

Crazy first inning. I've never seen a guy face seven batters in one inning, give up four hits and two runs, all while using only 16 pitches. Some really nice glove work by Zach Sorensen to go along with a couple of knocks. The bullpen was heart-attack inducing (non Kelvim edition), but effective. Bobby Jenks got some measure of revenge. I wish the kid well, and ultimately that was kind of a perfect way for him to face the Angels. He was on top of his game, but it wasn't enough to win. I'm fine with that.

Vlad, well, I don't really know what to say about Vlad. We were all watching the ball in left center, expecting it to go out. When it hit the wall, we looked down and say Vlad walking to first, and I screamed, which is something I rarely do. He looked out at second from where we were sitting, but there wasn't much of an argument. He also looked out at home, but again no argument. However, more than out, he looked really, really, incredibly stupid. It's impossible to express how lucky the Angels were to get that result on that play. Quite frankly, after what happened earlier in the season, I can't believe he didn't get hurt.

Shout outs to Robb Quinlan who played a very fine third base, and cranked one to the opposite field. And I can't forget Juan Rivera, who really threw a beauty to the plate to nail Rowand. It didn't look like it was hit hard enough to get him, and Rowand is fast. But the throw, the catch, and the tag were perfect.

Terrific night at the ballpark.

Fafnir for head of FEMA!!

Imagine the number of people in New Orleans who would have been saved if only we'd had the right people in charge.

Angels 3; Red Sox 0

Well, it wasn't easy, although for 7 innings, Paul Byrd made it look pretty easy. He was fantastic until losing it a bit in the 8th, giving up a double and a rare walk. Shields came on, causing yours truly to cringe a bit. But Shields responded by striking out ManRam, Renteria, and nemesis David Ortiz, the last two with the bases loaded. Frankie was shaky in the ninth, but he found a way to throw the breaking ball for strikes at just the right time, striking out the side, although he loaded the bases in the process.

For the second straight night, Larry Young embarrassed himself, making his case for being the most pathetic excuse for an umpire in Major League Baseball. This time, he botched a completely routine tag up by Cabrera who moved from second to third on a foul fly out to right. Trot Nixon jumped into the stands, caught the ball, exchanged some high fives, ran up for a beer and a helmet sundae, made a few phone calls, and was in the process of hitting on some ZooMass co-eds in the fifth row when Cabrera decided to leave for third, which he reached easily. The Sox appealed to second, claiming that Cabrera left early, and inexplicably, Young agreed. Two ejections later, the Sox were out of the inning.

But that wasn't the strangest moment of the night. That came in the top of the seventh when Bengie Molina actually beat a throw to first base. Sure, it was only after Renteria went into the hole and made a great stop, then went to second to try to get the lead runner, but he legged it out all the same, and it became an RBI fielder's choice.

The good news is that Escobar was up and throwing in the 8th, which may be a sign that Bart will be ready to go on Saturday, a game which I may be at, but probably not. Sunday I may skip out to play golf, but I do have tickets for tomorrow night's game. Washburn goes against Buerhle, so the game should be over in about 37 minutes.

WOW!

I just walked in the door and saw the replay, but that is THE WORST CALL I HAVE EVER SEEN!! That was Don Denkinger in the 1985 World Series bad. I mean, it's not like Cabrera even gains an advantage from leaving early. He would have been safe by a mile anyway.

If Larry Young is anywhere near an Angels post-season game, I swear, I may bring a gun and shoot him. What a fucking dick of an umpire.

Missed it

Fell asleep in the second inning, and woke up about four hours later. Sorry. Looks like I didn't miss anything.

Having watched some of it on TiVo, the kid got screwed, and Scioscia did the right thing going to bat for him.

Red Sox 3; Angels 2

One of the reasons baseball is such a great game is because occasionally you end up with wildly unpredictable results. Santana shutting out the White Sox for instance, back when the White Sox offense was at least average. Ramon Ortiz outdueling Pedro Martinez in 2000. Little David Eckstein hitting walk off grand slams. Adam Kennedy hitting three home runs in one playoff game. Of course, the reason these moments are great is because day after day, play after play we see almost nothing but the predictable. That's what makes the unpredictable so exciting.

Tonight was an example of seeing the predictable, over, and over, over. The most shocking thing about this game is that it took the Red Sox until their last at bat to win. The Angels should have been hammered. Let's break it down:

Lackey: I've never seen a pitcher so afraid of a lineup. This is a guy won a seventh game of the world series as a rookie, yet he refuses to throw anything in same zip code as the strike zone when he faces any of the Red Sox big hitters in a pressure situation. Three straight walks, a wild pitch (thanks, Bengie), and he trails 2-0. The miracle is that he escaped having only allowed two runs.

Scioscia: This can be broken into three categories.

1) The bullpen. As much as I want to blame him here (and believe me, I do), he's currently saddled with a pen that simply can't get anybody out. He has one guy with some promise, and that's Escobar, who was excellent tonight. A problem completely of his own making, however, is his refusal to use his closer in a tie game on the road. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him do it. I understand that to win, you still need to retire the home team in the bottom of the last. But saving your best pitcher for a hypothetical situation is akin to refusing to start a well rested Roger Clemens in game six of a World Series you trail 3 games to 2 just in case you get to a game seven. A relief ace unused is a useless relief ace. But this has been Scioscia's M.O. for his entire managerial career, or do I have to remind anyone of Bernie Williams' homer in game one of the 2002 ALDS? He's not going to change now. Of course, Frankie sucks right now, too, so there's no guarantee he would have done any better. Regardless, the bullpen, and Shields in particular, blowing this game was completely predictable. Embarrassed about all of those losses out of the pen, Scot? Well, get used to seeing one more.

2) Erstad hitting fifth. What the fuck? I mean seriously, what the fuck? I realize this team has little power, but that's not an excuse to just punt the power spots in the order (no pun intended). Vlad on base four times. Vlad left on base four times. Completely predictable.

3) Finley. There is no possible explanation for this move that would satisfy just about anyone who has watched this team on a regular basis. Did he need a lefty? Bullshit. If the platoon advantage is so great against knuckleballers, why do many of the capable switch hitters actually hit from the right side against Wakefield? Was it because he's due? Yeah, and he has been for about 5 months. He's not due, he's done. Honestly, this move was completely unacceptable. Unacceptable, yet predictable.

Ultimately, this wasn't a game I expected them to win. Frankly, I don't *expect* them to win any game, and I haven't since the D-Rays series. But what makes it tough to stomach was the completely predictable nature in which it was handed over to the Red Sox. When you have a certain segment of your roster underperforming, and a manager that feels the need to accentuate that group's failures, you're going to lose a lot of games. Opposing managers don't need to look for a weakness on the Angels. Scioscia and company are putting those weaknesses on full display for all to see.

Great News!

Alex Chilton has been found. He was probably just hanging out, down the street after the hurricane (although I think that was a Chris Bell song), but according to the linked story,

Chilton was evacuated by helicopter from his home Sunday and later flown out of the area.

Chilton, who hadn’t been heard from since shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck, told Easley he stayed in his home the entire time and water had gotten up to his porch. Chilton said he had food and water but was most concerned during the week about roving gangs.

If you're wondering why I keep going on about Alex Chilton, then you probably don't know who he is. If you don't know who he is, you really need to get your head out of your ass and start listening to some good music. You can start here. Coincidentally, when I was shopping at a Walgreens today, the old Box Tops hit "The Letter" came on. Seriously.

Not to make light of the situation, but I'll never be able to think of roving gangs and hurricanes without thinking of this comment on this post on Matt's site:

Don't know if hiding in the attic is a good or a bad idea. Frankly, while I don't really like it, I can't think of a better one without seeing his actual conditions. One *BIG* concern I'd have about hiding there is that there is *probably* no escape route. If detected, you're trapped. Therefore, if he decides that the attic is the place to hide, my random thoughts are

1) Get into hiding early enough that you can be absolutely still when entry is made. The last thing you want is to be heard scrambling into hiding as they enter.

2) Scout out in advance where and how you will hide. If possible, prepare some minimal accommodations and pre-place these into the attic in advance. I'm thinking mainly about some type of minimal flooring to take and distribute your weight comfortably. Think in terms of a few
boards, etc. possibly table leaves or shelves from a bookcase. You may find yourself trapped in place for an extended period of time. You don't want to straddle a 2x4 on the balls of your feet for 90 minutes!

3) Stay ABSOLUTELY still while in hiding. Any movement can easily transmit through the framing and ceiling and give you away. Remember, you're TRAPPED!

4) Ideally, look for a hidden and or secure spot in the attic. Hidden meaning out of direct sight if someone pokes through the trapdoor. Secure meaning offering some cover (not concealment) Is there a fireplace in the house? Can you use the brick or masonry chimney for cover?

5) Are things stored in the attic? Will any of it look inviting th the thieves? How likely is it the bad guys will want to enter the attic?

6) It's likely to be dark in the attic. I would NOT take a flashlight with me. You never know what stray light will escape from attic vents at night.

7) I'd give serious thought to making the house look like it's already been ransacked. Empty drawers onto the floor. Break some glass. Dishes and windows. Throw furniture and clothes around. GET RID OF THE TV, STEREO & OTHER OBVIOUS VALUABLES Move them to deep hiding. (attic?) Do enough so it looks real. This will all be cheap enough next month if it saves your life today. If the place looks ransacked, maybe they'll just walk through and leave for the neighbors. Obviously this all needs to be done in advance, not when you're trying to hide.

8) If you own one, take a fully charged cordless circular saw with you. (Actually, pre-place it.) If you *really* get trapped (by an arson fire for example) I'd want to be able to cut my way out through the roof.

9) Turn the ringer on your cell phone off. Don't want it to ring while you're in hiding. 10) I don't think I'd want to do this with a wife and or kids. Maybe if I was alone. Remember there's no escape route.

11) Don't know the terrain or geography, but consider slipping out the back door instead of entering the attic.

12) I agree with your assessment. GET A GUN.

And Matt's response:

You are a batshit crazy lunatic.

No argument here.

Angels 5; Mariners 3

Not much to say about this one, other than it's about 12:30 on Sunday night/Monday morning, I was at work about 4 and half hours before the game started, I watched the game at work, and I left work about 6 hours after the game ended. That's right, I was in the office for about 14.5 hours on the Sunday of a holiday weekend.

Of course, now that I think about it, it seems pretty silly to be complaining about work with all that's going in the South. Sure do hope Alex Chilton turns up sometime soon. There's plenty of sites all over the place with links to where you can donate. The Red Cross website worked pretty well for me. I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but if you haven't given already, please do.

Anyway, the Angels won, Bart got hurt, Kotch homered again, the bullpen was not horrendous, but that's as far as I'll go, and the A's lost to propel the Angels back into a solo lead.

If the results from today stand (and they're subject to change overnight), then my fantasy team will have gone 0 and 6 this week, and I will have still clinched a playoff spot, as the guy in second in my division went 1 and 5, trimming my lead to 13 games with only 12 to play. The beer is flowing as the Guzzlers celebrate their first trip to the playoffs in their five years of existence!

Just how stupid are the A's and their fans?

The following is an exchange with an Athletics supporter from Matt's site, following the A's thrashing of the 87 year old Al Leiter:

Dick Bennet: This was the earliest Leiter have been knocked out in his whole career - 2/3 of an inning - and it took a great team to do it.

Me: A team so great that it managed one whole run against the Angels starters in over 24 innings.

Dickie: Indeed, Mr. Seitz, even the Mariners can shellac the Angels' pitching, but the A's seem to hold something back against them.

It goes without saying that the Angels bullpen truly sucks. I've been saying it for weeks. So has Rob. But until today, I was not aware that A's fans couldn't tell the difference between starters (who are good), and relievers (who suck). A little tip for Dickie: the starters, to whom I was referring, are the guys who are on the mound when the game begins. File that for future reference.

Then again, perhaps they get it from their genius players, like Eric Chavez, who had this to say about the Magic Man:

"Tonight we should have scored runs off that guy," Chavez told Oakland reporters after the game. "The rest of the league is doing it. We're the only team he's shut down. We need to beat a guy like that."

Eric is too stupid to realize that Santana has had 6 quality starts in his last 7 games. Too stupid to realized that he's allowed 2 or fewer runs in 10 of his 17 starts, and three or fewer in 12. Too stupid to realize that he's got an ERA of 3.32 since the all-star break, which is only that high because it includes a 4.2 inning, 7 run start at Tampa Bay.

So to answer the question in the title of this post, I'd have to say "Pretty damn stupid".

Mariners at least 6; Angels likely no more than 2

I'm not real big on booing guys. Most of the time, I figure guys are giving it their all, and sometimes things don't bounce your way. But if I had been at the game, I've gotta think I would have joined in with the rest of the crowd who booed Donnelly and Shields off the field. These guys just suck. It's so goddamn predictable. What was it I was saying the other day?

When the offense provides some runs, the pitchers can't hold the opponents down consistently. When the starters and the offense do their job to get the game to the bullpen, they blow it more often than should be acceptable.

These guys just suck. I was thinking it during the earlier innings of tonight's game, but why the hell did Escobar go 74 pitches last night? Honestly, right now I say you give Donnelly and Shields seats right next to Finley, use Frankie for any possible seventh inning work, and make Escobar the setup/closer. I'm serious. He has the stamina to go two at a time. Give him the ball and fuck all of the other guys. Although now that I think of it, Shields could be useful if the Angels needed someone to provide an intentional walk.

Nine fuckin' runners left on base. Then again, I'm shocked that nine runners even reached base. Sorry, Wash, but when you sign your big contract next season and ditch this group of losers, I hope you go to a team that can actually hit.

Angels 4; Mariners 1

Sorry for the late posting on this one, but I was listening to the game on my TV while holding cold compresses on my eyes. My love for playing golf, my seasonal allergies, and the fact that I'm too lazy to see a doctor (and too busy right now, as I type this from work) aren't really compatible.

Congrats to Garret on his record breaking double, and congrats to Vlad on #300. Maybe now he can relax a little bit. The starters continue to be tremendous, and Frankie even looked pretty good on his fourth straight day of work. Something tells me that regardless of the circumstances, he won't be going today.

The fallout of the Payton-Ztu collision the other day has necessitated a Brandon Wood call-up to triple A. There's not much time left in the season, and this could derail his shot at 100 extra base hits. So far the returns, an 0 for 5er, aren't good, but it's great experience. Rob has the round up up on his minor league report.

Angels 3; A's 0

I know the A's offense isn't necessarily anything to write home about, especially with Croby out of the lineup, but 24 and 2/3 innings with one run allowed by your starters is pretty damn good, and hopefully when you get that in a three game series, you'll win at least two. The kid was terrific tonight, and he was never better than on the off-speed pitch to Mark Ellis that led to the double play ball that got him out of the eighth. Frankie only needed to get two tonight, but it was his third straight game, and he pitched well. he got a little help from Payton on strike two, but it was a step in the right direction.

The offense continues to be a cause for concern, with Vlad failing in two RBI opportunities. But he did pick up a double, stolen base, and run scored in the eighth. One thing about this team's versatility, combined with the benching of Finley, that I really like is the platoon situation. I just wish they were facing more lefties to get Quinlan in the lineup more often.

I noticed some things tonight that lead me to believe things might be looking up. I already talked about the double play that Ellis hit into, which was a bouncer right on the bag at second base. A couple of plays at first, most notably the nice catch by Erstad on the bunt out by Dan Johnson in the ninth. That was a really tough play, and maybe on another night that ball hit Johson and goes into right field. Also, the foul tip by Vlad in the eighth that very easily could have been called a strikeout. He got another pitch and drilled. Little things like that started going the Angels' way over the last two nights, and those might be signs of good things to come.

Three more against Seattle, with Byrd on the mound tomorrow night against Moyer. It sure would be nice to get a sweep out of this one. And the Angels avoid King Felix.

So that's where Sean's been for the last couple days

He's been a little busy.

Angels 2; A's 1

That was obviously a huge win. The Angels had to avoid a sweep. Otherwise, even the most optimstic among us may have started to doubt.

To be honest, there are still plenty of things to be worried about. The offense continues to sputter, although part of that was the wildly inconsistent strike zone. The bullpen continues to be less than stellar. Frankie is still struggling with his control (note to Rex Hudler: he didn't throw any sliders to Scutaro because he was behind in the count the whole time).

One of the things we don't have to worry about is Lackey. He's finally putting it together this year, and he and Bart will really have to be the glue that holds this team together down the stretch.

Vlad picked a nice time to show up and get a couple of hits. Cabrera has been playing fantastic defense at short ever since his boot lost the game for the Angels a few weeks ago. He's been flashing the leather in this series, and dare I say it, he's been somewhat reliable at the plate. Garret has to get hot, though. Otherwise, as soon as Vlad turns it on, he's not going to get anything to hit. Honestly, I'm a lot more excited about this win than I'm letting on, but I've cast myself, however inadvertantly, in the role of pessimist, so I can't break character.

The Kid versus Joe Kennnedy tomorrow night, as Harden gets skipped, and no one really knows how long he'll be out. The Angels got great news, while my fantasy team got horrible news with the injury to Bobby Crosby, who may be lost for the season. It's the first time I've been in playoff position (it's a non-traditional points league, with 6 head to head games per week). I'll need decent numbers from Juan Uribe to win it all. In other words, I won't be winning it all.

Memo to Mike Scioscia

Don't skip batting practice anymore.

And another thing, let your pitchers retaliate. I wanna see Jay Payton spitting out dirt after his next at bat.

The Difference

The Oakland A's find ways to win. The Angels find ways to lose.

I mentioned it in a previous post, but there's just something this team doesn't have. They simply do not find ways to win. They are, however, experts at coming up with creative ways to lose. Physioc mentioned in the 10th inning that the A's just find ways to win. They've been doing it for the last three months.

We saw what it took in 2002. That was a team that was never dead. They never gave up. This team just simply does not have that ability. Part of it was the fact that that the bullpen was good enough to keep giving them opportunity after opportunity. That may be the real measurable difference between 2002 and 2005.

Bartolo was terrific, getting tons of early count outs, and keeping his pitch count low enough to get himself into the 10th inning. After surrendering a runner to second base with no one out, Frankie got the job done. But with the pressure off and the freedom to nibble, he got behind in the count in the 11th, and grooved a pitch that Kielty crushed. And that, as they say, was that.

They'll try it again tomorrow, but they face their biggest deficit of the season, and things don't figure to get better so long as they can't score more than one run. I fear that this will make Stoneman do something stupid, like trade for Mike Sweeney. I'll say it right now. I'd rather lose than make a ridiculous trade like that. And if they make a trade for a bat that costs them a top 10 prospect, ANY top 10 prospect, I won't watch another game this season.

Now they have to win twice, Sean.

The Showdown

Well, if the last series against the A's wasn't make or break, this one is sure a hell of a lot closer to being so. Not only are we entering the last month of the season, but the Angels enter this series without any breathing room, as their four game losing streak has wiped out their lead in the A.L. West. Some of us are pretty convinced that this thing is more or less over regardless of the outcome of this series, although we tend to be outnumbered by the Pol-ly-annas, while a minority remain on the fence.

I'll be honest. No matter what happens in this series, including an Angels sweep, I just don't see the type of team on the field that can sustain any momentum. They have exactly two winning streaks longer than four games. On the flip side, the A's seem to be the type of team that doesn't let adversity affect them. Just when you think they've got one foot in the grave (two losses to the Royals?), the spring back to life, and the Angels are there to provide the elixir. The Angels have one guy who gets on base consistently (maybe two if you count Kennedy), and one guy who has any sort of reliable power. Unfortunately, they're the same guy. The one thing keeping this team in the hunt is their starting pitching, a group whose work is often completely undone by the bullpen.

So while a sweep would be fantastic, and I'm hoping for the best, I still don't think it will change a thing. I still can't see any way in which this team will make the playoffs, short of a plane crash.

*UPDATE*

Sean chimes in:

I have nothing to say about this that I haven't said before. You can keep the faith or try hedging your bets, so that if your team doesn't win you at least get the satisfaction of saying "I told you so."

Look, none of us want to wag our fingers and say "I told you so". I can't think of anything *less* satisfying. I've said many times that I don't want Matt's money. I would imagine that I speak for Rob when I say that I want the Angels to win as much, if not more, than anybody else. Nothing would be better than walking into the Cell in my jersey and hat to see the Angels play the White Sox in the ALDS or CS or what the hell ever round they might meet up in. But realistically, I don't think they're very good.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with spite or one upsmanship. It has everything to do with preparing myself for the worst so that, when they inevitably fail, it won't hurt so much.

Swept right out of first

Let's face it, folks. This team is simply not very good. That isn't to say that they aren't occasionally good enough to make us forget just how bad they are, but they simply aren't a very good "team". When the pitchers are great, the offense doesn't step up. When the offense provides some runs, the pitchers can't hold the opponents down consistently. When the starters and the offense do their job to get the game to the bullpen, they blow it more often than should be acceptable. In 2002, the whole thing came together, with one part of the team picking up the other parts. That's not happening this year. It hasn't happened all year, and we certainly shouldn't expect it to start next month.

Inconceivably, management took a team that won the division last year (and perhaps they shouldn't have, because they were exposed in the playoffs), spent millions upon millions of dollars, and somehow found a way to make the team worse. That's tough to do. Stoneman made one acquisition that has worked, and that's Paul Byrd. But really, who could have predicted that a 40 year old center fielder might be on the decline?

Honestly, I don't know what it is. Maybe it was Eckstein and Percival, but I just don't see the same heart, the same drive, the same will to win that they had last year and three years ago. Really, I don't want Matt's money, but I can't see any way this team can possibly make the playoffs. Feel free to convince me otherwise, but this team is just not championship caliber.

D-Raize Train 6; Angels 3

Didn't see it. I was playing golf again, this time at Thunderhawk. And I paid the price last night and continue to do so today. Golf a tough habit to have when you have really really bad allergies at this time of year. The skin around my eyes feels like, well, I can't really describe how bad it feels. Made my first eagle of the year, though. 520 yard par five. Hit it about 320 off the tee, then ripped a five iron to about 10 feet and canned the putt. 42 on the front, 39 on the back, for an 81. Not awful for my first time on that course.

Anyway, Finley sucks. Hard.

Ugly

I was kind of afraid of this. A string of good performances, a hot opponent, due for a meltdown, and boom, in the fourth inning the floodgates finally opened and drowned the kid. Apparently you don't spell relief G-R-E-G-G, because he was just as bad.

Write this one off. I know I will. It's drinking in time in Oak Park.

Opportunity Knocks, but No One's Home

After a while, you've got to figure it's hard to leave so many men on base without even one crossing the plate. But the Angels found a way tonight. Last night's timely hitting gave way to tonight's timely screwing up. Lackey was as good as he's been lately, but one mistake, and he paid for it.

Vlad really did get fucked in the fifth. Strike two was never in the same zip code as the strike zone. I probably mentioned this on a site or two, including Rob's earlier today, but I think the intentional walks to Vlad have messed him up a bit. He's not a Bonds type who is very patient. He can, at times, try to do too much. And when you're a free swinger like Vlad, and suddenly your opportunities to swing freely are limited, you can get overagressive. Of course, Vlad swings at everything and tries to hit a home run every time as it is, so I'm not sure how we'd be able to tell the difference.

Anyway, this was another "work until 9:00 pm" night, so my observations were limited once again. Someday soon I'll be able to leave the office before the sun goes all the way down.

Angels 3; Orioles 1

Just kind of followed this one on the computer, as I didn't get home from work until about 10:00. Not much to say, really. Great performance from Big Bart, some timely hitting, and just enough from Frankie to get the job done. Maybe he just needs to pitch to Javier Lopez all the time.

Mr. Strike Out vs. Rodrigo Lopez tonight, who was roughed up a bit in his last outing, but has dominated the Angels in his career (4-1, 1.99 ERA). It would be fantastic to start this road trip out with a sweep, especially since they're heading into three meetings with the red hot Devil Rays, and no, I'm not joking. They really are red hot.

Angels 7; Orioles 6

So this is what is was like for the 1997 Mariners, a team whose bullpen singlehandedly (or, I guess, multihandedly) kept the Angels in the race for much of late summer. Wonder if Heathcliff Slocumb has cleared waivers.

Fine effort by Wash, going 7+ and getting out of trouble a few times. The starters continue to be excellent. That's a lot of consecutive quality starts. Too many for me to go back and look up. And once again, the bullpen was pretty crappy, this time with Kevin Gregg and Frankie combining to give up four in the ninth. Good thing they were up by five.

As the A's continue their slide, it becomes very important for the Angels to capitalize. High expectations, sure, but I think the Angels really need to take 3 of the next 5, if not 4. Of course, it was this stretch in 2002 that thrust the Angels toward the wild card while the A's were winning 20 in a row (the Angels went 18-2 in that stretch).

Juan Rivera is making his case for the every day DH if GA can play the field, and for the every day left fielder if GA can't. The good news is that such a move could force Erstad to center, instead of left field, as has been discussed. That's good news, because it means Kotchman for Finley as opposed to Kotchman for Rivera. It also means a much better fielder in center, even if Erstad has lost a step.

Big Bart on the mound tomorrow against Bedard, who got shelled in his last outing against the Angels. Let's hope that trend continues.

Little League

Anyone who has been watching the Little League® World Series this year will likely hear some version of the following discussion in pretty much every single game:

PBP Guy: Jones comes into play left field, which will count for his three defensive outs. he also needs one plate appearance under Little League® rules.

Color Guy: And that's a great rule. All the kids get a chance to play. It's really all about the kids having fun, and you come here to play, not to sit on the bench.

Well, I'm here to tell you that they're wrong. First, a little background. My dad has been involved in Little League® baseball since before my brother was old enough to play (he's four years older than me). He coached my brother's teams, did three one year terms as league president (my mother also did one of her own, and when she wasn't president, she was the league's official scorer), and managed a couple of my teams. He still serves on the district staff, and spends virtually the entire month of July at various Little League® fields monitoring the tournaments of champions and all star tournaments, the latter of which, at the 11-12 year old level, is what leads eventually to Williamsport. So I've been around Little League® for a long, long time.

My brother made the all-star team in 1981. At that time, sixteen kids were selected to the team. All sixteen got hats and snazzy nylon jackets with sewn lettering, which were worn in the July heat with a great deal of pride. After a couple weeks of practices, two players were cut and named alternates (my brother was one of them). 14 kids dressed for every game, putting on fancy uniforms with tackle twill lettering. Four years later I was selected to the team. Now, I wasn't all-world or anything, but I was pretty decent for a 12 year old. Once again, 16 players were selected and given their jackets at closing ceremonies. I'll never forget the moment. My knees buckled a little bit when my name was called, even though I was pretty sure I was going to make it (c'mon, my dad was a coach and my mom was the president - it was a foregone conclusion). I wasn't cut, but I didn't start, either. I knew my role.

We lasted only three games. We won the first game 3-2 in extra innings on a sac fly in the top of the 7th. In the bottom of the seventh, I went into right field, replacing the center fielder who had been pinch hit for in the top of the seventh. The other team (Alhambra National, I think) loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the seventh. The next batter hit one to me in right, I caught and gunned it to the plate (fired from the rocket attached to my right shoulder). The runner was called safe, and I was pretty upset. Seconds later, our pitcher stepped off the rubber, and appealed to the third base ump that the runner had left before I caught the ball. Amazingly, the ump called the runner out, we went back up 3-2, and won when our pitcher struck the next batter out. We were on cloud nine.

The next game, we lost 18-0 on a one hitter with 15 strike outs. I got to the plate once, walked, and went to second on a passed ball. It was the farthest anyone on our team advanced all day. The pitcher would later be drafted by the Angels and would play in their system for a while. And he was their #2. That team would later get screwed out of going to San Berdoo against Mexicali, who eventually played in the championship game.

But to bring this somewhere back near the point, I was the type of player this rule was aimed at. I was the kid who the men in Williamsport were so worried about. The only thing is, I didn't care. We were a collection of the best players from the five teams that made up Temple City National, and I knew that nine of them were better than me, or at least eight, but I'm not going to quibble about the ninth. When you sign your kid up for Little League®, you want him to play. You paid your money, and your kid paid his (or her) dues, and he (or she) deserves his (or her) three innings (the regular season rule). That's only fair. But all-stars is different. It's an add on. The league, and Little League®, didn't owe me anything. I'd already gotten everything I was promised. And I knew the team had the best chance to win when the best players were on the field. And you know what, 99% of the kids playing today know that too, and probably 80% of the parents.

"But Seitz", you say, "how can you be against a rule that simply ensures every kid gets a chance to play?" And I'd say "Haven't you been reading?" And you'd say "yeah, but you haven't done anything but pat yourself on the back for a couple of measley innings and a runner you failed to throw out!" And I'd say "Oh yeah, sorry about that."

Anyway, here's the point. This is a bad rule for three main reasons:

First, it's unnecessary. All-star teams don't carry kids that can't play just because they have a roster to fill out. Although most teams will enjoy as little success as mine did, you have to build a roster to go all the way. Hey, you never know. So generally, every kid on that roster can play. And over the course of the tournament, they're all going to get in. Look at me, I didn't start, but I played in all three games, and had a fairly significant role in one of them. There was no player on our team who did not play, and we dressed 14 guys, and only played three games. Circumstances dictated it, and we had a coach who wasn't a total asshole, although he did look pretty cool after our big loss when, in a fit of controlled anger, he bit the filter off his cigarette and spit it out before lighting up. I should note, he was the only coach who didn't have a kid on the team, which was for the best. His son was an 11 year old, and was a lock for the team the next year. So rule or no, over the long, or short, haul, everyone is going to play, and the kids who aren't playing know they probably shouldn't be playing.

Second, it can lead to stupid results. A year or two ago, a game in District 18 (our district, which included teams from El Monte, Alhambra, Temple City, Rosemead, South Pasadena, San Gabriel, etc.) ended in forfeit when one team beat another through the slaughter rule (which didn't exist when I played). The only problem was the game ended much sooner than the victors expected, and they couldn't get everyone in the game before it ended. That's a violation of the rule, and the much better team went home with a loss on a technicality. Rules are rules. Even dumb ones.

Finally, the rule actually limits opportunity. I know, that sounds funny, but I'd bet nationwide, you could probably count on one hand the number of teams that still dress 14 kids. That's two kids in the western San Gabriel Valley who don't get to make the team anymore. And I'm guessing it's a hell of a lot more kids across the country. What coach wants to have to worry about getting five extra kids into every game? Three is tough enough as it is.

So to sum up, the "everyone plays" rule as it relates to tournament play 1) is unneccessary, 2) makes for stupid games, and 3) actually limits kids opporunities to play. So ultimately, it sucks, which is why I will cringe and yell at the screen everytime I hear the ass-kissing anouncers tell me what a great rule it is.

Another reason to hate lawyers

Just kidding, of course. As a member of the bar myself, I don't blame the lawyers. I blame the descendants of Fred Astaire (there's something I don't write everyday). I just thought this was kind of a weird story. A few months ago I wrote about seeing Ivy at the Double Door with a band called Astaire. Well, tonight I was messing around with Rhapsody a little bit and noticed a band in my library that I'd never heard of. Some band called Blondfire. This isn't completely off the wall, as there are a number of bands in my library that I've probably listened to maybe once (like some crazy assed band called Ken Layne and the Corvids). But I had no memory of adding this band at any time, and I'm usually not listening to Rhapsody when I'm drunk, which would have been the most logical explanation.

So I clicked on their EP, and turns out that Astaire was short-lived, as brother and sister team Bruce and Erica Driscoll had to change their name due to legal threats from the estate of the late Fred Astaire. Apparently huge throngs of people were showing up at their concerts expecting to see the corpse of the late dancer magically go into the old soft shoe. Alright, that's obviously a lie, but seriously, this is pretty stupid. What if their last names were Astaire? Or what if they had just changed their name to "A Stair"?

Anyway, not that this is a big deal or anything, and I know this happens with some regularity, but this is the first time I've ever seen a band play under one name, only to have them be forced to change to something else.

Red Sox 5; Angels 1

Well, that was fairly predictable. It was a Steve Finley game, so the Angels started with one foot in the whole to begin with. Byrd was strong for his first 100 pitches, then wore a little bit in the 8th. As has happened so many times this season, just when it looks like an Angels pitcher is going to escape a jam, he can't get the third out, this time ending with a back breaking three run homer to Edgar Renteria.

Papelbon was impressive, but quite frankly, it looked more like a return of the crappy Angels offense had more to do with his success than great pitching. Take nothing away from him ,though. It was a fine performance.

The Angels end the week no worse than 1 game up on the A's, losing at most a half game while going up against one of the league's best teams. Six games coming up against crappy teams, and a chance to make some hay.

Angels 4; Red Sox 2

Typical scratching out of enough runs to win, so I'm not going to talk about the offense. No, what I'm going to talk about today is a comment made by a certain regular poster and fellow blogger, who just happens to be a Sox fan. Here's one of his gems from about a week ago:

You're tied for first with 47 to play and you wanna see if a 22-yo can pitch? You're nuts. You don't have the luxury of experimenting right now, Sietz.

Intentional misspelling of my name notwithstanding, let's take a look at his line today against the vaunted Red Sox offense:

7.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 k, W

Consider the experiment a success. I'm certainly not the genius that the Fatman is, but it looks to me like the kid can pitch a little bit. In case he's still not convinced, Santana's got a 4.62 ERA, which includes an eye-popping 2.89 since the all-star break. Not bad for a fifth starter. Guess how many starters the Red Sox have with numbers that good since the break. Or even, try and guess how many they have with ERA's below 4.00 since the break. If you guess a big fat (no pun intended) ZERO, you'd be right (not including Papplewhateverhisnameis, who has two starts in that time).

Then again, we are talking about the guy who thinks that being third in the AL in strike outs isn't good enough to be considered a strike out pitcher.

So to sum up, send Escobar to the pen where he's most needed. If Byrd or Washburn go down, he's ready to start. It's really a no-brainer at this point.

Shirking my resonsibility

No recap last night, for numerous reasons. Let me mark them off:

• Game ended late
• Missed the first five innings because I was at the Yankees/White Sox game
• I had to get up early to play Cog Hill today (shot 79, thank you very much)
• Didn't want to post at 1:00 am on a Friday night/Saturday morning and look like a loser who's at home, awake, alone at 1:00 am on a Friday night/Saturday morning
  

There's a nugget of truth in all of those, so feel free to go with the one that you like best. I'm listening to the game today (at work, of course), and it sounds like Santana is dealin'.

Wow, that was kind of out of nowhere

I was at work until about 10:00, so I had to catch the Kotchman home run on the computer, but I was home in time for the first big inning. The first homer by Rivera asbsolutely crushed.

Fell asleep on the couch again right about the time that Bartolo was giving up singles to pretty much everyone in a Sox jersey, so I missed the late fireworks, but thanks to DVR technology, I was able to rewind and catch Rivera's second home run. Bartolo looked pretty sharp until the one inning where they caught up to him, but by that time, the game wasn't in a lot of doubt. Can't really comment on the relievers, because, ya know, sleep, but from the play by play, it looked like Donnelly did OK, and other than the homer to Mueller, Jones did alright.

Enjoy this one, folks, because it's the rare win with Finley in the lineup. This was a big one to get. Of course, they're all big now, but this is the last night without an A's win for awhile. Worst case scenario, the Angels go through a tough stretch, the A's go through an easy stretch, and they come out the other end more or less tied. Best case scenario, the A's get humiliated by the Royals, they all quit in shame, and the franchise disbands. Hey, a guy can dream.

Sorry

First, there wasn't really much to recap. Second, I fell asleep in about the fifth inning and didn't wake up until the bottom of the ninth. Then fell asleep again, and woke up on the couch at about 3:00 am.

I hate my job.

This is getting ridiculous

Well, it's probably too late, but something has to be done about this bullpen. I've alread brought it up once, but now I'm will to say forget just moving Escobar to the bullpen. They need to not only send him there, but they need to make him the closer while they're at it. Nine blown saves by the bullpen in the last 18 games. This bullpen really sucks right now. Frankie needs to be DL'd or something. Just shut him down for a week. Make up a dead relative so they can put him on bereavement leave.

Hey, what a shocker, but Finley fucked up in a tight spot again.

Ugh. Like I've said, if and when they miss the playoffs, they'll remember this one. How many great efforts can they get from rookies, only to have the pen screw it up?

Speaking of the LA Times

This is just about the cruelest headline I've ever seen.

Finley Gets Released; Lakers Weigh Options.

It really isn't fair to Angels fans to tease us with such a tantalizing first three words, only to leave us crushed when we realize the headline is referring to Michael Finley. Just think how bad this would have been in the days before the internet and sportscenter.

Only a year and a half too late

The L.A. Times is reporting that with Anderson's injury, Finley sucking, and Kotchman not quite sucking as badly as Finley, Erstad might be returned to centerfield. FINALLY!

Oh, and Joe Saunders makes his debut tonight. I'm hoping for the best, but I think it goes without saying that starting rookies back to back, one making his major league debut, in the middle of a penant race isn't exactly ideal. Go get 'em, Joe.

Angels 5; Blue Jays 4

This is getting ridiculous. Three straight extra innings games against this team. The next two games better not go this late. Some of us have to get up and go to work in the morning, and these games that go until 1:00 am are tough. One more reason to move back to the West Coast.

Vlad got Venturaed in the second inning, but a timely error, a theme of the evening, was enough to get him home. Maicer unleased a Glaus in the fifth, and Orlando Hudson would bring the run home with a double to tie the game. A third error, this time by starter Chacin, would later lead to another Angel run. Scioscia finally made the move that probably would have garnered a couple more wins over the last couple of weeks by running the starter out there for the seventh (which I admit I was hoping for), and they promptly gave the lead away. A nice relay from the OC was all that kept the deficit at one. Figgins speed was enough to get the tying run in, as he was able to beat out a double play on a weak grounder to short with Ztu on third. Some anxious moments from the bullpen (surprise, I know), got the Angels into the 11th, where Erstad pre-empted the inevitable walk to Vlad by driving home OC with a walk off single before Guerrero had a chance to bat.

With the A's loss, the Angels now lead by two. It's important to win these next couple before taking on the Red Sox, at which time the A's will be slaughtering the Royals. And with that, I need to get some sleep.

Congrats to the mighty Mick on winning his second major. Too bad for I forgot to set the DVR to record it.

Simply awesome

This is just about the greatest thing I've ever read. Do yourself a favor and go read it if you already haven't. If you have, read it again.

Angels 7; Mariners 6

Didn't see most of it, except for rolling through the version on my DVR where I pretty much just watched the homers and the important plays. It was a nice, cool day here for a change, so I hit the links again.

Kotch absolutely hammered one, but it was really an awful pitch, so it deserved to be hammered. Ditto for Vlad's homer. And Bengie didn't cheat on his, as he hit it to one of the deepest parts of the park. I don't know what the hell happened to Donnelly. At least Bengie had an excuse, as he had just been hit in the hand, but Donnelly seemed to catch the Sax/Sasser disease there on the throw to first base. I was just surprised to see that it was scored an error. That's a really tough play for a major leaguer to make, ya know. Fortunately Erstad came through, and Frankie had one of his sharper appearances of late. With Oakland losing, the one game lead is back for now, but this figures to be a pretty tough week for the Angels. At least they've picked up some momentum, and while they can't make up for the debacle against Seattle in the last series, they did as much as they could.

As for the golf, not great, but encouraging. 83 from the black tees at Pine Meadow (7100+ yards). Didn't putt all that well, but hit the irons a little better, and I'm still hammering the new driver. I joined a couple on the seventh hole. Husband and wife, probably late 30s or so. She was pretty cute, but he was kind of a dick at first. He wasn't that good, but acted like he was a lot better, getting pissed off when he inevitably hit really bad shots. Now, I don't really care what type of people I play with. I don't care if they're good or not. If I did, I would never play with Ty (and I know he's reading this). But seriously, if you're not good, don't act like you are and you're just having a bad day. I've seen enough golfers out there that I can tell. Around 15 or 16, he started to mellow out a bit. Dude could really use some lessons. He's not old, and he's a big enough guy that he should be hitting the ball relatively far, but he'd tee off 40 yards in front of me, and I'd still be 50 yards by him in the fairway, and I'm not a really long hitter. I'm not short, but I'm not a monster. Anyway, the point is, I learned about 15 years ago that getting really pissed off on the golf course doesn't do anybody any good. No use crying over spilt milk. That's my free advice to all of you.

Next week, Cog Hill again, and maybe Kemper Lakes on Sunday if I can work out the timing. Expensive weekend.

Still at work

Listened to most of it, until it got out of hand. At that point I stopped paying attention and started listening to the stuff you see on the right sidebar.

Nice job of picking up for some mistakes early, as Cabrera committed the cardinal sin of getting picked off with one out, a man on third, and Vlad at the plate. They still got two runs out of the inning, no thanks to O-Cab.

Figgins powered up for a homer and three more hits. Need those guys at the top of the lineup to get on base, especially with Vlad red hot and Anderson not completely sucking at the moment. It looks like Oakland's going to win again, so we do all this again tomorrow, when I might be golfing if it's not raining. But maybe not.

About last night

Sorry for the lack of recap, but I was pretty dead tired, and the game ended late in the Midwest. Today, I'm in the office again, so I don't mind taking a few minutes to catch up. Wash actually looked pretty good for the most part, except for the chuck into right field. Forgive the brief rant, but I think it's pretty pathetic that the bunt by Bloomquist was scored a hit. There is a trend in MLB that I'm not happy with. It seems that every botched play that isn't so routine that a junior high school level fielder could make it with ease is scored a hit nowadays. These are MAJOR LEAGUE baseball players. Are our expectations of their defensive abilities that low that we give hits on plays that would have been sure outs had the fielder simply made a decent throw, or simply held on to the ball. Cabrera's boot the other night was an error. It hit him in the freaking glove. But not in today's MLB. He had to bend over for it a little, so that makes it a really tough play, and subsequently a hit.

Anyway, you could tell Wash was a little anxious in the early going. He wanted no part of Sexon in the second inning, and you could see why when he pitched to Beltre, who hammered one out. Timely offense, and Vlad being Vlad, helped erase some of those mistakes, and Brendan Donnelly, fresh off one of the worst performances of his Angels career, stranded two runner on second and third with nobody out to preserve the tie when the game was still in doubt. A little help from that other Santana lifted the Angels back into a tie for first. So it's on, guys. Either play like this the rest of the season, or watch the A's celebrate their advancement toward first round elimination again.

Humor Me

Santana's ERA over the last two months is 3.43. When Escobar comes back, what happens? Here's my suggestion, and feel free to disagree with me in the comments section, but I say Kelvim goes to the bullpen for the rest of the season, and we ride Santana in the rotation. If they make the playoffs, they'll cut the rotation to four anyway. Escobar has the bullpen experience from Toronto, and Santana really doesn't. Honestly, with Santana pitching well for a fifth starter, and the other guys pitching pretty well (assuming a healthy Washburn), doesn't this make the most sense? I realize that the Angels won't do it, because they don't like doing things that make sense (see: Kennedy hitting ninth; Finley hitting anywhere; etc.), but to me, I think this is the best possible use of their pitching resources. Plus, if he's only needed for one or two innings at a time, it may allow Escobar to come back a little sooner (no need to build up the stamina).

Who's with me?

I didn't see it, and I don't want to see it

I can't even come up with words to describe how absolutely pathetic this bullpen has been lately.

Matt, I don't know how you can watch crap like that and maintain any confidence.

Usually reliable - A's 4; Angels 2

The usually reliable Scot Shields really picked a bad time to have a crappy inning. The usually reliable Orlando Cabrera really picked a crappy time to fail to come up with a pretty easy ground ball (his 0 for 5 doesn't look all that great, either). If and when this team fails to make the playoffs, it will be letdowns like tonight's that we'll look back on.

The kid was fairly sharp again, escaping some early trouble before settling down and pitching well enough to win. When your rookie starter outduels the hottest pitcher in the AL, that's a game that you MUST win. You simply cannot afford to lose when you get a very good performance out of your fifth starter. This one hurts.

The debacle that is Steve Finley continues to suck up time in center, and just to just plain suck at the plate. Of course, as I type that, he homers, but oh well.

Byrd vs. Blanton tomorrow. Starting to look like a must win (or as much as one can look like at this point in the season), as I can't see this offense doing much against the rookie in Seattle on Friday.

Angels 9; A's 2

The Angels needed a game like this, and it couldn't have come at a better time. They got the breaks in the first two innings, and Lackey continued his recent dominance with seven strong innings. A couple or errors, a couple of bloops, a timely strike out by Finley, and really only a couple of hard hit ball, and the Angels had a 7-0 lead. Vlad came into the game with only two career grand slams, one coming just a couple of weeks ago.

Peralta really did not look sharp at all in the 8th. I don't know if it's harder to concentrate when you've got a huge lead like that, but a rookie really needs to take advantage of his chances to pitch. On the other hand, Esteban Yan has looked pretty good lately, and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.

No doubt Matt is already spending his $50. Hey, that's great. Like I said at the time, if the Angels finish strong and win the division, it will be the best $50 I ever spent. Now Fat has joined the fray and given me a chance to win $10 of that money back should the Angels meet the Sox in the playoffs, provided the Angels can come up with at least one quality start should the series take place. But ssshhhhhh, don't tell him that the Angels have the second best starter ERA in the AL.

I'm gonna get myself connected...

Finally have internet access, the non-stolen kind, in my apartment. The cable guy took his sweet time getting here, but he actually ran a line 3/4 of the way across my apartment, and you can barely tell, so things are looking pretty good. Full range of cable TV is back as well, with the baseball package (for which I had to talk the guy out of charging me another $120). All of this comes in time for the Angels not to be on. But the fireworks don't begin until tomorrow night.

Anyway, took my first trip to Ikea yesterday, just to browse a bit (need a coffee table now that I'm in a bigger place). Have to say I was less than impressed. Some of the stuff looked nice, I guess, but it's not like it was super cheap, and quite frankly, I can't believe that people drive over from Ohio (like my sister's friend) just to shop at Ikea. To each their own, I guess.

I guess I could comment on the Angels playoff prospects, but I feel like I've done that already, and Matt, Rob, Richard, and The Chronicler have done so more recently, and probably more entertaining...ly. So go read them.

They won **UPDATE** Kotch!!!!

Didn't see it. Still in a virtual tie for first. Looks like they actually scored some runs.

Played Kemper Lakes today. Had to get the round in before they go private. Nothing to write home about. The last three holes are pretty sweet, though, and but for a poor first putt on 18, I would have parred all three. I'm hammering the new driver. three or four drives over 300 yards. No joke (those GPS things on the newer carts are sweet).

*update*

Casey Kotchman with two jacks, including a granny. Wow. That's some nice production. Just caught the hilights on SportsCenter.

Ironically, the next hilight was Eckstein hitting his fourth grand slam, then Ramon Ortiz throwing the ball away three times.

The injuries finally catch up

Chris Bootcheck gave them one fine start, and the rest of the staff blew it. Asking him to completely shut down major league hitters again was too much to ask. And really, this game was over before it started. Honestly, there was no way the offense really had a shot against a guy with an ERA just south of seven. I mean, Hendrickson, that guy's a real stopper.

These guys fucking suck. What an embarassment. Welcome to first place, Oakland.

My bastard neighbors

Apparently they don't realize that I need their wireless connection to listen to Angels games, and they didn't hook up until about midnight tonight, so I got updates on my cell phone while watching Dig! again. It's the story of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols (see sidebar for links). If you haven't seen it, well, what the hell are you waiting for? In lieu of writing all of this crap again, I'll repost a review I wrote on PlanetSocks:

Missed this when it was in the theaters, but that's because it was only out for about a week. I'd be interested in hearing what other people thought of this movie, especially those who were either unfamiliar with or not fans either the Dandy Warhols or the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Personally, I've been a fan of the Dandys since "Come Down" came out seven or eight years ago (you've probably heard some of their stuff in movies or commercials), and I've become a fan of BJM in the last few months (I suggest listening to some of "Tepid Peppermint Wonderland" for those who are unfamiliar with their work).
Courtney Taylor: Didn't really seem different than I expected him to be. Arrogant, talented, kind of a pretty boy. He actually seemed a bit more down to earth compared to what I've seen in interviews, and he's downright normal compared to Anton Newcombe.

Peter Holmstrom: Seemed like the most well-adjusted person in the entire movie, except for maybe Miranda Lee Richards, but she was only in a small bit of the film.

Zia McCabe: I'm still in love with her, and damn she's hot when she's wearing glasses. I was glad to see they included a bit with her topless, since she hasn't hung 'em when I've seen them live.

Anton Newcombe: Fucking nuts. He's channelled the late '60s Stones perfectly, though. The guy knows his shit when it comes to writing music. Seriously, if you like the Stones, put on a BJM record, and it will sound incredibly familiar for something you've never heard before.

Joel Gion: Fucking hilarious. Probably the most entertaining aspect of the movie. You gotta love a guy who's only contribution is playing the tambourine. And his joke about dicksucking was probably the funniest part of the movie.

Matt Hollywood: Also wrote some very good stuff for BJM. Seemed easily irritable at times, but I'd imagine that anyone with his talent would get pissed off at Anton. A lot.

Peter Hayes: Alright, so he's barely in the movie, but I had no idea that was once part of BJM. He's one of the front-men in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club now, who you will like if you're into the Jesus and Mary Chain, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Spacemen 3, or other shoegazer stuff.

I'd suggest getting hold of a copy of the two disc special edition DVD. I don't usually go for the extra bits, but the "where are they now" stuff was pretty good.

Fafnir channels Aesop

And I wholeheartedly agree with him. Lions *are* annoying.

Pathetic

I swear, sometimes this team looks like they're trying to lose. Mr. Defense out at shortstop has a pop fly go off his leg (I wasn't even sure that was possible). They have the 1-2-3 hitters coming up with runners on first and second with no outs, and they can't even move the runners up a base, let alone get them in. Frustration is setting in.

It's a fiendish plot - Angels 8; Orioles 4

I blame the recent success of the Angels (all two games of it) on Matt Welch. Somehow I believe he engineered the recent slide which caused perrenial pessimists like me to lose faith. It was in that moment of weakness that he swooped in with his devilish plan to separate me from 50 of my hard earned dollars. Rob McMillin is an unwitting accomplice, as he wrote the post that led to the following exchange:

Matt: Maybe I'm easy to please, but a World Series, a Division Championship, and a likely second consecutive Division Championship (plus a decent shot at the Series), all while assembling (and not squandering) baseball's best minor league system, doesn't really strike me as a bad job.

Me: When? 2006 and 2007? Because they sure aren't winning it this year.

Matt: Seitz, put your money where your pessimism is -- fitty cash dollar bills. I say we win, you bet on the rookie rotation, Scott Hatteberg and Jay Payton. Deal?

Just another case of me letting my mouth write a check my butt.....well, I actually can cash this one, because it's not that much money. Regardless, it will be $50 well spent if the Angels actually pull this out.

So he calls me out. I, of course, can't back down*, and now here we are. And of course, true to form, right after giving up on them, the Angels take the first two from an admittedly reeling Orioles team *AND* the A's lose for a change.

Lackey narrowly averted the Lackey inning tonight, and apparently the bug was still in the mound area, because Bedard caught it in the bottom of the fifth, allowing the Angels to score six times. And just as I was exchanging emails with Stephen Smith, badmouthing Cabrera and talking about how he really isn't any better than Izturis (that was me doing that, not him), all things considered, the OC delivered a big hit and Ztu made two of the three outs in the inning. Bigmouth strikes again.

So I hope you're happy, Matt. It's a good thing this won't be decided until October, or else this would be cutting into my golf budget.

Sometime this week I'll write something about the NHL signings, but I'm waiting to see what the Kings end up doing. I like Demitra, but I want Palffy back. Although if the Simon Gagne for Mike Cammalleri rumors are true, I'll learn to live without Ziggy. I'll give it another day or two to shake out.

*Kind of reminds of a hockey game I played in many years ago (yes, there was organized sreet hockey in Southern California once upon a time). We had a UCR team, and we were over our heads in the division in which we were playing. In one game, we just couldn't get anything going. We finally got an odd man rush, only to have the ref, who was probably in his mid-fifties, get in the way of my line-mate and good friend, ruining the two on one. Apparently refs don't like to be called out on this type of thing. On the next face off, I, clearly pissed off, walked up to him and said "Could you please try to stay out of the way next time?" To his credit, he gave me an out, saying "you're not talking to me are you?" The idiot that I am, I responded "Yeah I am!".

I spent the next 8 minutes in the penalty box. But dammit, my honor was at stake! I did score a goal within about 45 seconds of leaving the box, so maybe I just needed the rest.

Shhhhhh

Don't tell anyone, but I'm writing this while stealing someone else's wireless connection. Apparently they don't use a network key. Woohoo! The connection's not great. I can't really get the video, but I did catch the first four innings of the game at a local bar. Then I realized who was on the mound. Sitting through Ponson vs. Colon, it dawned on me that I might be there until about 6:00 tomorrow evening before the game ended, so I took off before dropping more cash.

Angels up 6-1. Two homers for Vlad. Let's hope that holds up.

Had to push back the cable/internet appointment to Monday because of a meeting at work that I couldn't get out of. I've never wanted to quit my job more than I do right now. We find out what our raises are going to be this month, so that could be the deciding factor.

Night #1 with no internet

The cable guy isn't coming until Wednesday morning. I was too lazy to a) call far enough ahead to get a better appointment date for the new apartment, and b) go to Starbucks last night before it closed, where I could have taken advantage of the Wi-Fi. Tonight will probably be more of the same, although I'll probably walk the 100 yards to a sports bar to watch the Angels, I'd imagine.

Anyway, I'm trying to avoid doing actual work, and Jen (who has a great blog if, like me, you spend a fair amount of time at bars, but are interested in seeing it from the bartender's perspective once in a while) asked for a comment on Raffy, so here goes.

I've never been a huge Palmeiro fan (well, except for Orlando Palmeiro, of course), but I've never been a big detractor of his either. He's always just kind of been there, playing for teams I've neither liked nor hated, except maybe when he was with the Rangers, and they always had more hateworthy guys back then. It was tough to focus on one guy when EVERYONE on that team could mash. Quite frankly, over the last year or so, before this news came out, I was a little surprised at the "will he or won't he" hall talk. His numbers, in a vacuum, are more than hall worthy, despite the lack or awards and post-season heroics. But now, I think he's out. Both for the stigma associated with steroids, and the increasingly likely possibility that he lied to Congress (assuming both that we are indeed talking about steroids, and that he didn't start juicing the day after his testimony). Which isn't to say that I wouldn't vote him in. I just don't think the writers will.

I've made my position pretty clear on Primer over the last couple of years, but in my book, if it's not illegal, and not against the rules of baseball, it's not cheating. Obviously, it is against the rules now (the legality is questionable based on facts not known), but it's pretty clear that without false positives or any such nonsense, Palmeiro was cheating this year. I feel a little cleaner knowing that I never took him off of my bench before trading him in my fantasy league. But now that I think about it, let's take a look at something. Here are Palmeiro's splits this year, April through July:

AB	H	2B	HR	AVG	OBP	SLG
77	19	3	1	247	298	325
86	26	4	6	302	412	558
93	25	3	5	269	317	462
87	26	2	6	299	379	529

So what do we learn from this? Well, nothing really. But I *did* learn how to make tables in HTML, so for that, I think this little bit was instructive. Also, we learned that he's a much better hitter than Darin Erstad, but I'm guessing most of us already knew that. I would note that over the last three years, he hasn't been a slow starter, so that April is out of line with what he's accomplished in the past. Maybe he started juicing after his Erstadian start to the season.

And by the way, how much schadenfreude (which, as I've learned from t-shirts, is a dish best served warm) is Ryne Sandberg feeling? I mean, the week just keeps getting better for him. First he gets inducted into the hall, then he finds out that the guy who was banging his wife 15 years ago gets busted for roids. If I'm Ryno, I'm heading down to the 7-11 to buy some lottery tickets.


And as a parting shot, the Onion really is scraping the bottom of the barrel for pictures these days, aren't they? I mean what's up with this guy? At least make it believable. If he's 28, I'm 15.

Moving done

Now I just need to unpack.

Looks like I picked a good weekend to not be able to watch the Angels. I appreciates Matt's optimism per his post on Rob's site, but man, I just don't think these guys have it. No killer instinct. Teams that win ham 'n egg it well. This team does the exact opposite of that. I have zero confidence in their ability to win consistently. It's the east coast trips that seem to kill them every year, and this week looked like the beginning of the end.

Met up with the Fatman and his lovely girlfriend this weekend for a few beers and some food. Thanks for coming out to flyover country.