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.