Angels want a new mind-set against Red Sox -- latimes.com
"Success breeds confidence. It was important for us to play well as a team there, especially for some of the guys in this clubhouse who weren't sure." Matthews didn't name names; he didn't have to. Kendrick batted .118 with seven strikeouts and looked unsure of himself at times in the field in last year's division series.
Scioscia announces Game 1 lineup - OCRegister.com
And the Mathis-Mike Napoli debate will be a game-to-game decision, based more on defense than offense (as has been pointed out ad nauseum this season).
Red Sox-Angels Preview - FOX Sports on MSN
"Last year was last year," snapped a smiling Torii Hunter, the Angels' leader and most gregarious player. "I don't want to talk about last year. You can if you want, but I don't give a damn about last year."
Some predictions:
AL Division Series Experts' Picks - SI.com
34 MLB experts give picks for Red Sox-Angels - Sporting News
Twenty-four of our panelists like the Angels to beat the Red Sox and advance to the ALCS.
Why the Red Sox will beat the Angels - Hardball TImes
I feel confident that the Red Sox are the better team and should be headed to the ALCS.
And from our new friend at "Monkey With A Halo"
10 Reasons Why the Angels Will Beat the Red Sox (and 5 Why the Won’t) - Monkey With A Halo
The start of the ALDS is a little more than 24 hours away and the Angels and their fans are eager to learn their post-season fate. Here are ten reasons why the Angels should at long last defeat the Red Sox:
They're only playoff opinions . . . - Los Angeles Times
Time to make my pick: This is the best balanced Angels team of the Scioscia era, and it matches up great with everyone but the Red Sox, who might have an even deeper lineup and certainly have a better bullpen. Yes, the hex has to end some time. I just don't think this is the year. The Sox in four . . .
Philadelphia Phillies miffed over early playoff starts - SI.com
"Being the defending world champs, I think it's kind of a little weird that we get both games at 2:30," said pitcher Cole Hamels, who is Philadelphia's Game 2 starter against the Colorado Rockies. "I don't think it's fair. I definitely don't think it's fair for the fans because this is all about home-field advantage or just baseball in general.
Red Sox Versus Angels ALDS Preview : baseballmusings.com
Could these two offenses be more evenly matched? In one of his old Abstracts, Bill James wrote that if you have two players with the same OBP, take the one with the higher batting average. The reason is that hits do more damage than walks, and we that here. The two teams differ by just two points in OBP, but the Angels batting average is 15 points higher, and they outscored the Red Sox. But the write still takes the Sox.
ALDS: Red Sox-Angels, Keys to Series - Yahoo! Sports
Our experts break down this series and give you their predictions for the outcome.
This Just In: Angels beat Boston, Twins beat Yanks, in ALCS. - Bleacher Report
Isn’t that what predictions are based on, anyway? Stats mean nothing in the playoffs. It’s all momentum, gut feeling, confidence and curses - or the end of them. And this curse is over.
Five years after defecting from Cuba, Morales has arrived - USATODAY.com
After three years of bouncing between the majors and minors and five years after defecting from Cuba on his 12th attempt, Morales has arrived.
Wilson far from alone this postseason - angelsbaseball.com
"It feels like I'm in his spirit in a way," Wilson said. "It's like I'm not alone. It kind of feels like I'm playing with Nick in my heart. He's always going to be with me. It almost feels like we're a team, doing this together."
October 8 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 8.
1908 - The Chicago Cubs won the National League pennant when Mordecai Brown beat Christy Mathewson 4 - 2 in the playoff of the disputed game on September 23 when Fred Merkle failed to touch second base.
Born 1948 - Rick Stelmaszek, catcher (26 AB with the 1973 Angels...batted .154)
Top Ten plays of the year. I'm surprised Torii Hunter's home run robbing catch isn't one of these.
0 recs | 43 comments
STAY POSITIVE
chairmanofthebar - October 8, 2009
44FAN - October 8, 2009
My eyes! The goggles do NOTHING!!!!
red floyd - October 8, 2009
I hate the line, "It's a different year"
I have read it everywhere and it can easily be thrown back as, “It’s a different year but the same results” if we don’t win. It sucks, but whatever.
GO ANGELS! BEAT the Red Sox*
44FAN - October 8, 2009
Hate to be the negative guy
But hope a little reverse psychology works on these guys, a la Jeff Douchebag Miller—but I hope I’m not a douchebag! Sox in 3.
Clutch - October 8, 2009
You guys see that? Bobby Grich says Angels in 3.
Take that Fred Lynn. Now that’s loyalty!
(I know, I know. Lynn played for the Sox too. But I just thought that was awesome of Grich.)
Monkeyspanked - October 8, 2009
We also got Bucky "#%^*@$&" Dent
Haha
angelskid2210 - October 8, 2009 via mobile
Nice.
But you know he ain’t taking Boston. Hopefully one of our Angels gets to share that &^%$% nickname this year!
Monkeyspanked - October 8, 2009
That would be !@#$%&* Awesome!!!
angelskid2210 - October 8, 2009
Kinsler can stay the F off of our field.
Red Sux in 4, my ass.
red floyd - October 8, 2009
It's time to check the weather report in Hell...
Steve Phillips, ESPN analyst Angels in 5
red floyd - October 8, 2009
uh oh
halofan4life - October 8, 2009
Wow, Jeff Mathis starting game 1 while Napoli is told to go F himself.
Thanks a lot Soth. Red Sox in 3.
snowhor - October 8, 2009
Relax, Sosh is saving Naps for game 2 to smash Cry Baby Becky
Big Bad, 'Vlad'! - October 8, 2009
Agreed. Does Mike remember Napoli crushed in the LDS last year?
jimmuscomp - October 8, 2009
C'mon Halos
Win game 1 – the rest is downhill. Try not to suck!
gorams77 - October 8, 2009
One game at a time.
Lets play tonights game, and the rest of the series will take care of itself. Go Halos!!
halofolife - October 8, 2009
I am already so Pumped up for tonights game and first pitch is still over 8 hours away...
Ill be throwing whatever I can at every Red Sux fan around me at the game tonight…. GO HALOS!!!
trojanangelfan - October 8, 2009
Anybody got suggestions for dealing with the Chowds?
Going to game 2. I’ll be in 507, which if history is any guide, will (unfortunately) be ChowdahHead central.
red floyd - October 8, 2009
ask them if they can point out boston on a map
clover_black - October 8, 2009
Point out a black guy in the next section over
Then spill water/soda all over their seat when they go to harass him.
Gorbachav5 - October 8, 2009
Ask them who their favorite baseball team was before 2003
Quad Fin Rider - October 8, 2009
Really? It’s ESPN’s top plays. I would have been surprised if they had included an Angels play.
Torii had two catches at the wall that were better than the Josh Hamilton catch that they included. ESPN is lame.
foxpaw - October 8, 2009
don't give them any more traffic.
they feed on our dislike for them.
retrohalo - October 8, 2009
And Josh's catch is what caused his injury that kept him out of the last half of the season.
44FAN - October 8, 2009
Better than Granderson's too (#4)
Big Bad, 'Vlad'! - October 8, 2009
I need this win
I just had a horrible break up, and I feel absolutely crushed. I need a pick me up to let me know life doesnt suck at all times.
Go Angels, do it for my emo self!
PhiSlamma - October 8, 2009
Nobody puts baby in the corner...
Angels will get it this year.
SenorChuckles - October 8, 2009
I feel like there's a ton of pressure on the Angels right now...
- The history of the ALDS curse, hex, etc. whatever you want to call it.
- The fact that the “other” LA baseball team stole the local headlines this morning with a sollid game 1 win last night
- The East coast biased media who’s setting up this straw-man story about the BoSux being the underdog.
3rd Echelon - October 8, 2009
Forgot to add...
Despite that, I calling it for Angels in 4.
3rd Echelon - October 8, 2009
I'll call Angels in 5.
Barely, but if they can get into the BoSux pen, they’ll do OK.
Rachmaninoff - October 8, 2009
personally
i’d rather stay AWAY from their ‘pen, unless we’re up by 5 runs.
Bard, Wagner and Papelboner… that’s pretty nasty.
howiestheman - October 8, 2009
This game will be praised in Halo history.
Why worry? This will be another Halo Victory!
Big Bad, 'Vlad'! - October 8, 2009
Why worry?
It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Never ending flashbacks included. LOL
NJinHB - October 8, 2009
I just hope all this pressure for the Angels to win tonight doesn't get to them
3/4ths of this game is 90% mental.
RexTookMyStash - October 8, 2009
Sox take Byrd over Delcarmen for final pen spot
I thought that was interesting.
hk47 - October 8, 2009
anyone seen or posted the Angels final roster for the DS?
hk47 - October 8, 2009
3B Chone Figgins
RF Bobby Abreu
CF Torii Hunter
DH Vladimir Guerrero
LF Juan Rivera
1B Kendry Morales
2B Howie Kendrick
C Jeff Mathis
SS Erick Aybar
RexTookMyStash - October 8, 2009
well that's tonights lineup, not the whole roster of course
RexTookMyStash - October 8, 2009
Don Orsillo and Buck Martinez
calling the game tonight.
Orsillo is a Sox broadcaster, Martinez is an Orioles broadcaster.
Good night for RADIO
Quinlan's Goofy Swing - October 8, 2009
I miss Hud already :(
SenorChuckles - October 8, 2009
Does that make the Phyzz haters happy or not?
Higz - October 8, 2009
i'd take the Phyzzard over those 2
really, i’d take them over ANYTHING tbs throws out there, ESPECIALLY Chip Carey.
howiestheman - October 8, 2009
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Halos Heaven to post a comment.