Veteran evaluator on Mike Trout: "If he's not the best player in the game by the end of this season, he will be by the end of next season." - @Buster_ESPN (Buster Olney)
Finally, a Sober Moment: This week I was locked away in a bunch of those vast, cavernous, convention halls loaded with too much air conditioning and too little control of the acoustics. Outside were tens of thousands of my fellow humans having the the times of their lives and doing things some will recall for the balance of their lifetime. Like the guy who sat next to me on the flight home last night. He dislocated his kneecap at about 1am Thursday but didn't go to the hospital until 10am. How did this happen? Playing beer pong. Why did he not go immediately? Two reasons. One, he was already well lubricated and pain wasn't a big issue at that moment (the contest was tied at two cups each, as he tells it). And, second, he was already well versed in the issue of knee dislocation as it had happened to him 6 years prior. Again, playing beer pong. True story. We humans really do love our sporting ventures.
By now you might have guessed that I must be talking about Las Vegas. Yes, I was there this week to be a small part of a highly paid forced audience for corporate executives who need a full house to hear their wisdom. I know that sounds harsh, but you are getting me at the tail end of 20 hours of listening delivered within the framework of 72 hours of human existence. I'm kinda raw. And I have less than 3 hours left to do this Friday Links Edition. In a few weeks I will have some distance and a chance to rehash all the info and be totally plugged back into my terrific company as we continue to accelerate away from our competition and change the world. It really is fun times.
But before I get back to why you all showed up to here this morning in the first place, let me give a shout out to maze88 her at HH for totally hooking me up with two great show seats in Vegas. 5 rows off the stage in the middle of the VIP section and, whaddaya know?, VIP's all around me!! Apparently, VIP seating really IS stadium style, as they kind of make up the seat assignment and write them down on little bits of paper. VIPs don't need no stinking tickets! So, of course, they get things a little screwed up and we all have to reshuffle on our own to get the parties back together. And VIPs, especially those who are patronizing the performance of their fellow celebs at other venues, do like to party. But it's a great conversation starter. I didn't even need the show, I was having such a good time. Ok, enough about me. At least now you understand why the following might be a little disjointed at times. Here we go:
Angels Defeat Mariners in Opener 3-0: So last night was kinda cool, what? The Dan Haren you were all raving about in the off season made an appearance, striking out 14 and yielding but 4 hits (see below in the Weekend Series section for concern of an epic rate of K's this series). And the Albert Pujols everybody on Planet Baseball was raving about for the past 10 years made his appearance. Pujols crossed the 450 HR mark as the 4th youngest in history. Assuming, of course, all biological paperwork is in order...blah...blah...blah. (OT interjection: I coached youth soccer here in SoCal for years and I can state with absolute empirical certainty that cert scamming for youth athletes in Latin America is as Latin American as burritos. Or Miss Venezuela.)
Halo History Moment: It seems to have been overlooked this past week around here, but Monday was the 20th anniversary of the team bus crash that injured 12 and sent Skipper Buck Rodgers to the bench for the bulk of the season. So I was doing some Googlelodian investimagation to research and write about this a little bit (I didn't know that Chuck Finley was a hero that day!) and I stumbled across this article on Slate and got all distracted. And that Attention Deficit moment has now taken it's toll on you, as I am not going to write about the bus crash anymore, but spend the next few minutes swimming in the sweet, sweet juices of vengeance upon both Slate and Mike Penner of the LA Times. Both of those spent considerable time going out of their way, in October of 2002 and the eve of the World Series, to bash the crap out of our franchise. Nice timing boys, or...uh...girls, or...boys...
How Many Outfielders Can We Legally Play At The Same Time?: Travis Witherspoon hit for the cycle last night. Down in A ball, for sure. But damned if it isn't nice to forecast logjams resulting from our own farm system. I have been following this team since 1966 and I can tell you all that this is really uncharted territory for me here. So what creative skippering might be possible if, down the road, we could field three of the fastest players in all of baseball and one of the most prodigious power hitters, all in the same outfield? Weaver proved he can hit, so maybe we DH for the catcher? Or how about we play only 3 infielders? [Editor's note to those not yet initiated into The Spirit Of Stirrups: if you find yourself really itching to dash off and post a comment correcting me about the rules of the game, that's a sign you need to surrender your Internet passport for the balance of the day. Don't go messing with what's been a really great week so far. Just let it go. Or, instead, study every word on this page.]
Mike Trout Mini-Panic Moment: The Gupper ("Trout", "guppy", "Gipper", get it?) is slowing down of late, going 2 for 17 and shaving 35 points off his BA in his past 4 games. He can probably thank Albert Pujols for going 6 for 16 with 2 homers and 4 RBIs in that same span, to provide air cover. Trout and Pujols getting on the same page would be awesome, but that probably is just my opinion.
Memorial Day Preview: MLB released their new Memorial Day cap looks for 2012 and they are going with camo logos. Understated, but (I think) quite nice. Here is ours:
via mlb.imageg.net
AS USUAL, EVEN MORE STUFF AFTER THE BREAK...
Ex-Angel Chad Curtis volunteered as a physical trainer at a local high school because he cared about the community. Suddenly all these teenage girls made up accusations about him touching them.. uh... there. And probably there too. Would a clubhouse cancer and red-ass snot like Chad the Bad really be a creep in real life? The cops in Barry County sez Yes Indeed and set bail at $250,000.
Dan Haren's back felt better, apparently, because tonight it looked like Dan Haren's back...in 2011 form, that is. Or perhaps that is premature. But he needed a victory like this, to say the least. Oh, and that Albert Pujols fellow squared up a few balls nicely, hit one out of the park. You know, just a great game to watch, basically. Ho hum.
I'm sorry, what I meant to say was:
Bob turns 71 today. He is about a year older than Jim Fregosi.
Just watch the damn video and understand it was made in prehistory but the lyrics reference partying a little too hard with one of the Angels (probably Bo Belinsky) who had just flown east to start a road trip from LA.
Don't look now, but the Angels have won two in-a-row! Celebrate with some links:
Final Score in Oakland: Angels 3, Athletics 1 in 11 innings
Alberto Callaspo had a clutch 2 RBI double with two outs in the 11th inning to "break open" a 1-1 tie. This qualifies as an offensive juggernaut for the Angels these days, two runs scoring on a swing of the bat being as foreign to Anaheim as Yosemite Sam hunting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.
Jered Weaver pitched an excellent 8 innings of 1-run baseball, allowing 3 hits, only striking out 4 and walking 2 on a day the plate was fat for Oakland. But it skinnied up by the time Ernesto Frieri took the mound with a two-run lead. The newly-acquired reliever struck out the side for his first save as an Angel.
Recent AAA callup Kole Calhoun was 1 for 4 in his first start in the big leagues. Angels manager Mike Scioscia has been quoted as assuming that Torii Hunter will rejoin the team after the current road trip concludes this Sunday. Hunter is on the restricted list dealing with a family issue as the Halos premiere their 2013 team for a trial run, now 4-4 since the dismissal of longtime batting coach Mickey Hatcher.
The Angels won the series 2-1 from the A's, gain a game on the Rangers and head to Seattle for a four game set under the roof at SafeCo.
