What is going on?!?  Hanson finally pitched his booty off AND got run support, and the boys still couldn’t pull it out!  The depressing part is, when they were 5 runs ahead, many of us knew that was likely not going to be enough.   The Angels seem to have developed a chronic disorder where their defense and offense rarely fire on the same day. Look at this past weekend in Seattle— The Angles held Seattle to 5 runs the last 18 innings of that series; which is not terrible; they just did not have the run support in either of the last two games.  This is becoming a joke.

I hate complaining about my team.  I know none of those men want to be losing, or are trying to lose.  I always try to do my best to support my guys and find the silver lining, but it is becoming very frustrating.  I am thankful for the way Trumbo has stepped it back up, and Kendrick and Bourjos have been clutch for them; so we do have that.  Some of the guys newer to the lineup like Shuck and Jimenez have been fun to watch as well  (Boom—silver lining, pulled it out!).  The bottom line still is: there is no reason why the team as a whole should not be performing better than they are.  Especially with this payroll.

The winter is much longer when your team does not make playoffs.  I do not have it in me to sit through one more Angel-less October.  Please, boys, get it together!

The 13 inning and near five hour game was full of surprises, disappointments, and hope for a good season and a well-rounded team.  This was the first time in 40 years an American League team opened without a DH.  They kept some of their heavier bats, sat Bourjos, and moved on.

It is fair to say the Angels are seen as a very offense heavy team.  The offseason was full of commentary of the Angel’s intimidating lineup with Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton in the 1, 3, and 4 spots.  So it was shocking that collectively Trout, Pujols, and Hamilton in their 14 at bats only produced one single.

Meanwhile, their perceived mediocre bullpen– you know, the one that has led the AL in blown saves the past two years– went for seven scoreless innings giving up only one hit.  The unexpected continued to happen when their number 8 hitter and player that caught all 13 innings, protecting a 3 hitter with 7 different pitchers, carried the team offensively.  His solo shot in the third put the Angels on the scoreboard, and his two out, two run single in the 13^th brought in the winning runs.

Yes, our big bats were as cold as the weather in Cincinnati, but instead of being disappointed in our big dogs, let’s get excited at the dimension it looks like this team has.  The bullpen has been the Angels’ Achilles’ heel for a couple years now and they showed Monday they are able to perform.  Iannetta, again, the number 8 hitter, accounted for 33.3% of the hits in the #1 ranked lineup in the league.  If they keep this up and the big bats wake up at the same time it could be a fun ride.

I understand the rivalry, but there is no reason why Dodger Fans and Angel Fans need get all Hatfield and McCoys on each other about their teams.  Aside from when the Dodgers and Angels play each other, it makes more sense to support one another.  I know it sounds sacrilegious, but hear me out SoCal fans.*

Aside from when they play each other, the teams’ success or failure has no bearing on each other’s ranking.  If the Dodgers lose to Arizona, why do Angel fans feel happy the Dodgers lost?  That does not help or hurt the Angels’ record, so who cares?  If the Angels beat Texas, how does that hurt the Dodgers?  IT DOESN’T.  So why not support your neighbor?

Good West Coast baseball is in both our best interest.  Left Coast baseball is the stepchild of the league.  ESPN and MLB Network are very East Coast heavy with their stories and highlights.  With the World Series Champions in San Francisco, the A’s magical 2012 season, and the blockbuster deals the Angels and Dodgers did in the off-season, the West Coast is finally making storylines and bringing media attention to our market.  If the Dodgers and Angels are both successful this year, we are giving the rest of the nation something to stay up and watch.  A win for both sides.

Sibling rivalry is fun.  So, as pointed out, it is in both Angel and Dodger fans’ best interest to get some media attention to the West Side, so why not support one another?  Most people cheer for their friends and family until they are playing against them, can’t we do the same?

I am not telling Angel fans to go out and get a Matt Kemp jersey or anything, but we should show each other some support.  Think about it:  If there is a freeway World Series, you have a pick of any of the seven games and do not have to consider travel!  I know it is asking a lot to mend fences and try to get along.  Dodger fans: consider this the olive branch from an Angel fan.  And if we can’t get along and support one another, can we PLEASE agree to stop the bickering and enjoy the Freeway Series games without fear of fights?

*SoCal Fans refer to Angel and Dodger fans.  I used this generalization not to purposely exclude San Diego Fans; I am just not sure they are still fielding a major league team this year.  Ba-dum-bump!

The Angels signed closer Chad “The Chief” Cordero to a Minor League deal, giving him an opportunity to make a comeback with his home team.  The 30-year-old experienced enormous success early in his career with the Expos/Nationals organization.  He is among the youngest to reach 100 saves, and in 2005 shook the league up leading the league in saves with 47, and breaking the franchise record.  His performance that season earned him a spot on the National League All Star roster, the title of Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, Washington Nationals Player of the Year, and votes for both MVP and Cy Young Awards.  The impressive resume was cut short due to an arm injury in 2007, subsequently missing most of the 2008 season, moving teams, and eventually retiring from baseball in 2011.

One of the best lines in the Rocky movie series is: “It ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now if you know what you’re worth then go out and get what you’re worth.”

I think the Cheif may watch Rocky movies.  Cordero was hit hard with injury, and he had to stop.  He was also blessed with an incredible arm, and a strong support system.  Determined to get healthy, and he spent time in Japan with his old strength and conditioning coach.  His focus and hard work paid off, and was illustrated this past weekend when the talks from attendees of the Cal State Fullerton Alumni game were all asking, “Wow! Did you see the Chief throw???”  This was followed by Cordero’s announcement yesterday that the Angels are giving him a shot in their system.

Nothing is better than watching hard work pay off.  Chad Cordero has the work ethic and motivation of a guy you want on your team, and this Angel fan is happy to have him.  Welcome to the team, Chief!!!

Happy New Year!

As we all get back to work after the holidays, the ‘water cooler’ talk is likely to be: “What did you do over the holidays?”  Every wonder what the Angels organization does over holidays?  Many people do not realize how much they do for their community.

Their holiday season kicks off in Thanksgiving, when the Angels’ grounds crew holds their annual canned food drive for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.  2012 was the 11^th annual year Barney Lopas and his incredible groundskeeper team put on the event.  Donations of three cans or $2 dollars gives one swing against a pitching machine; two cans or $1 gives pitches in the bullpen, and a $25 donation gives fans 15 minutes of catching fly balls in the outfield.  In 2011, Bubba Harkins opened tours of the clubhouse for $10 donations with such success, it was offered again in 2012.

“It was so cool to see people set foot on a major league field for the first time,” said former groundskeeper Drake Gustafson.  “It was like doing double good because they were helping the food bank, but also fulfilling a dream to play in a major league park.  Everyone wins!”

This year they raised $25,000 and 5,000 pounds of food.  The Second Harvest Food Bank can feed three people for $1, so 75,000 needy people were fed with the money raised alone.

The Angels began a holiday tradition of helping local underprivileged children in the 1980’s.  This year, for the third year in a row, the Angels hosted their Children’s Holiday Party at ESPN Zone in Anaheim. Mike Scioscia, bullpen coach Steve Soliz, athletic trainer Rick Smith, along with some of the SoCal boys on the team: Mark Trumbo, C.J. Wilson, Hank Conger, and Ryan Madson attended the event  welcoming 200 underprivileged children and 40 chaperones.  They met the Angels and received autographs.  In addition to meeting the players, the children met Santa too!  They heard a Christmas story, received presents, Angels gear, played in the arcade, and had dinner.

“It’s everybody’s dream to play for their hometown team,” Wilson said. “But not only that, you get to donate time, money and love to your hometown community, and that’s even better.”

The deal leaves the door open for more player movement in the not too distant future.  The acquisition of Hamilton makes center fielder Peter Bourjos expendable.  Kendrys Morales is a free agent at the end of the year, and moving him now along with Bourjos to get another starter, or possibly a third baseman, makes sense. Twitterverse was alive with possible trade options.  Bourjos for R.A. Dickey.  Bourjos and Morales for Headley.  Lots of options.

It will be interesting to see if Trumbo moves to right or if Hamilton moves in there.  Trumbo seemed much more comfortable in left than in right last season, but it will all depend on where Hamilton prefers to play.  It will also depend on what else Jerry DiPoto has up his sleeve.

Let’s rewind to last spring for a second. The Greinke-less starting rotation was arguably one of the strongest in the league. I do not need to remind anyone how that worked out for any kind of October play…  So let’s dust ourselves off and look at what we have going on now.

As far as our starting rotation, we said good bye to Ervin Santana (and good riddance!) and Dan Haren. Let’s be honest with ourselves, Greinke is likely gone too. Our closer-ish Jordan Walden is out of our bullpen. Now the Angels add to the rotation Tommy Hanson from the Braves and Joe Blanton from the Dodgers. Added to the bullpen we have Sean Burnett from the Nationals and closer Ryan Madson from the Reds.

I could start rattling off and comparing ERA’s, strike outs, wins/losses, and every other pitching stat the Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, and MLB Network is analyzing and reporting, but it’s all over the internet.  I’ll let you do your own homework on that. Stats are good to know, but as we learned last year, they are not predictors of a season. The Angels looked like a shoo-in for play-offs on paper last spring, yet the “Bernie” dancing, face-pie-ing, $55 million payroll Oakland A’s took the Division Title!

With that in mind, here are my thoughts about the Angels as of now:

All of the Angels’ new pitching acquisitions came from the National League. With the Houston Astros coming to the AL West, interleague play is ongoing throughout the season, and every team is playing 20 interleague games in 2013. This brings the amount of interleague games to 300 league-wide, versus the past several years total of 252. Having a staff of National League pitchers when they are playing more games against National League teams is not going to hurt the Angels. Especially because the new format is not considered American League-friendly.

All of the movement in the off-season brings the Angels payroll to down to $142 million, compared to last season’s $159 million. Greinke’s price tag is projected around $150 million. Don’t get me wrong, I will not complain if the Angels finagle a way to keep Greinke, I just do not think it is worth breaking the bank over, especially considering the Angels have not had a great track record with huge signings recently.

So if I were GM of the Angels, what would my crazy-ass do this offseason? Well, besides fire Mike Butcher (which is its own blog in itself), I say we learn a little something from our northern neighbors in Oakland. Yes, the A’s are a division rival, but seriously, how hard was it to not love that team this year? Aside from accomplishing what they did with a team payroll less than the combined salaries of A-Rod, Jeter, and Rivera collecting Yankee paychecks from the bench this post-season; the A’s were fun! They always looked like they were having a great time. Team chemistry, as intangible as it is, goes a long way. Did you ever watch Mike Trout and Torii Hunter interact? They always seemed to have a great time, and they both had great seasons!

I am not going to sit here and say the Angels have the strongest pitching and the off season movement was genius, but I definitely do not think the Angels are in bad shape. At the risk of sounding like a total hippie, I think the solution is for them to like each other and have more fun. Maybe use some of the money saved in payroll to send them all off on a team bonding party vacation together or something. Maybe take a few million of it and sign free agent Brian Wilson for a year. That guy will bring fun into a clubhouse. Wait, didn’t his team just win the World Series? Ok, ok, obviously I don’t think the Giants’ success revolved around the injured Brian Wilson’s fun-ness, but talent aside, the 2012 Giants were another fun team.

Bottom line: The front office will do what the front office will do.  Angel fans, can we just stop freaking out over everything? Halfway into April everyone was already crying about Pujols’ lack of performance. If we aren’t having fun, how do we expect our team to? Even if the pitching stats look a hair above mediocre on paper, it doesn’t mean we can’t support our boys and have a great year.

“The Angels family is deeply saddened to hear of David’s passing,” the team said in a statement. “He was a gentle soul, a consummate professional and an unforgettable voice tied to several professional Southern California sports teams. Over the past 18 years, his love, dedication and passion for the Angels was evident every time his voice rang through the ballpark. Our thoughts and prayers go out to David’s family at this difficult time.”

The Angel Stadium lit up the Halo of the “Big A” in his honor today. This is the same way they honored Rory Markus as well as Nick Adenhart, both who left the Angel’s family too soon.

Angel fans will still eagerly flock to the park for the home opener this April. There will still be a buzz in the air with hope for a fresh new season. People will still get chills and a rumbling in their tummies during the national anthem and C-17 flyovers. The difference will be when “Introducing your 2013 Angels!!!” is not the voice of the man who makes the house of the home team feel like home. We will miss the man who aroused emotional highs and lows through 18 seasons, a World Series, and an All-Star Game. He can even be heard in the embarrassing “Angels in the Outfield!” David Courtney was the voice of thousands of ballpark memories. Though he will be missed, his voice will never be forgotten.

Zack Greinke goes for the must-win tonight against the Mariners. (Paul Rodriguez/Orange County Register)

The wild card race is crazier than ever in the American League, and the Angels’ sweep of the White Sox over the weekend has kept them in the thick of it.  The Angels were able to gain two games on the A’s this weekend, thanks to the Yankees (don’t have the opportunity to say that much, do we?) and the Rangers helped out by providing a .5-game with their win over the A’s last night.  And if you wanted more crazy, the Rangers could help the Angels with wins against the A’s the next three nights.  When do the Angels ever root for the Rangers?  Oh…right…never.  Except this week.

The Angels have to help themselves, though, by racking up some wins against the Mariners, and it’s all going to start with Zack Greinke tonight.  After an extremely slow start as an Angel, Greinke has been lights out his last six starts.  In that span, he has gone at least seven innings and given up no more than two runs in each start.  His ERA in the last 30 days is a paltry 1.69.

In Greinke’s last two starts, the offense and bullpen have failed him.  He went at least eight innings in each start and gave up only one earned run each game, yet walked away with a no-decision in each.  If the Angels want a shot at the post-season, they can’t afford to desert Greinke again tonight.  They need to come out firing on all cylinders against a young Mariners team that’s been somewhat of a thorn in their side this season.  Every game is a must-win at this point.  Tonight Greinke and the Angels need to find a way to do just that. Let’s light up that halo, boys!

Mike Trout robs a home run from Prince Fielder. (Chris Carlson/AP)

It was looking pretty good there for the Angels.  For a little while, anyway.  The offense perked up and was taking in-game batting practice off of every pitcher they faced.  The pitching staff regained their swagger.  Quality starts and strong relief work were adding up to wins.  Then the A’s got to town and it all went haywire again.

So now what?  The division title is all but out of reach, so the prize the Angels have their eye on is the wild card.  Getting there is going to be anything but easy.  The Rays and Tigers are nipping at their heels, while the A’s and Orioles keep on winning and extending their leads.  The worst part is that the Angels don’t have any games against any of these teams for the remainder of the season.

This means two things, Angel fans.  First, for the Angels, losing is not an option.  Every game is a must-win.  Second, they need help and lots of it.  In the final two weeks of the season, the A’s have seven games against the Rangers and three against the Yankees.  Did you ever think you’d find yourself actually rooting for Texas to win games at the end of the season?  Did you think you’d ever find yourself rooting for the Yankees under any circumstances?  That’s what we must do, my friends, as painful as it is.

We must also hope that the offense find it’s way back to the batter’s box.  That Trumbo’s boom stick starts hitting Trum-bombs again.  That Trouty can get on base by any means necessary, steal bags and score runs like only he can. Torii must continue to drive in runs.  Albert must be Albert.

We must hope that the pitching staff maintains its swagger.  That Frieri’s meltdown on Sunday was a fluke.  That the rotation keeps bringing it every night.  Trouty must keep robbing home runs, and Aybar and Callaspo must keep creating fodder for the highlight reels. We need rally caps and thunder sticks and rally monkeys to do their magic.

We need help from others.  We need mojo.  We need to win.  Let’s do this.