AngelsWin.com

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer -   

The Angels season ended over a month ago. The last pitch of the World Series has already been thrown. And yet, one of the most significant series for the 2013 was about to begin.

Saturday, November 2nd, 2013 was a gorgeous day in Orange County-the kind of day that makes the rest of the country jealous. It was in the low 80s, sunny, clear, with a light breeze. It was the perfect day for baseball.

I went to Angels stadium to attend the 8th Annual Orange County Little League® Challenger Classic. Over 900 children with physical and mental disabilities from 30 Challenger Division Little League teams throughout Orange County were given the opportunity of a lifetime: to play a game on the field at Angels Stadium. Developed as a partnership between The Angels Baseball Foundation and the Bank of America, I was in for a day of smiles.

See for yourself in my slideshow of pictures below.   
 
To be honest, this was the first time I had heard of this game. Although I have a nephew with special needs, he is not yet old enough to play baseball. And, he lives in the Valley, a distance away from Angels Stadium.

From the moment I arrived at the stadium, the excitement was palpable. The sheer joy and excitement was everywhere. Smiles were everywhere. Players told me that they slept in their uniforms so that they would be fully prepared for the day's events.

As I watched the players come onto the field, cheered on by local area cheerleaders, I wanted to find out how such an incredible opportunity came into being. I spoke with Dr. Darrell Burnett, a local area sports psychologist to find out more about how this event came into being. Like many great events, it was an accidental encounter between people wanting to do good for the community.

Click below to listen to an interview with Dr. Darrell Burnett.  
 
I also spoke with Mark Merhab, the Chairman of the Angels Foundation to find out more about how the Angels, under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Moreno, have supported charities in and around Orange County. I was surprised to learn that in the past decade, the Morenos have donated over $3 million dollars through their foundation to over 400 charities and groups! That's a lot of good work in our community!

Click below to listen to my interview with Mark Merhab.    
Due to the overwhelming number of players and teams, the day was divided into 4 sessions starting every 2 hours throughout the day. Each session got the opportunity to come onto the field through a crowd of cheerleaders and Bank of America volunteers, stretch, sing the National Anthem and recite the Little League® Pledge. Players were all smiles.

And then they got to play. But, they didn't get to play by themselves. Every session had current and former Angels players who came out to join in the fun. These included current Angels Jerome Williams and Steve Soliz and former Angels Jim Abbott, Bobby Grich, Clyde Wright, and Justin Speier.

Click below to watch my interview with Jim Abbott.    
Click below to watch my interview with Chuck Finley.
 
 
Click below to watch my interview with Justin Speier.

 
Click below to watch my interview with Jerome Williams.
 
 
Click below to watch my interview with Clyde Wright.
 
 
Talking with all of them, it was clear that they got more out of the event than they gave. Never had I seen an Angels pitcher smile so much as he gave up hit after hit (and even a few home runs that went over the fence)!

This event could not have occurred without all the hard work from over 350 Bank of America volunteers and Little League® Buddies who came out to support the players and the game of baseball. However, all baseball fans are welcome and can attend the event to cheer on the players. I guarantee if you do come next year, you will leave with a smile that will last all day.

As we head into the holiday season, and think about how we can help those in our community, there are many ways to support those in need. Baseball is a great way to connect with the community. AngelsWin.com has proudly supported the Orange County Miracle League and has supported many of our own members in tough times. That's part of our commitment to the #AngelsFamily.

Remember, you can also support many worthwhile causes through the Angels Baseball Foundation to share your love of baseball with those who need it most in Southern California. So, while shopping for that special Angels fan this holiday season, consider buying him/her an Angels brick and know that your gift will not only put a smile on his/her face, but on the faces of many through the Angels Foundation.

By Robert Cunningham, AngelsWin.com Contributor -    Disclaimer: This trade discussion is purely speculative in nature and presents an unlikely example of how the Angels can improve their roster for 2014. FanGraphs WAR stat is used to help evaluate player value, but it is merely a useful guide for this analysis. This article is meant to entertain and generate discussion!   Teams Involved:   Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Philadelphia Phillies Toronto Blue Jays   Team Needs:   Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim –   The Angels need pitching for both the rotation and bullpen. Additionally a possible upgrade at third base would be desirable. Team budget is a concern (even if Arte Moreno breaks the luxury tax threshold) so any trade would need to keep the team payroll relatively neutral. Improving their overall farm system is a secondary goal.   Philadelphia Phillies –   The Phillies need to fill one hole in the back-end of their rotation and bullpen. Additionally they have stated a need for a power-hitting corner outfielder who can hit left-handed pitching. Also their catching situation is up in the air and finding the right tandem for primary and back up duty is a priority. Improving the lower levels of their farm system is a secondary goal.   Toronto Blue Jays –   The Jays have made it clear they need to find an upgrade at second base. Also they have stated a desire to acquire a right-handed hitting backup catcher against left-handed pitching. Adding some inexpensive bullpen help could allow them to safely move one or more of their current relievers in trade. The Jays farm system is relatively strong and is a potential asset source.   Players Involved:      
  ‘Adjusted Value Out’ takes the average WAR of a player, over the last three years, and makes minor adjustments for age (decline), scarcity (projected high WAR season), and whether they project to receive a Qualifying Offer.   Please note that prospects are, by nature, inherently cheaper in value. Top prospects, of course, are more valuable than ‘organizational depth’ type prospects and Minor League experience level is also reflected in their value.   Example: The Rangers traded Mike Olt (#57 on MLB 2013 Top 100), Justin Grimm, C.J. Edwards, and Neil Ramirez for essentially $5.1 million (1.1 WAR for 2nd half of 2013) and a half-year of Matt Garza. Although it was a deadline overpay for one mid-level star and three organizational players, it illustrates the point.   This prospect evaluation is reflected in the ‘Adjusted Value Out’ column in the chart above. Those players under contract that are likely eligible for a Qualifying Offer at contract end, which would net the controlling team a compensatory draft pick, adds additional dollars to their ‘Adjusted Value Out’ total.   Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim –   The Angels are coming off a disappointing season and know that in order to compete they need to acquire young, controllable pitching and one of the only ways to accomplish that is through trade of some of their position players.   One of those players is Howie Kendrick. Since early June there has been increasing chatter that Kendrick and the remaining two team-friendly years on his contract could be moved. It is also likely that Howie, at the end of his contract when he enters free agency, will receive a Qualifying Offer which would net a draft pick, increasing his value.   Mark Trumbo is also a player that the Angels might consider parting with in trade. Several teams are looking for a corner outfielder/first baseman and the Angels don’t really have a clear starting position for him in 2014. Trumbo is also likely to receive a Qualifying Offer before hitting free agency, netting a draft pick for the controlling team.   Tommy Hanson might be a possible non-tender for the Angels. It is a borderline call but as a pitcher in the back-end of the rotation, his measly projected $3.9 million arbitration salary is reasonable, especially in this scarce pitcher market. Hanson would essentially be a one-year rental with possible upside.   Chris Iannetta also has two years remaining on his team-friendly contract. His positive value would allow the Angels to move him in trade and then sign a catcher who can hit left-handed pitching to backup Hank Conger, who would receive the lion’s share of starts in 2014.   Philadelphia Phillies –   The Phillies are also coming off a disappointing season and have needs in their rotation, bullpen, and the outfield. They too would like to acquire another young, controllable starter and a trade, especially if it involves moving one of their big contracts, would be desirable from a payroll point of view.   Cliff Lee has been the subject of trade talk for a while now and he is owed a tremendous amount of money over the remainder of his two year, plus one option year, contract. Despite his increasing age he has been very productive and the short contract length would be attractive to the right teams.   Note: For the purposes of this analysis Lee’s value is based on the idea that his option year would not be picked up and his buyout paid. Even if the option were picked up it would make minimal difference in this analysis.   Third base prospect Maikel Franco (AA) had a terrific offensive year in the Minors this season. His defense is fringe-average but he has decent hands and a sturdy arm. The Phillies already have Cody Asche, another third base prospect, up on the big league team who looks like he will start in 2014, making Franco expendable in the right move.   Finally the Phillies can afford to part with left-handed reliever Jake Diekman (AAA/Majors) and left-handed starter Austin Wright (AA) as they have other near-MLB ready starters (Biddle, Martin, and Pettibone) and relievers like Luis Lopez as depth for Bastardo and Horst.   Toronto Blue Jays –   Just like the Angels and Phillies, the Blue Jays are also coming off a disappointing season where they were expected to contend. Questions surround their rotation, second base, and at the backup catcher position behind Josh Thole.   Although the Blue Jays would be okay with retaining Casey Janssen, their 2013 closer, he could also be moved in trade to fill some roster holes. Janssen could be a one year rental for an acquiring team or a possible extension candidate.   Also J.P. Arencibia is a potential non-tender candidate for the Jays as their front office feels that left-handed hitting Josh Thole is their 2014 starting catcher. If the Jays could trade him and his projected $2.8 million salary it would be a plus as he is a borderline non-tender candidate.   Additionally the Jays have two of their top young starting pitching prospects, right-handers Aaron Sanchez (A) and Marcus Stroman (AA) that could eventually slot into the front end of a pitching staff. Since the Jays already have Jeremy Jeffress and Sean Nolin on their 40-man, these two are expendable in the right trade.   Finally the Blue Jays are able to part with right-handed relievers Joel Carreno (AAA) and Wil Browning (A+) who are young, cost-controlled bullpen pieces that are expendable.   The Trade:
    How Does This Improve Each Team?   Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim –   The Angels, by moving Kendrick, Trumbo, Iannetta, and Hanson, move a lot of salary off of the books to make room for the acquisition of Cliff Lee, a clear front of the rotation starter. Essentially the Halos trade four controllable, MLB players in exchange for one controllable MLB player, one rental MLB player and five prospects.   The net result of this trade, for the 2014 season, is an addition of $4,175,000 in team payroll and this doesn’t consider the fact that the Phillies will have to kick in some salary relief (about $5 million in 2014 and $8.5 million in 2015) to help balance out the trade making this a net gain in salary of zero for 2014.   If the Angels re-signed Jason Vargas, it would give them a starting five rotation of Cliff Lee, Jered Weaver, C.J. Wilson, Garrett Richards, and Jason Vargas, which would be a significant improvement over 2013.   In addition to Lee the Angels acquire a young, offensive minded third base prospect in Franco who could compete for a starting position in Spring Training and at the minimum would provide some quality depth at the position.   Additionally the back-end of our bullpen would be instantly upgraded with the addition of Janssen. Also the acquisition of Carreno and Browning creates additional, quality depth in the Minors with Carreno being the first called up in the event of an injury.   Finally adding Marcus Stroman and Austin Wright (both currently in AA) provides starting rotation depth which we badly need. If a starter is injured one of these two could get the call and fill in the gap.   Philadelphia Phillies –   The Phillies trade away two controllable MLB players, cash, and two prospects in exchange for one controllable MLB player, two probable one-year rental MLB players, a top pitching prospect, and some salary relief.   Losing Cliff Lee creates a bit of addition by subtraction for the Phillies mainly through payroll relief. Although they now have to fill a hole in the front of their rotation they have more cash to focus on a starting pitcher trade and their primary catcher position.   Mark Trumbo adds the right-handed, corner, outfield bat the Phillies need and Arencibia gives them a stop-gap backup catcher for 2014 with some slight upside. Hanson gives them a 5th starter for their rotation and if he performs well back in the National League he could be a trade chip or extension candidate.   Although the Phillies would technically have about $12,250,000 available for 2014 they have to provide some salary relief for Cliff Lee. Assuming they send over the $5 million, mentioned above, it leaves them with a little over $8 million (for 2014) on top of the available payroll space (about $38 million) they currently have to acquire a starting pitcher, catcher, and set up reliever.   If the Phillies were to sign Masahiro Tanaka, for instance, it would give them a starting five man rotation of Cole Hamels, Masahiro Tanaka, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Kyle Kendrick, and Tommy Hanson, which is not too shabby.   The remaining payroll could be used to acquire a left-hand hitting catcher such as Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Brian McCann to handle the main catching duties and a right-handed relief pitcher for their bullpen.   Finally the Phillies acquire the type of young prospect that they wanted in any trade for Cliff Lee in the form of right-handed pitcher Aaron Sanchez who can be a future front end starter for them in 2-4 years. Alternatively, the Phillies could flip Aaron Sanchez (or Jesse Biddle) to the Rays as the centerpiece of a David Price trade. In fact they could forego Hanson and try to target both Tanaka and Price!   Toronto Blue Jays –   The Blue Jays end up using their farm system to acquire some of the pieces they need to contend in 2014, especially in light of the major upgrade moves they made prior to 2013. Toronto gives up two one-year MLB rental players, some cash, and four prospects in exchange for three controllable MLB players.   Acquiring Howie Kendrick impacts their middle infield tremendously and he is an offensive-minded hitter in a hitter-friendly ballpark. The potential compensatory pick has additional value for the Jays.   Chris Iannetta would become the backup catcher to Josh Thole, creating a nice catching platoon for the Blue Jays. Chris has a reasonably priced, two-year contract which is a good fit for the Blue Jays current window of contention.   Jake Diekman gives Toronto a pretty good left-handed back-end bullpen guy who is more of a groundball pitcher in a homer-friendly ballpark which is a plus.   The Blue Jays end up taking on a little over $8 million in salary for the 2014 season which is a reasonable increase for their team payroll. They will have to kick in about $3.3 million to the Angels as well (probably paying most of Janssen’s salary) to help balance out the total trade. It still gives them room to target a starting pitcher in trade.   Conclusion:   Although this was a fun thought exercise it does show what some extreme creativity can do to improve a team.   Most trades are done on a much smaller scale to add one or two pieces at a time but once in a while you get a monster trade that can completely reshape a team’s outlook (Pre-2013 Blue Jays) or season (2013 Dodgers and Red Sox!).   This trade would rely on the willingness of the Phillies to move Cliff Lee and his massive salary and the Blue Jays to give up two of their top pitching prospects. However both teams intend to compete next season, especially the Jays, so there is a motivation factor on all sides that could make this a possible reality.

They already have a name for their daughter.
Cera.

DR is feeling a little rough tonight, so I thought I'd come here and throw my pasta against the wall.
 
This time last year, I was carrying my wife around and tending to her every need...feeding her, lifting her, reading to her, and so on.  It was all a pleasure. 
 
Her eyes would get heavier with each day and the deep well that held her will to fight cancer was finally reaching bottom. 
 
On Monday, I will recognize the one year anniversary of her passing.  And it's sucking right now.
 
Just before she was originally diagnosed with brain cancer, she purchased a shiny red beach cruiser.  It had a white basket on the front and she would ride along side me and we'd ring our bells and laugh.
 
She wanted one of those little license plates attached with her name on it.  It was hard to get it to fit given the shape of the seat, but I found a way to make it work.  Her license plate is still on the bike, of course.
 
This summer, my twin teenage nieces borrowed the bike while they were in town.  Before I lent it out, I told them how important the bike is to me and it had better not get stolen.  They treated it very well and the bike remained at my mom's house, where they stayed this summer.
 
A few days ago, mom mentioned the bike was getting in her way and maybe I could render it back home.  I went down to her house and carefully lifted my wife's bike in the trunk and drove it home.  When I unloaded it in front of our house I started breaking down.  Thankfully, none of the neighbors were around. 
 
The bike without my wife next on it made me think of a fly-over with the missing man formation.  Or when there's a funeral for a fallen cop or firefighter, their boots or shoes empty in memory.
 
The last time my wife was on that bike was in the same spot I unloaded it.  It was the 4th of July, 2012.  I thought she could handle a bike ride and figured the air would be good for her.  We got out of the driveway and she fell off the bike.  A neighbor came from across the street asking if we needed help.  She couldn't stand up.  Her brain was defying her arms and legs.  I lifted her and she was heavy as stone.  It was the first time I had to lift her and I could feel the difference in helping someone up, and lifting someone up.  My wife looked at me confused, as if to say, "What's wrong with me?"
 
I slowely peddaled the bike into the garage.  Once inside the house, I paced from room-to-room, talking out loud.  Cursing the day, cursing cancer and telling me wife it was bullshit what she had to go through.  I threw down half a xanax.  I could've taken 10.
 
But the show must go on. 
 
I didn't tell Date Chick any of this, not that she wouldn't understand.  It just wouldn't be fair or right.  What the hell is she supposed to say?  I've mentioned some of the tribulations before, and she was great about it.  She feels terrible.  She says the stuff I hope she would say, but I only realize that after she says it.
 
She's hanging out with me tomorrow.  She is coming over to work from her laptop in the morning.  And she asked me to dinner at some restaurant in Laguna.  Date Chick knows that this weekend and Monday, especially will suck for me, and I think she's trying to keep me busy.  I think that's pretty great.
 
I'm picking up my mom from the airport tomorrow.  She re-married about 10 years ago to a man I call 'My New Dad.'  He's a very interesting man and I've explained him here before.  Since they got re-married later in life, neither wants to move from their respective homes.  So, they fly back and forth, to and fro northern and sourthern California to spend time with each other.  They usually have about 10 days off.  They'll be married forever.
 
My New Dad is coming in to town Monday to pay his respects to my wife.  She was the daughter he never had.  I don't know what we're going to do, but I think he just wants to be near the ocean where I put her ashes.  I'm getting sad just thinking about it.
 
Sunday will pretty well suck, too.  My wife's family is headed down to my mom's where we'll remember my wife and walk out to the ocean and toss some flowers.  I always gave my wife white flowers.  Stargazer lillies were her favorites.  When it was her birthday this year, I picked white roses from our garden and put them in the ocean by myself.
 
I will probably mix the two this weekend. 
 
I've told Date Chick I'll be busy Sunday and Monday and she gets it.  Damn, is it nice to not have to try and balance all that.
 
On my iTunes, I have the Genesis song "Follow You Follow Me."  When she was away this weekend, I texted Date Chick, writing that I was listening to the song via my Apple TV.  She texted that she loves the song and that it makes her think of me.  And the words make her cry.
 
I just heard it a few minutes ago, and it made me happy and sad all at once.  It makes me think of Date Chick and my wife.  Music has that power, don't it? 
 
I came upon a blog today where this dude captures his wife's ordeal as she battled breast cancer.  It's eerily similar to what my wife went through.  As a photographer, his way of dealing with the situation included taking lots of photos of his wife's awful journey.  Not only that, but he wrote about it in his blog, in a much better and concise style than I could.  Or maybe we just have a little different route in getting there.  Either way, it's worth a look.
http://mywifesfightwithbreastcancer.com/
 
Ya know, I really didn't need this week to get heavier, but as ever, it's part of the process. 
 
On this forum, I love that we can get along or fight just as fervently.  But when you step away from your computer or phone and go beyond your driveway, remember that whoever you're pissed at might be going through something crappy and that whatever their offense is, it's tiny in comparison to what can really piss you off.  DR's thought for the night. 
  

I'm giving myself a 100% discount on my 2014 seats. A big thanks goes out to Pujols and Hamilton for helping me choose my new seats for next season which are located 25' away from my refrigerator. Free Parking included.

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist
Stevie Wonder said it best way back in 1972: “very superstitious, the devil’s on his way.”  Now unlike Stevie I’m not superstitious, but you don’t have to believe in superstition to think that maybe the Angels are a bit snake-bitten.  Sure, there’s 2002 but other than that, this team has had a handful of playoff appearances and lately appears to be settling comfortably into mediocrity.  Why is that?  What happened to the team from the first decade of the 2000s, that year-after-year had playoff and World Series aspirations and actually at least made it to the postseason?  Since the joy of sweeping Boston out of the playoffs in 2009 this team has been a limp noodle.  There has to be a reason for this.  I don’t believe in coincidence so I had to further research this to determine what went wrong, and how it can be corrected.
What I found shocked me.  OK, not really.  I didn't really do any research and I’m just confirming what I thought all along was the problem, at least for the last two years.  
This damn t-shirt (and its more foul-mouthed variant):
 
Yes, I know, it defies the logic of the space-time continuum to place the blame for the 2010 and 2011 seasons on a t-shirt that came out before the 2012 season, but karma is retroactive and not subject to the laws of physics.  Or rationality.  What I do know is that the first time I saw this shirt, while I chuckled at it I also got what a friend calls “that hinkey feeling” running up and down my spine.  Yeah, it felt great (at the time) to sign one of the best hitters in the game, even though the end of the contract was gonna feel worse than eating a dozen egg-salad sandwiches from your local AM-PM.  We were gonna at least get 3-4 good years out of Pujols, right?  Those would make it worth it!
And then April of 2012 happened, and Pujols had one more HR than Reggie Willits.  Meh.  And then the rest of 2012 happened, and then Arte Moreno totally forgot history and signed Josh Hamilton, who like Pujols had a memorable first few months with his new team, but for the wrong reasons (also like Pujols).  Fortunately, after the Angels signed Hamilton, AngelsWin.com didn't make any t-shirts once again mocking the Rangers, or else the team might have finished in last place.  We sorta learned our lesson, and if there’s one thing we do well on this website it’s not learning a damn thing sorta learning our lessons.
However, sorta learning our lessons isn't enough, as the 2013 season illustrated.  We have to do more.  We have to almost learn our lessons, or actually learn them.  I think the lesson we need to learn here, to set the team free, is some genuine humility and regret.  Keep in mind that forced humility, like a forced apology, is not genuine.  There needs to be something more.  Fortunately, I know what is needed.
Monday, December 9, 2013 will be the day we once again set this day free.  That day is the official “Day of Burning the “Forget Yu!” T-Shirts” day.  For this to work everybody needs to participate.  Everybody meaning “everybody who bought one of those shirts.”  On Monday, December 9 all shirt owners will take their shirt to a location of their choosing, douse it in some flammable liquid, and set it afire.  As the shirts burn so will the accumulated bad karma for them.  These shirts are our Ruth trade, our billy goat, our new 1986.  We need to be rid of them to be free.  So I’m asking all of you Shirters to make that sacrifice.  Come on, you know you haven’t worn the damn thing since spring training of ’12.  I don’t care if you’re using it to wash your car, or clean up after the dog hurls.  It needs to burn.  If you’ve already thrown away or donated or otherwise banished the shirt, you still need to participate with a symbolic gesture – print a copy of the picture of it, and burn the copy.  That’s how the rest of us can also participate.  We need to do this as a group, but it is crucial for the Shirters to burn these foul cloths.  
December 9 – never forget.  Let’s do what we have to, to put this day behind us.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist
Stevie Wonder said it best way back in 1972: “very superstitious, the devil’s on his way.”  Now unlike Stevie I’m not superstitious, but you don’t have to believe in superstition to think that maybe the Angels are a bit snake-bitten.  Sure, there’s 2002 but other than that, this team has had a handful of playoff appearances and lately appears to be settling comfortably into mediocrity.  Why is that?  What happened to the team from the first decade of the 2000s, that year-after-year had playoff and World Series aspirations and actually at least made it to the postseason?  Since the joy of sweeping Boston out of the playoffs in 2009 this team has been a limp noodle.  There has to be a reason for this.  I don’t believe in coincidence so I had to further research this to determine what went wrong, and how it can be corrected.
What I found shocked me.  OK, not really.  I didn't really do any research and I’m just confirming what I thought all along was the problem, at least for the last two years.  
This damn t-shirt (and its more foul-mouthed variant):
 
Yes, I know, it defies the logic of the space-time continuum to place the blame for the 2010 and 2011 seasons on a t-shirt that came out before the 2012 season, but karma is retroactive and not subject to the laws of physics.  Or rationality.  What I do know is that the first time I saw this shirt, while I chuckled at it I also got what a friend calls “that hinkey feeling” running up and down my spine.  Yeah, it felt great (at the time) to sign one of the best hitters in the game, even though the end of the contract was gonna feel worse than eating a dozen egg-salad sandwiches from your local AM-PM.  We were gonna at least get 3-4 good years out of Pujols, right?  Those would make it worth it!
And then April of 2012 happened, and Pujols had one more HR than Reggie Willits.  Meh.  And then the rest of 2012 happened, and then Arte Moreno totally forgot history and signed Josh Hamilton, who like Pujols had a memorable first few months with his new team, but for the wrong reasons (also like Pujols).  Fortunately, after the Angels signed Hamilton, AngelsWin.com didn't make any t-shirts once again mocking the Rangers, or else the team might have finished in last place.  We sorta learned our lesson, and if there’s one thing we do well on this website it’s not learning a damn thing sorta learning our lessons.
However, sorta learning our lessons isn't enough, as the 2013 season illustrated.  We have to do more.  We have to almost learn our lessons, or actually learn them.  I think the lesson we need to learn here, to set the team free, is some genuine humility and regret.  Keep in mind that forced humility, like a forced apology, is not genuine.  There needs to be something more.  Fortunately, I know what is needed.
Monday, December 9, 2013 will be the day we once again set this day free.  That day is the official “Day of Burning the “Forget Yu!” T-Shirts” day.  For this to work everybody needs to participate.  Everybody meaning “everybody who bought one of those shirts.”  On Monday, December 9 all shirt owners will take their shirt to a location of their choosing, douse it in some flammable liquid, and set it afire.  As the shirts burn so will the accumulated bad karma for them.  These shirts are our Ruth trade, our billy goat, our new 1986.  We need to be rid of them to be free.  So I’m asking all of you Shirters to make that sacrifice.  Come on, you know you haven’t worn the damn thing since spring training of ’12.  I don’t care if you’re using it to wash your car, or clean up after the dog hurls.  It needs to burn.  If you’ve already thrown away or donated or otherwise banished the shirt, you still need to participate with a symbolic gesture – print a copy of the picture of it, and burn the copy.  That’s how the rest of us can also participate.  We need to do this as a group, but it is crucial for the Shirters to burn these foul cloths.  
December 9 – never forget.  Let’s do what we have to, to put this day behind us.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist
Stevie Wonder said it best way back in 1972: “very superstitious, the devil’s on his way.”  Now unlike Stevie I’m not superstitious, but you don’t have to believe in superstition to think that maybe the Angels are a bit snake-bitten.  Sure, there’s 2002 but other than that, this team has had a handful of playoff appearances and lately appears to be settling comfortably into mediocrity.  Why is that?  What happened to the team from the first decade of the 2000s, that year-after-year had playoff and World Series aspirations and actually at least made it to the postseason?  Since the joy of sweeping Boston out of the playoffs in 2009 this team has been a limp noodle.  There has to be a reason for this.  I don’t believe in coincidence so I had to further research this to determine what went wrong, and how it can be corrected.
What I found shocked me.  OK, not really.  I didn't really do any research and I’m just confirming what I thought all along was the problem, at least for the last two years.  
This damn t-shirt (and its more foul-mouthed variant):
 
Yes, I know, it defies the logic of the space-time continuum to place the blame for the 2010 and 2011 seasons on a t-shirt that came out before the 2012 season, but karma is retroactive and not subject to the laws of physics.  Or rationality.  What I do know is that the first time I saw this shirt, while I chuckled at it I also got what a friend calls “that hinkey feeling” running up and down my spine.  Yeah, it felt great (at the time) to sign one of the best hitters in the game, even though the end of the contract was gonna feel worse than eating a dozen egg-salad sandwiches from your local AM-PM.  We were gonna at least get 3-4 good years out of Pujols, right?  Those would make it worth it!
And then April of 2012 happened, and Pujols had one more HR than Reggie Willits.  Meh.  And then the rest of 2012 happened, and then Arte Moreno totally forgot history and signed Josh Hamilton, who like Pujols had a memorable first few months with his new team, but for the wrong reasons (also like Pujols).  Fortunately, after the Angels signed Hamilton, AngelsWin.com didn't make any t-shirts once again mocking the Rangers, or else the team might have finished in last place.  We sorta learned our lesson, and if there’s one thing we do well on this website it’s not learning a damn thing sorta learning our lessons.
However, sorta learning our lessons isn't enough, as the 2013 season illustrated.  We have to do more.  We have to almost learn our lessons, or actually learn them.  I think the lesson we need to learn here, to set the team free, is some genuine humility and regret.  Keep in mind that forced humility, like a forced apology, is not genuine.  There needs to be something more.  Fortunately, I know what is needed.
Monday, December 9, 2013 will be the day we once again set this day free.  That day is the official “Day of Burning the “Forget Yu!” T-Shirts” day.  For this to work everybody needs to participate.  Everybody meaning “everybody who bought one of those shirts.”  On Monday, December 9 all shirt owners will take their shirt to a location of their choosing, douse it in some flammable liquid, and set it afire.  As the shirts burn so will the accumulated bad karma for them.  These shirts are our Ruth trade, our billy goat, our new 1986.  We need to be rid of them to be free.  So I’m asking all of you Shirters to make that sacrifice.  Come on, you know you haven’t worn the damn thing since spring training of ’12.  I don’t care if you’re using it to wash your car, or clean up after the dog hurls.  It needs to burn.  If you’ve already thrown away or donated or otherwise banished the shirt, you still need to participate with a symbolic gesture – print a copy of the picture of it, and burn the copy.  That’s how the rest of us can also participate.  We need to do this as a group, but it is crucial for the Shirters to burn these foul cloths.  
December 9 – never forget.  Let’s do what we have to, to put this day behind us.

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Fans find it hard to believe the bench coach and hitting coach were responsible for this season's woes.
Most Angels fans are probably scratching their heads at Arte Moreno's decision to retain Jerry Dipoto and Mike Scioscia, while firing bench coach Rob Picciolo and hitting coach Jim Eppard. Here's my take:
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By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By Glen McKee, AngelsWin.com Columnist & Satirist  
Well, that’s it.  This dreadful season is finally over, but the results of it will linger like gas after too much cauliflower.  After any sports season, for the teams that are sitting home for the playoffs (and their fans) the focus turns to awards.  We need some sort of recognition for our season, our version of the participation trophy.  We may not have made the playoffs, but we got the Blanty (see below)!  No other team can say that.  Without further ado, I give you the awards for the Angels this season.  Some (most…OK, all) of them are new so don’t be surprised if you don’t recognize them.
The Trouty: also known as The Mike Trout MVP Runner-Up Award, goes to (of course) Mike Trout, perpetual (two years is enough to be perpetual) second banana to Miguel Cabrera.  You know, Miggy:  the guy who couldn't steal a base if it was five feet away from him.  If this award had existed last year then Trout would have gotten it then.  Congrats, Mike Trout!  See you here again next year.
While we’re on the subject of Mike Trout and awards…this show has limited time so here are a list of awards Mike Trout received off-camera: the Oprah Winfrey Award for weight gain during the offseason, the GAA (Garret Anderson Award) for the player the fans are most likely to turn on next year when he goes into a mini-slump, and the OGAA (Other Garret Anderson Award) for coming the closest to duplicating your stats from the previous year. 
The Blanty: this award goes to the biggest waste of money on a free-agent pitcher, and the winner is…Joe Blanton!  Yep, it’s named after him so of course he’s gonna get it.  But wait, I hear you say, Ryan Madson signed a contract and didn’t throw an inning!  That’s a bigger waste!  No, it isn’t, because we’ll still be paying Blanton about $7.5 million next year as well.  That will again qualify him for the Blanty, especially when you factor in that some team will take a lowball chance on him and increase his pay. 
The Gamble: this award goes to the player with the best hair-do.  You’d think that Wilson or Hamilton would win it because of their Head & Shoulders commercial, but no, it goes to Matt Shoemaker, who just barely gets the nod over Jered Weaver.  This is a sentimental award for me because I miss giving it to Dan Haren and his Dennis Wilson-esque locks, and MattShoey (I’m gonna make that stick, it’s fetch) is the closest we have to Haren. 
The Maicer Izturis Memorial Award for copious DL time: goes to Peter Bourjos.  But wait, I hear you say, Madson again!  Quit trying to give him an award;  I’m trying to forget him.  To get this award you have to play in some games and show some potential, and then get injured.  Pujols was a close second, but I’m trying to avoid accusations of reverse-racism.  So Bourjos it is.
The Beaker: Named in honor of my favorite Muppet, this is the award for the best redhead on the team.  It goes to rookie sensation Kole Calhoun!  He’s ginger-rific. 
The Ersty Trophy: for the player that demonstrates the most GRIT (it’s all-caps but it isn’t an acronym, you just have to spell it that was because it’s too much grit for lower-case letters) once again goes to…Darin Erstad.  Even retired from baseball his GRIT is so strong that it wins him the award.  The runner up, who lost by a hair, is CJ Wilson.  He has more stealth GRIT (sGRIT) than people realize.
The Sosh Award: This award goes to the player with the most nickname-friendly name on the team.  Until he gets traded (because guys who finish in the league top-10 in homeruns grow on trees, albeit trees with 10 or fewer branches), this award will always go to Rusty Trumbo, the Trumbomber, creator of the Trumbo Jack, the man who is Trumbolicious, the guy who (when he isn’t striking out) Trumbowns the other team,  that’s right…Jeff Mathis.  I mean, Mark Trumbo. 

And that’s all there is, folks.  Not very many, I know, but a horrible season like this – we lost the season series to the Astros, for cripes sake, the team we were supposed to pad our record against – doesn’t deserve a lot of awards.  This season shouldn't be rewarded with posterity, but studied so that 2014 isn’t more of the same.  Enjoy your awards, Angels.  Next year let’s earn a few real ones, along with a trophy or two.

View the full article

By David Saltzer, AngelsWin.com Senior Writer   At some point in our lives, we’ve all thought about what we would do if we won the lottery. Buy a house. Pay off some bills. Take a vacation for a month or two. A new car. New clothes. New toys. The list goes on and on.   Where did charity fit into that list? Be honest: how many of you have thought about making difference in the world if you came into a sudden windfall of money? Now, imagine you have all the money your heart could desire, could a single child inspire you to donate tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your time?   That’s the story of the CJWCC. That stands for the C.J. Wilson’s Children’s Charities. While playing in Texas, C.J. Wilson met Micah Champagne, a child with severe hemophilia, at a local children’s hospital. C.J. was there to do some good in the world for the day, but what happened has led him to do some good in the world for a lifetime.     This year, I was able to attend the Fifth Annual Throw Strikes Bowling Tournament hosted by the CJWCC. I was not alone. There were over 400 fans in attendance, all bowling to raise over $35,000 for the CJWCC. There were bowling competitions. Plenty of Angels gear was raffled off (including a signed Trout jersey and bat). There were booths to learn about local health programs. And, of course, there was C.J. Wilson.   In my time, I have attended many charity events. It’s always a pleasure to know that you are doing some good while having some fun. At many of these events, there are wonderful opportunities to meet a celebrity or two.   What I saw at the Throw Strikes event, though, was something different. It was the way that C.J. interacted with the crowd. He started to sign autographs at 6:00. He didn’t stop until after 10:00 pm. He never rushed a fan. He never refused to sign an autograph. He took and retook photos for the entire time (with the exception of when he hosted the raffle). He put off eating dinner so as not to delay the crowd. Even while they showed a video about the charity, he continued to talk with fans and continued to sign autographs.   More than just signing autographs, C.J. did something that few celebrities can do—he gave each fan a unique moment. That’s hard work. Imagine being in a dark bowling alley and having hundreds of camera flashes go off in your eyes every hour. Add in having to answer thousands of questions, and sign hundreds of items and it has the potential to get tiring fast.   And yet, C.J. did all of that without ever letting onto the fans just how taxing all of that can be. He made each person feel special when they spoke with them. He answered their questions, even if they were just asked by the person ahead of them. He interacted with them on their level. He doled out hugs and unique hand shakes. He mixed it up so that no two people got the same experience with him. For the fans, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.   As I watched him working the line (that never seemed to shrink throughout the night), I thought about what I would ask him during an interview. I knew that he would be tired at the end of the night, but I wanted to know what motivated him to be so philanthropic. Was it unique to him, or was it something that was brought out by baseball. Had he thought about what he’d do as he progressed through the Minors, or had it just evolved along the way. I asked him those questions and more in my interview. What I learned was rather unique about C.J.   Besides the generous nature of C.J., two other things really stood out for me about the CJWCC. In a video that they shared with everyone, they talked about the types of items that they have donated and supported. And, in some cases, they were sources of entertainment for the children to help them pass the time during their long hospital stays. Having personally experienced a traumatic childhood illness, I knew how much those types of things meant to the children undergoing long-term treatment. Anything that can be done to lift the spirits in the hospital is a godsend.   Second, as C.J. Wilson said, “A lot of people ask us how they can help with our charity. You can always donate your time.” I fully agree. While charities need people to write checks (and big checks really help), they live and die on the support of people committing the time and following through with the effort.   For many people, donating money is easier than donating time. That’s why I was so impressed with C.J. Wilson because he did both. Not only does he support the charities monetarily, he also supports the charity with his time. He is actively involved in their work and actively supported the fans who came out to attend. What I saw was truly inspired play.   Please click below to watch our interview with C.J. Wilson.    
  Please click here to learn more about the CJWCC and how you can help support its worthy cause and attend their upcoming events.    Please click here to learn more about C.J. Wilson and all of his endeavors. 

With 19 games left, Mike Trout is 21 hits away from reaching 200 -- and some rare company. The list of players who notched 200 hits in their age-21 season is currently only 10 deep. But it does not stop at 200 hits for Trout.
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By Jonathan Northrop, AngelsWin.com Columnist - 
OK, “easy” is an exaggeration and the type of thing a naïve armchair GM would say, but what I really mean is do-able. It is my belief that the team isn’t that far from being a contending 90+ win team in 2014, and for a few years to come.
Given the utter disappointment that is 2013, it is easy to think that the team needs a complete rebuild. But for two reasons I think a “re-tool” is all that is required for the Angels to contend for the next few years while the farm is re-stocked.
1) The Angels have a lot of money tied up into four players, two of whom are signed through 2016 (Wilson and Weaver), one through 2017 (Hamilton), and one for the rest of eternity (Pujols). They cannot justify a complete franchise re-build while all four are present; at the least, they need to keep trying to contend for the next few years, although I suppose both Wilson and Weaver could be traded next year if the team tanks again.
2) The team is actually pretty good, or could be good with just a few changes, which is the focus of this piece.
Before going to the changes, let’s look at the offense. Through August 30 the Angels have scored 4.46 runs per game, which is 7th in the American League and slightly above the AL average of 4.36. Furthermore, that 4.46 is closer to 3rd (Baltimore at 4.76) than it is to 10th (Kansas City at 4.05). Now while that doesn’t scream “powerhouse” there are two reasons to think it will improve next year: Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton. Even if they only have modest rebounds, the team should score more runs. We might also see small improvements in other areas, so that next year the team should be in the upper third of AL team offenses.
Dipoto still has to figure out what to do at third base. One would think that if the team was considering Grant Green at the hot corner he’d be getting innings now. Its hard to imagine the job being handed to Chris Nelson or Luis Jimenez, but the Angels might figure that if Hamilton and Pujols improve, the offense might be able to carry the slick-fielding but weak bat of Jimenez, at least until he is able to hold his own with the bat. But there are workable parts here – the Angels have Nelson, Jimenez, Field, and Green as options.
Third base is more of a queston mark long-term than it was before the year began. Top prospect Kaleb Cowart was (and still is) considered the future, but with his terrible performance in AA they question is no longer “Who holds down third base until Kaleb is ready?” but “When will Kaleb actually be ready and should we start having a contingency plan?” But even the most optimistic scenario saw Cowart taking over in 2015, so he doesn’t figure into 2014 so much.
Defense has also been a problem this year, with the Angels tied for second in the AL with 92 errors – well above the AL average of 72. While errors aren’t everything, they do matter. Anyone who has watched a few games this year has seen a team defense that looks, at best, mediocre, but occasionally brings back memories of the Bad News Bears.
A healthy year from Peter Bourjos – or even Kole Calhoun, if Bourjos is traded – will greatly improve the outfield defense. Shuck has only committed two errors, but he is not a good defender and often looks clueless out there. Third base is a question mark, but Jimenez will greatly improve the defense there if he’s given a shot. One concern is if Howie Kendrick is traded for pitching help (more on that in a moment), Green is first in line and preliminary findings have not been positive about his second base defense.
I’m of the opinion that defense—even more than hitting and pitching—is reliant upon the overall team psychology, and that the team defense can best be improved by both drilling fundamentals in spring training and doing well in other facets of the game. The team could be an average defensive team, if they’re in a healthy mind-space and doing well in other areas, particularly pitching. 
Which brings us to the big area of concern: the pitching staff. First, let’s look at some numbers. The Angels are 12th in the AL (of 15 teams) in both ERA (4.35) and runs allowed per game (4.66). The AL average has been 4.01 and 4.31 respectively, so they’re pretty far off.
Despite what one might think, the Angels have actually been above average in terms of save pecentage – saving 70% of chances, which is just a hair above the AL average of 69%. Their 14 blown saves are 4th fewest in the AL. That said, the bullpen has not been as good about keeping inherited runners from scoring – their 32% is below the AL average of 30%.
Overall the bullpen has been worse relative to league average ; Angels starters have a 4.37 ERA relative to 4.19 AL average, while Angels relievers have a 4.32 ERA relative to the 3.67 AL average.
Both the starting rotation and bullpen need radical improvement. Let’s look at both in turn.
The rotation is relatively straight forward in that the team already has 3-4 solid to strong building blocks. Weaver and Wilson, while hardly Johnson and Schilling, give the Angels two legitimate “sub-aces” – pitchers that, while not Cy Young contenders, championship teams are happy to have in their first three slots. After those two, the questions begin. Jason Vargas has been good when healthy, and seems to be either a passable #3 starter or a very good #4. Garret Richards seems to be finally coming into his own. His second half ERA, which includes 7 starts, is 3.15 compared to 4.87 in the first half. He looks to be, at the least, a solid #4-5 pitcher, and he may actually be on the cusp of fulfilling his potential as a legitimate #3 starter.
After that the starting pitching has been disastrous. Tommy Hanson, Joe Blanton, and Jerome Williams have all been terrible and have been responsible for 52 of the team’s 133 starts, or almost 40%. In those 52 starts they have collectively pitched 287.1 innings of 5.54 ERA ball. Even with a great offense and strong bullpen, no team can overcome such a large percentage of starts being so terrible.
With Weaver, Wilson, and Richards in fold for rotation spots next year, the Angels need to acquire two starting pitchers – one of whom could be Jason Vargas. If they get Vargas, though, I would think the other starter would need to be better, either a top pitching prospect who is ready to contribute, or an established #2-3 type. Easier said than done, of course, but its rather clear and straightfoward.
Where more work is required is the bullpen. Looking at the relievers there’s no single pitcher who shouts “we must keep this guy no matter what, he’s a building block for next year and beyond.” The best of the group – Frieri, De La Rosa, and Kohn – all have problems, and none even looks like a quality set-up man, more of “bullpen filler.” Roth and Maronde don’t look ready, and the jury is out on Cory Rasmus.  We can hope that Sean Burnett comes back healthy and is for the Angels next year what Scott Downs was the last few.
The cheap route to “fixing” the bullpen would be to throw all of the current parts, plus Jeremy Berg and Jerome Williams, who has actually done very well as a reliever, and see how they shake out in spring training. But that doesn’t encourage a lot of confidence. The bullpen needs at least two strong relievers: a real closer and a strong set-up man. 
So let’s get back to improving the team in a few easy steps: 1. Hope that Hamilton and Pujols improve 2. Re-sign Jason Vargas 3. Sign or trade for a #2-3 starter 4. Re-make the bullpen, acquiring at least two very good relievers
A fifth, but optional step, would be to trade for or sign a third baseman. Given his poor year, Chase Headley might have slipped into the affordable range.
So what are the options? MLBTradeRumors.com has a group of nifty “Free Agent Leaderboards”, using Fangraphs.com. There are too many to name, but you can view them here.
The tricky part with regards to the rotation is not as much finding a decent mid-rotation starter (in addition to Vargas), but having depth. If the Angels sign Tim Lincecum or Matt Garza or, better yet, James Shields, and if they re-up Jason Vargas, then their Opening Day rotation looks pretty good. But what about injury? Blanton is untradeable with his contract so might be kept around as the mop-up man, and Williams has done well in relief. I suppose the Angels could try to re-build Tommy Hanson in the minors, although even despite a crappy 2013 he’ll likely receive two or three million in arbitration, which makes him an expensive “project.” 
Here’s the problem: if one of the starters goes down, do we really want to see one of the Three Amigos starting a game again? The Angels have no starting pitching prospects that are anywhere close to being major league ready, at least as not more than a spot starter. I suppose if all goes well, Mark Sappington could be ready late in the year, but there’s going to be a learning curve.
As far as the bullpen goes, if one of Maronde or Roth pans out, they can complement Burnett as a lefty in the bullpen and the Angels can focus on acquiring right-handed relievers, which are more plentiful. Jesse Crain is particularly appealing, and there are a few others worth checking out. The Angels also have a few prospects that might make it to the majors in 2014, including RJ Alvarez and Mike Morin (Cam Bedrosian is at least a year away).
So there are some pieces. Not a lot, but they’re there. What remains to be seen is if Jerry Dipoto can do this offseason what he couldn’t do last: make the right choices with the limited moves he’s got. The Angels need at least four pitchers, two starters and two relievers. Make your choices count, Jerry.

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