Lou E Ville

I have never liked the Red Sox, and have hated them since 86. I feel like they get a different strike zone than the other team, especially at home, and we lose at least one regular season game every year, not to mention all the playoff losses, because of it. I don't mind most of the newer players. Ortiz makes me puke and Pedroia makes me want to punch the screen. Has anyone EVER brushed Ortiz back of the plate? Or is every pitcher in the league intimidated by him? He's WAY too comfortable up there.

Forget Santana. We've got to change our evil ways.

Uncle Ben, whom I told "you're a credit to your rice", never got a dinner. (said at Muhammad Ali roast)

I always liked the two of them. I also think McCarver is doing the right thing. Chris Berman are you watching? Baseball is a really difficult game to do from the broadcast booth. The action calls the game for you in most other sports. In baseball one at-bat might take five minutes. Five minutes waiting for something to happen.

I felt sorry for the Tigers' starters. They deserved MUCH better than what they got from the Tigers' offense and bullpen. Fielder made me feel better about the Pujols signing, although I hear he is going through a divorce.

How did Ron Washington survive longer than Nolan Ryan?

Since the Sawx all have beards, I have he perfect nickname for them....Dick Dynasty.

Funny thing is the Angels used to be strong starters and poor finishers. I can think of two years where we had the best record in baseball at the All Star break and didn't make the playoffs.

And the Twins. And the Pirates. And the Rangers. Mostly the Rangers.

Angels 6, Tigers 0 Angels 2, Cardinals 1 Angels 3, Red Sox 3 Angels 2, Dodgers 2 13-6 vs. all four this year I hereby declare us the 2013 champions of Major League Baseball, Houston Astros be damned

I hope Torii gets a chance to rush Grant Ballfour

None of you have a clue what you're talking about. Arte is going to sell the team to Pujols and Hambone. Those two player/owners will fire Scioscia and replace him with LaRussa. Dave Duncan will replace Butcher as pitching coach. Trout will be traded to the Yankees for Vernon Wells. Can't you read the tea leaves? (shakes head)

Girardi

I didn't mean to suggest that the movie should have gone out of its way to mention the Angels. I just meant to say that as an Angels fan, I was struck by the scene where Beane tells players in the clubhouse he doesn't want them to bunt or steal. You as the casual viewer are being led to believe that this is some revelation from Beane and Brand (and by extension, Bill James), but the first thing it made me think was "Hey, we didn't do too badly offensively that year doing both of those things. Our team improved a hell of a lot more than Oakland's did from 2001 to 2002." I really liked the movie the first time I watched it. The second and third time around I started noticing the flaws. That's true of any movie, though. Except midget porn.

You're right, and that's why I enjoyed it the first time because like Field of Dreams, I wasn't thinking about the technical aspects but moreso the story of going against established conventional wisdom. I just realized I had been duped the second time around.

Whatever it is, it brought Hatteberg and Crawford to the team, and watching the movie you'd think their contribution was what put the A's back in the playoffs. The fact that the A's had the best top three starters in baseball was what put the A's back in the playoffs. And Tejada had a killer year, too, if I'm not mistaken. Not to belittle Bill James. I actually believe in a lot of his concepts (such as the fallacy that the best teams win more close games). I just think the movie made it look like scouts are useless compared to computer printouts.

I really liked this movie the first time I watched it. Then as I'm watching it again and again on cable some things jump out at you. 1. Hudson, Mulder and Zito are never mentioned (they had a much bigger role in getting the A's to the playoffs than Hatteberg and Crawford), as did Chavez, Tejeda, etc. The movie makes it look like the A's had no great players left and a bunch of guys who take walks replaced them. 2. The Angels are never mentioned, and they just so happened to win the World Series that year doing the opposite of many of the things Beane (Brad Pitt) says in the movie....never bunt, never steal, etc. 3. They make the 20th game of that streak seem like the seventh game of the World Series. Didn't the Angels go 17-3 during that same stretch? And we won the seventh game of the World Series. I apologize if this has been discussed on this board before.

Blanton was the first name I thought of when I read the thread title.

Chone Figgins in the playoffs.

It was an amazing team, but usually teams have at least one ace who they can count on to win at least one game every round. We simply willed our way to the title that year. Erstad, Salmon, Glaus, GA, Speez, and all the guys who got em on, got em over and got em home. Maybe starting pitching is overrated in the playoffs? It certainly wasn't in 2001.

The thing that amazes me about that playoff run looking back now is how we did it with the starting rotation we had. Washburn, Appier, Ortiz, and mid-season call up Lackey. The year before the Diamondbacks had won it all solely on the backs of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. How the hell were we able to go 11-5 that postseason with those four guys? Hell, Washburn was 0-2 in the World Series.

I believe going through that tough four or five game stretch where we couldn't get that wildcard clinching win helped us play looser in the playoffs. I think the same thing happened to the 2005 ChiSox, who if you'll remember were in danger of blowing a huge lead down the stretch to Cleveland but clinched late, then lost ONE game in the postseason.

What are your memories of the stretch drive and the glorious run through the playoffs that year? I remember us taking it to pretty much everybody until all we needed was one more win to eliminate Seattle, and we couldn't do it for a long time. Memories of previous collapses had me nervous as hell until we won at Texas behind Lackey with like four games to go. I remember thinking we would lose to the Yankees but I hoped we would make a good showing, especially after blowing the first game. We won the second and I thought we had a chance. We won the third and I thought "don't do this to me again, guys". Then we had that unbelievable inning in the clinching game. I was so proud. First time in four tries we had won a postseason series. I remember thinking we should beat the Twins, and I was thankful they took out the A's. Then we lost the first game and I thought "oh crap." But we won four straight after that. I remember AJ being AJ in that fifth game, scoring the tying run against Frankie and being obnoxious about it. Then we scored 10 against them in the bottom of that inning. Up yours, AJ. The World Series....I hated Bonds so much. It seemed like every game was about when he would come up again and how would you pitch around him. Losing the first game and losing the fourth and fifth games....I was sure we were doomed both times. But that team just wouldn't accept defeat. The sixth game was like the Donnie Moore game in reverse. Finally we did it to somebody else. The seventh game the Giants looked like dead men walking. Still that ninth inning had me on pins and needles. That little piece of crap (can't think of his name) hit one deep and my heart was in my throat. But then to see Erstad....my favorite player....getting under it. Man, I still get goosebumps thinking about that feeling. I lived in Charlotte, NC at the time. If there was another Angels fan in the whole city I'd be surprised. But the next day everyone came up to me and said congratulations. It was such an awesome feeling.

14-5 over last 19 games

Let's trade Aybar for someone's GM