Heating Up At The Deadline.

What's happening to our so-so Angels? As we approached the trade deadline, most of us were looking for big ways to improve our team via player swap. But now, as the deadline sits just two and a half days away, I'm left wondering if doing nothing might be our best option. Man, I'm starting to sound like a Tony Reagins apologist, and the deadline hasn't even happened yet.

Yesterday, the Halos opened their four game series in Detroit with a bang. A 12-7 win where the Halos, like some other team entirely, scored in bunches. Three runs in the second, four in the fourth, and five in the seventh? If I gave you that run down, you'd probably guess the Angels did it on your 30th attempt. And yet, it was us. Erick Aybar, Alberto Callaspo, and Mark Trumbo all had 3 hits, while Howie, Bourjos, and Jeff Mathis all had a pair. The 5 RBI day for Trumo is far and away the best game in his career, as he finished just a single away from the cycle, and he now has amassed 19 jacks in his rookie of the year campaign. 

All of this came to make up for Joel Piñero's rough 3.3 innings of 6 run ball. What is going on with him? The bullpen did the job it needed to do to allow the offense to strike back, as Horacio Ramirez, Cassevah, Rodney, Downs, and Walden all helped to hold the door shut. It was a thing of beauty...once Piñero got off the hill. The thing I'm thinking of is that he's really going to need to turn things around if we're going to make any head way in the playoffs (if we do, in fact, make the playoffs). We've got some impressive starters with Weav, Haren, and sort of Ervin (I'll admit I wouldn't have said that before the no-no based on his season so far) but we'll really need Piñata to come around to help make the last push a little more possible.

Don't look now, but the 58-48 Halos trail Texas by just 2 games in the division. With a 7-3 record over the last 10 games, we're the hottest team in the AL West (Seattle is 1-9 over the same time, which we can all enjoy). If we can win this weekend series with the Tigers, and stay on this hot streak heading into the trade deadline, we will be in a great place for the final 53 games.

Aramis Ramirez, anyone?

Enjoy the deadline, Halo fans.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Ervin Tosses A History Making No-No.

*Warning: this was not proofread. Apologies.

In the early hours of the work day out here on the West Coast, our boy Ervin Santana was working his magic in Ohio. El Rosario, who is having one of those "not great, but not crappy" seasons went onto the mound at Progressive Field and made history. For the first time since 1984, the Angels watched one of their own toss a no hitter.

After an error by Erick "Trade Bait" Aybar in the first inning led to a Cleveland run on a wild pitch, Ervin shut things down, and never allowed a single hit. 9 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 unearned run, 1 walk, and 10 strikeouts. It was a thing of magic, dare I say "Black Magic?" (see what I did there?). After turning aside 15 in a row, Ervin entered the sixth allowing a wicked shot off the bat of Jason Kipnis, but Howie Kendrick was able to glove the ball with a nice move to keep the no-no intact. It was a thing of pure beauty for us Angel fans.

The last no hitter by a single Halo pitcher was on the final day of the 1984 season when Mike Witt tossed a gem. We've all seen the highlights over and over again, and now we have an exciting pitching effort of our own generation to enjoy (I was only 2 when Witt pulled it off).  More recently, the Halos had a combined no hitter in 1990 against Seattle when Witt and Langston combined. Of couse, we all know that Nolan Ryan is the king of Halo no-nos, throwing 4 during his span in North Orange County. Now Ervin has earned a spot among the greats in Angel (and MLB) lore.

He may not be having his best season, but he just pitched the best game of his life, and when we look back on his entire career, July 27, 2011 will come up as his greatest day on the mound. It's just too bad it happened across the country at a time when most Angel fans couldn't watch it.

Way to go, Erv Daddy. I've been following you since AA Arkansas, and I couldn't be any more proud to be an Ervin fan and an Angel fan in general.

Tomorrow at 10:05 am, the Halos have another brunch time special, this time up in Detroit against Los Tigres. The 5-5 Joel Piñero (4.61) is out to try and stabilize his season against a tough AL Central squad who are yet to name a starter.

Go Halos Go.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Pssst. One Of Us Isn't Going To Be Here By Sunday?

What a game yesterday. Jered Weaver and Josh Tomlin engaged in a good ol' fashioned pitcher's duel at Progressive Field, and rookie sensation Mark Trumbo laced a two out two run line drive double in the seventh to give the Halos the lead and the eventual win. Big Baby finished the game with 7 innings of one run ball and ran his record to 14-4 with a 1.79 ERA. If he keeps this up, I just don't think the voters can keep the Cy out of his arms this time around.

Scott Downs pitched a nice 8th inning, running his ERA down to an impressive 1.27, as he continues to show that he was the best offseason acquisition we made. Meanwhile, Waldo had to escape a little self-imposed danger en route to his 24th save, allowing two hits, but getting out with a shutout 9th was all I cared about. The Angels offense could only muster four hits, as Hunter, Abreu, Kendrick (who also picked up the lone walk), and Trumbo put the ball on the bat, but it ended up being enough thanks to the amazing pitching. Not to harp on things, but Vernon Wells, the guy who the media is trying to tell us is turning things around, went 0 for 4 with 2Ks and is hitting .217 for the season. I'm still holding fast to my prediction that he'd be average this year and great next year, but he has to do a lot to get to average before the fall.

After the game, we got some interesting and potentially frustrating news from Sam Miller at the OC Register. I say potentially frustrating because if the Angels don't make a semi-big trade, fans will point to this comment and say "what the hell?" Reports have Arte Moreno saying that he is A) ready to raise payroll, B) looking for a third baseman before the deadline, and C) willing to trade Erick Aybar for José Reyes straight up. Sometimes I wish the owner wouldn't say things like this, because when Sunday has come and gone and we haven't made any significant deal, fans will point to Moreno's statement as  conviction against Reagins for being unable to pull the trigger despite being given the green light. I think raising payroll is dumb, mostly because I think you could upgrade at 3B without adding on more money. Also, is Callaspo that bad? Is their some magical solution out there that would be better than him? 

About the Aybar for Reyes straight up trade, the Mets have officially turned it down.

Aybar: .283/.317, 7, 41, and an impressive +3.1 WAR.

Reyes: .346/.387, 4, 33, and an even more impressive +4.6 WAR.

I'm shocked that the Mets aren't going for this. Just shocked. Who do we think we are offering Aybar for Reyes? I guess the Angels were figuring that the worst thing the Mets could say was no.

As I finish this, I realize that the Angels and Indians have already played the final game of their series this morning, and it was epic enough to deserve it's own post.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Trout, Trumbo, and Chat Usher In New Era.

Look, I've tried to walk the line. I'm a gigantic MiLB fan, and as such, I'm always promoting bringing in the next big thing to help the Halos. However, I recognize how often I have been burned by the McPhersons, Mathises, Woodses, and Kotchmans of the world, and I have tried to hold back on my calls to bring on the youth. But when I look at Sunday's 9-3 win over Baltimore, I can't help but get excited about our young studs, and it's making me ask some serious questions as the trade deadline nears.

Mike Trout was the hero yesterday, opening up a slim one run lead for the Halos into a big win, launching a 3-run bomb into the seats at Camden. It was Trout's first big league jack, and while he's still only hitting .179 since his callup, the long ball and 3-RBI day at the yard turned some heads. Hopefully it's a sign of what's to come. Thanks to Trout's jack, Mark Trumbo's day got overlooked. The big first baseman went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI. He brought Alberto Callaspo home with a sac fly early on, and then he singled AC home later on. He's having a solid rookie season, hitting .256 with 18 big flies and 46 RBI, and is clearly rocking a campaign to be our first rookie of the year since Timmy. And all of that offense helped to overshadow the impressive start by Tyler Chatwood. Chatty Kathy went 7 innings of 2 run ball, punching out 5, and ran his record to 6-6 with a 3.64 ERA. Not too bad for a so-so youngster that's been filling a hole on the team.

So, taking all of this into consideration, it's hard not to drool over the way that the Halos' youth have performed this season. And when you're drooling over the youth around the trade deadline, you start to come up with some wild thoughts. We've already explored the trading of Torii Hunter on this blog, and I still think it's a great idea. Just think of what we'd get in return. Now, I'm hearing about the potential dealing of Bobby Abreu (who is about to vest his 2012 option based on plate appearances, h/t to Halo Heaven), and I'm wondering if I like that. 

I don't. You know that I'm a mix of a stat head/chemistry guy, and I think that El Comedulce brings a ton of chemistry. While I think that he would bring some value based on his ability to reach base (.381 OBP), I wouldn't want to lose what he brings. I know that the whole "captain" thing is kind of stupid, but if anyone is the captain on this squad, it's Bobby. With the money we'd save, Torii is still the better trade option, in my humble opinion.

The other area we can drop a trade in, besides the outfield, is the middle infield. We've got Howie, Maicer, Erick, Alberto, Romine, Sandoval, and Amarista. To me, HK (leading the team in AVG) are Callaspo (.296 with 33 RBI is serviceable at 3B) are untouchable. The question that comes up every trade deadline is the decision between Aybar and Izturis. We've kept them together for some time, but most Angel fans can accept the fact that at some point, one of them will be traded away. We've gone over this a couple of times at various points in the past, so we'll keep it short.

Aybar is hitting .289 with 7 jacks and 41 RBI along with a .324 OBP. Ma$e is hitting .270 with 4 jacks and 24 RBI along with a .333 OBP. It's a toss up, and at this point it would require much more investigation than I have time for. If I had to pick, I'm keeping Izturis.

All of this has to be at the forefront of our minds with the deadline approaching. When you look at the rumor wire, though, maybe not much will happen (shocking, I know). The first rumor that comes up reads, "Angels Don't Appear To Be Looking For Any Major Deals." That would be the status quo, but if you dig a little deeper, you see that the Angels may have some interest in Heath Bell, José Reyes, Aramis Ramirez, and Garrett Jones. I'm not interested in exploring each of these options just yet, but it's something to think about.

Even more important, however, is today's clash with the 51-48 Cleveland Indians out in Ohio. Dan Haren (10-6, 3.10) looks to keep impressing us against Fausto Carmona (5-10, 5.63). Man, what happened to poor, poor Fausto? In 10 of the last 11 series, the Halos have come away with series wins, and you've got to believe that this trend is going to continue. Trailing Texas by just 3 games in the division, it kind of has to. The Chessmaster will have to be on his game early, as the Tribe are 20-7 when scoring first.

Let's start the week off with a nice win.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

The Win That Changes Everything.

The game one loss to the Rangers was an epic failure for the Halos. Losing was bad enough, but losing 0-7 made it that much worse. We had all of our hopes on Dan Haren's shoulders last night, and when he got lit up by the AL West leaders for a five spot in the fifth inning, I'm sure all of Halo Nation was sighing along with me. I'll admit it, and you can see it if you follow the "instant suffering" from last night, when we were down 3-8, I felt like giving up.

Luckily, the Angels have a little more faith in themselves than I have in them. Somehow, this dormant offense came up with six runs in the sixth, grabbed a 9-8 lead, and they got backed up by some impressive bullpen work from Downs and Waldo. The Stadium must have been rocking, as the screaming Halo bats put an abrupt stop to the Rangers 12 game winning streak. It was a big deal.

While Dan Haren got bounced after 4.3 innings, the offense and the bullpen deserve mention. Howie Kendrick was insane out there, getting two hits in the sixth inning alone, and he finished 3 for 5 with 4 RBI. We'll ignore the 2 strike outs thanks to his big and timely hits. He leads the team with a .296 average, which is kind of pathetic in and of itself, but he was the hero last night, and it was an important night to be a hero. Aybar went 2 for 5 with a RBI, Trouty picked up a nice RBI for himself, and the team as a whole worked 5 walks. Those 5 free passes seemed like an important piece to the win, and I think if the Angels can continue to follow the "Bobby Abreu Plan," we'll be on the right path (as long as it's not the Bobby Abreu Meal Plan...oh!).

While Scott Downs had an impressive 2 innings of perfect ball, I think the bullpen focus goes straight to All-Star rookie Jordan Walden. Waldo had a 2 strikeout performance in the 9th, picking up his 22nd save of the campaign, and I think he's showing that he's really finding his way. He's not quite Neftali Feliz (40 saves as a rook last year), but he's clearly been a solid choice (imagine if we were still rolling with Rodney), and I trust him over the stretch run. Heck, he's on pace for 36, let's give him all the respect he deserves.

At 52-46, the Angels are now 4 back of Texas. Seattle is 12.5 off the lead, and Oakland is 13 off the lead. This division is clearly a two horse race, and a win in today's business man's special could go a long way to make this race a little closer. It's kind of a big freaking deal today, too. Jered Weaver (12-4, 1.90) goes against CJ Wilson (10-3, 3.11). While Wilson is considered the king of the hill in Texas, his numbers aren't king-like material when compared to Big Baby, and I'm hoping Jered can weave a little magic to help the Angels win this all-too-important series.

If we win this series, we're going to be stealing headlines, and more importantly, we'll be just 3 back. If we lose, it'll be tough to consider ourselves the class of the division at this point. Let's go get this win.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

A Poem For A Win.

It's time for the Chessmaster to be the stopper, put a deep freeze on Beltre the bopper.

The Halos need wins and they need them fast, there's no way this Rangers streak can last.

We've got to be good with the glove and with the stick, so sit Jeff Mathis, he can't hit a lick.

Tell the 'pen to throw strikes and to keep the ball low, backing Dan up with zeroes is the only way to go.

So now that we find ourselves 5 big games back, let's get the bases loaded and watch Trumbo hit a jack.

After last night's 0-7 loss, the Halos really need to back up quality starts from Haren and Weaver with some solid offense over the next two games. If we let this chance to get two back on Texas slip through our hands, we're in trouble. It's the second half of July and time is running out. Bring on the victory.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

What Went Wrong In Oakland This Weekend?

Horrible. Just flat out horrible. The Halos went screaming into the All-Star Break, ripping off wins like they were the Texas Rangers. Coming out of the break, we were looking at a four game weekend series with the Chokeland A's, and pictured overtaking the division lead with a solid three days. Instead, we got straight embarrassed by the A's, losing three out of four, and had to suffer through a tough to watch 1-9 loss yesterday afternoon (providing zero relief after the rough US women's loss to Japan on penalties in the World Cup). 

So, after getting so excited about my favorite baseball team coming up to my new home in the East Bay, I'm left wondering what the heck went wrong? How could we get blown up like this by these guys? Who is going to have to shoulder the blame? And maybe most importantly, what can we do to fix things?

Torii Hunter comes to mind, when I try and think of who should take a big chunk of the blame for our poor performance over the weekend. Big Game is supposed to be our big bat, the best guy in the clubhouse, our clutch performer, and all that other junk. Instead, he comes up and goes 0 for 15 over the weekend, grounding into somewhere near 468 double plays. T-Hunt is continuing his rapid decline, sitting on .239 with 11 jacks and 45 RBI this season. Torii's making $18 million from us this year, and is set to make $18 million from us next year. He's had a tough season on the field, and off the field it's been very hot and cold for me this year.

So, with Torii having a deal with the Halos through 2012, what are the Angels to do? We're staring at the trade deadline, and I'm considering making the outlandish demand that we ship Hunter off. Okay, pick your jaws up off the floor, and let's look at this. We've got Vernon Wells, who no one will take in a trade, playing left, and we've got Bourjos (coming back from the DL soon) and Trout up and coming (and he could easily cover right field). Abreu could fill in at right field as needed, but wouldn't you rather watch Mike Trout hit .230ish in right than watching Big Game struggle his way through the rest of the season? And, just consider what we could get for Torii. Despite his down season, I would guess that he still has impressive value on the market.

That being said, if the Angels were ever going to trade him, it would probably come at next season's deadline, if I'm being honest with myself.

There are plenty of other things that this disappointing weekend brought to mind. Jeff Mathis' continued struggles, Joel Piñero's weird season, bullpen issues, and more. Despite all of that, Torii Hunter's issues continue to be at the forefront of my mind. 

Now, just because I'm a MiLB nut doesn't mean I want the team to go all youth for the rest of 2011. Just because I prefer to have Trout getting starts instead of watching Torii fade doesn't mean I would have Amarista out there in the middle infield like Scioscia does. However, just like when Bourjos took over in center, there comes a time to make a change, and I'm just wondering how long we have to sit by and watch Big Game struggle before we send him off for a nice small collection of talent.

We're now 51-45 after this little weekend of crap, trailing the continually surging Rangers by 4 games. It's not a great time to fall apart, and now we're welcoming those very same division leaders starting tomorrow for three at the Stadium. This very well may be the series that defines our season (and how many times have I said that this year?).

Speaking of the MiLB, which I was doing a little ways back, I think it's a good time to do a little name and number dropping to increase my longing for a youth movement even more (wait, what?). 

Somehow, the Bees are dead last in their division with their 40-55 record. That doesn't mean that there aren't some shining stars, however. How about LA native and promissing SS Gil Velasquez? He may be something of an older prospect, but he's hitting .366 with 6 bombs and 46 RBI in 80 games this year. And we're rolling out Amarista? We've talked about 1B Efren Navaro before. While he may be stuck in a log jam with the play of Mark Trumbo at the show, he's still proving his worth. Hitting .327 with 44 RBI in his 91 games makes him a valuable piece, even if it would just be in a trade. We'll close the AAA offensive studs with another promissing 3B prospect (although I know we've all given up on those). Jeff Baisley, out of Tampa and South Florida University, is just crushing the ball. JB is hitting .317, and that comes along with 18 yard shots and 70 RBI in his 88 contests. Complete stud. One the mound, we've got some promissing talent as well (though most of it is below the AAA level). Ronald Bay leads the starters with a 7-5 record and a 4.53 ERA, while well-known Bucknell grad Eric Junge leads the team with 81 Ks in 121+ innings.

Down at AA Arkansas, the Travs are off to a red hot 13-9 division leading second half start. Now that Trout has jumped up to the show, we'll have to dig a little deeper for prospects. We'll start with switch hitting SS Darwin Perez, who is hitting .308 with 44 RBI in 79 games. He's joined by DR native and 3B Luis Jimenez, who is hitting .305 with 13 jacks and 71 RBI this season. Riverside native Garrett Richards leads the team on the mound with an amazing season. He's 10-1 with a 3.27 ERA and 83 Ks in 113 innings. Is he our mound dwelling savior? If so, he doesn't look that far off. Meanwhile, Matt Shoemaker is looking solid as well, 8-1 with a 2.50 ERA for the Travs this year, 83 Ks in 93.67 innings. Can't wait to see these guys in 2ish years.

Finally we'll gaze at the IE, where the 66'ers are 10-14 to start the second half. UCLA 1B Casey Haerther is hitting .310 with 60 RBI in 91 games thus far, and he is joined by ASU grad Cole Kalhoun as a solid hitter. Cole is leading the team with 15 jacks, and hitting .309 as well. On the mound, you have to recognize Ariel Peña's 7-3 record, 4.02 ERA, and 116 Ks in 105 innings. The K/9 is off the charts with this guy, and he has closer written all over him. Meanwhile, Manuel Flores is 9-6, leading the team in wins, with a 4.09 ERA. They continue up here in San Jose tonight, looking for a big win against the South Bay's version of the Giants.

Wow, reading about the Baby Halos does pump me up. I should do this more often.

Alright, let's take care of the Rangers.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Who Would I Want On "The Franchise?"

I don't know how it is everywhere else, but up here in the Bay Area, everyone is talking about "The Franchise." The documentary of the Giants 2011 season hits Showtime tonight, and while fears are running high that the Giants may be overexposing themselves to the rest of the world (and thus running the risk of becoming a hated team in the National sphere), people up here are straight up excited. 

That's all got me thinking. Which of my favorite squads would I want to watch on this show (and we're pretending that I actually have Showtime for the purposes of this argument, which I don't)?

Los Angeles Angels: They'd have to be ranked in the top three. I think the whole clubhouse dynamic in baseball makes for the most interesting drama possible in this show's format. Watching Jeff Mathis crumble under the pressure of being hated by fans, watching Mark Trumbo develop into a superstar, and watching Scioscia akwardly spill lasagna onto his uniform? It all sounds great to me.

Vancouver Canucks: Obviously, this would be my ideal choice. Watching the Orca carry out their season after losing the Stanley Cup Finals to the Bruins would be awesome (and at the same time, heartbreaking yet again). Overall, though, seeing how they rebound from the rioting on Robson to try and get back to being an elite squad sounds exciting and extremely interesting. Sign me up. Plus, the 'Nucks have some characters on the squad. Bieksa, Kesler, and AB would keep the show interesting as heck.

Notre Dame: This year's Irish would be a very interesting choice. Brian Kelly seems like he'd be interesting to watch, and with the whole drama with Michael Floyd's DUI, this would probably be fun. The QB battle? The evolving defense? The history of the squad? The insane fanbase? It has to rank in my top 3.

St. Louis Rams: Nope. Not interested. Episode one would be all about how the games aren't on TV locally because they can't manage to sell seats? No thanks. A second year QB sounds like an interesting story, but then you realize that it's Sam Bradford, and his lack of personality makes me take a pass.

Boston Celtics: Not only has it already been done by NBA-TV, but I wouldn't even want to watch a second of it (and, in fact, I didn't watch a second of it). Self-indulgent crap. It's weird how much I hate one of my favorite teams. Maybe now that I'm up in the East Bay, I can swap to the Warriors and start liking basketball again. Maybe.

Newcastle: This would probably be really interesting, and I'd probably watch every week. However, my inability to understand their accent is something of a turn off.

Celtic FC: See above.

Chivas USA: Out of all my soccer squads, this is the one I would most like to watch. Robin Fraser taking over this team has been fun to watch from game to game, and an inside look at the job he is doing would be fascinating. Plus, we have some good personalities on this Goat squad. From Kennedy to LaBrocca to Pearce, it'd be a fun show to watch.

So, ranking my top three, I'd probably go with:

1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Los Angeles Angels
3. Notre Dame

How about you guys?

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Why The NBA Lockout Has The NHL Looking Stupid.

Something came to me yesterday while I was driving home, and I just wanted to touch on it briefly. The NBA is in lockout, and if I believe the Bay Area's only FM sports talk station, they may be locked out until January (or maybe for the entire '11/'12 season). This made me realize just how stupid the NHL leadership is these days.

Gary Bettman knew that the NBA was headed toward a lockout, we all did. He also knew that he was looking at an opportunity for a new TV deal toward the end of last season. When he extended the stupid deal with NBC and Versus a couple of months ago, I was upset. I thought it was a stupid deal back when they initially left for Versus, and I thought it was even worse to extend with the never-seen network once the original deal finally expired. However, at the time, I didn't really understand the full impact of the NBC/Versus extension.

With the NBA facing a lockout and the possible cancellation of their season, the NHL had a huge opportunity, especially considering that they had a chance to secure a new TV contract just a couple of months ago. If there aren't any NBA games this upcoming season, what are people going to watch on ESPN, TNT, etc? Well, nothing, now. However, if the NHL would have taken a little less money to get back on ESPN or other cable stations (much like the current NBA deal) they would have been able to take all of those open slots left by the possibly vacant basketball schedule. Could you imagine? It would have been perfect.

If only the leadership at the NHL would have had some sense of how to promote and improve the league through positive exposure. Hockey has been picking up lately, it seems, and a move back to major cable stations with a possible NBA season cancellation would hae furthered that process. Instead, we're left with the sport being shown on a station that is primarily in existence for hunting and cage fighting. What are we to do?

Hopefully when this current TV deal expires, in 2021 I believe, the NHL can try and regain it's relevance.

Hopefully.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Angels Head Into Break With A Huge Sweep.

Four games, four wins. Are you kidding me? The Halos have reached the All-Star break on a ridiculous roll, and by outscoring the hated M's 22-9 over the weekend, they put Seattle in their place (third place).

Yesterday was especially exciting, as Dan Haren and Felix Hernandez settled into a nice pitching duel. Danny Boy had a rough first inning, allowing a 2-run double to former Halo heartthrob (and frequent DUI suspect) Adam Kennedy, but then he put things together and let the Halos bats bail him out. Mark Trumbo placed a ball into the left field seats for a two run jack in the fourth, and then Alberto Callaspo had a two run double in the eighth to seal the deal. Great, great stuff, and an awesome way to finish off a four game sweep.

You can't say enough about Dan Haren, and it seems like everytime I find time to post on an Angel game, it's a Haren game. Have you noticed that? Maybe that's why I find myself become a bigger and bigger fan f the Chessmaster. Yesterday, Haren went 8.67 innings of 2 run ball, punching out 8, and walking just 2. He boosted his impressive "first half" record to 10-5 with a 2.61 ERA, and continues to make me look stupid for saying he isn't a "co-ace."

Just to be cool and follow what cool people are following, Mike Trout went 1 for 9 over the weekend, scoring twice on Saturday's game. With Friday's game being shown up here in the Bay Area on MLB Network, however, I did see him run down a ball in right center for an amazingly impressive catch. I just hope he and Bourjos can co-exist in the OF come next season (and many seasons to come). And yes, Mike Trout does look somewhat like Tim Salmon, I'll admit it (and you should too). 

The Halos are 50-42, trail Texas by a single game, and lead Seattle by 6.5 and Oakland by 11. The exciting battle is getting a little less exciting across the entire division, but the battle at the top is still going to be fun all the way through the rest of the season (so long as the good guys pull it out in the end). 

So, I know most people do player grades at the All-Star break, but I think that's a little played out (and I don't have enough time to grade every player), so I thought I'd just put the spotlight on a couple of guys who have been either good, bad, or ugly over the unofficial first half of the season (if a player doesn't make the list, it just kind of means that their season has been fairly vanilla).

The Good:

Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Jordan Walden, Howie Kendrick, Mark Trumbo, Bobby Abreu, Erick Aybar, Maicer Izturis, Alberto Callaspo, and Scott Downs

The Bad:

Hisanori Takahashi, Torii Hunter (although, this is debatable, but overall, it hasn't been great), Reggie Willits (the same amount of RBI as Dan Haren), Kevin Jepsen (bad, and ugly)

The Ugly:

Vernon Wells, Jeff Mathis, Russell Branyan (I was wrong on this one, so far)

Outside of Big Game, this list isn't really open for argument because I clearly know what I'm talking about, right?

Enjoy the All-Star break. Best of luck with your start, J Weav.

P.S. I went to the Giants/Mets game at AT&T last night, and it was awesome...and cold. Great place to catch a game.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Did We Just See Danny Boy's Best?

-Be forewarned, this post wasn't proofread.

To beat Justin Verlander, Dan Haren needed to be at his best. With the pressure on, our #2 starter (or maybe I'm starting to cave in on the whole "co-ace" thing?) tossed a complete game 2-hit shutout, punching out 9 in the process while walking 0. It was a thing of beauty, and we needed all of it. The Halos lone run came on a RBI double by Erick Aybar that knocked in Howie Kendrick, and we would ride that 2nd inning run all the way to victory.

When Dan Haren came over, thoughts were mixed. We all loved Joe Saunders. He was a fan favorite, and it's always hard to let those guys go for anyone. In addition, Haren's numbers in Arizona last season seemed hot and cold. Of course, as time has played out, we have seen that the trade was a perfect move by Tony Reagins, easily his best deal as GM so far. After Haren's performance last night, the greatness of that trade has become even more clear.

What I was wondering as last night's game was playing out was: Is this the best game of Dan Haren's career? Now, that's a tough question to answer. How do we compare single game performances among pitchers? If two games look nearly identical, how can we decide which was a better outing? It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.

When we look at the 2011 season, we see one game that presents some competition to last night's pitching duel. Let's compared and select:

Last night: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB
April 12: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB

We are looking at two complete game shutouts. Last night against the Tigers, he allowed just 2 baserunners, while he allowed 3 against the Indians back in April. However, he only gave up one it. Again, though, he had an extra punch out last night. So, what was the better outing? This is where is gets tough. Let's look a little deeper:

Last night: 122 Pit, 8 GB, 13 FB
April 12: 125 Pit, 7 GB, 13 FB

Does that help us? Based on getting it done with less pitches, and allowing less men to reach base, I'll hold that last night was a better outing. But that's darn close. Expanding to his Halo career prior to this season, we find nothing that can compare to last night. He had a 9 inning loss against Texas on July 31 of last year, right after being acquired, but they tagged him for two runs, so it doesn't stand up. And prior to coming over last season, he didn't have a complete game shutout for Arizona in 2010.

July 10, 2009, Haren tossed a complete game shutout against Florida where he went 9 innings of 4 hits work with 10 Ks and just 1 walk. While his Ks were up in that 8-0 win over th Fish, he allowed 5 base runners against a subpar team, and it just doesn't stand up against last night's gem.

Next we look at September 16, 2008, and we find ourselves some good competition. The Chessmaster went up against San Francisco and tossed the CG/SO allowing just 4 hits while punching out a monster 12 and walking just two. Six men reached base, but the strikeouts may just overcome that issue. To add to it, that game was against Matt Cain, a solid pitcher indeed. He's no 2011 Justin Verlander, but he's quality.

And, for a career that started in 2003, that's it. Haren had zero complete game shutouts prior to the game against the Giants in 2006. That leaves us with three games in Danny Boy's career to pick from for the best game of his career, and here is how I'd rank them.

3. 4/12/11: 9 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 2 BB

2. 9/16/08: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 12 K, 2 BB

1. 7/5/11: 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 0 BB

There you have it. I'm going on record that last night was the greatest game in Dan Haren's career. That just happened.

I'm willing to accept arguments, but I doubt you'll sway me.

Way to go Dan, easily the best #2 in the American League.

The Angels are now 46-41, completely locked up with Texas atop the division, and finish up their series with Detroit this afternoon with a business man's special. Chatty Kathy (5-5, 3.83) goes against Brad Penny (remember him?) (5-6, 4.43) as the Halos look for the sweep. Here's to Chatwood keeping his decent season rolling along. Man, a sweep would be nice.

Go Angels Go.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Don't Be A Douche While I Dream Of A Double Header.

So, what's up? I move up to the East Bay, right in the heart of A's Nation, and all of the sudden the Halos get hot? Doesn't really seem fair, to be honest. Me, the guy who always backs the boys up, even when they're looking awful, can't watch a game because of the move, and they start playing some ball? Oh well, I should just be happy and get over it. Although, I'm starting to get a little worried. Not about the team, but about the fan base.

That's because when the Angels start picking up wins and getting to the top of the division, all the "fan since way back in '02" types start getting cocky. Let's face it, the majority of Angel supporters didn't suffer through the 90's (and 80's) like us. They came on board when the miracle title run happened, and they don't know what it's like to stick with this team through thick and thin. They don't know where this team has come from. The epic failure that we grew out of to become the impressive team that we've watched over the last decade. Because of not knowing the pain, these supporters tend to get a little douchey when things start going well.

And things are really stating to go well lately. With two on and none out in the sixth inning, Miguel Cabrera blasted a long ball to straight away center in an attempt to jump back into last night's game. Luckily, we have the amazing Peter Bourjos patroling the outfield grass, and he made a highlight reel catch into the wall to save the day. Piñero turned in his second straight gem, Torii and Vernon went yard (Wells' was meaningless, yes), and the Angels rode a nine hit tide to a 5-1 win on Independence Day at The Stadium. The win gives us 15 over the last 21 games and 9 in the last 11, keeping us deadlocked with the Rangers on top of the division. 

It's exciting, I get it. But, it doesn't give us a license to be a douche. Remember, we're two bad weeks away from getting topped by the last place A's. I don't want to be a giant downer during a nice little run, but just keep things in perspective. Despite us ripping off wins like it was our job, we're still only tied with Texas, and their offense can run circles around ours. But, if the pitching stands firm, and tha bats do just enough, we'll be tough to beat down the stretch.

What's better, is what I see coming on July 16th. The Halos are making the trip up here to the East Bay to do battle with their most hated rivals. It's a double header to make up for a rain delay from earlier this year, and if you buy a ticket you can go to both games. I've decided that this Halo 2-for-1 at the O.com Colliseum is going to be my son's first live baseball experience. How sweet is that? I can't wait to take him to downtown Oakland rocking his puffy red Angels jacket (and, as a result, dodging bullets). Man, he'll love hearing about this when he grows up. What a story to tell your friends about your first game as an Angel fan. Come on!

The series against Big D continues in 3 hours, and it's going to be a tough one. Justin "No-Hit" Verlander (11-3, 2.32) is going head to head with Dan Haren (8-5, 2.85) and it has big game potential. Verlander is a straight up beast, and we all know it. However, The Chessmaster has the ability to turn in a downright nasty performance as well. If Haren is on, it's going to be one heck of a pitching duel.

And, if the Halos pull off the unlikely win, I might have to start acting like a douche.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē

Help in the Middle for Man Utd?

First, let me apologize in the gap between transfer posts. I had intended on doing a full breakdown of targets for the Red Devils, but didn't get around to it. Now that we're a full weekend into the official transfer period, United have finalized (or finalised) deals for three key players. The deals had been mooted for quite some time, so the only things in question were when and how much.

Sir Alex Ferguson did his homework and brought in keeper David De Gea from Atletico Madrid, defender Phil Jones from Blackburn, and winger Ashley Young from Aston Villa. The running tally so far is in the neighborhood of £50M. Let's take a look at these fine young players in more detail.


David De Gea
This long, rangy shot stopper has drawn comparisons to predecessor Edwin van der Sar for quite some time. That's impressive considering he is only 20 years of age. A combination of Sergio Asenjo's international duty and Roberto's injuries paved the way for his first team callup at Atletico at the ripe age of 18. Other names like Martin Stekelenburg, Manuel Neuer, Julio Cesar, and Gigi Buffon had been thrown out, but De Gea was always thought of as the first choice replacement for VDS. I'm looking forward to see him form partnerships with Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling, and this next player ...


Phil Jones
Having impressed during his first full season as a regular in the Rovers starting XI, Jones attracted the interest of several of England's top clubs. However, it soon became clear that United were his preferred club, and he took a medical in Manchester prior to the two clubs even agreeing a fee. He recently played with fellow Reds Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, and Danny Welbeck at the U21 Euro Championships. While the England squad failed to progress far, Jones and Smalling put forth an impressive display in the central defense - signalling a very bright future for United's back line. He's pegged as a potential captain for both his country and club, and I expect we will see big things out of him. He's also versatile enough to play as a fullback or a holding midfielder.


Ashley Young
Young is no stranger to English football fans, having six campaigns under his belt with Watford and Aston Villa. He turns 26 this week and has secured 15 caps for his native England. Many thought that his arrival would signal the departure of Luis Nani, but those rumours were quickly rubbished. While we do have several wide options now, keep in mind that Gabriel Obertan and Bebe both made bollocks out of their time at Old Trafford and Ryan Giggs has slowed down in what is surely to be the last season of a glorious career - all in Red.

Even though David Gill has spent £50M thus far in the transfer period, we are clearly not done yet. The biggest hole in our squad is in central midfield. Oft injured Owen Hargreaves was not offered a new contract, Paul Scholes retired, Darren Gibson has failed to impress (more on him later), and Michael Carrick, while often very impressive, has been inconsistent.

With that in mind, SAF has his sights set on a midfielder of the Scholes mold. Several names have been thrown out, but the most prominent and legit are Wesley Sneijder of Internazionale, Luka Modric of Spurs, Samir Nasri of Arsenal, Lassa Diarra of Real Madrid, Javier Pastore of Palermo, Daniele de Rossi of Roma, Jack Rodwell of Everton, Steven Defour of Standard Liege, and Yann M'Vila of Rennes.

• Wesley Sneijder, 27 - Sneijder is my preferred target of the bunch, as I have admired his play for several years now. In fact, when we sold Cristiano to RMA I was lobbying to have him included as part of the transfer. Instead, United did not inquire and he was allowed to leave for Inter. He is somewhat on the older side, but I think he has several productive years ahead of him. The price seems to keep rising amid interest from several of the world's top clubs - from £30M to the present £40M - but I think that would be well worth it.
  
• Luka Modric, 25 - Harry Redknapp has continually expressed that he is unwilling to sell the Croatian, but I think we all know he will let him go at the right price. That right price, according to rumour, is upwards of £50M. At that price, I don't think this even merits further discussion.
  
• Samir Nasri, 24 - Press coverage of his potential move to Manchester - either with City or United - has been wide. The price the keeps being mentioned is £20M, which seems a little low to me for such a skilled player. In the end I think Nasri leaves Arsenal, but the Premier League as well. With Carlos Tevez's public desire to leave City, I think that is an increasingly less attractive option for a player looking to win silverware. With the strong history between Arsenal and United, I doubt a transaction between the two clubs will happen.
  
• Lassana Diarra, 26 - As he has played for both Chelsea and Arsenal in the past, I have somewhat of a negative predisposition to Diarra. At 26 years of age he is not that old, but his inability to lock down a starting XI position at either of the aforementioned clubs or RMA makes me wary of him. This one is losing steam as I type.
  
• Javier Pastore, 22 - He allegedly has a £50M price tag on him (or is it €?). His club says he is more valuable than Alexis Sanchez, but most don't agree with that. To this point he has relied on pure skill rather than intelligence for the game, which makes me want to avoid him especially at such a high price.
  
• Daniele de Rossi, 27 - de Rossi turns 28 this month, and while he has been a mainstay for Roma I am doubtful he possesses the longevity and skill to be a replacement for Scholes. Pass.
  
• Jack Rodwell, 20 - Highly regarded as the best England U21 player, his potential is mouth watering. However, with many other clubs interested and with memories of the Wayne Rooney transfer from the same club, I doubt this will happen. If Rodwell is allowed to leave Goodison Park, I think it will be at an astronomic price point. Not Pastore astronomic, but still large and inflated.
  
• Steven Defour, 23 - SAF has had his eye on Defour for quite some time, and it was rumoured that United had agreed a fee with Standard Liege in the late winter. Not sure what has happened, but it appears United's interest has dwindled. He could be a good value transfer, but not the superstar quality we need here.
  
• Yann M'Vila, 21 - I'll be quite honest and say that I don't know much about him. At a lower price point than most of the others, he is an intriguing possibility. He's said to be more of a holding than attacking midfielder, however.

There is one name mysteriously missing from the list, however. In addition to Sneijder, he is the midfielder I most personally hope to see at Old Trafford next season. That player is Lyon's Yoann Gourcuff, 24 years of age (soon to be 25). He is a creative playmaker who excels in all parts of the game. Despite his low goal tally, make no mistake that he is instrumental in creating a huge portion of goals for both club and country. The Gourcuff-to-United rumours were aplenty in the Spring, but have since disappeared. What gives?

So who is going to control the central midfield for United's future? My personal guess? Wesley Sneijder.

The Future of the Maple Leafs 1st Line

Tim Connolly
News just came out that the Leafs have signed Tim Connolly, an unrestricted free agent formerly of the Buffalo Sabres, to a 2-year, $9.5M deal. Right now it's not clear if the Leafs had that offer on the table before losing out on the Brad Richards sweepstakes, or if Connolly was actually targeted to be their 1st line center.

Perennially one of the poorest offensive teams in the NHL, the Leafs could have used a legitimate point-plus per game scorer like Richards. It seems highly unlikely that Connolly can replicate that kind of output.

With no other available free agents with Richards' kind of ability, does this mean the Leafs will hit the trade market to fill the middle of the 1st line? Or is Connolly really it? Mikhail Grabovski has played well, but is not a 1st line center for a playoff contender. There has to be a better answer out there. Who could be available for the right price? Can Brian Burke tap into his former Ducks for Ryan Getzlaf? Just an idea, who know what will actually happen.