It's been awhile since we had a good cross-blog dialogue, mostly because Rob and I agree on most matters regarding the Angels. But here's where we diverge on the issue of Bill Stoneman and his performance this season: He believes in the myth that pitching wasn't available, while I, on the other hand, do not.

We saw the pitching market go through a remarkable adjustment over the offseason. The price of pitching is now ridiculously inflated - I say it's about time we all get used to it, because it's not going down anytime soon (I shudder to think what Washburn will command this winter). You've got to suck it up and pay if you intend to win. Pitching help (Baez, Fuentes, Mesa, Affeldt, Villone, Mercker, Grabow, Torres...) was available for any organization willing to pay for it.

How do you pay for it? Difficult decisions. Taking calculated gambles. Using your (substantial) resources wisely.

A minor league system that goes two-deep at nearly every position is nice to look at (and brag about), but it's not doing us a damn bit of good.

Let’s face facts: if Erick Aybar is the club's starting shortstop in 2008, something went disastrously awry. You can say much the same for Alberto Callaspo. Steven Shell projects as nothing better than a bottom of the rotation starter on an average staff, but do the Angels want an "average" staff? The organization purchased an insurance policy on Casey Kotchman in the form of Kendry Morales. The higher levels are drunk with intriguing relief arms such as Tim Bittner, Scott Dunn, Dusty Bergman, Von Stertzbach and Bob Zimmerman, all of whom have some value. These pieces (in addition to several at the major league level) were expendable.

Yes, making these kind of moves is risky. Some would call it mortgaging the club's future (a bit dramatic I feel - we're talking about bringing over one, maybe two guys. No one wants to clear the cupboard.). But isn't "tomorrow" worth it to give the team a shot today? You have to go for it at some point, and now was a fine time to do it.

This 2005 Angels ball club isn't championship caliber, and we all know it (or at least Rob and I do). It isn't even the best team in one of the worst AL Wests we've ever seen. But in this year's American League, where no team has distinguished itself as dominant, it wouldn't have taken much to make this team a true contender.

As I've stated consistently since the beginning of the season, I don't believe this team is going to make the playoffs. I'm afraid Bill Stoneman has sealed that sad fate with his (in)actions today.

UPDATE: Another one of those non-existent arms changes zip codes - the Braves acquire Kyle Farnsworth for two middling prospects.

He's on the bench today - could there be a trade in the works? Dare I dream?

UPDATE: When you start a guy with seven games of major league experience while your opponent starts a 4-time Cy Young winner with 250+ wins, and you're leading when both leave the game, well, that's a stolen game. There was no reason to believe the Angels could win this one, and yet here we are. Now it's up to the bullpen. You can't let this one get away.

UPDATE: Dueling bullpen implosions. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with this team. Nope not a thing...

UPDATE: With so many areas to improve and so many resources, how does nothing get done? Mr. Moreno: fire Bill Stoneman. Protect your investment. He has no vision for this franchise, and even if he did, he's so petrified of change that he'll never be able to implement it. The Angels will never be as good as they should be with Bill Stoneman at the helm.

Major market teams do what it takes to win, Mr. Moreno. Fancy marketing will accomplish nothing if you don't understand that.

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE: Maicer Izturis was a good acquisition. Unfortunately Bill Stoneman was too blind to see how good. Why let Izturis play for $400,000 when you can pay another ex-Expo $6m to do the same job!?

UPDATE: Kevin Gregg in for the 10th. Game over.

UPDATE: Oh. My. Fucking. God.

UPDATE: And they ruled it a single. Yeah.

MORE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE: I guess Paul Byrd worked-out pretty well too. So that's two positive moves over four years. Unless you want to count Vlad, which, I wouldn't considering it was an avenue Bill had no intention of pursuing until it fell in his lap.

GAME OVER: So how 'bout that name change, huh? That's going to do wonders growing the fan-base!

FAIR PLAY TO STONEMAN: Rob points out that Stoneman also pulled the trigger on the Appier/Vaughn deal. So that's three in his column. Any others?

AH, YES: I believe Kimera Bartee for Chone Figgins was Stoneman's doing as well. Of course, it's never been the trades he makes that bothered me.

Generally when a team beats your closer you can only tip your hat. Not today. Sure, it was ninth in which Frankie lost his control (and his velocity - I didn't count a single fastball north of 93) and the Angels lost the game, but it was the eighth in which they were doomed to failure.

Why, after Joel Peralta started the inning by making A-Rod look like a fool, did Mike Scioscia call upon Jake Woods? Yes, in Woods' short time in the Majors his numbers against lefties have been impressive (.196 BAA). And yes, the opposite is true of Joel Peralta (.256 BAA). But what in Woods' short experience has made Scioscia think he was even remotely qualified for that sort of situation? A four run lead against the Yankees is anything but safe. Garbage-time relievers don't belong in the game.

If you feel it's necessary to play the percentages (it's strange how the Angels selectively apply their core philosophies), you should at least know the percentages. Shields was the best option. Maybe Scioscia was looking to rest him, having thrown 3.1 innings over the past three days. But it seems odd that if Scioscia was intent on resting Shields, he had no problem with saddling his closer (who had pitched in the last two games) with a 5-out save. Indeed, a clearly fatigued Frankie Rodriguez would throw 40 pitches on his way to the blown save.

ESPN is counting it down - 22 hours now until the "artificial" trade deadline. If it wasn't clear before, it is now - this bullpen definitely needs help. It needs the man who should have gotten the hold in today's victory.

MLB.com reports that Washburn missed today's start with a strained left forearm. It was bad enough that they moved Byrd up a day in the rotation and called up Chris Bootcheck to start Sunday. Everyone seems to feel Wash will make his next start. Bootcheck will face the Big Unit.

Also, the article mentions that Escobar is playing catch from 90 feet away and is expected to pitch from a mound in a week and a half. If all goes well, I would expect him back in Anaheim at the end of August or the beginning of September.

John Sickels has been posting a few pictures from his scouting trip to the Arkansas/Wichita series, featuring several of the Angels' top prospects. Follow the pictures' locations (or hit "view image" in FireFox) to get the full size.

...they go and give Scott Peterson a blog. And they still haven't apologized for Alan Thicke!

Here we go again. The annual purge has begun. It's been popping up in forums and in my inbox, especially over the past week. The keepers of the flame have convened and decided that those of us who are not true believers in the cult of Angel fandom, those who dare to criticize - the impure, the unsanctified - are not true fans.

Fuck that.

I root for my team to win, every night. That's all that's required of a fan.

Am I a vocal supporter, showering our boys in praise over every small accomplishment? No. Do I accentuate the negative much of the time? Yes. Admittedly it's one of my worst qualities. But I'm not going to have my bona fides questioned for the simple fact that I don't sleep clutching a Rally Monkey at night.

And in regards to the accusation that my opinions shift with the ebb-and-flow of the season: Well, that just don't hold water, folks. The archives are on the bottom-left. Take a gander and you'll find that my tone and criticisms haven't changed since day one - just as it won’'t change tonight.

By voice vote.

He's supporting federally funded stem-cell research now. Fine. I couldn't care less.

But lets cut the B.S. - this is nothing more than Frist trying to save his capsizing presidential bid by moving to the middle and appealing to moderates within the party. While that won't be a winning strategy (especially if McCain or Giuliani enter the fray), it's really his only option having lost the party activists long ago. I'd even go as far as to call it a wise calculation, politically.

But now he's on CSPAN, standing in the background - on camera - as Sen. Kennedy sings his praises. Hello Bill! No matter how moderate you cast yourself, we're still talking about the Republican Party here! No pictures with Public Enemy #1! Just not smart.

UPDATE: Michael Reagan was just on FOXNews saying that Frist is posturing to get Nancy Reagan's endorsement for 2008. That's a little too cold-blooded, I would think. Anyway, it's clear Frist won't be getting any endorsments from the eldest Reagan son.

The Angels' on-air duo of Rory Markas and Terry Smith come in a puzzling 11th among AL broadcasters. While they're not great by any means, they're certainly better than most, IMO (of course maybe that's just the result of years of auditory violation at the hands of Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc). Both have pleasing voices and a refreshing no-nonsense approach to calling the game where, for the most part, while one is calling the game the other shuts his goddamn mouth. That's all I'm looking for (along with, you know, getting the play-by-play correct and repeating the score on occasion).

Also, it goes without saying that the Dodger's crew of Scully, Steiner, and Monday comes out on top - though it's pretty safe to say the latter two played little part in the tabulations. (via USS Mariner)

That about sums it up.

Some poor sap of a GM has inquired about Darin Erstad:

"The Angels would like to add a top-flight left-handed reliever, such as Philadelphia's Billy Wagner, Colorado's Brian Fuentes or Seattle's Ron Villone, but Wagner no longer appears available, and the price for Fuentes and Villone has been deemed too high at this point.

"Potential trading partners have also asked for key components of the Angels, such as reliever Scot Shields, first baseman Darin Erstad, and utility player Chone Figgins.

"Triple-A catcher Jeff Mathis and first baseman Casey Kotchman also have drawn a lot of interest."

The only team I could see as being interested in Erstad is the Mets. Because a) Omar Minaya is just that dumb, and b) they sort of need a first baseman. I say "come and get him, Omar! No questions asked."

The Senate Banking Committee has sent Christopher Cox's nomination as SEC Chairman to the full Senate, where he should be confirmed tomorrow (setting the stage for his swearing in and resignation from Congress early next week). It was a unanimous vote.

Completely missed this yesterday, but the House managed to sneak CAFTA through by the hair-thin margin of two votes (217-215 - 15 Democrats for, 27 Republicans against). That's a big victory for the Administration and for free-marketers everywhere. In the immortal words of Austin Powers: "Yay Capitalism!"

Of course, the usual left-wing action groups are up in arms over accusations of "bribery" and "abuse of power" because Republicans - *gasp* - worked the room during the vote. "Well, had I known I was sending a politician to Washington, I would have voted Democratic!"

What is it with this stadium? It's a fucking house of horrors for the Angels.

As I said in Rev's comment section, I don't care how well he's pitched of late - Donnelly is a house of cards, and is not to be trusted in tight, late game situations. Not when the game's on the line. This was Frankie territory, for two innings if that's what was required (I'd even be more comfortable with Peralta out there).

Lead down to four games. You don't have to be a pessimist to see where this is headed.

BOX

More random scanning:

The effect of "clutch hitting" is so slight as to be nearly indistinguishable from random samples. Via Rob.

To tell you the truth, in my mind it was never an unsettled matter.

JOSH'S TAKE: This is probably the major thing that Richard and I disagree on (well, that and chicks that are as skinny as Calista Flockhart are attractive), but I still fully believe in "clutch hitting." This guy ran some great analyses and made sure not to over analyze his data. He kept his stated facts down to what was actually shown in the data (rather than trying to make unsupported in the data), but this article was largely about batting with runners in scoring position vs. not, and that, sir, is just a loose approximation of the mythical (legendary?) clutch hitting. A clutch hit can simply be a double, a triple, or a home run with a man on first or no one on (even for the 2B and the 3B, here, as they can start rallies...which brings to mind how the Cards won the other night with a triple and then a squeeze bunt by Eckstein).

Also, the idea that all of the really good clutch hitters will be major stars is poor, at best. Who is to say that Joe Blow on the Tampa Bay Suck Rays wouldn't be recognized as the best clutch hitter in the history of baseball (maybe he had 38 game winning hits in a season they had 62 wins) if only he had played for a team that the media recognizes? The fact is that clutch hitting is supposed to have nothing to do with individual talent (although the person has to be good enough to be at least mildly successful...and being a great talent might appear to be clutchiness when it isn't) or team talent (although, better teams will be in more "clutch" scenarios where winning games in a pennant race or in the playoffs matter). My main problem trying to say this has anything to do with actual (or mythical) clutch hitting is that it doesn't look at things I particularly associate with "clutch." Where are the statistics that tell us how people did in close and late situations, or in games that truly mattered for a team (such as the playoffs or with a playoff berth on the line)?

Not to mention that the whole point of the idea of the "Fog" is that we can't necessarily quantify everything. There are a lot of things not currently very quantifiable, such as in depth situational stats: what type of hit each was, where it went, what defender fielded it, what pitcher was pitching, etc. It may certainly be that clutch hitting is just a blip on the radar of 40 years worth of stats, but blips may be all that are needed for clutchiness: trees can be significantly different within the same forest, but if you look at the forest from too far away, they all look the same (the opposite problem of missing the forest for the trees). Baseball is a sport with a human element, and unless you are Hari Seldon it is impossible to predict what people will be doing from what has been done, and it took him 40 quadrillion people to be able to do it!

RICHARD: Ok Josh - I have, in my possession, incontrovertible evidence which proves that you are wrong and I am right:


It's a scientific fact! You can't argue with science! (related discussion here)

I say this knowing full well that birth certificates often list adoptive parents, but shouldn't documents of your birth be, you know, documentation of your actual birth? Such things as who provided the biological material for one's being, and not whoever happens to be one's guardian (if that were the case, shouldn't we retroactively change birth certificates to reflect changes in guardianship throughout childhood?). Seeing as birth certificates are kept solely for medical and historical purposes (if a birth certificate has another use, I've yet to find it), I fail to see of what possible use these new "P.C." documents could be. You might as well end the practice all together.

But why should common sense get in the way of an agenda?

The Yankees appear to be the odds-on favorites to sign Hideo Nomo when he passes through waivers later today. He'll likely get the start on Saturday against the Halos.

UPDATE: The Yankees have indeed signed Nomo, but unfortunately he will miss the Angels over the weekend, as he has been assigned to AAA Columbus.

Overall Record: 59-40 Pythagorean Record 57-42 Games Ahead 5.5 Week Record: 4-3 Pace: 97-65
Record after 99 games:
2002: 59-40 2003: 50-49 2004: 52-47

Opponents: vs. Oakland (1-2) July 18-20, vs. New York (3-1) July 21-24

Hot: Bengie and Chone went on batting tears this week, with Bengie going 9-23 and Figgy going 10-23 with 6 walks and 7 steals. Vlad should get some sort of special mention here for his two home runs, each turning games around (literally, from deficits to 1 run leads) and charging the Angels to wins. Shields, Donnelly and Frankie K were absolutely brilliant, giving up no runs (and just 9 baserunners) in 11.2 innings. The day off today is a bigger help to them than just about anyone else on the team.

Not: Vlad other than his home runs was pretty bad, Erstad is striking out too much and not getting on base enough, while OC and AK did not bat very well. The only starter that pitched worse than average was Colon, by giving up 4 home runs (thankfully all solo) and he still got the win (thanks to Vlad’s granny).

Coming up: The Angels’ offense is still struggling, probably due in large part to Vlad’s slump. There has got to be something wrong with him right now, he should have bounced back by now. The team has been helped by adequate to good starts and great bullpen work by a revitalized bullpen. If the team’s offense could get back off the ground (not necessarily to the level it had in June, but certainly better than April, May or July) it should wreak havoc on the lesser teams and perform better against teams like Oakland.

Opponents coming up: at Toronto (49-49) July 26-28, at New York (52-45) July 29-31

Probable Starters: Byrd vs. Chacin, Colon vs. Towers, Lackey vs. Walker, Santana vs. Brown, Washburn vs. Pavano, Byrd vs. Mussina

When the White House denies the Democrats' request for memos authored by John Roberts during his time in the Solicitor General's office (rightfully so), and when he is confirmed as the newest Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, will President Bush re-nominate and confirm Miguel Estrada?

Think about it: It is clear that Democrats won't be able to sustain a high-profile filibuster of John Roberts on such flimsy pretenses. And it just so happens that Democrats used the same flimsy pretenses to block Estrada's nomination to the DC Circuit Court (they were able to get away with it, because, frankly, no one cared enough to notice). But once Senate Democrats have allowed a judicial nomination as important as John Roberts' to go through despite their protests over the withholding of documents, those protests will no longer stand up to the "extraordinary circumstances" set forth in the deal struck by the "Gang of 14." Especially when considering the comparative significance of the two posts.

Another day, another editorial hatchet-job from the LA Times. This time from Jamie Court (no, not McCourt), the self-described non-partisan consumer watchdog behind such clearly non-partisan endeavors as ArnoldWatch.org and the book "Corporateering: How Corporate Power Steals Your Personal Freedom and What You Can Do About It" (featuring a forward by the notoriously non-partisan Michael Moore).

I take particular offense to this passage:

"Cox's approach to corporate crime predates his time in Congress. As a private securities attorney in the mid-1980s, Cox worked for William Cooper and his company, First Pension Corp. Cooper was accused of running a Ponzi scheme, convicted of fraud and imprisoned.

"After Cooper was caught, Cox, then a congressman, claimed he had not known his client was a fraud. Nonetheless, Cox was sued by investors for what they said was his role in misleading regulators on Cooper's behalf. Cox's law firm settled the case."

Through careful wording, Court misleads the reader into believing that Latham & Watkins (Cox's firm) settled the case on the behalf of Cox, implying some sort of admission guilt on his part. What Court omits (and fails to mention at any point in the editorial) is that Cox was dropped as a defendant not long after the litigation began.

This time coming from the NY Post. It's rampant speculation on the part of the Post (who, as Joe noted in his email, have a well-earned reputation for "basically making shit up"), and features nothing in the way of new information.

Though I must say, a Kotchman/Aybar for Sweeney deal doesn't sound too bad (assuming the Royals eat some cash).

UPDATE: I think Cupie's observation down in the comments is right - Allard Baird isn't going to take on any of that contract, as this previously linked Peter Gammons story illustrated. I forgot about all the previous Sweeney hype. My bad.

Ah, memories.

Red State has an interesting account of the CIA's Counter-Proliferation Division (Valerie Plame's old stomping grounds) and the role it played in the accidental bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo War. The author's weak attempt to tie the story to Plame is - put simply - political hackery at it's worst, but it nonetheless encapsulates the current problems inside the CIA.

Angels record against the Yankees, post expansion (1998-present):

37-32, (.536)

Pwned.

He makes the much-deserved jump to AA Arkansas, according to Physioc.

RELATED: Rob notes that the club has signed first-round pick Trevor Bell. He's in the Angels' broadcast booth as we speak.

The Senate Banking committee will grill President Bush's nominee for SEC chairman - California Rep. Chris Cox - early next week, setting the stage for a mid-September primary election in the 48th congressional district:

"If Cox's nomination is approved by the full committee, as is expected, he could be confirmed by the full Senate by the end of the week and sworn in to his new post the first week in August.

"If that happens, the special primary election for Cox's 48th Congressional District seat would be scheduled for Sept. 20 or 27, depending upon when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls the election. The governor has 14 days from the day of Cox's resignation to set the primary."

In regards to that election, assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer is supposedly the front-runner:

"Former Newport Beach Assemblywoman Marilyn Brewer's support of abortion rights and stem cell research, combined with her fiscal conservatism, make her the leading candidate to replace Rep. Chris Cox, according to a poll released last week by Public Opinion Strategies."

Could that sound any more like a Brewer campaign press-release? Well, that's basically what it is:

"The poll, commissioned by Brewer's campaign, asked likely voters in the 48th Congressional District questions about several political issues and a list of possible candidates that included Brewer and state Sen. John Campbell, both Republicans who are seeking the seat; Democrat John Graham, who said he might run, and former Reps. Bob Dornan and Jim Rogan. Dornan has said he's in, and Rogan has said he's out of the race."

I don't know what Orange County they're polling in where Marilyn Brewer beats out Jim Rogan. It would be a shame if one of the safest and most important Republican districts in the nation went to a Republican-in-name-only.

The NHL draft lottery is down to Anaheim and Pittsburgh for the right to pick Sydney Crosby, who is supposedly the Second Coming of Christ. You can watch on ESPNews.

UPDATE: Well shit. Pittsburgh gets its much-needed savior and the Ducks get stuck with the second pick.

The Giants beat writer over at the San Francisco Chronicle seems to think the Angels would be willing to part with Scot Shields to acquire either Bret Tomko or Jason Schmidt:

"It seems the Angels are looking toward San Francisco for possible pitching help. They reportedly are interested in Brett Tomko. Also, when Angels beat writers visited manager Mike Scioscia's office recently, they saw Jason Schmidt's ESPN home page on Scioscia's computer screen. The Angels have a deep farm system that would allow them to part with 29-year-old reliever Scot Shields, who has experience as a starter and has held major- league hitters to a .179 average this season."

Uh huh. Keep dreaming, Mr. Schulman.

BallWonk tries to figure out what's bothering Livan Hernandez, and in the process coins my new favorite word: "Guillenian," as in "Livo spoke to the press and described the Guillenian anger burning within him." Classic!

Well, this game ended up more nerve wracking than it should have been. The Big Unit started out looking like he would dominate, while Colon decided to keep on serving up gopher balls to Yankees, this time four solo shots. Thankfully, all of those were solo shots and so the Angels were kept in the game. Colon also figured out how to keep A-Rod in the park, although it took until the fifth plate appearance against him this year before limiting him to just a single. Colon even got A-Rod out later in the game. Unfortunately, after the Angels had scrounged up 2 runs to pull within 1 (3-2), Colon immediately gave up his final two home runs of the evening. He did not deserve the win he picked up. In the bottom of the inning, the Yankees played musical reliever and could never find an empty chair: the Angels loaded the bases off of Scott Proctor and Buddy Groom before Groom finally got an out (Erstad, striking out). Then, Vlad came up against Flash Gordon and belted a 1-0 pitch over the wall. After Shields ripped through the Yankees in 8 pitches (7 strikes), Frankie K had to face the meat of the order in the 9th for the save. A-Rod picked up a leadoff double, while Matsui moved him to 3rd on a flyout. Frankie then struck out Giambi and walked Bernie (a very smart walk...better to let him have first than to force a pitch he could hit) and then forced a groundout by Posada to end the game.

RICHARD: Vlad saved a life tonight - after that ground-rule double in the sixth, I was ready to go hunting for the first Yankee fan I could find. The slam made me put away the gun... for now.

Do yourself a favor and read John Howard's response to a journalist's suggestion that the London terror attacks were brought about by the conflict in Iraq. If only President Bush could speak in such a clear and explicit manner?

UPDATE: Speaking of politicians lifting the veil of diplomacy and speaking their mind, check out this exchange between Orrin Hatch and Chuckie Schumer during John Robert's 2003 confirmation hearing. That kind of talk shouldn't have a place in the halls of Congress, but it's pretty damn funny.

And one last, unrelated note - Largebill has the details on a resolution on that "no-Catholics" policy at a Mississippi adoption service.

Bio:

Name:     Dustin Aaron Moseley
Birthday: December 26, 1981 (23 on Opening Day) 
Height:   6-3
Weight:   290
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: P
Acquired: via trade w/CIN (12/14/04)
Drafted:  2000, 1st round (34), CIN
Roster:   40-man
Contract: n/a

Stats:

YEAR(L)   G  GS IP    H   R  ER HR BB SO  H/9  W/9 K/9 W  L  ERA  WHIP
----------|--|--|-----|---|--|--|--|--|---|----|---|---|--|--|----|---
2001(a)   25 25 148.0 158 83 69    42 108 9.6  2.6 6.6 10 8  4.20 1.35
2002(A)   14 14 88.2  60  28 27 3  21 80  6.1  2.1 8.1 6  3  2.74 0.91
 || (AA)  13 13 80.2  91  47 37 5  37 52  10.2 4.1 5.8 5  6  4.13 1.59
2003(AA)  18 18 112.2 116 55 48 10 28 73  9.3  2.2 5.8 5  6  3.83 1.28
 || (AAA) 8  8  50.0  46  19 15 5  14 27  8.3  2.5 4.9 2  3  2.70 1.20
2004(AA)  8  8  47.1  33  16 14 4  10 40  6.3  1.9 7.6 3  2  2.66 0.91
 || (AAA) 12 12 71.2  78  38 37 7  34 48  9.8  4.3 6.0 2  4  4.65 1.56
2005(AAA) 16 16 81.1  102 51 46 11 36 29  11.3 4.0 3.2 4  6  5.09 1.69

Pitching:

Pitch selection: 1) fastball (88-92 mph), 2) curveball, 3) change, 4) cut fastball. Said to lack a true out pitch, which limits his potential.

Acquired in the Ramon Ortiz trade, Moseley is a guy who's never going to bust radar guns. In the past Moseley has worked off of excellent location of his fastball and a solid change to keep hitters off-balance. He mixes pitches well, and it was this finesse that propelled him through the lower levels of the Red's system and to the top of the organization's prospect chart. A back injury derailed his 2004 season (it only caused him to miss four starts, but his control was clearly lacking upon his return) and may be partly to blame for his 2005 struggles with the Angels.

Outlook:

Going into this season I would have told you that Moseley could pass as a fifth starter on a few major league rosters. So far he's failed to live up to that billing at AAA Salt Lake, as he's been unable to miss bats, plain and simple. His K-rate (which was never too impressive to begin with) has plummeted as his formerly pinpoint control has all but disappeared (manifested in his raising walks). I'm not totally convinced he's not still suffering from the effects of last season's back injury (though there's no evidence that is the case). 2005 has seen an awfully precipitous fall from a guy who's always been seen as almost a "sure thing" fifth starter type. I can't help but feel there's something missing.

ETA: I'm not sure he has an ETA in the Angels' organization. As I said, Moseley has never had much up side - even before his 2005 struggles. At best he's going to be a solid fifth starter in an average rotation. Now even that has come into question, though I'm confident Moseley will rebound. I see him poking around the majors for a few years, filling holes on some bad clubs.

London was attacked again today, just two weeks after 56 people were murdered and hundreds more injured by suicide bombers. The new attacks appear to be in the same vein, again attacking the subway system and a bus. Fortunately, these attacks have been quite a bit less successful and it appears that only one person was wounded. It is not yet clear if these were "copycat" bombers or a follow up attack by the same group and whether or not this was meant to be smaller or the plan failed this time.

Now that Peter Gammons and the daily Elias Sports Bureau report - the last two ESPN.com columns worth anyone's time - are safely locked away behind ESPN's "Insider" premium service, I figure this is as good a time as any to reveal my super-secret hack to bypass the paid login. It's really simple - all you have to do...

Read this and this.

Bio:

Name:     Richard Brandon Wood
Birthday: March 2, 1985 (20 on Opening Day 2005) 
Height:   6'-2"
Weight:   180
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: SS
Acquired: Draft
Drafted:  2003, 1st round (23), ANA
Roster:   Minor League
Contract: n/a

Stats (complete):

YEAR(L)   G   AB  R  H   2B 3B HR RBI BB SO  SB CS AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS 
----------|---|---|--|---|--|--|--|---|--|---|--|--|----|----|----|-- 
2003(r)   19  78  14 24  8  2  0  13  4  15  3  0  .308 .349 .462 811 
 || (R)   42  162 25 45  13 2  5  31  16 48  1  1  .278 .348 .475 823 
2004(a)   125 478 65 120 30 5  11 64  46 117 21 5  .251 .322 .404 726 
2005(A)   90  368 71 118 31 3  31 82  34 79  5  2  .321 .385 .674 1059

Hitting:

The numbers speak for themselves. Wood has tremendous power for the position, and it's developing earlier than anyone could have expected. With his size and power, one can't help but make the obvious comparisons. However, unlike Rodriguez and Jeter, Wood has never shown the ability to control the strike zone. As I've said many times before - the strikeouts by themselves just don't bother me. But Wood does need to show that he can work counts. Sure, he can hit any mistake for miles, but at higher levels he's going to have to learn to force the pitcher into throwing his pitch. That's my only worry, and it's a rather quibbling one considering his youth.

Defense/Baserunning:

Wood is not celebrated for his glove work. In fact, just today in his excellent Wait 'Til Next Year feature, Bryan Smith concluded that with Wood and McPherson "the left side of the Angels won't be winning any Gold Gloves from 2007-2012." Fair enough. But I remember that there was a time when Adam Kennedy was also considered something of a defensive liability. Don't ask me why, but I get the feeling that Wood - despite the fact that he's oversized for the position - is the kind of guy who's going to turn his raw athleticism and baseball intelligence into plus defense. Maybe never to the point of becoming a perennial gold-glove candidate like Kennedy, but the Angels shouldn't have any second thoughts about his manning the six.

Outlook:

Time to toot my own horn a bit: I've always held Wood in higher regard than the Angels' other, more highly touted middle infielders. He possesses the best combination of on-base and power out of the four überprospects (though Kendrick - who I grossly misjudged, it would seem - is giving him a run for his money). With the fall of Casey Kotchman, Wood now must be considered the organization's hottest property.

Assuming he figures out the strikezone a little bit (and I'm confident that he will), Wood will be a superstar for the next decade. ETA: 2007 - if not sooner.

In their zeal to discredit John Roberts, or to justify a filibuster, a few Kossacks are looking to do a little opposition research on Jack Roberts - John Roberts' son. See, they have reason to believe that Jack may be a homosexual.

Jack Roberts is four years old.

I guess Rich Harden basically dominates the Angels. In two games, he has pitched 16.2 innings and given up just 8 hits, 5 walks, and 1 run, while striking them out 16 times. And the run did not come until the Angels just had a single out left in the game, when Finley singled, then moved to second without the catcher trying to get him and then Molina singled to knock him in. Only Figgins has reached base against him more than twice (on a hit in the first game and two walks in this game).

Steven Pearcy - the man who hung an American solider in effigy outside his Berkeley suburban Sacramento home - apparently fancies himself an "artist."

Mr. Lockyer, what the fuck are you thinking?

Baseball America declares Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick to be the two hottest prospects in baseball this week, followed shortly by Jered Weaver at six.

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, President Bush will nominate John Roberts to replace Sandra Day O'Conner.

Everything I know about John Roberts: Degrees from Harvard, Clerked for Rehnquist, Deputy Solicitor General under Ken Starr, battled for W. during 2000 Florida fiasco. The latter two are likely to stick in the craw of Democrats. Sounds like a fight, but what do I know?

UPDATE: This seems surprisingly congenial from Harry Reid. Calm before the storm?

Haidl "entitled" to new trial

Greg Haidl's lawyers claim the convicted rapist and juvenile delinquent is entitled to a new trial after the judge disallowed "expert" testimony from a porn star.

The only thing this punk should be entitled to is a severe ass kicking, if you ask me.

(BTW: The OC Weekly article also mentions that Haidl's lawyers are keeping him in county lock-up for as long as possible, for fear that he and his fellow gang-rapists "will become sex toys inside California's notorious state prisons." It's good for a smile.)

AP aims low

In a seemingly innocuous article about members of the Northwestern University women's lacrosse team wearing flip-flops during an official White House visit, AP just can't resist the opportunity to take a cheap shot at the Bush family:

"In 2001, Bush's daughter Jenna, then 19, wore black flip-flops in court, along with pink capri pants and a sleeveless black shirt, when she pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol."

As Ace points out, what do you suppose the chances are of reading this line in an AP wire story:

"Russian First Lady Ludmila Putina wore an elegant blue dress - similar to the blue dress worn by Monica Lewinsky, which President Clinton covered in ejaculate just prior to perjuring himself before Congress."

Weintraub on Bear Flag League

Daniel Weintraub pens a nice article on our little group (of which this blog is likely the weakest link - I'm waiting for the "you're out!" email any day now) in the Sac Bee.

President Bush will announce his nominee - widely believed to be Judge Edith Brown Clement of the 5th Circuit - at 18:00 PDT.

A little background on Clement:

Edith Brown Clement, 57, is a judge on the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Clement was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1991 and was elevated to her current post by the current President Bush in 2001.

Clement, a graduate of the University of Alabama and Tulane University Law School, worked as a lawyer in private practice in New Orleans for 16 years before beginning her tenure on the federal bench. She specialized in civil litigation involving maritime law, representing oil companies, insurance companies and the marine services industry in cases before federal courts. She is a member of the Federalist Society, an influential conservative legal organization.

As a district judge, Clement presided over such high-profile cases as the 2000 trials of former Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards (D) and former state insurance commissioner Jim Brown (D) on fraud charges. Edwards was acquitted; Brown was convicted of lying to the FBI and sentenced to six months in prison.

Lawyers who know Clement or have tried cases before her describe her as a judicial conservative who leans toward the defense in civil cases, and as a no-nonsense judge who is strict about deadlines and insists on professionalism from lawyers.

Analysts say Clement has not attracted attention for her judicial opinions, so it is unclear which of her decisions, if any, might become the focus of a confirmation battle.

Seems like a pretty safe pick confirmation-wise.

Choi Hoon blesses us with another one of his modern art masterpieces (via Rob).


I especially like the unassuming Mariners monkey.

I think this article explains Brown's career best. Brown was a fantastic player in his day, but he never played on a great team. Will he make the Hall of Fame? Based on his numbers he should since he is 2nd or 3rd all time in the major receiving categories (to Jerry Rice). However, with the more prolific passing games since the late 90s, by the time he is up for the Hall of Fame vote, it is likely he will be passed in all of those categories. Is it enough that he was great for many years but never the best player at his position (or even second best, since Rice skews everything) in any given year? I think if he had been able to retire last season (as a lifetime Raider) he would have been guaranteed a spot, especially if he already had that 100th TD (in which case he would have probably retired then anyways). I would like him to be in the Hall of Fame, but I will fully understand it if he doesn't make it. In any case, kudos to Tim Brown for an excellent and exciting career, he was the best thing the Raiders had for most of the 90s.

Oh my!

I'll be there, fully decked-out in my Galaxy gear. No, I wasn't one of the 9,000 who paid $30 to watch Real practice - though I would have gladly paid had I been in the area. So is anyone else going to be in attendance?

UPDATE: Great quote from Cobi Jones: "Those critics out there that say things like MLS isn't even in the top 30 leagues in the world, can kiss my ass." Well, tonight's your chance to prove them wrong.

Oh, the irony!: With all the star power that will be on display at the HDC, the one name that will be missing is the Galaxy's largest star - Landon Donovan. He's still on Gold Cup duty with the national team. Luckily (thanks in large part to Donovan) Jamaica's Gold Cup is over, meaning Tyrone Marshall will be available tonight.

Today, I turn two dozen.

Some notable events on this date (via Wikipedia): the Romans lost to the Gauls in the Battle of the Allia in 390 BC, leading to Rome being sacked...this in turn led the Romans to becoming the great military power of the world for the next 600 years or so; The Great Fire of Rome occurred in 64 AD; the Curies discover Polonium in 1898; Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf in 1925; Intel is incorporated in 1968; Mary Jo Kopechne dies when Senator Ted Kennedy drives his car into a pond in 1969; Nadia Coamneci receives the first perfect 10 in the Olympics in 1976.

Notable births: Robert Hooke (came up with "Hooke's Law" and the term "cell") in 1635; Nelson Mandela (apartheid protester, 1st black South Africa president) in 1918; John Glenn (astronaut and Senator) in 1921; Roald Hoffman (Nobel Prize in Chemistry for theories concerning chemical reactions) in 1937; Hunter S. Thompson (writer, druggie, suicide) in 1937; Joe Torre (former Angels broadcaster) in 1940; Sir Richard Branson (founder of Virgin, super-duper rich man); Mike Greenwell (former baseball player and MVP runner up to Jose "Roidman" Canseco) in 1963; Vin Diesel (decent action actor with a big ego) in 1967; Torii Hunter (center fielder extraordinaire) in 1975; Ben Sheets (2000 baseball Olympic gold medalist) in 1978.

Notable deaths: John Paul Jones (the first naval hero in the US) in 1792; Jane Austen (probably the most famous English language female author) in 1817.

Overall Record: 55-37 Games Ahead 7 Week Record: 3-1 Pace: 97-65
Record after 92 games:
2002: 54-38 2003: 49-43 2004: 49-43

Opponents: at Minnesota (3-1) July 14-17

Hot: None of the hitting was particularly good this week (12 runs in 4 games, terrible situational hitting), so we are taking a pass there. Finley made a great catch on Friday to save a home run (in a one run ball game). Starting pitching was largely very good, giving up 10 runs in 24.2 innings (half of which came in a single inning against Colon). A special shout out goes to Lackey, who struck out 10 while walking none in 7 innings today. The relief pitching did not give up a single run in 12.1 innings. Shields specifically went 4.2 innings and Frankie K went 3 for 3 in saves (his last 5 saves have all come against the Twins in one run ball games).

Not: I have to give a special mention here to Vlad for going 1-15 this week with a single walk. Probably the biggest reason the team’s offense struggled. He should get hot again soo, and push his average back up towards .340. Colon was the only pitcher this week with a bad start and that all happened in a single inning. The defense was not that great either, with 5 errors in their last three games (which could be due in part to playing in the Metrodome.

Coming up: This week the Angels take on the A’s and the Yankees, both have just taken three of four from rivals while on the road. The Angels have faced each of the Oakland pitchers this season, pounding Saarloos once and pretty much getting shut down the other games. Of course, Oakland has been playing well lately, finally pulling above the .500 mark just before the All Star Break. The Yankees have been streaky this season and are finally pulling their heads above water, but they were desperate enough for starting pitching that they bought a quickly aging Al Leiter from the Marlins. When the teams last played, the Angels largely shut down the Yankee offense except for Alex Rodriguez, and his damage all came against Colon. The Angels were able to pick up enough runs against Mussina and Brown to win those games.

Opponents coming up: vs. Oakland (47-44) July 18-20, vs. New York (49-41) July 21-24

Probable Starters: Santana vs. Saarloos, Washburn vs. Harden, Byrd vs. Zito, Colon vs. Johnson, Lackey vs. Leiter, Santana vs. Brown, Washburn vs. Mussina

Things are starting to look-up for the Angels hottest property:

"Over his last three starts, [2004 first-round pick Jered] Weaver has thrown 16 2/3 innings, allowing 8 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), and 2 walks, while striking out 26. He has gradually increased his pitch count from approximately 50 toward 100 and his arm strength apparently is close to where he was a little over a year ago when he led the Dirtbags to the Super Regionals and was honored by winning all of the collegiate player of the year awards."

That's great news, but one can't help but wonder where Jered would be had he avoided the bonus fiasco.

Also from the same post, we learn that Howie Kendrick has been promoted to AA Arkansas on Saturday. I would say Brandon Wood can't be too far behind, but that would raise the question as to what you do with Erick Aybar. If there's such a thing as having too many prospects, the Angels are living it.

Only saw the first few innings (I was at this game), but that was enough to get the gist of what went down. Bart has devolved into the timid, nibbling suck-fest that hindered the Angels for the first half of last season. All fastballs, all on the edges, and no killer instinct.

The way I see it, it's either health or confidence. I kind of hope it's the former. At least an injury would be somewhat easy to diagnose and fix.

Thanks Yankees!

Lot's of good stuff from the Times today:

McPherson "has a lot of work ahead of him"

Mike Scioscia admitted yesterday that Dallas McPherson might not return as scheduled from the 15-day DL (he's eligible to play on the 23rd).

"He's had some issues with his back, groin and hip, and hopefully they're not chronic," Scioscia said of McPherson, who is eligible to return next Saturday. "But they have to be addressed now. He has a lot of work ahead of him."

It sounds like the Angels may believe all this season's injury problems are related. Sort of a cascade system failure stemming from the herniated disk that caused him to miss the first two weeks of the season. For what it's worth, Dallas attributes all his problems to a lack of flexibility.

Percival's career over?

Troy Percival seems to be somewhat resigned the possibility that he's thrown his last major league pitch, due to a torn elbow muscle:

"If I never threw another pitch, I'm content with what I've done," Percival, 35, told Tiger writers in Detroit on Friday. "But not with what I've done here. I came here to try to help take this team to another level."

Percival says he's hoping Dr. Lewis Yocum will find "some kind of miracle treatment" when he sees the Angels' team physician Monday. Percival, who has eight saves in 11 opportunities for the Tigers, went on the DL Thursday and will probably sit out the rest of this season.

If his career is in fact over (and I sure everyone is hoping that's not the case), in a strange way it's almost perfect timing. When Buddy Black gets the managerial position he richly deserves, the Angels are going to need a pitching coach. And I can't think of a better fit than Troy Percival.

Angels interested in Lieter?

According to Mike Scioscia it "would be something we'd consider." This is just a horrible idea. What can Al Lieter give you as a fifth starter that Ervin Santana can't? Don't do it Bill.

Molina: CS% pitchers' fault!"

This strikes me as incredibly bad form.

Molina said reports of his throwing decline have been greatly exaggerated.

"I can assure my throwing has been the same all year. Guys are getting great jumps, because we're probably not having good times from our pitchers," Molina said.

Molina has been sensitive to his dipping numbers, so he has measured his throwing times on video. He said they have been identical to recent seasons. He won the Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003.

Blaming the pitching staff for your decline in production - even if true to an extent - is probably not the smartest thing a catcher can do. And of course it doesn't explain why Jose hasn't missed a beat.

LargeBill points me to this story of a Mississippi adoption agency rejecting applications from Catholics on the grounds that the Catholicism does not "agree with the agency's Statement of Faith." The agency is - now get this - Bethany Christian Services, and it receives funding from the state-sponsored sell of "Choose Life" car tags.

Here's the organization's "Statement of Faith". It's nothing more than a general overview of the Bible and Christian faith. I don't see anything that disqualifies Catholics (or any other Christian denomination for that matter). I have a feeling the true "Statement of Faith" being practiced by the board of Bethany is closer to this than anything you'll find in the bible.

Hey, remember these? I swear, I'm going to get this project finished by the end of the year. Next step is paring down the list significantly, as I'm afraid I bit off more than I can chew.

Bio:

Name:     Jeffery Stephen Mathis
Birthday: March 31, 1983 (22 on Opening Day 2005) 
Height:   6'-0"
Weight:   180
Bats:     Right
Throws:   Right
Position: C
Acquired: Draft
Drafted:  2001, 1st round (33), ANA 
Roster:   40-man
Contract: n/a

Stats (complete):

YEAR(L)   G   AB  R  H   2B 3B HR RBI BB SO  SB CS AVG  OBP  SLG  OPS
----------|---|---|--|---|--|--|--|---|--|---|--|--|----|----|----|--
2002(A)   128 491 75 141 41 3  10 73  40 75  7  4  .287 .346 .444 790
2003(A)   98  378 74 122 28 3  11 54  35 74  5  3  .323 .384 .500 884
 || (AA)  24  95  19 27  11 0  2  14  12 16  1  2  .284 .364 .463 827
2004(AA)  116 426 55 95  24 3  14 55  49 100 2  1  .223 .308 .392 700
2005(AAA) 70  264 51 75  19 2  12 45  28 58  2  2  .284 .353 .508 862

Hitting:

Terrific power for the position. Has begun refining double/gap power into homerun power in 2005 (on pace to hit 20+ HR for the first time). This has largely erased his 2004 season, when he was clearly over his head at AA. He showed a disturbing tendency to enter prolonged slumps in 2004, which did hurt his prospect status. But it looks like his struggles were simply a product of his youth - so no worries going forward.

Like most young power hitters, Mathis will strikeout a ton (17% of his PA end in K's). Strikeouts from young guys never have bothered me, especially when they show the ability to draw walks, which Mathis has. I'm fairly certain he'll display plus plate discipline in the future.

Defense/Baserunning:

Some say Mathis is gold glove caliber. I wouldn't go that far - he's not on the level of the Molinas (but who is?). He was widely lauded for his work with the Travs' pitching staff in 2004, despite his struggles at the plate. Strong arm, solid footwork - he's not someone who's going to be picked-on on the base paths.

Outlook:

I must admit, I was one of the misguided souls who wrote off Mathis after his disappointing 2004 campaign. It was shortsighted of me, failing to take into account his youth. At 21 he was one of the youngest players at the level, and while that doesn't write-off the entire season, it does temper the doomsday predictions. He's bounced back magnificently at Salt Lake this season, having easily his best power season. And he's still young for his level, especially for a catcher. I couldn't be more impressed by his performance this season. He's back on my top-five prospects list.

ETA: I'm sure the Angels would like to give Mathis another year of seasoning at AAA, but with the big league catcher situation up in the air for 2006, there's a chance he could be pressed into service. Let's hope for everybody's sake that's not the case. Look for him in 2007 (and hopefully no sooner).

Like the sign says. Money:

On he and [teammate Brandon] Wood creating some waves of their own: "We don't pay too much attention to all the hype. We've been together three years. We play around, joke and have our fun. But when the game starts, it comes down to taking care of business. This year, he's swinging the bat well and not missing his pitches. And fortunately enough, I've been swinging the bat well too. We've just been doing a good job together."

That could well be the understatement of the season.

State Senator Tom McClintok introduces an amendment to blunt the Kelo decision. Good man.

And speaking of our disappearing property rights, the movement to condemn Justice Souter's New Hampshire home is marching ahead. Let this be a lesson to you: don't fuck with libertarians - they fight back.

Darin Erstad continues to show uncharacteristic plate discipline. Take a peep at these walk numbers:

Average season: 40
Career high:    64 (2000)
June/July '05:  18
June/July pace: 79

He's managed a .391 OBP over June/July. It almost makes that .417 SLG acceptable. Almost.

Among the names mentioned as possible Angels targets in a single Mike DiGiovanna column: Mike Piazza, Mike Sweeney, Mike Cameron, Danys Baez, Jeremy Affeldt, and Eddie Guardado.

Keep your head down.

You know, if I were Joe Wilson I would be lying low right now, for fear that some enterprising reporter would call me on all the bullshit I'd been spreading to the press over the past year and a half. Though I suppose the Today show was a pretty safe bet.

Before we start the second half, we might as well check up on this offseason's game of musical shortstops:

           OBP  SLG  EQA  VORP
Cabrera    .294 .354 .240 4.9
Eckstein   .370 .358 .260 17.4
Renteria   .327 .387 .257 13.8

Just for giggles, I'd like to point out that Maicer Izturis checks in with a .283 EQA and 6.4 VORP - in only 34 games.

The recent blog hiatus was planned - to an extent. To tell you the truth, I'm suffering from a bit of the blog burnout at the moment. Nothing was coming freely, and I saw no reason to force more 50-word mini-posts. So the all-star break seemed like a fine time to take a couple days off to recharge the batteries. I wouldn't have much to write about anyway, at least baseball-wise.

So last night I found myself "in the mood", so I sat down and launched Firefox with the intention of pounding-out a post on something or other (I can't for the life of me remember what...). I was devastated to discover that everything was gone. My bookmarks, my extensions, my customized toolbar, my settings, and (most importantly) all my passwords - all vanished into thin air. After a futile attempt to find my profile (not a trace, btw) I gave up and headed to bed. I still have no clue what caused Firefox to delete my profile.

I don't know if you've every tried it, but using the Internet without your personal browser and bookmarks is akin to driving through a foreign country without a map. I was completely fucking lost (of course a good part of that could have been because I was blinded with rage at the time). I was in no kind of mood to deal with it, so the hiatus lasted a day longer than planned.

Anyway, after spending a good hour restoring my settings from memory, I am again comfortable with my environs. Although, I'm still not in much of a blogging mood, so I give you "Lazyblogging" a.k.a. the good ol' link dump:

• Apparently Governor Janet Granholm has declared herself El Presidente of the State of Michigan. She'll start cutting off heads soon enough.
  
  
• Stephen Green raises the possibility that China's economy is slowing drastically - and what that could mean for stability of the region and the world.
  
  While we're on the subject of China, I must agree with the sentiment of Washington lawmakers that this Unocal takeover is a bad idea. Is there anyone out there that doesn't believe that we're going to be at war with China at some point in the future? Giving the Chinese government any measure of direct control over US oil supply would be a HUGE mistake. And call me a hypocrite, but I don't see why we should play by the rules of globalization if China refuses to.
  
  UPDATE: Rob's oil blog (which I had completely forgot about until just now) has a lot on this.
  
  
• I'm sure Ensie is celebrating. Should Rove resign? Probably, if only to ensure that Bush's second term doesn't get bogged-down in this crap. Besides, we're better off with Rove standing behind one of the Republican horses for 2008.
  
  It's still an open question as to whether or not Rove committed a crime, but as I've said all along, those of us standing on the outside have no clue what's really happening with this investigation, so anyone stating anything with any certainty is trying to sell you something. I'm still happy to sit back and wait for all this to be revealed before making any snap judgments as to a man's guilt or innocence.
  
  
• I thought this seemed odd when I heard it. Just another reason to hate Tim McCarver I guess.
  
  
• The Angels looking at A.J. Burnett? Yes please! As Chronicles points out, it's doubtful the Marlins would have any interest in Casey Kotchman. But the Angels do still have middle infielders coming out the yin-yang. Breaking up that log-jam and getting a valuable piece in return is too good to pass-up. That being said, I still don't think it's likely to happen.

Overall Record: 52-36 Games Ahead 5 Week Record: 2-5 Pace: 96-66
Record after 88 games:
2002: 53-35 2003: 45-43 2004: 48-40

Opponents: vs. Minnesota (2-1) July 4-6, vs. Seattle (0-4) July 7-10

Hot: Figgins, AK, and Bengie are the only guys who hit well this week. The only other real run production the team got was an abnormally high number of home runs (10), and three of those came from Josh Paul, Erstad, and DaVanon. The bullpen performed relatively well, with Frankie picking up 2 saves and him, Donnelly, and Woods, and Shields giving up just one run in 11.1 combined innings.

Not: All of the other hitters and all the other pitchers. The team was outscored 47-27 in the seven games this week. It was, by far, their worst week of the season and the Mariners series was the first sweep they have taken. Not a good way to go into the break.

Coming up: Nevertheless, I think we have to be mildly optimistic at this point. As Sean says, we need to be fans right now and realize this is not the end of the world. The Angels are still better off than the rest of the teams in the division, 5 games ahead of Texas and a 7.5 ahead of the A’s. Meanwhile, they have had the toughest schedule in the league so far and had a pathetic offense the first two months of the season. They also get a nice break to recover and try to fix what went wrong, the pitchers get a little bit of extra rest (well, most of them). Steve Finley will likely be back soon (which many will argue might be a bad thing), which will help the team’s depth, and if his shoulder is healed enough that he has fixed his swing he can be a BIG help. Meanwhile, OC is either recovering slowly or going into surgery which guarantees Izturis more playing time, allowing us to see how well he holds up. Brendan Donnelly has returned from his suspension. Other than OC and Dallas, the team will be more or less whole coming out of the break. The next team they face will be Minnesota out in my direction. This will tell us if any of the pitchers is willing to be a stopper and if the team can pull out of its slump. Let’s not go claiming this is the worst team ever just because of one slump. Remember the 2002 team started the season 6-14 after finishing 2001 2-21 (or something like that) and they dominated the rest of the season. No reason to think that can’t happen again.

Opponents coming up: at Minnesota (48-38) July 14-17

Probable Starters: Washburn vs. Lohse, Colon vs. Santana, Byrd vs. Radke, Lackey vs. Mays

The Twins traded for Bret Boone today, for a PTBNL. The Mariners are picking up at least some of the cost of the Twins' contract. The Twins were looking for a one-year solution at 2B, so I suppose he could fit in. Of course, he stinks now (and has for all but a couple seasons), which could hinder the Twins a bit, but they are obviously trying to make a run at the playoffs by shoring up their weaknesses. And depending on the amount of salary that they have to pay and the player they give up, they could really be giving up very little.

Boy, did I ever pick the right weekend to get too busy for baseball. What did we learn from the Angels manhood-robbing four game sweep at the hands of the Mariners?

• We learned that the Angels' starting pitching is about as good as it's peripherals would suggest - which is to say, not that good.
  
  
• We learned that Ervin Santana isn't a big league pitcher... yet.
  
  
• We learned that the "Big" in Big John Lackey still stands for "Big Inning".

Not surprising - the first two were obvious to anyone who's been paying attention, and I had my suspicions about the last one. So in that sense, let's look at this not as a disaster, but as a "market correction". The Angels' team ERA is back where it belongs, their record has slipped back in-line with their Pythagorean win/loss, and the division lead is just about where it should be.

So that's the positive spin, if there is any. Now let us never speak of this weekend again.

So that minor hip injury was something serious after all. Super-utility man Zach Sorensen makes the jump.

I'm going to have to slip on my Andrew Sullivan mask here for a second, because this is sickening (via The Corner):

"Let them know you keep it real when it comes to your sexual health and decision making.

"Come laugh, learn, socialize and buck the system at NARAL Pro-Choice Washington'’s Screw Abstinence Party."

I'm sure most of the women who have turned to abortion would disagree that it's a laughing matter. Irresponsible and deplorable. But what else did I expect from the abortion lobby?

The Sports Guy wrote up a "midseason awards" article, which, in his fashion, is really just acknowledging teams, people, and events that have interested him and comparing them to Hollywood stars. The Angels picked up "The Being Bobby Brown Award for 'Best Show That Nobody Is Really Talking About For Whatever Reason'". He is probably the first person on ESPN.com to give the team true acknowledgement as a potentially great team and mentions that no one else even seems to notice them.

HR by Angels first basemen, 2002-2005: 49
Projected HR total for Derrek Lee:     48

And yes, that 49 represents the lowest total in the majors over that span, just nipping the A's at 54.

Chief Justice Rehnquist has submitted his resignation to President Bush. To be announced in a matter of minutes after Bush returns from Gleneagles, Drudge reports.

UPDATE: Ok. Maybe not so much...

Does hoping that Orlando Cabrera is in excruciating, crippling pain - so he must opt for surgery - make me a bad person?

More evidence that the Olympics have become a complete fucking joke. Baseball goes, effective London 2012, likely to be replaced by either golf, rugby, squash, karate or whatever "roller sports" are. Yet Ping Pong - a "sport" played by only two sorts of people: Chinese, and stoners - stays on the program. Ridiculous.

25 days before the trade deadline. Let the rampant speculation begi... er... continue! ESPN's Sean McAdam on trade deadline buyers, with the Angels listed as one such club:

The Angels have been suspiciously quiet. Traditionally, GM Bill Stoneman hasn't been one to take a lot of risks. Their pitching is ranked second in the league in ERA -- though, like everybody else, they wouldn't mind upgrading the rotation. More likely, the Angels will look to fill in around the edges and improve their depth.

Sean McAdam - by day, mild-mannered columnist for ESPN.com. But as night falls he becomes: Captain Obvious!

I still can't quite figure why the Halos feature on his list, as McAdam himself acknowledges that there's been very little chatter coming out of Bill Stoneman's office. He interprets that as being "suspicious." I would tend to take that at face value, knowing that there's really not much the Angels can do other than add "around the edges," and even that makes little sense when you're having trouble finding playing time for guys like Rivera, DaVanon, and Izturis.

More from the Register:

The Angels farm system is more loaded than ever with young players other teams covet, but General Manager Bill Stoneman never has viewed that as a reason to trade for a key veteran.

It is looking more and more as if the Angels will allow the July 31 trade deadline to pass without making a major splash.

So we're all in agreement - nothing big from the Angels. I wouldn't mind grabbing another 6-7 inning guy for the 'pen, but there are no holes on this club (well, no repairable holes, at least). It would almost make more sense for the Angels to be sellers at this point, with such amazing depth in the outfield. Perhaps deal Jeff DaVanon for something of future value?

Boy, this sure does sound familiar...

A terrorist attack on London today hit at least one bus plus their subway system. Let's hope the casualty list stays down (40 dead, 300 wounded currently) and that we can get all of those responsible.

UPDATE: Sky News reports that 45 are dead and 1000 injured.

RICHARD: You know the terrorists have failed when Ken Livingstone starts sounding like George W. Bush. Of course, some dogs will never change their spots.

RICHARD: While the news and images coming out of London is indeed tragic, one can't help but be heartened by the reaction of the British people - stalwart and defiant as always.

Really, I'm more depressed by the reactions of those outside Britain, from all the expected quarters.

Rather than just a week, this time I am going to look at the whole season so far (since the Angels are exactly halfway through, now). To see how these results compare to my Angels Season Preview, just click that link. Also, Rob has his midseason report up, with more of those newfangled stats than I will ever use.

Overall Record: 50-31 Games Ahead 7.5 Week Record: 5-2 Pace: 100-62
Record after 81 games:
2002: 47-34 2003: 41-40 2004: 42-39

Opponents: at Texas (2-2), at Kansas City (3-0)

Hitting: The Angels offense was terrible through May. I even declared that there offense had hit Worst Case Scenario on May 21st after Vlad was sent to the DL. Through May, the team was hitting .252, which is terrible for a team that counts on hits (rather than walks and home runs) to get runner on base and score. Fortunately, this was around the time the team picked up. They hit .308 in June, tops in the league, and have moved their BA to .275, good for 3rd in the AL. They have also moved up to 5th in runs scored, with 393 (4.85 per game). The Angels have even move up to 6th in team OPS, at .744. In addition, they have struck out just 424 times, second fewest to Oakland’s 381 strikeouts. At the individual level, Vlad has been spectacular, especially since his injury, hitting .350 (.443 in June) with 14 home runs. GA has come back fairly strong from his arthritis, but is still nowhere near his 2000-2003 production levels. GA also passed Tim Salmon on the All-Time Angel RBI leader list and has since become the first Angel with 1000 RBI. AK finishes the lineup with a flourish. He is batting .347, helped out by a .435 June and basically has not lost a step since coming off of his knee injury. Figgins has 25 steals and has been caught only 6 times. On the flip side of things, Finley and OC have not performed as desired or even expected. Also, DaVanon and Rivera were struggling with lack of playing time but seem to both be finding a groove. Dallas, meanwhile, has had moments of brilliance and moments of shame, but things are looking up for him.

Pitching: The Angels pitching has been phenomenal. Thy have given up the second fewest runs and have the second best ERA in the majors (both to the White Sox). They are first in the AL in strikeouts (577), second in complete games (6) and first in shut outs (9). Their starters have the league’s best ERA at 3.64 and their relievers are 6th at 3.34. Colon and Washburn are 4th and 5th in the league in ERA (at 3.06 each), while Byrd is 13th at 3.55 and Lackey is 20th at 3.84. They are the only team with four qualified starting pitchers below 4.00 ERA. Their fifth pitcher has been comprised of Kevin Gregg (terrible), Kelvim Escobar (great) and Ervin Santana (at times terrible and others great). Their relief pitching started out as excellent as it has been for the last few years, but then it began tanking after Frankie K went on the DL. They continue to have three of the most dominant relievers in the game with Frankie, Shields, and Donnelly, but it seems like over work may have finally caught up to them in lat May and early June. Woods and Peralta have been pleasant surprises and Yan has been ok in limited use.

Fielding: The Angels defense is definitely improved over last year’s team, but not nearly as good as the 2002 team. The outfield is the worst section on the team. GA is better in LF than he was in CF last year, while Finley has been anecdotally referred to by some as the worst CF in the game, and Vlad has been typical Vlad. The reserves have played above average for the most part, with Rivera, DaVanon, and Figgins filling in ably when needed (although Figgins is scary in RF). The infield has been pretty phenomenal with Erstad at first, AK (making web gem type plays every game) at 2nd, OC (his major redeeming quality) at SS, and a raw but solid Dallas at 3rd. Figgins has filled in extremely well at 2nd, 3rd, and SS, his defense way improved over last season. Ztu has come back from injury strong and is making OC less missed during his injury. Meanwhile, the Flying Molina Brothers have split time behind the plate, with Jose being a fantastic defender and Bengie being a really good hitter.

Record: The Angels have their best record halfway into the season ever. In addition, they are tied with the Nationals for the 3rd best record in the majors (the White Sox are 54-26 and the Cardinals are 51-30). Also, they are second in ESPN.com's RPI rankings at .543 (the White Sox are at .547). The same page also lists the Angels as having the toughest schedule at .519 (the Braves are second at .517) and the second best expected W-L based on runs scored and allowed at .619 (50-31), with only the Cardinals higher at .623 (also 50-31).

Coming up: The Angels finish the pre-All Star Break part of the season with 7 games at home against the Twins and Mariners. The Twins have won 6 of their last 7 (against Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Milwaukee) after having a bad stretch against Milwaukee, Detroit, San Francisco, San Diego and the Dodgers where they could not win a series. Scott Baker will be making his first start, and it will come against Angels rookie Ervin Santana (who misses a Santana-Santana duel by one day). The Mariners, meanwhile, have been getting pounded by Oakland, Texas, and San Diego and are in pretty bad shape right now. Then comes the All Star Game, and congratulations to Vlad, GA, and Colon for making the team. The person I think that should have made it, but didn’t is AK, who missed a month, but has totally changed the team’s lineup and defense since he returned.

Opponents coming up: vs. Minnesota (45-34) July 4-6, vs. Seattle (34-46) July 7-10

Probable Starters: Lackey vs. Silva, Santana vs. Baker, Byrd vs. Santana, Colon vs. Piniero, Washburn vs. Moyer, Lackey vs. Franklin, Santana vs. Meche

The suspended Angel turns 34 today. I think there is some other major birthday today...

Roger Clemens has a 0.23 ERA on the road. Zero-point-two-three.

And his .281/.324/.313 batting line 'aint too shabby neither.

Stuff to do before I die:

#246760 - Try skydiving (and none of that pussy tandem shit 'neither).
#246761 - See PETCO Park.
#246762 - Two words: Bionic. Arm.

Color me unimpressed. I love how the neighborhood is shaping up (downtown San Diego: the place to be? Who would have thunk it?) and the view of the Pacific from the Harbor/7th Ave. side is spectacular. But none of that matters when you're inside the seating bowl.

The sightlines are appallingly poor for a modern, single-purpose stadium. I was in the semi-cheap seats (upper-deck, a little more than halfway down the third base line) and I had no view of left field from about 20 yards from the foul pole. Compounding the problem is the fact that main video board is similarly blocked from view for the 15,000 or so patrons on the third base side. The only auxiliary video board is a tiny screen at field level on the right field wall - barely bigger than your average household bigscreen, and a strain to read from that distance.

On the positive side, the food is actually edible (what a concept! Someone shoot off a memo to Aramark!) and at least all the seats are properly aligned, so you wont have to crane your neck to see whatever view of the field you may have. And despite all the construction going on around the stadium (I counted six large cranes within a block) parking is refreshingly fast and simple.

Overall, PETCO is probably a great place to see a ballgame - if you've got the seats. But the fact is you don't have to add that qualifier for Angels Stadium, where there truly isn't a bad seat in the house.

UPDATE: Oh yeah - there was a game, too.

Ok, so maybe Byrd's performance yesterday wasn't so impressive. When you hold a ballclub to 3 hits over the first 16 innings of a series, you've got to put serious consideration into how much of it is due to pitching prowess and how much of it is due to offensive ineptitude. If Colon doesn't have a relapse of the flu (the same flu Bengie came down with in Texas, I wonder?) he's looking at the club's sixth complete game.

BTW: I'll be at tomorrow's Padres-Giants game for some strange reason. And yes, I will be fully decked-out in Angels regalia. Luckily the Angels' game is a late starter for a Sunday (due to a post-game fireworks show I would assume), so I won't miss a thing.

UPDATE: Rob reports that Orlando Cabrera has finally landed on the DL.

First we needed an independent council to investigate the Plame leak when it appeared as though someone within the Bush administration was guilty of a crime. To find the truth, they said. To bring justice.

As it became more and more likely that the retribution theory was a nonstarter, the media began to lose interest. Many were led to bemoan the fact that reporters themselves now bore the brunt of the investigation, and decry the loss of media freedom.

Now Lawrence O'Donnell implicates Karl Rove (offering no evidence, mind you. Just a few of those pesky "unnamed sources"), and the Plame leak makes a triumphant return to the front page. Hmmm... you know, one could come out of this on-again/off-again love affair between the Plame leak and the media with the twisted idea that the media has it out for the Bush administration. But of course we all know that would be ridiculous.

Anyway, here's the big bomb dropped by Newsweek, just as O'Donnell promised. Only it doesn't implicate Rove as the leak's source - it only confirms (through unnamed sources, it should be noted) that Rove was one of Matthew Cooper's sources on the story, which anyone with half a brain had already guessed. Yawn. Wake me up when we have an actual revelation.

Rev called Paul Byrd the "Only Free agent Signing that has mattered for us", at least in 2005. I would have agreed with that sentiment prior to opening day, and I'm surprised to find it's even more true today. Unfortunately that's more of a condemnation of Orlando Cabrera and Steve Finley than anything else.

It's safe to say that all the best-case scenarios surrounding the Byrd signing have come to pass. Namely, his new-found and much-vaunted sinker is now in full effect, and may be his most reliable out-pitch. Mad props to Bill Stoneman for bringing in yet another modestly-priced sleeper to take a spot at the top of the rotation. (Now if only Bill could wrap his head around the other half of the game.)

A two-hitter is an amazing accomplishment, even against the Royals. Perhaps more amazing is the fact that tonight's complete game was the club's fifth of the season - already more than double last year's total and matching 2003's total. All this before the mid-Summer Classic. It's shaping up to be a historic season for Angels' hurlers.