Like most Angels' fans, Jered Weaver is one of my favorite players. Yet, there seems to be something about him that makes me not "feel" the same about him as I do some other players. When Joe Saunders was a member of the Halos, I would root for him because I liked him. I didn't know him personally, but he seemed like the kind of guy who'd be cool to hang out with...he seemed like one of us, a regular guy. But there's just something about Weaver that makes me not have the same admiration for him as I did for Saunders. He's seems like the guy in your group who could all of a sudden snap, freaking out the wives and girlfriends...cause the kids to cry...make your father-in-law grab a shovel. Wait, I'm getting off course here. Of course I have no real reasons for these feelings, except little indications. His last two games weren't the regular Weaver-gems we're accustomed to, and it might be because he realizes the season's over. I'm 90% certain I'm wrong about this, but there's just that something that makes me think there's a chance he's about to freak out my kids.
- Good news. Get your good news here! Wait, what? Four-run inning is all Indians need - Yahoo! Sports. "Weaver was coming off his worst start of the season. He gave up nine runs in five innings in a loss to the New York Yankees last week. He pitched a little better Monday, but it wasn't nearly good enough. He gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings, striking out five and walking two." Hey Mike, got any good news for me? Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels - August 19, 2013 - MLB.com. "There's a lot of things the foundation of our offense is built on that are missing right now, and the other guys have to pick it up," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said, his team a season-high 16 1/2 games out of first." Uh, that's not good.
- People are quick to point out how the signings of Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton have somewhat backfired for the Angels and JErry Dipoto, but no one mentions that C.J. Wilson, in spite of his constant nibbling, has been a good signing: Cleveland Indians at Los Angeles Angels - August 20, 2013 - MLB.com. "Meanwhile, left-hander C.J. Wilson gets the nod for the Angels. The southpaw is looking for his third straight win and sixth victory in eight outings. Against the Yankees in his last start, Wilson (13-6, 3.40 ERA) allowed one run on 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings for the win. While he threw 87 pitches in the first four innings, Wilson settled down after that, giving up just three hits in the next 2 2/3 innings." Plus, he's got really nice hair.
- Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols to miss remainder of 2013 season - angels.com. "The news wasn't altogether surprising, considering the partial tear in Pujols' left foot would've had him back by mid-September at the earliest, but it did bring clarity. Pujols -- owed $212 million from 2014-21 -- can now fully rehab from his injury, have a normal offseason and focus solely on coming back strong next spring." It's not like he was doing anything worth watching in the first place (or was it because of his sore foot?) Albert Pujols officially ruled out for season - CBSSports.com. "Pujols, 33, hit .258/.330/.437 with 19 doubles, 17 homers, 64 RBI and 49 runs this season. In most ways, it was the worst season of Pujols' 13-year career -- it's very reasonable to call it his second straight worst season of his career, too."
- Where's the damn good news? Trout out of Angels' lineup with hamstring injury - angels.com. "The 22-year-old felt the hamstring grab on him while legging out a double in the third inning of Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Astros. He later scored on a single from Mark Trumbo, then flied out in the bottom of the fifth and was replaced by Calhoun to start the sixth. Trout came in early on Monday and got some treatment. He didn't require an MRI, doesn't feel it grabbing on him the way it did 24 hours ago and only feels "a little sore." He hopes to play on Tuesday."
- In case you missed Rev's write-up and analysis of this interview, here it is: MLB.com national reporter Barry M. Bloom sits down to talk with Angels owner Arte Moreno - angels.com. "Angels owner Arte Moreno told MLB.com last week that he's in the thick of determining how to improve the on-field performance of his club."
- Great! One less obstacle to get in the way for Moreno's next big off-season splash: Dodgers Don't Intend To Pursue Robinson Cano - MLBTradeRumors.com. "USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Dodgers have privately stated they don't intend to pursue Cano or bid on any other high-priced free agents this offseason."
- He pitches against the Halos on Wednesday: Justin Masterson tries the strikeout - Beyond the Box Score. "Entering Sunday, Justin Masterson was baseball's 20th best starter by fWAR and ranked 10th in the American League. Over 175.2 innings, Masterson has easily been the Indians' best starter and is having a strong season after struggling in 2012 compared to his fine 2011 campaign."
- A dozen days in the life of Barry Bonds - HardballTalk. "It’s a cartoon. It’s a busted video game. In those 12 games, Barry Bonds hit .556. He slugged 1.333. He hit five home runs. He walked 21 times, nine of them intentional. His on base percentage — are you ready for this? Yeah: .750. He got on base three-fourths of the time he came to the plate. But is that surprising? Heck, his on-base percentage for the entire year was .609. That was the crazy level of fantasticality Barry Bonds achieved. One year he hit 73 home runs and slugs .863, the all time record. The next he hits .370 and walks 198 times. The next he slumps to .341/.529/.749. And in 2004, the year he broke the game, he hit .362, walked 232 times, was intentionally walked 120 times, nobody will ever have a year like that again."
- When Ryan Dempster made us like Alex Rodriguez - Baseball Nation. "Look, I'm neither a Yankees fan nor an Alex Rodriguez fan. I think you know this about me. So I must offer my heartiest of congratulations for Ryan Dempster for making me cheer for Alex Rodriguez. When he hit that home run in the sixth inning off Dempster -- the longest home run by a Yankee this year, by the way -- I jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist and screamed YES!!!! Okay, so I didn't actually do that. It takes a lot to get me out of my chair. But I was glad, because I am a fan of poetic justice."
- I often wonder why Josh Hamilton, when leading-off an inning, doesn't drop a bunt towards third base. Of Course You Hit Against the Shift - baseballmusings.com. "The White Sox convinced Adam Dunn to hit against the shift, and it’s brought defenses around to straight away and improved Adam’s productivity."
- Dumb girls, don't they know anything?...Ball Girl Forgets She's Not Supposed To Catch Foul Balls. "Joaquin Arias had to make a difficult play for the final out of the ninth inning in San Francisco Monday night, when the ball girl just forgot she's supposed to get out of the way. In fact, she actually asserts herself for a second and tries to catch the ball, as Arias speeds by her."
- In case you're into this sort of thing: Pam Oliver Got Drilled In The Face By A (Presumably Errant) Pass