Angels "Kinda But Not Really" Season Winding Down with the Ugliest August • Monday Offday Halolinks

The frustrating thing about this disappointing Angels season has been the peaks and valleys. Someone turned the off switch to the bullpen over the All Star break. Someone turned the on-switch the day Mickey Hatcher was fired. Just bursts and busts. So maybe there is another nine game winning streak and a "win three/lose one" half month that will carry the team into the playoffs. Or get it over with quick so we can have an offseason of articles like the Monkey With a Halo blog prepared for every Angels fan: The case for and against firing Mike Scioscia

But we can accentuate the positive. Did you air-tight wrap your Sports Illustrated Mike Trout issue the moment you got it? The Angels in Order guy did.... The Angels, In Order: Did You See It?

Looking forward to the week ahead, what Hardball Talk is reporting as bad news for David Ortiz could be good news in the Angels having to face one less possible good batter: David Ortiz could be shut down for rest of season due to Achilles injury. "David Ortiz went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in his return from the disabled list last night against the Royals, but he's not out of the woods yet with his strained right Achilles tendon."

We have officially entered the time frame that someone must have known was coming. Tony Reagins destoryed the crystal ball and traded Joe Saunders to Arizona for Dan Haren and now Colonel Hokie Joe Saundo has been traded to the Orioles. The SBN D-Backs blog AZSNAKEPIT looks back on what they reaped from a trade that basically fizzled for us after early May of this year. Adios, Bazooka Joe: A Farewell to Joe Saunders - AZ Snake Pit. "The Joe Saunders era has come to an end in Arizona. We look at the time with the Diamondbacks for this archetypal soft-tossing left-hander."

As hard as it is to gloat about the Angels signing C.J. Wilson and the Rangers signing Yu Darvish, JayCal over at the First2Third blog pieces together a minor smile over their breaking the bank more broken than the bank Arte and company broke. First2Third.net: CJ Wilson vs. Yu Darvish

In case you are deluded into the East Coast urban belt having a shred of authenticity and grit, Jesse Crall at the Halos Daily blog went to see the Angels play the Red Stockings last week and he as news for you: Fenway Park: It’s Gentrified

The Halo Hangout blog has a defense of Angel uniforms after some media list ranked us middle of the pack: Angels Uniforms Ranked 13th

Here is one for you: Bartolo Colon exploding hat size not new. Could you tell by the (literal) swelling of Bartolo's head that he was using the HGH? Look at HIS ROOKIE CARD and freak the frack out!

And any chance to bash Murray Chass cannot be overlooked. The epitome of the old school baseball print reporter egomaniac jerkoff that was perfected for central casting by Mark Whicker is being harped on for the Chass-man's low blow. In regards to Mike Piazza's soon to appear eligibility for the Hall of Fame: Mike Piazza and the Hall of Fame - New York City is on Mike's side, not nitwit Murray's...