ALCS Non-Preview: Los Angeles Angels
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Even though I swore to myself in the immediate aftermath of Sunday’s trainwreck that I “didn’t care about the rest of the playoffs” and I “sure as hell wasn’t going to watch the games”… I was totally lying (it was just the bitterness talking). It’s baseball – and any baseball is good baseball, especially playoff baseball. |
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So I’ve decided to put my idle hands to good use with a series of NLCS and ALCS non-previews. You can find thoughtful analysis anywhere- I’m just here to post whatever random shit about the teams that I feel like. Hey, if Leitch can write previews without actually previewing the team, then I sure as hell can write non-previews. |
Despite the instant gag reflex that Angels fans induce, I cannot for the life of me actually hate the team and the players themselves. Outside of Mike Scioscia and his stupid face, I can’t find anything concrete that would allow me to hate the team. Some folks dislike Torii Hunter, I love him. There’s residual bad will against Bobby Abreu for some people… not me. Even John Lackey’s “we’re a better team than they are” shtick from last year didn’t turn me against them. I just can’t manage to work up any good, solid, lasting hate for the Angels (though Dodgers fans may beg to differ).
Case in point: we happened to leave after the game at Fenway last Sunday rather late (as in, we were the very last fans inside over an hour after the game ended), and so we walked out alongside the Angels as they were going towards their bus and we were exiting out into the cold, cruel, playoff-less reality outside the ballpark. Which was sort of awkward, because there were these big baseball dudes still smelling like champagne fresh from a locker room celebration, and then there was the two of us- otherwise the concourses beneath the park were completely locked down and utterly empty. So we had to shuffle along beside them all awkward-like: two Boston girls and a herd of Angel ballplayers
Reluctantly, I must give them props. Despite the fact that we were decked out in our Red Sox finest, and despite the fact they had just rather soundly delivered a killshot to the head of our team’s playoff hopes, every single one of those players we walked beside smiled at us and said hey or hello or ‘good game’, and were generally nice folk. Kazmir, Lackey, Napoli, Hunter- all of them. I don’t know if I expected them to taunt us or give us noogies or something, but I’m kind of disappointed they didn’t… because now I can’t claim they gave us an excuse to hate them.
The Angels can’t even give me the satisfaction of being asshats so that I can hate them. What asshats.
So despite the fact that their fanbase gives me hives, and despite the fact their ballclub sent the Red Sox home from the 2009 season by giving them a giant wedgie on national TV, all I can say is….
GO ANGELS! BEAT THE HELL OUTTA THE YANKS!
no one should dislike Abreu, I’ve been saying all year he should be in left next year when someone else gives Bay the 5 year 70 million contract.
@adam: Yeah…Bobby Abreu kinda has a smile that just makes you think he’d be an awesome guy to be around. Like he’d be the most bitchin’-est BBQer at the pool party.
GO ANGELS! BEAT THE HELL OUTTA THE YANKS!
From your keyboard to the baseball gods’ ears.
I don’t like Scoscia or Lackey (whiners, both of them) or that rally monkey, but don’t hate on the Angels. Good to hear they were nice to you. I’ll be cheering them on against the Yanks. Go Angels!
@adam: @Bloggy: YES YES YES! He’s been one of my favorite players for a long time. And he may look like a Muppet, but he’s definitely blessed with a great smile. I wouldn’t at ALL mind seeing him patrolling in front of the Green Monster before his eventual (likely) move into some sort of batting coach position, neither would I mind seeing him finally get a ring this year.
Well I wasn’t on speaking terms with them right after they swept my Sox, but I can’t say I hate them either (although that big stupid doughy face annoys the crap out of me). And if they can be the agents of the Yankees’ doom, I say, GO!
@ecl1958: Sorry, I can’t go there. He’s still tainted.
@fc: Because of the two-year layover in NY en route from Philly to LA, or because of his uncharacteristic behavior towards Beckett? Or both?
@ecl1958: I look at him and I still see Yankees – and his douchey behavior towards Josh didn’t help.
@fc:
well Beckett has that behavior, I donno, all the time?
@fc: His behavior during that incident was so out of character that I could hardly believe my eyes at the time. He’s generally known for his placid demeanor. I guess anyone can have a really bad day at the office. It’s too bad that his was directed at one of our players.
WTH is up with the Phillies BP? FIVE pitchers in one inning? Walk in the lead run? Are you freakin’ kidding me?????
@jules: I know. I got home just in time to see that. Suckage!
Glad to hear that the Angels were nice to you all. And I definitly hope they beat the Yanks.
Texy, I seem to remember reading something about Tek in a cowboy hat but don’t remember what that was from. Any idea? Yes I know I’m random lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=digqqJMcA9U
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