Daily links for the LA Angels including Hunter is definitely recruiting Carl Crawford, Scioscia convinced the Angels are still in it, why you should still root for Scott Kazmir and much more.
The Story: Torii Hunter is most definitely trying to sell Carl Crawford on the Angels.
The Monkey Says: Crawford owned up to what we already knew. Hunter, of course, tried to downplay it, but that probably has a lot more to do with him avoiding a tampering problem. Torii says they are just good buddies, hopefully that works out in the Angels’ favor.
The Story: Mike Scioscia is convinced the Angels are still in it.
The Monkey Says: Ten games out? No, they aren’t still in it. Even Sosh has to realize that, but he also has 25 guys that he needs to keep motivated, so he might have to blow some smoke up everyone’s ass to do so.
The Story: Will a down season cure the “diseased” Angels?
The Monkey Says: Diseased seems a bit strong, even if it was plucked from a Torii Hunter quote. The point is a good one though. Having a losing season might be just what they need to snap out of their complacency of just winning the division and coming up short of the World Series.
The Story: Why you should still root for Scott Kazmir.
The Monkey Says: While there is some encouraging findings here, I’m going to let everyone else root for Kazmir. He is dead to me for the rest of the season.
The Story: Mike Scioscia has faith in Aybar’s focus.
The Monkey Says: As always, Scioscia has his player’s back after seeing him make such a blunder. Sosh is saying Erick needs a little time off, but I think he needs a swift kick in the ass since this isn’t the first time Aybar has let his concentration slip.
The Story: Young relievers add to the Angels’ power supply.
The Monkey Says: The new power arms are nice, but the Angels need someone they can rely on. Maybe one of the kids can step it up, but the Halos are going to have to bring in some veteran insurance this off-season, just in case.
The Story: It has been a tough all around season for Jeff Mathis.
The Monkey Says: I laughed out loud at the line about his offense slumping because of his wrist injury. Umm, this is normal for him. His offense is struggling because he sucks. Maybe his defensive inconsistencies will actually convince the Angels to finally part ways with him. A boy can dream, can’t he?
The Story: Mike Trout was named Midwest League MVP and Prospect of the Year.
The Monkey Says: What makes that even more impressive is that Trout only played in that league for half a season before being promoted from Cedar Rapids to Rancho Cucamonga.