- The Story: Former Angel announcer Rex Hudler is holding two book signings next weekend. The Monkey Says: Go out and by Rex’s book and give Hud a thanks for his years of service if you are so inclined.
- The Story: AngelsWin.com continues their interview with Angel personnel director Abe Flores. The Monkey Says: The most interesting tidbit is that Flores thinks that top pitching prospect Jordan Walden is likely going to have to go to convert to a reliever after a few years of struggling to stay healthy. If so, that greatly weakens the Angels’ minor league starting pitching depth.
- The Story: ESPNBoston.com reporter Gordon Edes believes the Red Sox aren’t going to seriously pursue John Lackey. The Monkey Says: It sounds accurate based on the fact that Boston has been linked more prominently to less costly, but more risky free agents like Rich Harden and Erik Bedard.
- The Story: The MLB players’ union wants to extend the Divisional playoff series to a best-of-seven format. The Monkey Says: Good lord, are you kidding??? Do they want the World Series to end in December now? Best-of-five is just fine.
- The Story: The Angels are acting as if Darren Oliver is going to be too expensive to keep. The Monkey Says: I really wonder who they think is going to be as good as Oliver for the bargain price he worked at last year?
- The Story: The rumored Placido Polanco deal with Philadelphia bodes well for the Angels in their pursuit of Chone Figgins. The Monkey Says: Polanco is a fairly comparable player to Figgins and is going to sign for three years and $18 million. Figgins is definitely better than Polanco but not so much better that he is going to get the five year, $50 million deal some expected, plus the Phillies were one of the biggest threats to stealing Figgy from the Halos.
