The May 15th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Torii Hunter has left the team following his son being arrested for sexual assault, the Halos still have plenty of time to rally, looking for potential flaws in Albert Pujols’ swing and much more…
The Monkey Says: This is just the worst. Hunter has always prided himself as a family man after growing up with an absentee father, so this has to hit him hard. There is no telling when he will return as these appear to be very serious allegations. Ryan Langerhans has been called up to take Hunter’s place on the active roster.
The Story: The Angels still have plenty of time to rally.
The Monkey Says: That is completely true, with two wild card spots available, they have more than enough time to get back into playoff contention. The problem is that there is a pretty good chance that this team just stinks, and all the time in the world isn’t going to cure that.
The Story: Joe Posnanski believes that Albert Pujols’ stance has changed and possibly causing his slump.
The Monkey Says: That is certainly possible, but his slump is so deep that I have a hard time believing that a slight alteration in his stance has turned him from the best hitter in the league into the worst.
The Story: A hitting mechanics expert believes Pujols’ problem might be with his back foot sliding.
The Monkey Says: This theory holds more water than Poz’s theory, but again, it does not fully explain his slump. Albert is swinging at almost everything and a wobbly plant leg doesn’t cause you to involuntarily swing at a slider in the dirt, last time I checked.
The Story: Vernon Wells is earning his keep by serving as a clubhouse mentor.
The Monkey Says: I don’t know whether to laugh at that headline for suggesting that Vernon Wells has done remotely enough to earn his roster spot and salary or whether to cry at the notion that Wells is imparting his “wisdom” on the younger players because if he is, that might explain why this team can’t hit worth a damn.
The Story: True Grich is mad as heck and confused as ever.
The Monkey Says: We all are, James. We all are.