The September 23rd, 2011 edition of daily news for the LA Angels including AL Wild Card tie-breaking scenarios could get crazy for the Angels, what needs to happen for the Angels to make the playoffs, the Angels shocking return to contention and much more…
The Monkey Says: If it happens, the Angels will basically finish the season in Anaheim, fly to Boston to play the next day and, if they win, then come back home to face the Rays. If they win that game, the ALDS starts the next day in New York for two days before shifting to Anaheim again with on travel day in between! This would be fascinating to watch, so part of me wants it to happen, but I also don’t see how it could result in the Angels actually winning the ALDS.
The Story: What needs to happen for the Angels to make the post-season.
The Monkey Says: A lot of folks are hoping the Rangers wrap things up so that they mail in the final series of the season, but I’m not sold. There is a fair amount of animosity between these two clubs and I don’t see them just rolling over for the Angels. It is also worth noting that the Rangers need to win to get home field advantage over Detroit should they meet in the ALDS or ALCS, so they could still be very motivated when they show up in Anaheim on Monday.
The Story: Surprise! The Angels have snuck back into the post-season picture.
The Monkey Says: No real value here to Angel fans other than marveling at how the Halos getting back into the post-season race is taking national media outlets by surprise.
The Story: Mike Scioscia isn’t giving up on Bobby Abreu.
The Monkey Says: Scioscia’s obsession with Abreu is quietly starting to become more damaging than his fixation with Mathis. I really don’t know why he feels Abreu needs to play so much and hit third in the order. There is no sense delving deeply into it though because this is the kind of BS Scioscia has always been guilty of and no amount of rationalizing or screaming is going to change it.
The Story: Eddie Bane has mixed feelings about having to scout the Angels for the playoffs.
The Monkey Says: Mixed feelings? What was mixed? The only takeaway I got there is that Bane loves to stroke his own ego and rub it in the Angels face that the guys he drafted have become integral parts of the team.
The Story: Several Angels are amongst Baseball America’s Top 20 Pioneer League prospects.
The Monkey Says: Many of those same names are going to be in the Angels’ top 10 prospect list, maybe even the top 5. The real shocker is that Taylor Lindsey is #2 overall. He had a great season, but most folks likely have Cowart, Cron and maybe even Maronde ahead of him. Clealry the kid is a big up-and-comer in prospect circles.
The Story: Dan Haren is “good to go” after being hit by a comebacker.
The Monkey Says: Great news! Let’s just hope when his next turn comes up, the Angels are still playing for something.
The Story: The year in review in the form of tweets from Angel players.
The Monkey Says: I am so disappointed that no tweets from Chevy Clarke made that recap.