- The Story: Joe Posnanski takes a shot at ranking the worst contracts in baseball and lists Gary Matthews’ deal at #6. The Monkey Says: Only 6th? Posnanski makes a great point though that the Angels actually are one of the few teams who is willing to admit when they made a bad deal, which somewhat knocks down Private Matthews in the rankings.
- The Story: Rob Neyer takes Mark Gubicza to task for rating Trevor Bell’s debut an 8. The Monkey Says: An 8 is probably overstating the case, but you have to think Guby was grading on a curve considering what was expected of Bell coming into the start.
- The Story: There has been no improvement in Kelvim Escobar’s shoulder and Mike Scioscia is ruling him out for the rest of the season. The Monkey Says: Sadly, it might be best to rule out Kelvim Escobar permanently given how long this shoulder injury has been plaguing him.
- The Story: Justin Speier had nothing but gracious words for the Angels following his release. The Monkey Says: Nice to see Speier taking the move like a pro, best of luck to him elsewhere.
- The Story: Torii Hunter is on track to return during the Angels’ upcoming road trip. The Monkey Says: It is still hard to believe that the Angels have had so much success with Hunter out of the line-up, they could be scary with him back and Guerrero hitting the ball with authority again.
- The Story: Taking a look at how Mike Scioscia continues to shape the Angels’ persona and success. The Monkey Says: I want to call this a puff piece, but considering the mounds of adversity the Halos have faced this summer, he should be a front-runner for Manager of the Year.
- The Story: Already the lobbying for Howie Kendrick to get back the starting secondbase job in 2010 has begun. The Monkey Says: Jumping the gun a bit here, but this will be one of the more interesting storylines for the Halos heading into next season, barring a trade.
- AL West Update: The Rangers and Mariners both won yesterday, so there is no change in the standings.