Thursday, October 07, 2004 |
Division By Subtraction: Red Sox 8, Angels 3
Home runs hit by the Angels, 2004 ALDS: 2
Small ball my rear end -- the Angels got to the promised land in 2002 by way of the Babe Ruth Express. This club -- this poor, battered, injury- and stupidity-riddled club -- is missing two of its biggest power threats, and that's no way to treat a lady, no way to treat your fan base, your meal ticket, my friends. It was hard to tell from our vantage point up in 523 whether Richard's kvetching about Jerry Meals' strike zone was off. A woman sitting next to us had a TV, and showed us ESPN's K-Zone had indicated he wasn't missing the calls. That didn't stop the guy sitting on the other side of us from griping at nearly every pitch thrown by an Angel that didn't get into the strike column.
You can see where this is going; they'll be out in three, maybe, or four if they hold on Friday for a win. The great club Johnny Damon recollects has players spending time in the Dominican, who can't throw a ball to first base, or who won't publically concede arthritis has slowed his legs and his bat. Figgins bobbles balls at second, giving the Sox extra outs (betcha Kennedy wouldn't have missed a couple of those!). Eckstein isn't the hitter he was two years ago, and probably never will be again.
Bart pitched a good game, though, and save for a couple ball/strike calls I thought were marginal -- as well as a checked swing that should have gone our way -- we would have been better off than we were. But for once, the bullpen turned out to be the magnet for today's rotten eggs, Donnelly giving up the stinkers to the Sox.
You can start to see where next year is a problem, maybe. Gregg isn't a guy you want in high-value situations. Frankie isn't Frankie alla time. Donnelly has an ERA over 3.00, a very troubling thing for a short reliever. Weber's gone. All that's left with some reliability is Shields. Starters: down by one thanks to Sele's departure, and Ortiz can't be counted on. On offense, we need to figure out what to do for a power bat, and Guillen's about a 50-50 shot to be gone next year.
But next year can take care of itself. That the Angels are in the postseason, after another disastrous year with injuries, is astonishing by itself. The Angels won the division by the A's subtracting themselves, not because the 2004 Angels were particularly good. To me, today's game was comfort food, Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy, a welcome meal near the end of the year that reminds you to be grateful for what you've got that's good and right. Let's hope Arte and Bill Stoneman keep that in mind whey they start retooling after Friday's game.
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