Angels Win 2nd Straight Division Title

[Chief Rum]

Well, it isn't 14, but I will take it.

The Angels won their second straight AL West title, and will return to the playoffs for the third time in four years. So the Sea of Red returns to national TV, as well as the Rally Monkey and probably those blasted thundersticks I know you guys all love, haha.

It has been a bit of a struggle this year, and I have to hand it to the A's--they lost two of the best pitchers in the league this year, and still stayed in this and made it into a race.

I don't know that the Angels will have enough hitting or consistent relief pitching to win it all, but I like their chances as much as anyone else to come out of the AL.

Go Halos! Just Another Halo Victory!

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

It has been a bit of a struggle this year, and I have to hand it to the A's--they lost two of the best pitchers in the league this year, and still stayed in this and made it into a race.

Also, don't forget Harden...he missed just about half of the season.

[SackAttack]

A's are totally eliminated from postseason contention now, right?

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

A's are totally eliminated from postseason contention now, right?

Yes, they are.

[Galaxy]

Damn...

I hate the Angels now...I can't stand the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crap.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Also, don't forget Harden...he missed just about half of the season.

To be fair, we also lost Escobar for more than half the season, and had a bunch of other injuries affect us this year (Vlad, Washburn, K-Rod, McPherson, GA, Kennedy, Molina all missed significant time; Salmon won't be back until 2005). We also lost two of our three top run producers from the 2004 team.

I'm not trying to take away from what the A's did. Under the circumstances, they had a phenomenal year and that July-August run was just brilliant. But they weren't the only team to have to fight through some injuries this year.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Damn...

I hate the Angels now...I can't stand the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crap.

YES! WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Always nice to be legitamized by non-natural Angels haters.

As for the name crap, I'm used to it now and know why it was done, even if it's ridiculous.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

and know why it was done

To commit breach of contract without all the pesky legal repercussions?

Yeah, Moreno put the screws to the city pretty good. It's a good thing the average fan says "call the damn team whatever you want as long as the beer is cheap."

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

To commit breach of contract without all the pesky legal repercussions?

Yeah, Moreno put the screws to the city pretty good. It's a good thing the average fan says "call the damn team whatever you want as long as the beer is cheap."

Oh, it's definitely shady. Not ethical at all.

But on a purely legal standpoint, the city doesnt have a leg to stand on. They screwed up and weren't careful enough on the verbiage in their contract. And if they're not careful, they might piss off their major tenant enough to convince him to leave the city altogether.

And, yes, it's true, the average Angels fan doesn't care (although I think it's more about as long as the team is winning).

[Young Drachma]

I remember when they used to suck all the time. It's good to see them able to maintain it over the years, plus gets fans to come out to the ballpark and not be like the Marlins where no one cares until the World Series.

[Warhammer]

I was thrilled they won it. I think they have the most balanced team in the AL right now. Not the best in any one area, but they can beat you with their starting pitching, their bats, or their starters. I don't think anyone else in the AL can say that right now.

[JasonC23]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I was thrilled they won it. I think they have the most balanced team in the AL right now. Not the best in any one area, but they can beat you with their starting pitching, their bats, or their starters. I don't think anyone else in the AL can say that right now.

I think the 2 best teams in the AL right now are the Angels and the Indians. And it's very possible that one of those teams won't even make the playoffs and the other will have to play on the road against the team with the league's best record in the first round.

What an odd baseball season it's been. I'd say it's been odd yet incredibly thrilling, but I'm a White Sox fan, so right now, it's odd yet incredibly discouraging, pathetic, ridiculous, and sad, because I know that even if the White Sox somehow don't complete this stupid collapse and miss the playoffs, they're just going to get swept in the first round.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Congrats to the Angels fans! The nice thing about locking up their spot right now is that they can rest and get their pitching staff lined up while the other AL playoff teams club themselves to death in a dogfight for the remaining spots.

This looks to be a wild finish for the remaining three playoff spots. I feel for the White Sox fans, although it does look like they should hang on.

I'm only familiar with the Red Sox, but they seem quite beatable to me. Their starting pitching is marginal and their bullpen is questionable. Papelborn looks to provide a lot of help as a setup man, but I'm not sure Timlin can get the job done as a playoff closer, and getting from the starter to Papelborn could be an adventure. A big question mark is Shilling, who has shown his traditional self in brief flashes of late, only to follow that with a crappy outing. If he can get on track, if the rest of the pitching staff can pitch at the top of their game, and if the offense plays to form, the Red Sox could be tough to beat. But they are far from the complete team they were last year.

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

A's are totally eliminated from postseason contention now, right?

Yes, and I am completely sick to my stomach. My only hope at this point is that the Yanks miss the playoffs.