Friday, May 21, 2004
Here's Your. . .McMuffin, Sir
I ordered an Egg McMuffin on the way to work this week as I have been in the habit of doing lately. I paid, I grabbed my grub, and I headed to the car (the drive-thru is ridiculously long . . . zero wait inside. Man, we sure are lazy, aren't we?) I pulled out, turned on talk sports radio, and opened my breakfast. No egg. Just . . . McMuffin. Now, sure I had the ham and cheese that come with it, but I ordered an EGG McMuffin. Did they think I wouldn't notice there wasn't any egg? The name of the sandwich is the EGG McMuffin. Egg. The Yankees must've noticed something missing from the Angels' offensive sandwich, having little trouble holding the Halos to 5 runs in the last 3 games, taking 2 and the series.
I think we all knew that eventually the loss of a World Series MVP, a former Rookie of the Year, 2 Gold Gloves, and 8 All-Star appearances would hurt the roster. Through May 20, the Angels still have the best record in baseball, 1.5 games ahead of NYY, MIN, and HOU. The Halos have lost 15 times and 9 of those 15 are against only two teams--NYY and TEX. As good as the past two series have been, it might behoove the Angels to not have to face the Yankees again until one more three-game set in mid-August. They won't see Texas again until late-July. By then, the team could look a little healthier. Although they haven't played BOS, CHW, CLE, TOR, or KC yet, their only losing records thus far are against NYY (2-4) and TEX (2-5).
GA Finally Diagnosed
In case you hadn't heard (and if you hadn't, you might wanna reach for the cotton lodged in your ears), Garret Anderson has finally been told what's been ailing him. It's called "early undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis." So there you go. We've waited almost a month to hear four words--whatever they mean. According to the team's website, the plan is to get him in the pool and on the exercise bike this week and ultimately construct a timetable for his return based on the results of those workouts. Here's my take: if Garret had been healthy enough, he wouldn't have waited for a diagnosis to work out. He's in pain and I'd be very surprised to see him back before the Break. Scioscia described GA's road back to the field as "long". Hope your IR spot's empty.
The Cold Shoulder
So much for ground balls at first base. Glaus in gone. Gone for surgery. Gone until September--at least. Gone for the year, I'd say. Gone forever, maybe (FA after '04). Looks like the rehab route over the offseason wasn't such a good idea after all, huh? I'm really not bitter as a fantasy owner--I don't own him on any team--I'm bitter as a fan. Look, I know Troy wants to play as much as the next guy, but when you're shoulder is messed up that bad, you probably need surgery. If you're an MD and you see that someone's shoulder is messed up that bad, tell them to get surgery. Now he's blown 2 of his peak years. It's a shame, really. He's a wonderful player. But will he put his halo back on in '05? Time (and his shoulder) will tell. What do you do with Troy? It's called waivers.
Now what?
Are the Angels content to just keep running up guys from Salt Lake and Arkansas until no one's left? Maybe not, with this latest injury. Local media is reporting that the Halos may look for a full-time 3B for Glaus to bridge the gap until next year or maybe until '06, when Dallas McPherson should be completely ready. Names like Joe Randa, Scott Spiezio, Shea Hillenbrand, and Aaron Boone are being thrown around. Any chance of these guys coming to Anaheim? Both SEA & KC have old catchers, meaning they might be interested in Jose Molina, who is apparently now on the block. Arizona is dying to get rid of Hillenbrand, so that could be a possibility. Boone wants to play in ARI, but Chad Tracy is emerging there. He grew up in the OC though. Also, Daddy Boone played in ANA. Stay tuned.
The Fantasy Baseball Show
If you're in the Phoenix area and can operate a radio, I'll be a guest on ESPN Radio 860 KMVP tonight on The Fantasy Baseball Show. I'll be talkin' Halos and answering any other fantasy questions you might have. The show airs at 6:00 tonight Pacific Time. The call-in number is 602-277-KMVP (5687). If you don't live in Arizona, you're still in luck if you want to hear the segment live because it simulcasts on the web at http://www.fantasybaseballshow.com. Tune in and then you can e-mail and tell me how silly I sounded. For extra info, Inside the Halo is always available (http://insidethehalo.blogspot.com). Instant polls, trivia, important baseball links and all my columns.
Odds and Ends
The Orange Birds are next. Another good series. Start your Halo pitchers though. . .Other injuries I didn't cover--Erstad back late June--we'll see. Salmon back soon. Maybe two weeks at most. . .Next time we'll look at these guys who are gettin' all the PT now in detail. Figgins, DaVanon, Kotchman, Gregg--what you can expect specifically. . .Why won't the rotation throw groundballs? Are they afraid if the infielders bend over the DL list will keep growing? Only TB and SEA have a worse G/F ratio. . .You picked it. 57% percent of you said Sele should stay the Angels' 5th starter at ITH's instant poll. I still say Scot Shields, but I might come around with a couple good starts. I'm not nearly convinced yet. Well, I’m off to find my EGG. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
I think we all knew that eventually the loss of a World Series MVP, a former Rookie of the Year, 2 Gold Gloves, and 8 All-Star appearances would hurt the roster. Through May 20, the Angels still have the best record in baseball, 1.5 games ahead of NYY, MIN, and HOU. The Halos have lost 15 times and 9 of those 15 are against only two teams--NYY and TEX. As good as the past two series have been, it might behoove the Angels to not have to face the Yankees again until one more three-game set in mid-August. They won't see Texas again until late-July. By then, the team could look a little healthier. Although they haven't played BOS, CHW, CLE, TOR, or KC yet, their only losing records thus far are against NYY (2-4) and TEX (2-5).
GA Finally Diagnosed
In case you hadn't heard (and if you hadn't, you might wanna reach for the cotton lodged in your ears), Garret Anderson has finally been told what's been ailing him. It's called "early undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis." So there you go. We've waited almost a month to hear four words--whatever they mean. According to the team's website, the plan is to get him in the pool and on the exercise bike this week and ultimately construct a timetable for his return based on the results of those workouts. Here's my take: if Garret had been healthy enough, he wouldn't have waited for a diagnosis to work out. He's in pain and I'd be very surprised to see him back before the Break. Scioscia described GA's road back to the field as "long". Hope your IR spot's empty.
The Cold Shoulder
So much for ground balls at first base. Glaus in gone. Gone for surgery. Gone until September--at least. Gone for the year, I'd say. Gone forever, maybe (FA after '04). Looks like the rehab route over the offseason wasn't such a good idea after all, huh? I'm really not bitter as a fantasy owner--I don't own him on any team--I'm bitter as a fan. Look, I know Troy wants to play as much as the next guy, but when you're shoulder is messed up that bad, you probably need surgery. If you're an MD and you see that someone's shoulder is messed up that bad, tell them to get surgery. Now he's blown 2 of his peak years. It's a shame, really. He's a wonderful player. But will he put his halo back on in '05? Time (and his shoulder) will tell. What do you do with Troy? It's called waivers.
Now what?
Are the Angels content to just keep running up guys from Salt Lake and Arkansas until no one's left? Maybe not, with this latest injury. Local media is reporting that the Halos may look for a full-time 3B for Glaus to bridge the gap until next year or maybe until '06, when Dallas McPherson should be completely ready. Names like Joe Randa, Scott Spiezio, Shea Hillenbrand, and Aaron Boone are being thrown around. Any chance of these guys coming to Anaheim? Both SEA & KC have old catchers, meaning they might be interested in Jose Molina, who is apparently now on the block. Arizona is dying to get rid of Hillenbrand, so that could be a possibility. Boone wants to play in ARI, but Chad Tracy is emerging there. He grew up in the OC though. Also, Daddy Boone played in ANA. Stay tuned.
The Fantasy Baseball Show
If you're in the Phoenix area and can operate a radio, I'll be a guest on ESPN Radio 860 KMVP tonight on The Fantasy Baseball Show. I'll be talkin' Halos and answering any other fantasy questions you might have. The show airs at 6:00 tonight Pacific Time. The call-in number is 602-277-KMVP (5687). If you don't live in Arizona, you're still in luck if you want to hear the segment live because it simulcasts on the web at http://www.fantasybaseballshow.com. Tune in and then you can e-mail and tell me how silly I sounded. For extra info, Inside the Halo is always available (http://insidethehalo.blogspot.com). Instant polls, trivia, important baseball links and all my columns.
Odds and Ends
The Orange Birds are next. Another good series. Start your Halo pitchers though. . .Other injuries I didn't cover--Erstad back late June--we'll see. Salmon back soon. Maybe two weeks at most. . .Next time we'll look at these guys who are gettin' all the PT now in detail. Figgins, DaVanon, Kotchman, Gregg--what you can expect specifically. . .Why won't the rotation throw groundballs? Are they afraid if the infielders bend over the DL list will keep growing? Only TB and SEA have a worse G/F ratio. . .You picked it. 57% percent of you said Sele should stay the Angels' 5th starter at ITH's instant poll. I still say Scot Shields, but I might come around with a couple good starts. I'm not nearly convinced yet. Well, I’m off to find my EGG. Reporting for the Angels, Matt Allen--ESPN.
