With the pitching now solidified with the return of Ervin Santana, John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar, the Angeles now need to turn their focus to the offense.

Howie Kendrick has been touted as the next big, but has been very disappointing this season, and in past seasons he has been prone to injuries. There needs to be a change made now.

One possible solution is recalling Brandon Wood and sending down Kendrick.

The Angels could move Chone Figgins to second and insert Wood at third.

Wood is a legitimate home run hitter and could possibly turn into a 30-plus home guy. And with a serious lack of power in the Angels offense he might be able to provide the team with a much needed boost in that department.

If the Angels are to compete in a league with the Texas Rangers they must find some more offensive fire power.

If you send down Kendrick down to minors maybe he could get his confidence back and they could move him to left field. And let‘s face it he will never be a gold glove type of second basemen. Adjusting to a new position is best done in the minors.

This helps the Angels not just for now, but the future of the team as well.

The serious lack of depth in the outfield should be a major concern because the entire outfield is getting older will need to be replaced very soon.

Bobby Abreu will probably be around for only this season and Vladimir Guerrero is aging and will be best served as a DH.

Kendrick can return to the big team next season as the left fielder.

And then there is Figgins. The Angels must find a spot for him and with Wood proving himself in the minors, second is the best fit for Figgins.

They need his bat and speed in the lineup, so they must find a permanent place for him.

This might not be the best solution for a team that has not had any power in the lineup besides Torii Hunter, but why not give it a try? At least until the All Star break.

For a team that is built on pitching and defense this season has, at least so far, been a major let down.

Yes the Los Angeles Angels have had injuries to their starting rotation but the starters are not the ones killing this team; the relievers are. If something is not done soon to help the bullpen the Angels will be out of the picture before the All-Star break.

At the beginning of the season, the team was supposed to have a great bullpen but that has not yet come to fruition.

The loss of Francisco Rodriguez after last season to the New York Mets is killing the Angels bullpen.

While you can make an argument that it was the right call the signing of Brain Fuentes was not.

When you have a guys like Scott Shields and Jose Arredondo, you really don’t need to sign a guy that is starting to get up there in years.

He has had solid seasons in the past but damn, Arredondo might be the next great closer in a long line of great closer the Angels have had. Granted he might not be ready but you still have Shields, guy who has been one the best set-up men in baseball over the past six seasons.

And one more guy the Angels need to drop from their bullpen is Justin Speier. What has he done since he has been in Anaheim? He had one good season, in 2007, but since then he has given up the lead more often than not.

Please Mike Scioscia just stop using him he is horrible.

Once John Lackey and Ervin Santana come back,  the Angels need to just release Speier and go with some young guys who might have a future even if it isn’t right now.

Hours after pitching in last nights game, Nick Adenhart was killed by an alleged drunk driver in Fullerton California.  Nick although not well known by many Angels fans was a promising pitcher in the organization and showed great stuff in last nights game.  The game last night marked only his fourth major league start in his brief career.

It’s tragic anytime a life is taken early, but for this 22 year old man to have worked so hard to finally fulfill his dream of becoming a major league ballplayer only to have it taken away from him, and by an alleged drunk driver is definitely a shame.

Angels general manager Tony Reagins released this statement in a story posted on the Angels website:

“The Angels family has suffered a tremendous loss today, we are deeply saddened and shocked by this tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Nick’s family, friends’ loved ones and fans.”

TMZ.com is reporting that tonights Angels game has been cancelled.  I haven’t confirmed this anywhere else, but just a heads up to all the fans with tickets for tonights game.  Check out TMZ.com for more information on the story as it develops.

It’s been kept quiet and under wraps, but word is slowly seeping out of Angels camp the Rally Monkey and Angels are at an impasse.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity a source from the monkey’s representation said, “Hey, he loves being with the Angels and wants nothing more than the situation to be resolved, but it’s time for the Angels to give him fair market value.” “The monkey started his career with and would like to finish his career with the Angels, but if the Angels don’t step up to the plate and make a long-term commitment, it might be time to move on.” Apparently the the Angels are offering a 2 year deal with incentives based on comeback wins. The Rally Monkey camp thoughts are he’s paid his dues, he’s in his prime, he’s been great with the community and a consummate team player. He’s looking for a long-term deal at $7 million a year.

The fact that word is hitting the street has angered Angel management, because negotiations should be handled behind closed doors and not in the media. Rumors are spreading that negotiations have become so contentious that the Angels have been exploring possibly trading the monkey for a mascot. Some potential name being tossed around are Homer from the Atlanta Braves, Firebird from the St. Louis Cardinals, Gapper from the Cincinnati Reds, but the name with the most interest is Phillie Phanatic.

Tweaking the name would be a slight issue, but with the large Hispanic community supporting the Angels everyone is leaning towards is Feugo Phanatic. It might make sense if the impasse can’t be resolved, he’s coming off a championship season and his popularity is at an all time high. With Coles’ elbow under question, the Phillies just might need to Rally Monkey’s wins this year if they plan to repeat.

Fans will complain when there is too much change because they’re favorites might be gone.  They will also complain when there is too little change.  What they want is balance, meaning the players they’re screaming at every game to do something and never do are removed, and their favorites that make them follow the team are kept.  The problem is that the list is different for every fan, so you’ll never make everyone happy. I look at the offseason with an open mind.  I trust that the owners and the managers are just as much fans of their team as I, and that their ultimate goal for the team is the same: win the World Series.

So back to my original question, is change for the sake of change and nothing else bad?  I’m under the opinion that a little bit of change in a team’s roster each year is healthy, regardless of how well or not well the team performed the prior year.

By the end of a season you know exactly what your team’s weaknesses and strengths are and thus each game begins to be a little predictable.  If no changes were made during the offseason and your favorite team stayed exactly the same, would you be as excited for the new year?  Take that question a step further. Your team made it all the way to the World Series and won, would you still be excited for the same team next year?

So far, offseason trade excitement hasn’t been very exciting, in fact I would go as far as to say it’s been disappointing.  From what I can tell the Angels were completely satisfied with their 2008 team, so much so they seem to be interested in keeping it together for 2009, with few exceptions.  Two big exceptions are Garret Anderson and Francisco Rodriguez.  For Anderson they chose not to renew his contract and for Rodriguez.. well they got outbid by the Mets.

This week the Angels announced that they offerred Mark Teixeira an eight year contract, terms haven’t been disclosed.  I’ll admit, getting rid of Teixeira isn’t a change I want to see happen, but eight years is a long time to commit to any player.  I’m excited knowing that the Angels have realized they need to build this team around a new superstar, but I’m nervous for such a long contract.  Their last big superstar was Vladimir Guerrero, and the contract they offered him was only four years.  Since signing Guerrero back in 2004, long term contracts seem to be the norm with players expecting them.  In my opinion they’re bad business, they put teams at too much risk financially.  What do you think?

Baseball geniuses Brian and Chris discuss the recent news that Francisco Rodriguez has opted not to sign with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and opts for a chance to play for a team that might be able to beat the Red Sox in a playoff series:

Chris: We should put up a post on k-rod for the Angels site, check out this article
That’s gotta be pretty big news in Angels land.

Brian: That sucks for the Angels

Chris: I don’t know, I think he is over rated

Brian: 60 saves in a season?
how do you overrate that?

Chris:Against shitty AL West teams

Brian: ok, but that number is still huge
listen, I hate the guy
prancing around up on the mound like he just stormed Normandy

Chris: It’s big but that’s what I mean, put someone like Trevor Hoffman on that team last year same thing if not more saves.

Brian: maybe. . . well the article says they might pursue Manny now if they can’t get Tex

Chris: What I hate is that the Angels made him offers, but he thinks his shit don’t stink and he wants more.
Yeah I read that.

Brian: Boras represent him?

Chris: More competition for the Dodgers.
Not sure.

Brian: well, definitely seems like the Angels are gonna start a downward slide

Chris: Anyways probably a good article to write.

Brian: maybe we just did

Chris: HAHA yep

Talk to any former college athlete, skiing instructor, or pseudo-Olympic contender working corporate in a marketing department, and the story is always the same: “I would have been a monster. . . OH. . . but my knee.”

“Oh. . . but my herniated disc.”

“Oh. . . but my torn ACL after Bernard Pollard ended my season.”

And tonight, the Angels do it as a team. “Oh, but my squeeze play.” The only 100 win team in baseball goes home to play golf, and the Red Sox move on to play the extremely lethal Rays.

K-Rod can work on a new celebration dance, yelling at the sky and shaking his fist with a huge sense of empowerment.

And now that I’ve talked all the smack I’m allowed on here, I’d like to offer my congratulations to the Angels for an amazing season. Texeira and Guerrero made me pace in the bar every time they came to bat during this series. . . Figgins induced sweaty palms, and K-Rod, crazy dance or not, was just damn intimidating.

I’m glad the Sox don’t have to play the Angels any more this season. . . they made me mental.

Well I can’t say the Angels split the broom into two pieces, but they did crack it. Not a commanding win by any means, but at this point I’ll take it. Boston is definitely not the place you want to be playing when your backs are against the wall and you have to win, but unfortunately that is where the Angels are. Last night, feeling the pressure, the Angels rallied in extra innings and came up with a big 5-4 win over the Red Sox.

The game in my opinion should not have even been close, nor should the Angels have let it go twelve innings. The Angels are again having problems scoring runs, with sixteen hits last night they stranded sixteen runners on base and failed to really break the game wide open. Playing a team like Boston, the Angels need to be able to capitalize and score runs when they’re given the opportunity.

Onto the good news, the player of the game for this one has to be Mike Napoli, hands down.  He was directly responsible for three of the five runs scored last night and they came off of two big blasts over the green monster.  The first one tied the game at three in the third inning, and the last one a solo shot in the fifth inning gave the Angels the lead.  Those two home runs were just what the doctor ordered for the Angels.

What a rollercoaster last night’s game was. After stumbling out of the gates and watching Boston take the lead, you could feel the twisting in the pit of your stomach. The crowd was out of it: not quite a funeral procession or a Cub’s game, but close. To make matters worse Tori Hunter did his best imitation of Bill Gramatica,  and injured his knee.

Then the Angels started chipping away, the momentum was turning. The Rally Monkey was released putting the crowd into a frenzy like fat kids on chocolate cake, and finally the game was tied at 5. You felt nothing would go wrong and finally the Angels would pull one out. Then it was mano y mano, my closer vs. your closer, let the stare down begin. Well not only did K-Rod blink, I’m quite sure his eyes haven’t even opened yet. Drew hit the 2 run jack in the 9th and it was game over. Now it’s 3 straight or we’re out.