nothing yet

So I was mostly distracted through last night's game. (As the Angels were getting owned by the BoSox, I was getting owned by a take home midterm...)

The gist that I got was that nothing much has changed. But there is cause for hope.

Of course, I've been looking at silver linings and glimmers of hope for most of the season. But for once, the Angels showed some spunk, some life. That first inning definitely gave me hope that the team had some fight left in them. Even though Dice-K gifted them some walks, the Angels also managed to get some key hits (Howie!) and, for once, make the other team look ridiculous (three stolen bases, an error on a DP ball). But in almost predictable fashion, it was short lived.

Kaz didn't hold onto the lead. To tell you the truth, I'm running out of what to say. I'm not yet ready to say that I was wrong about him, despite the talking heads wondering if Kaz is weighing down the team (he's just another underperformer). Maybe I'm just being my usual stubborn self, but its like I know that once his head comes around, he'll be fine. The walks are always telling. He needs to trust himself and his stuff enough to hit the strike zone. He needs to ditch the tentativeness and find his swagger. Hey Kaz, remember all that hard work you did in the offseason? Remember why you did it? Cause I'm sure as hell you didn't put yourself through that so you can give them free passes. I'll say it again - he has what it takes, just like the Angels do.

I don't blame Kaz for the loss last night. Defense, the bullpen, and partially the offense also broke down. Heck, culpability has exchanged hands so many times this season that it's like a game of hot potato. I thought Abreu's comment that they "laid down" after the BoSox pulled away needed to be said. Sosh talked about the team pressing, and while that can be a problem, I see what Bobby has. This team needs to take that mentality of the first few innings and carry it over tonight. Just build upon the positives, fight to climb the next step, and they'll turn the the corner.

Like I said yesterday, I still believe in this team.

And if you need a smile, Halo fans are still providing some.