on all-stars and the angels

I'm putting off writing about Kaz.

First of all, happy Fourth of July. This holiday is perhaps the most underappreciated American holiday, besides MLK Jr. Day. So make sure you take some time, if you haven't already, to appreciate the founding fathers, early citizens, and all those before us that have sacrificed so that our democracy could survive and flourish.

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Anyways, I had a nice holiday morning, though I skipped my usual newspaper reading and sports online updates. So I didn't find out about the announced all-star rosters until about an hour ago.

Some thoughts about it:

I didn't expect the Angels to have many representatives. I don't think that the Angels are constructed a way that gives them a good chance to have many all-stars. To get an all-star nod, you need a player that is a bonafide superstar, has an incredibly hot start, or has gaudy numbers. The Angels don't really have a superstar - Torii is a star, but he isn't the type of player that is going to be know by casual fans of other teams. Kendry has been on his way to superstardom, but he obviously isn't a viable candidate this year. To make matters worse, the Angels as a whole started slowly and thus most players haven't been able to compile the kind of stats that would wow players and fans. (Frandsen is the only Halo that has cracked the .300 AVG!)

Of course, Jered Weaver has put up great stats. The only reasoning I can fathom is that Jered isn't a superstar. This is his second great season and well, maybe he hasn't been able to shed the label of a mid-rotation starter that those statheads been saying since he's come up. (The fantastic no-name Padres pitching staff has zero representatives.) The halosphere is justified in their outrage - Weave has done absolutely everything to be selected. I don't care about the assurances that Girardi will find a way to get him onto the team. The fact that he wasn't on the original roster is a snub that can't be taken back. He should've have the honor of being selected - not by replacing an injured RedSux.

Truthfully, I didn't think any of the Halo position players as slam-dunk worthy of an all-star nod. I think most have underperformed for large chunks of the first half. Jered is different. He has done everything for the staff and the team. He's lead by example and by actions (anyone catch him snapping at Torii to stop fooling around?). He's been a stopper and a big-game pitcher. He's been consistant and electric. Every time his rotation spot comes up, I know he'll keep the Halos in the game. (Perhaps unfairly, I assume the game should be won. I keep forgetting to account for the rest of the team.) If anyone was worried about the vacuum Lackey left, there's no question who has filled it.

I'm sure the Halos took note of Jered's ommission. And I hope they realize that the best way to capture the nation's attention and turn it away from the east coast is to win.

Just keep winning.

The Lakers have shown that a powerhouse team can thrive in the West and they did that by winning. Win all the way to November and I'm sure that no one will be able to omit Weave anymore.

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I noticed a little blurb in the LATimes this morning. It claimed that Trevor Bell is going to be recalled to start Monday in Chicago against the White Sox. I haven't seen it anywhere else, but if this is true, I would think that either:
1. They're going to skip Kaz's start to give him more time to work on his troubles.
2. They're going to push everyone back in the rotation so Weave could pitch in the All-Star Game.

Of course, now #2 would seem a moot point. And given the situation now, I don't think that Sosh should readjust his rotation for an "exhibition" game. Before the selections were announced, I thought it was too bad that Weave wouldn't be able to pitch, and even though I understood Sosh's reasoning to leave his rotation as is, I also would've supported a plan to get him into the All-Star game.

Now?

I say screw the All-Star game, the Angels should think about themselves and winning the West. It seems the only way to get deserving Halos into the game is to get Sosh in as the AL Manager.