The Story of.. My First Playoff Game
I never had the chance to see a playoff game. My dad tried to get tickets to the World Series in 2002, but he was new to the whole buying-playoff-tickets madness and found that they were sold out and exorbitantly expensive. During the playoff run from 2004-2005 and 2007-2008, I was at school and admittedly not yet the fan I am now. But in 2009 my fandom had reached the point where I really wanted to see a playoff game.
Of course, there was the problem of class and that I was in Stanford not Torrance. So in addition to paying for tickets, I'd have to pay for a flight, skip class, find the time to actually study, and convince my dad that the money going to pay for my tuition isn't going to waste. It took a bit of convincing myself, but I snapped up some tickets for the ALCS. As a grad student not on a fellowship and going to a private school, the financial part wasn't trivial. I was also feeling quite guilty about skipping class, especially when I realized I'd have to skip an additional class to make my flight and that I'd need to take a midterm early (since I'd be missing it). But I knew that I would be incredibly excited and that a great game would be enough to make it all worth it.
In the end it was, but the real story is the beginning.
27 February 2010
characters of intrigue!
I talked earlier about the questions surrounding the Angels this upcoming season. It's these questions that make this year's Angels team so interesting. Here are who I think are the three most interesting players with question marks, in increasing intrigue:
Scot Shields
Shields remains the last player from the Angels' 2002 glory days. But in the last year of his contract, and after a year spend on the DL, what kind of player will show up this season? Can the Shields of old return with enough dominance to force the FO to retain him? Or will he go the way of Lackey, K-Rod, GA, and Figgy? Is this season his Angels swan song as the Angels continue to transition? A healthy Shields could do wonders for the Angels bullpen, solidify the 8th inning role and allow the second-year players (Jepsen, Bulger) to develop rather than the trial-by-fire they experienced last season.
Scot Shields
Shields remains the last player from the Angels' 2002 glory days. But in the last year of his contract, and after a year spend on the DL, what kind of player will show up this season? Can the Shields of old return with enough dominance to force the FO to retain him? Or will he go the way of Lackey, K-Rod, GA, and Figgy? Is this season his Angels swan song as the Angels continue to transition? A healthy Shields could do wonders for the Angels bullpen, solidify the 8th inning role and allow the second-year players (Jepsen, Bulger) to develop rather than the trial-by-fire they experienced last season.
21 February 2010
the big questions
The interesting thing about this upcoming season and this Angels team is the prevalence of uncertainty. Oh, you can count on Scioscia and the winning culture in the organization. But a team in transition, like the Angels, has a lot of questions. Here are what I think are the big three over-arching questions for this season, in increasing importance:
Can the Angels stay healthy?
The Angels' depth has always been a strength these recent years as young prospects Willits, Wood, Rodriguiz were given long stretches of playing time to fill in for injured regulars. Well, that depth is noticably thinner. Can the Angels survive if multiple regulars are confined to the bench?
In the infield, Izzy remains as a fantastic super sub. However, the middle infield list behind him is, well, non-existant. Sean Rodriguiz is a Ray, Wood is expected to be manning third base and the top middle infield prospects played in low-A ball or lower last season. At catcher, Wilson is out of options, so unless he makes the 25-man roster, he will most likely be lost to another team. And for the corner infield, rotation and bullpen, there remains familiar and servicable replacements in AAA, but who among them are clear-cut above replacement level? The outfield is the area of most concern, due to the collective ages of Abreu-Hunter-Rivera (and -Mastui, if you believe in those knees). This is where I wonder if Angels fans will miss having GMJ on the bench. Prospects Evans, Pettit and Bourjous have shown some promise, but are unproven, and Willits has displayed a noticable slide since his magical 2007 campaign.
Can the Angels stay healthy?
The Angels' depth has always been a strength these recent years as young prospects Willits, Wood, Rodriguiz were given long stretches of playing time to fill in for injured regulars. Well, that depth is noticably thinner. Can the Angels survive if multiple regulars are confined to the bench?
In the infield, Izzy remains as a fantastic super sub. However, the middle infield list behind him is, well, non-existant. Sean Rodriguiz is a Ray, Wood is expected to be manning third base and the top middle infield prospects played in low-A ball or lower last season. At catcher, Wilson is out of options, so unless he makes the 25-man roster, he will most likely be lost to another team. And for the corner infield, rotation and bullpen, there remains familiar and servicable replacements in AAA, but who among them are clear-cut above replacement level? The outfield is the area of most concern, due to the collective ages of Abreu-Hunter-Rivera (and -Mastui, if you believe in those knees). This is where I wonder if Angels fans will miss having GMJ on the bench. Prospects Evans, Pettit and Bourjous have shown some promise, but are unproven, and Willits has displayed a noticable slide since his magical 2007 campaign.
