It’s a wonderful world, isn’t it?  Not only are the Angels one of the most exciting teams in baseball, and truly, as opposed to rhetorically, “championship caliber.” I can follow the team’s every move easily from 2200 miles away with no problem.  Being an out of state fan today is no problem at all, in that respect. We have great websites like Money with a Halo, internet and satellite access to radio and video broadcasts of games, and I can even scoff at the OC Register coverage with the click of a button.  I remember back in the early ‘90’s I was living in Wisconsin and would read and re-read the two-sentence Angels blurb they would have in the local sports page, which was often a day or two old by the time I saw it.  I’m sure I wear bifocal contacts (I’ll never completely lose my LA roots) because I strained my eyes for so many years on box-scores.

I have some risky moments as an out of state fan.  For example, when I start talking baseball at work.  I know, I know, it’s not always a smart choice to make, especially when you’re an Angels fan living in Atlanta.  It’s not that the fans here aren’t knowledgeable and so on, but they do tend to try to convert me, plus there are the Left Coast, California and LA jokes.  Of course I just smile and slip a few “you-alls” and a reference to Chipper Jones into the conversation and the moment passes.

Of course, there's always one safe Angels topic nowadays.  Everyone wants to talk about Pujols.  Mostly they shake their heads over the price, but signing one player has certainly put the Angels in the baseball conversation.  Even non-baseball fans know about the signing; it wasn’t just baseball news it was world news, and I have to wonder if that name recognition takes the Angels to a new level in terms of a fanbase.  Will fans start following the team because they are following Pujols?  Surely there will be additional media coverage due to his presence and that will attract more fans, both local and long-distance.  Just maybe not from St. Louis, that they'll admit. 

Yep, it’s a wonderful world.

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He may be the least flashy of the Angels' off-season additions, but LaTroy Hawkins could prove to be one of the most important.  Signed to both mentor and set-up for Jordan Walden, Hawkins carries a lot of responsibility for the success of the 2012 Angels bullpen.  Is he ready for to bear that burden?

2011 Stats: 3-1, 48.1 IP, 2.42 ERA, 50 H, 10 BB, 1 HR, 28 K, 0 SV

2012 ZiPS Projections: 2-1, 35.1 IP, 4.33 ERA, 39 H, 9 BB, 3 HR, 22 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 3-2, 50.0 IP, 3.42 ERA, 50 H, 12 BB, 4 HR, 33 K, 0 SV

2012 CAIRO Projections: 2-2, 36.0 IP, 3.32 ERA, 35 H, 10 BB, 3 HR, 27 K, 3 SV

2012 PECOTA Projections: 2-1, 45.0 IP, 3.45 ERA, 44 H, 13 BB, 4 HR, 31 K, 2 SV

2012 MWaH Projections*: 2-3, 50.0 IP, 3.85 ERA, 56 H, 12 BB, 3 HR, 28 K, 0 SV

*The MWaH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research

The March 15th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Pujols hits his first two homers of the spring, Santana, Trout dealing with shoulder tendinitis and much more...

The Story: The Angels lost to the White Sox, 9-7, but Albert Pujols hit his first two home runs of the spring.

The Monkey Says: Pujols has been having a great spring, as expected, but it was great to see him put on such a display.  The Angels led most of the game behind his homers, but Jordan Walden got taken deep for a two-run shot before Johnny Hellweg came in to get knocked around and gave away the rest of their lead.

The Story: Ervin Santana is day-to-day after being struck in his pitching shoulder by a line drive and suffering a contusion.

The Monkey Says: Santana says he is fine and that it is nothing serious, but there were reports earlier that he might miss his next scheduled start if only for precautionary reasons.  Looks like he dodged a bullet.

Sports fans everywhere are familiar with the heated passion behind a rivalry.  In my time (the whole whopping 20 years I’ve conquered thus far) I have lived vicariously through my father and his Yankees/Red Sox rivalry.

This year, however, I have my very own rivalry to fawn over.  Get ready, Angels’ baseball fans.  This year marks the beginning of not only the “Pujols Era”, but also the era of a revamped rivalry between the Los Angeles Angels and the Texas Rangers.

It’s no secret that the Rangers have had the Angels’ number the past two years.  Games in the latter half of the season were always tough to stomach.  The team would come off of a solid series or two, and fall to the very next team they faced. In true Angels’ fashion, their inconsistency was showing. Again.  The Rangers took advantage of this implosion, winning when we won, winning when we lost. It was almost as if the Angels couldn’t catch a break.  Not only were the Angels down on their luck on the home front, but they weren’t fairing too well in Texas either. I’d like to thank Mike Napoli for that.

The Angels lost Napoli and acquired Vernon Wells for a great deal of money. This has been one of the most controversial signings the Angels have made in my lifetime, especially since Wells didn’t perform nearly as well as Napoli did in Texas. That stung, and boy did Napoli know it. Putting on the offensive performance of his life in Texas, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Angels had made a mistake of monumental proportions. The team might have been wondering the very same thing due to the noticeable gap in their line up. You might recall Vladimir Guerrero’s short offensive surge when he signed with Texas as a free agent. Moral of the story: keep Angels away from Texas. Please. It’s embarrassing.

This past off-season, the Angels took matters into their own hands during the Winter Meetings. Surprising many (myself included), the Angels signed Albert Pujols, LaTroy Hawkins, and the Ranger’s own C.J. Wilson. If spending over $300 million in a single off-season (let alone a single day) doesn’t scream determination, I’m not sure of what else does.

Now sure, the Rangers have made two consecutive World Series appearances, but in all honesty, Henry Heimlich himself wouldn’t have been able to help them out. Plain and simple, they choked.  Their performances in the 2010 and 2011 World Series only added fuel to the fire.

With the acquisition of Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish, the Rangers’ organization can only hope to fill the bullpen void as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. This team is a force to be reckoned with. They’re hungry.

Naturally, this means war.  Dealing with some form of embarrassment on both ends, players (and fans) have a point to prove.  The race for the American League West will be a bloodbath to say the least. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see another flag flying in Angel Stadium. 2012 AL West title, here we come.

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The March 14th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Aybar steps up extension negotiations, Morales experiencing calf tightness, Haren dominates Arizona and much more...

The Story: The Angels defeated the Diamondbacks 3-0 behind a stellar effort from Dan Haren.

The Monkey Says: Haren fanned seven in just three innings of work.  Alexi Amarista also homered as he continues his stellar spring.  Depending on how many pitchers the Angels carry or if Abreu gets traded, Alexi has a real chance at winning a bench spot out of camp or maybe even convincing the Angels to trade Maicer Izturis at some point.

The Story:Erick Aybar's agent is in Arizona to discuss an extension face-to-face with Jerry Dipoto.

The Monkey Says: Nice to see that they are giving it one last good try.  And I do mean last try.  These two sides have already taken a few runs at extension talks, so it is hard to imagine them ever reaching an agreement if they don't do it now.  With as impressive as Jean Segura has looked this spring, it will be curious to see if the Halos are still eager to lock Aybar up long-term.

I've never been so excited to write a player season preview in my life.  There really is no reason to build this preview up beyond that.  Ladies and gentlemen, let's talk about Albert Pujols... of the ANGELS!!!

2011 Stats: 579 AB, .299 AVG, .366 OBP, .541 SLG, 105 R, 37 HR, 99 RBI, 9 SB, 1 CS, 58 K

2012 ZiPS Projections: 550 AB, .302 AVG, .388 OBP, .564 SLG, 99 R, 37 HR, 100 RBI, 11 SB, 3 CS, 67 K

2012 Bill James Projections: 592 AB, .316 AVG, .414 OBP, .591 SLG, 115 R, 41 HR, 120 RBI, 10 SB, 4 CS, 65 K

2012 CAIRO Projections: 574 AB, .311 AVG, .395 OBP, .568 SLG, 108 R, 37 HR, 110 RBI, 11 SB, 3 CS, 69 K

2012 PECOTA Projections: 697 PA, .305 AVG, .402 OBP, .556 SLG, 107 R, 37 HR, 111 RBI, 11 SB, 3 CS, 75 K

2012 MWaH Projections*: 585 AB, .305 AVG, .398 OBP, .606 SLG, 101 R, 39 HR, 114 RBI, 9 SB, 2 CS, 72 K

*The MWaH projections are simply my best guess based off my own personal opinion and research

The March 13th, 2012 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim including Jered Weaver was roughed up in spring training loss, Ervin Santana is working on his changeup, Bobby Grich should be in the Hall of Fame and much more...

The Story: Jered Weaver got lit up in a loss to the Dodgers yesterday.

The Monkey Says: Weaver was just working on his off-speed pitches, so this isn't cause for concern.  Also, Trumbo played third base again and committed his first error of the spring.  I'm sure it will be the first of many.

The Story: Ervin Santana is working his changeup, which may be an exercise in futility.

The Monkey Says: I don't see the harm in it even if it hasn't worked for him in the past.  One of the big reasons people used to suggest that Ervin should move to the bullpen is because he is just a two-pitch pitcher.  Upgrading his changeup to decent could make him much more effective and even prolong his career.