This was just a weird game. The Angels couldn't seem to get out of their way in the first couple of innings, but eventually straightened things out to get a crosstown win. Dan Haren pitched well enough to win, bearing down when necessary and the offense finally came alive to turn it into a blowout. Oh yeah, and Jeff Mathis made perhaps the dumbest play I have ever seen on a professional baseball field.

Angels 8 Dodgers 3

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim  (37-39) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (34-42)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Dan Haren (6-5, 2.96 ERA) LAD -- Rubby De La Rosa (3-1, 4.58 ERA)

Game Info: 7:10 PM PT; TV - KCOP; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

The Angels have traveled a long and winding through the four corners of the United States and now are within spitting distanceof home for the last of their 12 game odyssey. The question tonight is will there be more Angels fans in the stands at Chavez Ravine that those in Dodger Blue?
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Time for Free For All Friday, a time to talk about all the Angels-related topics that slipped through the cracks this week, as well as any other totally unrelated topic you feel like bringing up.

Here are a few topics for you to discuss amongst yourselves:

• I've always thought that baseball is stupid for not allowing teams to trade draft picks, but after watching the NBA draft last night and seeing teams pull off 10+ trades in a draft that has only 60 total picks, I now realize why baseball prohibits such activity.  There are 50 rounds and 1500+ picks in the MLB amateur draft, so trying to work out those trades, much less keep track of them seems like a total logistical nightmare.  I'm pretty sure my brain would melt out of my ears if I even tried to look at a draft pick trade value chart for the MLB draft, and God forbid they make it even longer should they ever turn it into a worldwide draft.  On the other hand, David Kahn isn't a MLB GM, so the trade volume should be a lot less without his bumbling prominently involved. (If I didn't just set you all up for obvious Tony Reagins jokes, I don't know what else you need)
• Everyone always mentions the rain when they talk about Seattle, but one little climate factor they fail to mention is the extended sunlight.  For some reason I never put two and two together and realized that a move so far north would mean a dramatic shift in the daytime hours.  It really is kind of crazy that I drove back from the grocery store last night at 9 pm and I didn't really even need to put my headlights on.  I feel like this somehow gives the Mariners an unfair advantage during day games since almost all of their home games are day games this time of year.
• Did anyone else see the petition to have FOX hire Vin Scully to call a World Series game?  If not, I insist you sign it NOW!  Not only is it a great honor for a legendary announcer, but it is also a way to save us from one game of the sufferable Joe Buck and the brain-crushing Tim McCarver.
• You know those alleged Blake Lively photos that came out a few weeks ago?  Blake Lively claims they aren't her, not that anyone believes her, but on the off-chance that they really aren't her, whoever it is pretending to be her should immediately step up and let the world know that she is the insanely hot naked chick in those pictures.  She'd become a star overnight (possibly a star of the "adult" variety, but a star nonetheless).
• It just occurred to me that Mike Trout, should he prove to be as great as advertised, could be in the All-Star Futures Game this year and then in the actuall All-Star Game next year.  It is pretty unlikely, I suppose, but how cool would that be?

Or just feel free to bring up a topic of your own.  I don't really care (as long as you keep it clean) because it's Friday.

The June 24th, 2011 edition of daily links for the LA Angels including Trout named to the Futures Game again, Abreu makes the most of his first swing at a 3-0 pitch in years, CJ Cron set to sign on Monday and much more...

The Story: Mike Trout has been named to the 2011 All-Star Futures Game roster once again.

The Monkey Says: Trout performed well in last year's Futures Game, so he will be expected to put on a show again this year, especially since he will be going up against fellow wunderkind Bryce Harper.

The Story: Bobby Abreu hadn't swung at a 3-0 pitch in over three years before he hit his 3-0 homer on Wednesday.

The Monkey Says: A lot of guys pick their moments to swing at 3-0 pitches, but THREE YEARS!  That's just crazy.  Clearly Bobby knows what he is doing though since he absolutely crushed the ball.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired of trying to think of new and different ways to describe the general ineptitude of the Angel offense.  I am literally running out of adjectives.  But rather than endlessly thumb through a thesaurus, I've got a better idea: let's come up with a nickname for this lousy lineup that encapsulates their awfulness.  That way, we can just use that all the time and save a lot of trouble.

The June 23rd, 2011 edition of daily links for the LA Angels including Hunter day-to-day with a rib contusion, Conger frustrated with his defense, Weaver doesn't care about any All-Star speculation and much more...

The Story: Torii Hunter suffered a rib contusion in his collision with the wall last night and is now day-to-day.

The Monkey Says: It certainly could have been worse based on how long Hunter writhed in pain after the crash.  Let's just hope he heals up quickly and is able to pick up where he left off since he was finally starting to come alive with the bat.

The Story: Hank Conger expressed deep frustration with his defensive progress after Tuesday's loss.

The Monkey Says: Scioscia has to love that Hank is so worried about hsi defense that he has completely discounted his recent offensive contributions.  If anything, Hank should feel good that Sosh put him back in the lineup the very next day despite his little meltdown the night before.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sporting a raging Trumboner right now.  Not only did Mark Trumbo save the Angels' butt twice, but hey did it without utilizing the longball, a real step forward for the Angels' young slugger.

Angels 6, Marlins 5

Maybe I am giving Trumbo a little too much credit for winning the game on what was essentially a bad hop grounder, but I'm just so damn glad to see a guy in this lineup that doesn't shrink in clutch situations.  He didn't put too much pressure on himself and chase bad pitches or overswing trying to be a hero with a homer.  He took what the pitcher gave him and put the ball in play.

With his high whiff rate and low walk rate, Trumbo still has plenty of maturing left to do, but tonight he showed he can learn and can adjust and the Angels reaped the rewards.