The Angels now have to rebound from a disappointing extra innings affair after throwing away a big hit by Hunter and a strong start by Chatwood.


Angels 2 Red Sox 4 

Daily Links for the LA Angels including Morales "isn't close to playing in games yet," Pineiro could rejoin the Angels on their next road trip, Izturis says fans who call him fragile are "ignorant" and much more...

The Story: Kendrys Morales is making progress in his rehab, but "he isn't close to playing in games yet."

The Monkey Says: This is supposed to be a good update, but that little phrase there doesn't really give me the warm and fuzzies.  I am starting to think that getting Morales back on the field for the Halos may not happen until June.

The Story: Joel Pineiro could rejoin the Angels on their next road trip.

The Monkey Says: At least this is some good news.  I was definitely concerned about Pineiro's shoulder, but it sounds like he is going to be just fine.

The Story: Mike Scioscia wants Torii Hunter to "settle down" at the plate.

The Monkey Says: What is it about Angel sluggers and trying too hard?  Hopefully Hunter can follow Vernon Wells' and learn to just let it all go and start playing free and easy.

I don't even know how to react to this just yet, but, in case you missed it, fans at tonight's game actually threw money at Carl Crawford.  Don't believe me?  Here is a screen cap from the Fox Sports West broadcast.

H/T to Sam Miller at the OC Register

On one hand, I think this is a somewhat petty response to a guy spurning the Angels in free agency when, in fact, it was probably more likely the Angel front office clusterf@$%icng the negotiations that caused Crawford to wind up in Boston.

On the other hand, this is totally awesome and hilarious and I don't think I have ever been more proud of a Angel fans for stepping up and showing some real pride and fervor.  I honestly don't think I can remember any other fans doing this to another player before (if I am wrong, please let me know, it is late and my memory is a bit foggy).  Seriously, this is great, even if it was a bit misguided these fans that gave up their own hard-earned money show their disdain for Crawford just earned Southern California baseball fans a whole lot of street cred.  Bravo, everyone, bravo.

So has everyone settled down about Brandon Wood getting DFA'd yet?  Yes, yes, it is a big deal and we are all simultaneously happy/sad to see Wood go.  Nobody likes to see a player get handed his walking papers, but Wood definitely had his chances and he didn't even come close to taking advantage of them.  Thus he had to go and even with as frustrating as he was, parting still proved to be such sweet sorrow.

Well, fans, get ready for some more of that sweet sorrow because we are about to get a truckload over the next month or two.

@ 

Boston Red Sox (6-11) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (12-6)

Pitching Probables: LAA – Tyler Chatwood (1-1, 3.75 ERA)  BOS – Josh Beckett (2-1, 1.80 ERA)

Game Info: 7:05 PM PT; TV - Fox Sports West; Radio - KLAA 830 AM

Oh boy, it's finally here! I don't know about you but I've had this date marked on my calendar since December 8th 2010. As much as I want to see this Angels vs. Red Sox game, I just can't, this is Carl Crawford vs The Angels. This guy is going to stroll into Anaheim like he's some sort of king on top of his $140 million dollar throne. It's time to show him that money can't buy you wins, let the boo-birds commence!

Daily Links for the LA Angels including all sorts of reaction to the DFA of Brandon Wood, stats strongly suggest Wells won't get better, Rob Neyer is becoming an Angel convert and much more...

The Story: A look at which teams could take a chance on Brandon Wood.

The Monkey Says: My gut has always told me the Marlins are a logical destination for him, but he'll have to slide pretty far through waivers to reach them.  I don't doubt that there will be any shortage of suitors for him though, so there is a small chance that the Halos could end up trading him for a small return to a team that doesn't want to risk him not making it to them on waivers.

The Story: Brandon Wood was very emotional as he said his goodbyes to the Angels.

The Monkey Says: The shame of this all is that Wood's problems never had anything to do with attitude or work ethic as is so often the case with failed prospects.  By all accounts he is a great kid, so hopefully he lands on his feet.

The Story: Wood still has a chance to find redemption.

The Monkey Says: The popular notion here is that a change of scenery will do him some good, but I do worry that his confidence is damaged beyond repair.

The Story: Tony Reagins says the Angels did not mishandle Brandon Wood's development.

The Monkey Says: Sorry, but I disagree.  The Angels made some missteps in setting up his path to the majors and I feel that put too much pressure on him once he finally did arrive.  It was far from the only reason Wood failed, but Angel management definitely deserves some of the blame.

The Story: Contact rate and spray charts strongly suggest that Vernon Wells has lost a lot of bat speed.

The Monkey Says: I still think Vernon will snap out of it, and he has been looking better lately, but that is some pretty damning evidence and one just has to hope that this little study is a victim of small sample size.  Cognitive dissonance is a wonderful thing, eh?

The Story: It might be time to start believing the the surprising start of the Angels.

The Monkey Says: Rob Neyer seems a bit skeptical still, but at least he is starting to take small sips on the red Kool-Aid.

The Story: The Angels' RBI League is helping keep teen dreams alive.

The Monkey Says: This has been your daily dose of warm-and-fuzziness from Marcia C. Smith.

The Story: Tyler Chatwood is getting guidance from the veterans on handling his nerves.

The Monkey Says: It sounds like they've mostly been helping him keep his intensity in check, which is a good thing because when he gets too amped up he leaves the ball up in the zone and gets hit hard.

So many things to get excited about this game, Vernon Wells finally hit a home run as an Angel, Peter Bourjos made a stunning catch, Kendrick hit ANOTHER homer, and Weaver threw a CG victory. We can all mark down this as the day that I, Ryan Falla, on April 20th 2011, correctly predicted Jered Weavers complete game victory. I'm going to bask in this glory forever. This has to do wonders for my reputation, ESPN here I come!!!

Angels 4 Rangers 1