With many people in the post-thanksgiving food coma, the spirit of gratitude may have taken a momentary back seat today to the regrets and lessons of overindulgence. Still, it would be somewhat uncouth to not take stock of our blessings. Sure, it seems that most of the news surrounding the Angels lately has been either mediocre or downright sad, but there are still many things to be thankful for if you’re a fan of the Big A.
For example, Angel fans can be thankful that they have the best looking outfield in the MLB. The triple threat of Trout, Trumbo and Bourjos will have the ladies swooning from Anaheim all the way to Boston. Peter “Gorgeous” Bourjos has a well-established female fan base, and Mark Trumbo and Mike Trout are gaining followings of their own, with appearances in the home run derby and AL MVP race respectively. Even if these ladies don’t know the difference between a ground rule double and a double-double burger from In-N-Out, their cheering may be the missing piece to put the Halos over the top and into the playoffs. Next stop: The cover of Tiger Beat!
Let us take the holiday spirit to heart and turn a recent negative into a positive. Sad as it is to say, Torii Hunter is no longer an Angel. He has swam through the sea of free agency and landed on the shores of the Detroit Tigers’ roster. Unfortunately, this puts him in the lamentable position of sharing a clubhouse with former rookie of the year, perennial all-star, Cy Young award winner, and general douchebag, Justin Verlander. While on the surface, Hunter’s position on the Tigers is anything but ideal, Angels fans can still find a silver lining to be thankful for. The Tigers have attained a level of play that took them to the World Series this past season. Torii Hunter may be the piece that gives the Tigers that last push over the finish line. Should Detroit earn World Series rings, Angels fans will be subjected to viewing a championship team featuring Verlander’s cocky smirk and Miguel Cabrera, who snatched the 2012 AL MVP from our beloved Mike Trout. However, with the addition of Hunter, we now have the option to shrug off the minor annoyances of Cabrera and Verlander and simply be happy that Mrs. Hunter’s baby boy, who gave our team so much, achieved the height of baseball success.
There are those that believe that neither gratitude, nor joy can be found in appreciating (or begrudging) another team’s success. There is then, one more circumstance that Angels fans can be glad for. With a former catcher at the helm in Mike Scioscia, the Angels catching position is one that is often scrutinized. The trade of Mike Napoli remains a controversial topic in the eyes of many and the departure of Bobby Wilson to the Blue Jays has left the catching cupboard somewhat bare. Chris Ianetta remains number one behind the plate, but secondary catchers Hank Conger and John Hester have only part-time experience in the major leagues. The catcher position could prove to be a point of focus yet again on Scioscia’s Angels.
Given that, we can all be thankful that Jeff Mathis is currently signed with Miami and thus, is nearly as geographically far away from Anaheim as he can possibly be.
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