The April 17th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Madson nearing a return, Weaver using a bone stimulator to hasten his return and much more…
The Story: Ryan Madson had his most complete bullpen session yet and could soon begin facing batters.
The Monkey Says: That could have him activated from the DL in the next 10-14 days which would be exactly what the embattled Angel bullpen needs. This, of course, means that he is bound to tweak his elbow again or maybe just trip over a black cat while ducking under a ladder only to smash his face into a mirror, breaking both his face and the mirror.
The Monkey Says: Can he find a velocity stimulator for his throwing arm? The detail that this device helped Pujols accelerate his recovery from his broken wrist is certainly encouraging, but I wouldn't expect any miracles. If this was such a magical device, wouldn't everyone be using them? Now please allow me to pause for a moment to pat myself on the back for getting through this entire blurb without making a juvenile joke about the potential other uses for a "bone stimulator." Thanks.
The Story: An AL talent evaluator believes that Albert Pujols' legs are on their last legs.
The Monkey Says: Get it? Pure comedy, folks. Scouts are hilarious. Scouts aren't, however, doctors. Albert is clearly ailing right now and he may be at a point where his health issues aren't ever going to go away. It is probably smart for him to primarily DH this season, but I don't think it means that after an off-season to rest that he will be incapable of playing first on a more regular basis in 2014.
The Story: Speculation that Tony La Russa could take over as manager of the Angels.
The Monkey Says: This guy is a real old fashioned newspaper reporter yet he goes and drops that nugget at the end of his random thoughts compilation without explaining whether or not this is just his own wild speculation (probably) or if he has heard some sort of real rumor to support the claim. I suspect it is the former, because if it was real, it would make a for a much juicier story. I also don't think TLR would be a good match for the Angels. Part of what seems to be hurting the Angels is Scioscia overmanaging and La Russa is the guy who practically invented overmanaging. I also suspect that Tony would want a lot of control of the roster and the Halos just went through the process of wresting that control from Scioscia, so I would imagine they'd be reluctant to just hand it all over to La Russa
The Story: Mike Trout needs to return to the leadoff role.
The Monkey Says: I kind of agree, but I think the payoff of changing the order is so small that it isn't worth getting worked up over. I actually like the idea of having Trout, Pujols and Hamilton hit in succession, but I'd rather it be Trout at leadoff, Hamilton in the two-hole and Pujols third. If that can't be the arrangement, then flipping Trout with whoever is leading off at the moment really doesn't bother me one way or the other.
The Story: A breakdown of Josh Hamilton catching a baseball with his face.
The Monkey Says: To say that Hamilton has had a bit of a rough time learning to play right field would be an understatement.
The Monkey Says: This sounds like wishful thinking on the part of some fans. I fail to see what Percival would bring to the table as a coach as I imagine his only advice would be, "squint your eyes and then throw real hard."
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