The June 13th, 2013 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Blanton to have next start skipped, Madson wonders if HGH could help and much more…
The Story: Joe Blanton will not make his next scheduled start.
The Monkey Says: They say they are only pushing him back a few days, presumably so he doesn't get exposed by the Yankees. They haven't committed to when he will start next though. The Angels will need someone to start Tuesday the 18th, so that could be Blanton unless the Halos liked what Jerome Williams gave them yesterday. They've given themselves an out here, hopefully they follow through but my hunch is that Blanton will get at least one more shot.
The Monkey Says: Madson was very careful to limit his curiousty only to HGH and only under a doctor's care so as not to stir the PED hornet's nest. Personally, I think this is a very valid question. The MLB-paid doctor in the article claims there is no recuperative benefit to HGH(and, yes, there are studies that show it helps with recovery from injury), but that is largely what athletes have used it for. That, of course, begs the question of why HGH is banned if it doesn't help? At this point, the well is probably poisoned since HGH has the taint of on it now. Even if the medical community finds that it can help with recovery without adverse long-term effects, MLB will probably never allow it. This despite the fact that they allow Adderall, which is just a brand name for speed, exemptions at several times the rate of the rest of society.
The Story: Which catch against J.J. Hardy was better: Trout's or Bourjos'?
The Monkey Says: I don't know. Trout's athleticism was absolutely amazing, but I think Bourjos might have actually had the higher degree of difficulty. I think Trout gets the edge still, but I really had to think about it.
The Story: Scott Downs is morphing into a lefty specialist.
The Monkey Says: I love that this piece is framed as if this is a positive development for Downs when in reality it has a lot more to do with him clearly losing his effectiveness, especially against right-handers.
The Story: Thirteen Angel minor leaguers were named to the various minor league All-Star games.
The Monkey Says: I'll take things that mean absolutely nothing for $800, Alex.
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