Cold Fingers

I could say that I've had cold fingers, but I've been writing about other things as needed.  Sometimes there are things I just can't say.  The last several weeks nothing seems to come off my fingers about the Angels.  Not here or anywhere:  not on message boards or doodles on my calendar,  It could be that my fingers are struggling between messages from my head and my heart.  Sorrow and joy, if you will.

After everything that's gone wrong, the Angels still have a chance to make the playoffs.  My head says no way that  a team that on paper is at worst fourth in the league stands around six or seven as I write this can suddenly become championship caliber when it counts, after 153 games.  Hard to believe it's come to this.  How could this team fail, I keep asking myself.  Then my heart kicks in:  surely there is a happy ending.  A season for the ages with Weaver winning 20, Trout jumping, and Torii rejuvenated.  The Angels win 11 of the last 12, end up in a playoff to a wildcard playoff, win that, win the wildcard playoff and saunter off to the World Series.  It can happen.

Because I haven't been writing, it doesn't mean I haven't been reading, following, listening and watching.  Rooting even.  Some smart poster somewhere pointed out if the Angels win the rest of their games they're in, and it's still possible that Texas does not make the playoffs.  My heart still beats.

Of course King Felix stands clearly in front of any charge the Angels make, two times most likely.  Talk about playing games that count at season's end when you're not in the race, Seattle will determine the race and unless they suddenly decide to change their rotation because they dislike the Rangers more than the Angels  (where did the Figgins guy come from?) it will take the very best Angels performance to have a chance.  There's nothing like a group of veterans playing for pride mixed well with the need to maintain their careers to push any playoff team to the limit.

But this is what it comes down to.  This is the cost of not taking care of Oakland when the chance was there.  This is where we find out if pasta beats sushi, and if the Angels have the heart and management fans expected in April.