The September 19th, 2014 edition of daily news for the Los Angeles Angels including Hamilton injured again, Weaver has start pushed back and much more…
The Story: Josh Hamilton is having more pain issues in his ribs, chest and maybe shoulder.
The Monkey Says: Well, that isn’t good. That explains why he wasn’t in the lineup the last two nights. It is hard to imagine him being available in the postseason since nobody really seems to even know (or talk about) what is wrong.
The Story: Jered Weaver had his start pushed back to Saturday.
The Monkey Says: This gave him a day to recover from any celebratory hangover he may or may not have been suffering from and also better lines him up to start Game 1 of the ALDS.
The Story: Matt Shoemaker felt he improved again yesterday.
The Monkey Says: He keeps on improving, so that has to be good, but if he keeps improving but still not playing, it suggests his injury is more troublesome than the Halos are letting on.
The Story: Jerry Dipoto credits the Angels success to Mike Scioscia making philosophical adjustments.
The Monkey Says: Scioscia still certainly has his blindspots, but he’s been much more progressive with his in-game tactics this year. This is what happens when a GM and manager finally start working together.
The Story: It has been quite a turnaround for Jerry Dipoto.
The Monkey Says: Some nice behind the scenes stories here including Dipoto admitting he kind of hated the way the Angels run the bases and that three weeks into the season, he might have been on the hot seat with Arte Moreno. I guess that explains why it took so long for Arte to pick Dipoto’s 2015 contract option.
The Story: Predicting an Angels-Nationals World Series.
The Monkey Says: Good luck with that. The postseason is impossible to predict. There is just too much room for crazy things to happen.
The Story: The Angels have the pedigree to go all the way.
The Monkey Says: Pedigree doesn’t always matter. The postseason is a total crapshoot.
The Story: Many Angels players credit improved team chemistry for their success this year.
The Monkey Says: Nobody says what was wrong last year, but it might’ve just been that they were losing. Winning has a crazy way of disguising itself as team chemistry, it turns out.
The Story: How the Angels won the AL West.
The Monkey Says: You forgot the part about the A’s going into a death spiral, but nice pull on giving Kole Calhoun his own mention. The national media has very much overlooked how big a part of the roster he has become.
The Story: The Angels need more quality pitching from C.J. Wilson.
The Monkey Says: Well, duh. Mainly, they need him to not be a disaster. But if Matt Shoemaker is out, they definitely need Wilson to pitch like a frontline pitcher, which might be a big ask considering his prolonged struggles.
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