Staying Positive About the Angels Even If It Kills Me

In the hours after the Red Sox completing their sweep of the Angels yesterday, I was fully planning on writing the eulogy for the 2010 Angels’ season.  But after I had a few hours (and beers) to calm down, I’m ready to try and get positive about the Angels again… even if it kills me.

Why so serious, Angel fans?  Turn that frown upside down!!

Mike Scioscia and the Angel players seem to be unwilling to admit that their season is pretty much over, so why should I?  Sure, they are now a .500 ballclub who is 8.5 games back with 58 games left to play and now in third place in the AL West, but why let the facts get in the way of some perfectly good illogical, irrational optimism?  If you aren’t buying into the whole blind hope thing, allow me to try and convince you via a brief exercise in cognitive dissonance:

• The Angels are still being led by Mike Scioscia who is probably the best manager in all of baseball.  The Rangers are being led by Ron Washington, a noted cocaine user.  Now you tell me, which team is more likely to collapse down the stretch and which one is more likely to enjoy a big surge to the finish?
• The Angels still play the Rangers 10 more times this year, so it really isn’t improbable that they could win nine or ten of those games and close the gap all by themselves.  Then all they have to do is match what the Rangers do in the other 48 games and the division will be theirs.
• There are over two months left in the season, anything could happen in that time.  For example, some disgruntled Angels blogger could make a trip to Arlington Texas and tamper with the landing gear on the Rangers’ team jet or chain the doors to the Texas clubhouse shut with the team and pack of starting mountain lions trapped inside.  These kind of freak accidents happen all the time.
• Hideki Matsui is a terrific player in October, so when he catches fire that month, the Angels offense should take off!  What?  The regular season ends October 3rd?  DAMMIT!!!
• The Halos are too back for the Rangers to take seriously.  They’re being ravaged by injuries and underachieving players.  In other words, we’ve go the element of surprise now!!! The Rangers will never see it coming.
• Just wait until this Brandon Wood kid finally reaches his potential.  I hear he is going to be good someday, maybe he just needs another 200 or so at-bats and he’ll finally figured it out.
• If the Rangers don’t solve their bankruptcy issues soon, Bud Selig might kill off their franchise.  If that happens soon, then the Halos are just one game out of the division lead.  We’re back in the race, baby!  Woo!!!!