The Angels' Fanatic Versus Mr. Realistic

Post date: Sep 15, 2011 9:23:32 PM

Duality, it can be a perplexing concept; but I think that is what most Angels' fans are going through right now. We are in the middle of A dog fight with the Texas Rangers for the American League West, and it appears neither side is willing to cede anything to the other. 13 games, that's all that's left to decide the season of 2011. The way things are going, it's still can be anybody's division. For the sake of organizing my thoughts, I have decided to write this entry exactly the way that I'm feeling. One side, is that of the Angels' fanatic the other, the side of Mr. realistic. I honestly feel like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, so I think the smart thing to do is to write this entry in that manner.

The Angels' Fanatic

The Angels are only three games behind with 13 games to play, mathematically this seems very doable, especially with the big three in Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. Couple that with the offensive resurgence of Torii Hunter and the youth movement that is Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger and Peter Bourjos. Our good pitching coupled with contributions from both our veterans and youth should keep us in the fight through the last 13 games, even if that means forcing a one-game playoff. We will make it to the postseason and beyond.

    • Standings

American League West

Mr. Realistic

There are 13 games left to play with the Angels only three games back and although that may seem like a deficit that is relatively easy to overcome, there is really more to it. It is highly doubtful that this division will be won with less than 90 wins, as such the Angels must try to win a vast majority of the remaining games, to borrow a phrase from the Oakland Raiders "Just Win Baby!" and hope that the remaining opponents that the Rangers have, help the Angels by making the Rangers stumble. The Rangers offense is just too powerful for that to happen long-term, so the Angels must take advantage of every opportunity presented to them. It's not enough for the Angels just to keep pace. An Angels win coupled with a Rangers win just burns up games. And that does not bode well for a team that is trying to chase the division leading Rangers. This is especially true since the Angels can't seem to beat the Rangers with regularity during the head-to-head matchups. They will have a chance to redeem themselves during the last series of the regular season at home.

The Angels can attempt to capture the American League wild card since they are only 4 1/2 games behind the Red Sox in the Wild-Card race, there again lies the difficulty, not only to be Angels have to rely on other teams to make the Boston Red Sox stumble but we also have to hope that Tampa Bay Rays also stumble; since the Rays are also breathing down the neck of the Red Sox.

Conclusion

The numbers seem to tell The story of an American League West division pennant race that is much closer than it actually is. But as a diehard Angels' fan, it would be foolhardy of me to think that the Angels don't have a legitimate shot at overtaking the Rangers and winning the American League West. I wouldn't be much of a fan, would I? So I guess the Angels' fan wins round one, the Angels' fan, 1 Mr. realistic, 0

-ICE