Game 2: Mission Impossible

I...don't know where to begin. This post might be 10,000 words. So many things going through my head.

I guess I'll start with this: I was at this game in person. I have been to one playoff game every year the Angels made the playoffs since 2002. ALDS game 1 in 2004. ALDS game 5 in 2005. ALDS game 3 last year. And this game.

This was, without a doubt, the loudest, most raucous, most intense baseball game I have ever been to. It was amazing. It was a TON of fun. Angel fans as a group caught flak the other night for walking out after Boston scored in the ninth. They took that as a challenge and came through. Even after that disastrous first inning from Santana, the crowd was in it until the end. But the end was bitterly painful.

Let me make an analogy to describe it; one that is completely over-the-top. You start dating this girl. You think it's love at first sight, but on the first date, she drops a bomb. "I hate all television shows except soap operas and Grey's Anatomy. I refuse to watch any other television," she tells you. Well that sucks, but it doesn't HAVE to be a deal-breaker, you know? So you keep dating. And every so often, you find another thing you have in common. And another thing. And another. You're having a great time and it just keeps improving.

Finally, you have this great breakthrough and you immediately go out and buy a ring. You show up the next day, ready to surprise her and take this to the next level. This is it. You're ready to be happier than ever. You open the door...and see that she's banging JD Drew. Done. Game over.

That's kind of how it felt to be an Angel fan tonight. There was this incredible emotion; this palpable energy; all of that cliched stuff. It was October baseball as only October baseball can be. As fans in that 8th inning, we took some ownership of that comeback. We felt it was ours. We'd screamed and yelled our asses off for 8 innings, and we were finally back in it. We worked hard for that comeback. Every time an Angel got on base after the third inning, the entire crowd was up. Even when the Sox got some guys on base and Sox fans started the "Let's go Red Sox," they were drowned out in seconds. Best crowd I've ever been a part of.

And it was all thrown out the window in about 5 minutes.

Alright, now for the objective analysis.

Player of the game: Mark Teixeira. F*** you, JD. That's right, you're garbage. I picked Teixeira. The guy was 3 for 3 with a walk and a sac fly, scored three runs, and made a couple of nice plays at first. This is what's scary. Teix, Vlad and Hunter in this series: 14 for 23 with three walks. Yeah, they've all been singles, but a lot of them have been hit hard. If the Angels can't win when the middle of the order does THAT, it's time to be worried.

Game changing play: Don't make me say it. Nope. I won't say it. I refuse.

Blown call of the game: That pickoff at second in the ninth. Man was that bad. Crisp couldn't even get to the base because Aybar was blocking it. Yeah, the tag was late, but it didn't matter because Crisp DIDN'T GET TO THE BASE. Who knows if that changes the way K-Rod pitches to Drew? Probably doesn't. But a one run lead is a lot different than a two run lead against Papelbon.

Angel Grades
Figgins (B+): He did have some frustrating at bats in this game. That .200 OBP is the main reason why the middle of the order only has 4 RBI's, even though they have 14 hits. But man, that triple was SWEET.
Anderson (F+): The plus was for that ball he almost hit out off of Okajima. The rest of the game was awful, especially that pop up with Figgins on third.
Teixeira (A): No A+ because he still only hit singles, but so much for Teixeira being intimidated by his first postseason action. Can you smell a $200 million contract, Scott Boras?
Vlad (A-): This might be rough since he did go 3 for 4 with a walk, but man could the Angels have used some extra base fireworks.
Hunter (B+): Two clutch RBI's. His error in center didn't hurt anything. Should have been safe at first.
Rivera (C+): A solid "meh." The two walks were nice, but I thought he could have gotten to Ellsbury's double in the 4th.
Kendrick (G): That's right, he doesn't even deserve an F. He was terrible. Left 6 guys on base, again. Ugh, he's gotta figure this out. He swung at some BAAAAD pitches.
Mathis (C): Struck out terribly, and got lucky with that blooper.
Aybar (F+): Left a lot of guys on base. Made an error.

Bench (B-): Napoli was the redeeming factor here with that bases loaded walk. Matthews fouled out, Willits didn't do much, and Morales popped up.

Santana (C): Yeah, he gave up 5 runs. But he also kept the team in it and never let momentum swing back over to the Sox. He had the one bad inning, otherwise he looked decent.
Bullpen (excluding K-Rod) (B+): Arredondo was shaky but got the job done. Shields looked good for two batters at least.
K-Rod (F): Could very well have been his last appearance as an Angel at Angel Stadium. Way to go out there, buddy.

Scioscia (B): The only quibble I have is going to K-Rod in the eighth when I think Shields could have gotten Pedroia. If Pedroia reaches, then you go to K-Rod to face Ortiz. But I think he would have been better served letting K-Rod start the ninth. That isn't that big a deal. It seemed like an okay move at the time. I liked the aggressiveness in pinch hitting Morales for Mathis early in the game, even though it didn't work out.

Final word
Intense game. This probably would have been the best baseball game I'd ever seen live if the Angels had won it. Even still, it ranks way up there.

Well, they gotta win three in a row, including two in Boston. Not impossible, to be sure, but not very easy, either. One at a time, boys. You can do it.