L.A.'S BETTER HALF IS ALL GROWN UP NOW.Byline: PAUL OBERJUERGE ANAHEIM - The pupil is now the master. The franchise that once embodied the expression "junior varsity junior varsity n. Abbr. JV A high-school or college team that competes in interschool sports on the level below varsity. Noun 1. " is now the Big Man on Campus. The baseball team that was Los Angeles' afterthought for 40 years, its joke, the losers who weren't even lovable ... The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim For the pre-1958 Pacific Coast League team, see . The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. own this market now. They are the guys who know what it takes to win and have the track record to prove it. They are the team the Dodgers -- their "betters" for, oh, so long -- should study. Should try to learn from. Should attempt to emulate. The team the Dodgers should bow down Verb 1. bow down - get into a prostrate position, as in submission prostrate lie down, lie - assume a reclining position; "lie down on the bed until you feel better" 2. before as smarter, gutsier and classier than they are. The Angels clinched the American League West The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. championship on Sunday, the same day the Dodgers ended the seven-game belly flop belly flop n. Informal A dive in which the front of the body hits flat against a surface, especially of water. bel of a losing streak A Losing Streak is the third episode of series 2 of the BBC sit-com, Only Fools and Horses. It was first broadcast on 4 November 1982. Synopsis Del Boy, Rodney, and Grandad are making some sort of cheap perfume just to earn money after Del has been losing most of that buried them in the National League West. That's three outright division titles in four years for the Angels, or two more than the Dodgers have managed in 12 seasons. That's four 92-victory seasons in six years for the Angels, or two more than the Dodgers have achieved since 1991. And don't forget the Angels' 2002 World Series championship, something the Dodgers haven't won (or even competed for) since 1988. This championship demonstrated anew the ingenuity of the Angels Way to Play Baseball. They overcame an epidemic of injuries that would have left the Dodgers whining and helpless. They shrugged off slumps, holes in their starting rotation and in their starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes , and slogged ahead. Thanks to a cohesive, stable, intelligent organization dedicated to excellence. "This was an entire team effort," Angels owner Arte Moreno said, champagne dripping from his "West Division Champions" T-shirt, standing barefoot in the clubhouse. ("Champagne will ruin your shoes," he explained.) "Right from the coaches through the players through the entire organization. It's about everybody." Indeed. The Angels wouldn't be 92-64 had the club not showed a remarkable ability to overcome adversity by calling up the latest kid from the minor leagues, plugging him into the lineup or rotation or bullpen ... and getting results. "We have 11, 12, 13 guys on the roster with less than twoyears' experience," Angels manager Mike Scioscia Those guys include Reggie Willits Reggie Gene Willits (born May 30, 1981, in Chickasha, Oklahoma) is a Major League Baseball outfielder with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, and he played Junior College Baseball at Seminole State in Seminole, OK. and Joe Saunders Joseph Francis "Joe" Saunders (born June 16, 1981 in Falls Church, Virginia) is a Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Saunders played college baseball at Virginia Tech, where he compiled a 27-7 career record. . Jeff Mathis Jeffrey Stephen "Jeff" Mathis (born March 31, 1983 in Marianna, Florida, USA) is a major league baseball catcher playing with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and made his Major League debut on August 12, 2005 with them. He bats and throws right handed. and Mike Napoli. Erick Aybar, Dustin Moseley, Chris Bootcheck and Nathan Haynes. They stepped up and stepped in as the Angels survived their injury siege. The one that began with Juan Rivera suffering a broken leg and missing all but the final month of the season. That continued with Chone Figgins (fingers) missing the first 25games, Garret Anderson (hip) out for 12 games and then 34 more, Justin Speier absent 64games with a mystery virus, Howie Kendrick sidelined 32 and then 34 games with broken fingers, with Casey Kotchman and Maicer Izterus missing significant time ... With potential ace Bartolo Colon limited to 18 starts. "I can be honest with you," Scioscia said. "A lot of the things we planned on over the winter, were hoping for, never really materialized." So the Angels vamped. They made it work. Which is what the outstanding franchises do. There was no panic. No rash trades. No midstream signings of expensive and washed up veterans. "These kids came in and did the job," Scioscia said. "It was an organizational accomplishment. Our roster, really, was about 35 deep." So here the Angels sit with 92 victories, with a week to get ready for the playoffs. But this was no Easter Parade. "A lot of guys out there are running on fumes fumes odorous gases and other volatile materials; inhalation of irritating fumes causes coughing and, if sufficiently severe, irreversible pulmonary edema. ," Scioscia conceded, nodding toward the clubhouse where players were emptying bottles of Korbel on each other. "A lot of guys are gonna need a blow." Vladimir Guerrero has a bad triceps triceps, any muscle having three heads, or points of attachment, but especially the triceps brachii at the back of the upper arm. One head originates on the shoulder blade and two on the upper-arm bone, or humerus. and has been limited to DH-ing for 13 games. Figgins has a sore wrist and isn't comfortable hitting from the right side of the plate. Gary Matthews Jr. just got back from a badly sprained ankle. Orlando Cabrera missed only four of the first 156 games. And so on. Scioscia and the Angels will talk about it. Now. Now that another flag has been secured to run up in left-center field. Another division title. And maybe more to come. This is a team that knows how to win, and the Yankees, Red Sox and Indians know that well. As should the Dodgers, by now. Maybe they can send someone over to Anaheim and learn a thing or three from The Team Formerly Known as Their Little Brothers. paul.oberjuerge@sbsun.com (909) 384-3864 |
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