O Monkey, Where Art Thou?

One thing's for sure about the start of the 2007 season: if it ends in a World Championship, it won't look anything like 2002.

The Angels' record this year when they fall behind by 2 or more runs at any point in the game is 0-11. Conversly, when they jump out to an early lead, their record is 12-0, so all hope is not lost. The fat lady (Mo Vaughn) warms up early when the Angels take the field this year, especially on the road.

Much has been made of the lack of offense when the team struggles, but the stats don't necessarily bear this out. The Angels have scored 102 runs this year and are averaging 4.43 runs per game, compared to their opponents' 99 runs and 4.30 runs per game. This is about what you'd expect from a 12-11 club. If the team can't figure out how to put it together on the road, the Angels may be looking at an 81 win season.

Unless the AL West follows the pattern of last year's NL West, that won't be enough to make the playoffs. Maybe the Rally Monkey needs to pack more potassium in his sack lunch on those road trips.