T.G.

You know what's not talked about that much... how FAR he hits his HR's. He leads the AL in average distance of his home runs and is 3rd overall behind Stanton and Michael Morse... not that they count any more - it's just interesting, IMO. http://www.hittrackeronline.com/ Cool web site that tracks HR's.

The Angels will face the A's ten more times before the end of the season. Obviously, those matter the most.

The Angels are exploring all options to help pay for Pujols.

I heard that firing an arrow after a big play increases a player's WAR.

or a place that serves street tacos.

Del Taco man... Del Taco.

Now that Newcomb has signed, Keith Law ranks him as the Angels #1 prospect.

I'm not smart enough to figure all of this out... I just know that the remaining ten games with Oakland (4 here, 6 there) are critical. Not to mention the games against Seattle. Considering the Angels won 99 games in 2002 and won it all via the wildcard, I don't really have a win total in mind to call the season successful. In some ways this season is already successful - but I'll be disappointed if they don't get back to the World Series.

I was there for that one!

Bring it! I'm jazzed that the Mariners, O's and Tigers all roll in to town. I'm excited to see how the Angels stack up against the good teams. Let's do this!!

I don't sit in the outfield seats, but if I did and I was lucky enough to catch a homerun ball from an opposing player... I would NOT throw it back. I'd probably have to leave the stadium immediately, but I wouldn't give up the souvenir.

I remember when he was in the minors and was on Team USA - someone quoted a scout as saying "he could close for half the teams in MLB right now." It had an impact on my expectations (fair or unfair) the same way Howie was labeled with "future batting champ."

Remember how long it took for Jered Weaver to sign after being drafted?

This is a little off topic, but I want to get it off my chest.... I wanted the Lakers to draft Sidney Moncrief instead of Magic Johnson. I'm obviously a poor judge of talent - feel free to bring that up anytime I tout a baseball player. I missed on guys like Dallas McPherson, Kyle Abbott, apparently Peter Bourjos (who I thought would be as good as Jacoby Ellsbury), Todd Greene, and the list goes on and on...

Let the nicknames begin... "Big Daddy" Newcomb

I absolutely hate the fact that Kevin Jepsen wears Percival's #40. Same thing when Bartolo wore it. I once owned a Wells and Kazmir shirt. Even though I have tons of Angels gear, I never owned anything with Vlad's name on it. No specific reason either. I could wear a different Trout shirt every day of the week and then some... I have that many. I have been a Bobby Grich fan for a long time, but Torii's time here won me over and Torii has become my all-time favorite player. I still makes me sad that he didn't get a ring in Anaheim. Joe Saunders is a personal favorite. Jim Fregosi was my first favorite player ever. I never really embraced K-Rod. I think he was a jerk. I always thought most Angel fans over-rated Darin Erstad and Gary DiSarcina. I thought Brandon Wood was going to be a superstar, but like a lot of others found out he's just a super person. I attended my first baseball game at the Big A in the 60's, but sadly, I don't know the exact date and that bugs me to no end. My wife and I don't miss many games, but we missed the game where Trout hit for the cycle. We also rarely leave early, but left early the night he had his first walk-off homerun. Those two things still sting. I love this topic and reading everyone's "confessions."

I don't think it's nice to make horse references when talking about John Lackey. It's insulting to horses.

He's not going to be a difference maker down the stretch.

John Lackey is dead to me.

Now that there is a good old fashioned rant.

http://m.mlb.com/video/v34580607/statcast-tracks-mike-trout-as-he-legs-out-a-triple/?partnerId=as_mlb_20140716_27912486 Watch the whole thing... the replay shows a unique version of his triple at about the :17 mark.

I remember Trout's debut well... I remember how excited I was, etc. I'm glad my wife and I were there for his debut. Something special about "being there."

For some reason I found that video just creepy.