Why the Angels Will Win the World Series

I wanted to first explain that I wrote this story last week, when the Angels had the second best record in baseball. Then the Red Sox came to town, and every optimistic bone in my body was crushed by a succession of poor performances at the plate and in the field. We couldn't hit. We couldn't catch routine fly balls. Hope was fading. Boston fans, you need to tone it down. You can't just waltz into someone's stadium and start cheering louder than the home crowd. The sounds coming from the TV after Youkilis hit one into the bleachers made me feel like Happy Gilmore watching Shooter McGavin french his Gene Simmons-masked grandmother. I just wanted to scream, hack at some weeds and throw a rock into a pond. But all is not lost! The Halos kicked off the back-end of this homestand with a bang. Weaver threw his second consecutive complete game, this time a shutout. Sorry, Eric. Jered's 6-0 record leads the league, as do his 49 strikeouts and .99 ERA. I was worried that getting swept by the "Sox Nation" on our own turf would tarnish my claims, but things are looking up. Everything's back to normal and my arguments remain valid. So read on if you want to find out why the Angels will win the World Series. ***Note that stats are from April 21***

I'm an avid Angels fan. I grew up in the sport of baseball in a place known for two things: Disneyland and the Angels. Orange County has since grown in notoriety, adding the Mighty Ducks and a hit television series, or two or three. The way things are looking, we may be the new home of the Sacramento Kings of Anaheim. Why not? Living 10 short minutes from the stadium meant summers in the sun at Angel Stadium. For 24 years the Big A has been my very own sports icon. I was fortunate enough to be an Angels fan in that fateful 2002 season, full of almost as many characters as the 2010 Giants. Easy, I said almost. Since then we've had our ups and downs (and naming challenges), but a few things have come together this season that lead me to believe we will once again achieve greatness.

April's a nice month. All the cool people are born in April, like me and Eric. It brings with it nicer weather (in SoCal at least) as well as America's pastime: sunflower seeds and peanuts. That's the only reason I go to games: to eat salty things and wash it down with overpriced "beer." The 2011 MLB season has arrived and my sports year is on a roll. 2011 started off on a good note for me. The Pack won the Super Bowl. Like many Green Bay/Aaron Rodger fans out there, I picked them to win the Super Bowl, and they did. I know, not the most impressive feats of sports foresight, but I feel it's leading up to something bigger. So here I am, telling all of the We're In This Thing readers, that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will win the 2011 World Series.

Now before you Bay Area sports fans ready the pitchforks and torches, let me first clarify a few things. The A's have no one to blame but themselves for their troubles. Maybe that new Brad Pitt movie will inspire the East Bay. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay so at the very least the A's will win an Oscar. Besides, with 9 World Series titles there's not much room to complain. To the Giants fans that still shudder when they hear the words "2002" and "World Series," I think the demon has finally been exorcised. Barry Bonds is guilty and probably going to jail. Now do me a favor and cross Troy Glaus off your hit lists.

The Angels are off to a solid start this month thanks in most to some stellar starting pitching and some surprising offensive production. Felix who? Methinks the AL CY Young just might stay in the west this year. Jered Weaver is on a tear to start the season. He's already proven that he can throw deep into the game, allowing the Rangers only one run in a complete game Wednesday night. Don't forget Dan Haren, who after a mid-season move to Anaheim struggled to settle in for the end of the season. This year he's chasing Weaver and has a 4-0 record of his own. Combined the two are 9-0 so far with 66 strikeouts in just 68 innings, plus they've only allowed 9 total runs. 9 runs in 10 starts? Great pitching tandems mostly make us think of Halladay and Lee or Lincecum and Cain, but this is the year of the Halo, and the Weaver/Haren combo will help the Angels cruise to victory this summer. While the bullpen can look shaky at times, the Angels have managed to get the job done…most of the time. Just take a look at the team's pitching rankings: 1st in quality starts, 1st in opponent batting average, 2nd in ERA and 3rd in WHIP.

Along with great pitching must come solid run production and the Angels are doing just that: top 10 in almost every batting category, including 3rd in home runs and 3rd in runs scored. Who would've thought that Howie Kendrick would be leading the AL in home runs? The guy hit 10 last season and he's already at 6! The biggest off-season acquisition, Vernon Wells, is off to a dismal start but recently hit his first homer. Look for Wells to turn it on in the coming weeks as he gets more comfortable with Scioscia's offense. Torii Hunter always has a smile on his face, but he's struggling with plate-patience as of late. He's got 5 knocks to start the season, but his at-bats result in either big hits or big whiffs. That's the meat of the lineup, but that's not where the production is coming. Two rookies, and one sophomore, are making noise in the bottom of the lineup. Any team would gladly have guys in the 7-8-9 spots that can not only get on base but drive in runs. Trumbo, Conger and Bourjos do that and more. These three youngsters have combined for 24 RBIs and 7 HR. Conger's making the most of his opportunities while splitting time with Mathis. Bourjos is so fast that he can turn a double in the gap into a standup triple. And it'll be interesting to see how Trumbo's role changes when Morales returns from the DL.

Well, pitching is solid and batting is effective. That leaves us with fielding. Once again, the Angels sit in the top 10 in every fielding category. The infield just got even better as Aybar came back from the DL. Along with Izturis, Kendrick and Callaspo, Scioscia's got a lot of options in setting the lineup. Hunter and Wells are slowing down a bit, but with Bourjos in center not many flies are dropping. Pete's already made it a habit of robbing home runs and looks like a reincarnation of Jim Edmonds.

The Angels boast a lethal combination of talent in all facets of the game. Sure, there are things to improve upon, and plenty of room for the unexpected. Nevertheless, the Angels have so much going for them that this season promises to run deep into fall. You don't have to believe me. Just don't be surprised when it happens. Now do yourself a favorite and go watch Angels in the Outfield. That Tony Danza is a hot piece of ace.