So, here is the deal:

"Baseball do what it do."

(and this is another baseball post, so, I know no one is reading, anyhow:)

The Angels won again tonight, on the road, hung a loss on Rivera (who is not the same when the game is tied as when he has a lead, whatever.)  

The Rangers Rookie of the Year, Neftali Feiz, of the triple digit fastballs, has not had a great season so far through the 2011 campaign.  

The Rangers play their last three games on the road, in frickin' Anaheim.  The last time Feliz pitched three games in a row he stunk up the joint & the Rangers lost.  

What do you do?

My point is:  That real baseball is not Strat-o-Matic, APBA, Baseball Mogul, or OOTP 12.  That if it comes down to the last day of the season in frickin' Disneyland, and Feliz was used the previous two games, you know that Wash is gonna roll him out again.  There will be screaming on webchats and liveblogs, but that is the difference between real life and "fantasy" baseball, in whatever form it might take, i.e., table games, fantasy leagues, or computer sims.  

It troubles me the amount of abuse Ron Washington has to suffer as a black manager in the Dallas area.  

Gosh, he only guided the Rangers to their first-ever pennant.  

(And all my A's buddies would be ever so glad to welcome Wash back to the A's.)  (Wash, black, got screwed in the Moneyball movie, too.  He did not even exist, apparently.  But Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Art Howe!) 

(Oakland, too, jeez.)

Fans of AL West ballclubs

Have known this for a long time:  Mike Scioscia is a punk.  This is the manager who had John Lackey come off the disabled list and throw twice at Ian Kinsler's head to start a game.

Nice guys finish last, indeed.

Last Sunday was a real treat, though.  In Detroit, the Angels' Jared Weaver was squaring off against Justin Verlander, a real marquee American League match-up.  Weaver pitched well but was losing due to giving up a couple of long home runs to Carlos Guillen and Magglio Ordonez. Verlander meanwhile was pitching a no-hitter through seven.  Weaver (Scioscia) did not like the way Ordonez and Guillen "admired" their blasts and took a long time to round the bases.  Weaver promptly threw at the Alex Avila's head after Guillen's homer, was ejected, yelling at the Tiger bench on his way out the door.

We get the top of the eighth, no-hitter still intact, and Erick Aybar leads off with a bunt attempt.  Weaver, ultimately, was suspended six games.  (He is appealing that ruling.)  Hopefully, the baseball gods will remember this come September.