In my mind, they are the California Angels, not Anaheim.
They are the miracle of the baseball world and they, by far, exceeded any expectations that any prognosticators had set for them entering the season. I can’t help but think how closely they resemble another team we talked about just a few short months ago.
Ahh, times were better then in the land of Foxboro. But Sunday night, I felt a little kindred spirit to my brothers and sisters in Anaheim. I saw families and friends and relatives and that guy you know in the stands waving those damn thundersticks making noise and celebrating the completion of the most improbable World Series champion since perhaps the Cincinnati Reds’ sweep of the Oakland A’s in 1990.
With the Patriots landing the title last February and the Angels clinching it Sunday AND the Carolina Hurricanes who didn’t win the Stanley Cup last June but were your Eastern Conference champs going up against God’s checking line in Detroit, I’d say it’s been a pretty strange year to date.
But let’s get back to the Patriots and the Angels.
There are comparisons to be made and I’m going to make them. And you probably won’t agree with them, but that’s ok. After all, you read this paper for free. If you wanted reason and common sense, you’d probably go to the USA Today, Boston Globe or maybe that newsletter your company has sent out but no one reads.
The Angels. The Patriots. Two world champions, one tale of the tape.
Legacy: Patriots: what it takes to be Adam Vinatieri with six seconds on the clock. Angels: What it takes to be Troy Glaus in the bottom of the eighth in game six.
Advantage: Push. Former Nebraska placekicker and current Angel centerfielder would have done both.
Start your engines: Patriots: Losing to the eventual 4-12 Bengals in week 1. Angels: Losing 14 of your first 19 games and still keeping pace with Oakland.
Advantage: Patriots: only because we got to see Drew scramble on the last play and get sacked by Brian Simmons.
What they are called: Patriots: “Let’s Go Pats!” Angels: “Wait, don’t you mean the Dodgers?”
Advantage: Patriots. Ouch, that’s just bad karma.
Owners and their habits: Angels: Can we see Gene Autry’s hat one more time? Patriots: Bob Kraft and his … uh … refreshment problem.
Advantage: Angels in a shocker! Gotta love the classics.
“The play”: Angels: Garrett Anderson’s three-run double down the right field line in game seven. Patriots: Vinatieri’s kick in the Snow Bowl.
Advantage: Patriots. You have got to give the nod to a guy who is kicking into total whiteness and knows in which direction the goal post stands.
Striking it rich: Patriots: Getting to date any Pats cheerleader. Angels: Getting a date with the owner of the rally monkey.
Advantage: Push. Depends on how well behaved the monkey is.
Monotony: Patriots: Brady or Bledsoe? Angels: Getting cracked on by an Angels fan with a thunderstick.
Advantage: Patriots: Even though the wrong decision was made, at least we didn’t have to hear that annoying sound.
There you have it. In a field goal drilled by the rally monkey, the advantage goes to the Patriots.
In the Locker Room:
I love what Bruce Crowder did on Saturday night. Even though the Huskies lost to Wisconsin 5-1, he brought in freshmen Chuck Tomes and Matt McIsaac. Tomes was very solid on defense blocking several shots and deflecting passes. McIsaac showed me he can check and check hard … Sticking with hockey, the new 15 second face-off rule just irks me. So you’re cutting 17 minutes of the total game; a game at which people don’t mind spending an extra 17 minutes. I think the NCAA should change it before the fans walk away … I will be giving out four free tickets to every Husky hockey home game starting with the game Friday Nov. 4 against Providence. The only thing I ask is, you must be wearing a Husky hat or shirt and, if you see me, yell out “NU NEWS!”
