But still, a decision had to be made. And shortly thereafter [aka: March], Victor Rojas was announced as our new play-by-play guy.

Prior to signing on the dotted line, Victor was the voice of the Texas Rangers for five years before joining the MLB Network in 2008. However, having played in the Angels minor league system in the early 90′s, the 2010 campaign won’t be the first merry-go-round in Red and White for the former pitcher. [Plus, his pop, Cookie Rojas, coached the big club in '88.]

An avid social networker, Victor’s been great at reaching out to fans like us since he signed on to join Guby in the booth. But until last night, not too many of us had heard him announce before.

Needless to say, I was sold before the first pitch was thrown, and here’s why:

After returning from the first commercial break, the camera found Torii, Bobreu, and a few others midway through their pre-game secret handshakes. And instead of saying something boring like, “Welcome back,” Victor led with, “Well Guby, it’s too bad the cameras missed our pre-game chest bumps.”

And BAM. Just like that, I got the feeling that this year is going to a fun one. Sure, there are plenty of questions abreast. But that’s what’ll make the Angels’ 2010 season exciting.

And thanks to Victor [and Guby], the booth will be just as entertaining.

Scoring Categories: Runs, Hits, Homers, RBI, Stolen Bases, Innings Pitched, Wins, Saves, Earned Runs, Strikeouts.

No Tengo Pineiro

C – Brian McCann  (Atl)
1B – Kendry Morales (LAA)
2B – Dan Uggla (Fla)
3B – David Wright (NYM)
SS – Ben Zobrist (TB)
OF – Matt Kemp (LAD)
OF – Adam Lind (Tor)
OF – Jason Kubel (Min)
UTIL – Ryan Ludwick (StL)
UTIL – Mark DeRosa (SF)
BN – Orlando Cabrera (Cin)
BN – Jack Cust (Oak)

SP- Jake Peavy (CWS)
SP – Josh Beckett (Bos)
RP – Brian Fuentes (LAA)
RP- Brad Lidge (Phi)
P- Jered Weaver (LAA)
P- Jair Jurrjens (Atl)
P- John Lackey (Bos)
P- Mark Buehrle (CWS)
BN – Rich Harden (Tex)
BN – Ervin Santana (LAA)
BN – Aroldis Chapman (Cin)

Likes:

• In a league where SS and 2B won’t be big power generators, Al managed to snag Uggla, Zobrist, and their 30-ish HR totals.
• One point is awarded for every inning pitched, and he’s got four guys who threw over 200 last year. And the fact that he’s only got two relievers will help that total.
• Most catchers won’t help you very much in fantasy, but he’s got McCann, which gives him an upper hand against teams that don’t have Mauer and Vic Martinez. If only Napoli could catch and throw!
• Honorable Mention: Awesome useage of a current Halo in his name.

Dislikes:

• Saves = 5 points. And even though his throng of starters might help him win innings pitched, the saves category will be much harder to come by with two heart-attack-wielding closers.
• He clearly lacking in the stud department. He’s got some nice guys, but no one that really jumps out at you, numbers-wise.
• He’s got four Halos, plus OC. Which means I’ll be rooting for five of his guys throughout the year. [Insert smiley face here.]

—

Kamikaze Witchcraft?

C – Jorge Pasada  (NYY)
1B – Ryan Howard (Phi)
2B(3B) – Jose Lopez (Sea)
3B – Pablo Sandoval (SF)
SS – Clint Barmes (Col)
OF – Ichiro Siziki (Sea)
OF – Shane Victorino (Phi)
OF – Michael Bourn (Hou)
UTIL – Carlos Pena (TB)
UTIL – Nyjer Morgan (Was)
BN – Nick Swisher (NYY)
BN – Russell Branyan (Cle)

SP – Roy Halladay (Phi)
SP – Adam Wainwright (StL)
RP – Andrew Bailey (Oak)
RP – David Aardsma (Sea)
P – Jorge De La Rosa (Col)
P – Scott Feldman (Tex)
P – Joe Saunders (LAA)
P – Bronson Arroyo (Cin)
BN – Aaron Harang (Cin)
BN – J.A. Happ (Phi)
BN – Ryan Franklin (StL)

Likes:

• He’s got options at the corners. He took Howard first and from there picked up Sandoval and maybe without knowing it, Jose Lopez is to start the year at 3rd, (after 10 games he is eligible). Almost 100 homers between the 3 last year.
• Pitching, J took a chance and went after Halladay and Wainwright early, if all goes well he will dominate the strike outs and wins.
• Speed, J picked up 3 of the top base stealers in his OF. If injuries don’t slow him down, he will dominate the steals.

Dislikes:

• The speed in the outfield leaves his will little to no power in his OF. Something that could prove to be fatal in the  down the stretch.
• He has two Cincinnati Reds pitchers on his staff…. enough said.
• Ichiro… He’s getting older and with the addition of Figgins, how much will he be running this year?

Now that we’ve shared our peace [and then some], we’d love to hear your thoughts on everything.

Tune into our podcast tonight to hear the full fantasy run-down!

Enjoy

After an epic game of Over the Line, both teams came together for the greater good of Halokind.

• Our trip began on Friday night in the Los Angelesian neighborhood of Atwater Village. Totaling three cars, twelve of us ventured east on the 1o freeway; fueled by fast food and ever-changing iPods.
• Arriving around 3am in Glendale, AZ on Saturday morning, our hotel of choice wasn’t too keen on letting us prance into our rooms and call it a night. But after a short spell of chit-chatting, we exchanged plastic money for plastic keys and a short countdown ’til our 9am self-created wake-up call.
• Venturing into the “Where the heck are we?” district of Surprise, AZ, we bought tickets and parked our cars as far as we possibly could from everyone. The reason? Our first game of Over the Line for the 2010 season. However, even though we’d alerted the parking corps of our OTL operation, we moved two separate times to avoid the onslaught of cars. Turns out that just like the players, wiffleball-wise, we were also in pre-season form.
• Heading into the beautiful Surprise home of the Royals [also shared by the Rangers], we stood just over the bullpen in right field. Lucky for us, after saying hello to Hank Conger, a foul ball rolled near him and he threw it to us. Two minutes in and we’ve already had one souvenir. Thanks, Hank!
• Despite the fact that the Halos were winning 3-0 and had only surrendered three hits by the end of the 3rd frame, they ended up losing 12-3. We’ll chalk that one up to the Angels’ starters playing really well and the young guys getting some solid in-game lessons.
• Shortly after the game ended, we tore out of the parking lot en route to our next destination: the Econolodge in Tempe, AZ. That night, we went out for food, celebrated a birthday, and dealt with an erroneous charge by the clerk at our hotel. While the charge isn’t worth the time it’ll take to spell it out, it was quickly straightened out so we could continue on with our night of enjoyable festivities.
• On Sunday morning, we awoke and left the hotel by 11; our noses clinging to the scent of Waffle House, which was right down the street! And then the inevitable happened: Just as quickly as our frolicking, food-frenzied mood appeared, it evaporated as we learned that the Angels/Cubs came — due to begin at 1pm that very day — had sold out.
• We had the talented scalpers of Tempe to thank for the sell out. Seemed like getting each of us to fork over $30 for lawn seats just happened to be on their to-do list that day. But we weren’t having it. So instead, we decided to play Over the Line until the 6th inning, which was when Tempe Diablo Stadium opened its gates to the public. The Angels, however, lost 8-7, as Michael Ryan fell just short of tying the game with a drive to right.
• After a short post-game version of Over the Line, we headed to a local restaurant that, although it might have one of the best names and tag lines in the bar/restaurant biz, is at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to their quality of food. The place was called Monkey Pants. If you’d like to know the tag line, Google it or check it out in person.
• Sunday night had long been reserved for a trek up to Alex’s parents’ house in Prescott, where we could recoup before our seven-hour drive back to reality the following day. Thanks to a local bar’s free pool tables, cheap dart board, and 2-for-1 beer special, we were able to relax and catch our collective breathes for the first time since Friday. Karaoke was also a high-point of the night; but when isn’t it? Oh, and we were also able to engage in a little verbal warfare with a local Dodgers fan. Always a good time.
• Monday meant seven hours of starring at absolutely nothing for seven hours. Then again, the fact that we didn’t see many cops throughout the drive made it much easier. After all, we had a softball game to get to by 6:15pm.

Mad dashes and all, there’s nothing better than a trip to Arizona with your best friends. The weather’s good, the hopes for every team are high, and the actual season isn’t too far away.

Let’s hope that, Halo-wise, our hopes don’t come and go at the speed of our Spring Training adventure.

Alex and J after the sun painted their faces Angel red.

[So I guess the headline should actually read, "And the winners are...". But I digress.]

Eternal thanks to everyone who sent us photos, to readleaf Water for sponsoring the contest, and to all of you for continually tuning in each week! We hope the lot of you continue to enjoy your peeks at Spring Training. Only a few more weeks ’til the 2010 campaign is underway!

Anthony and Jennifer Rapoza

Who wants to win two tickets to an Angels Spring Training game of your choosing?

That’s right. Everyone!

And thanks to the wonderful people at redleaf Water, Canada’s ultra-premier and most environmentally-friendly bottled water, you can have just that. All you have to do is send us a photo of yourself, decked out in all of your crazy Halos gear. You can even include the person you’re going to bring with you, if you want.

Send the photo by Tuesday night and we’ll post the winner on Wednesday morning. If we choose your photo, we’ll put you in touch with redleaf, so you can schedule your free date with the Angels in Tempe, Arizona.

The seats are right on the field, so don’t wait. Send your photos today, and get out to Tempe to support your Angels!

While naturally mourning their own, the Angels kept quiet on the topic. That is, until yesterday, March 3rd, when they announced that Victor Rojas would join Mark Gubicza in the booth this year, for all FS West and Channel 13 broadcasts.

To those who don’t know him, Rojas is not foreign to the Halo family. For starters, his father Cookie Rojas once managed the team. And as a player, he pitched in the organization in the early 1990s, when the team was still known as the California Angels.

Combining his clear voice, passion for the game, and encyclopedia-esque baseball knowledge, Rojas fine-tuned his announcing chops by working in radio and TV with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers, among other franchises. Most recently, he was a host for the MLB Network, which was a title he held until he signed with the Halos.

Obviously, Rory will always have a special place in our hearts. But we can’t wait to hear Victor’s take on the Angels 2010 campaign!

And for most talking heads, the choice seems to be last season’s 16-game winner Jered Weaver.

When it comes to the tall and lanky righty, there’s a lot to like. Aside from the ’08 campaign, his ERA’s always been under four and he’s posted double-digit winning seasons since he won his first nine games as a rookie in ’06. Coupled with the 200+ innings he threw last season, he’s easily the rock of our rotation.

But the one rebuttal I’ve heard is that Weaver won’t be able to fill the void of John Lackey, our fearless, bulldog’d leader of years past who was always willing to take the ball on 3-4 days.

But you know what? I firmly disagree.

Last season was huge for Weave. Despite Big John’s injury, Ervin Santana’s peaks and valleys, Joe Saunders’ dead arm, the revolving door that was our #5 starter, and Scott Kazmir’s late season yawn, there was J-Weave — standing 6’7″ atop the dirt hill of the infield, every fifth day, with the most ridiculous haircut in Angel history. AND, he even managed to buzz off those blond locks without effecting his delivery! [Hey, it could've effected his balance.]

And if you’re looking for the fire within, just look into the rear view of his career. Plenty of times, I can recall watching him yell four letter words into his glove as he stalked back to the dugout after a bad inning; less than amused with his performance in the half frame. Although he’s toned it down over the years, you know he’s got a lot of fight in him.

Plus, even though he isn’t known as a big rah-rah guy, he doesn’t have to be. That’s what guys like Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu are for: Vets who can add some laughter, some fightin’ words, or whatever the mood calls for in the locker room.

If we just sit back and let Weave do his thing, he’s going to be fine. Heck, we’ll probably be looking back at ourselves at year’s end, wondering why we wasted our words on the Spring Training battle for team ace.

Because in truth, with his continued performance throughout the years, Jered Weaver has already proven that he is the rightful heir to the Halos’ pitching throne.

Time for him to shut up the critics as he shuts down the opposing teams.

Yes, I think we will win one of these

Less then 4 days…… and life starts again. I am talking about pitchers and catchers starting!!!!!!! This may seem like a small event to most, but to us baseball fanatics, it’s like we won the lottery; except we don’t get money, just something to look at online while at work and to talk about while having a beer after work.  It is the start of our favorite time of the year. Baseball Time. Once pitchers and catchers start, soon the whole team is practicing. And once the team is practicing, they are playing games. Once they’re playing games… well, I think you get the idea. I can’t wait either because for the 3^rd year in a row, I will be headed out to Tempe, Arizona to catch my Halos in Spring Training. If you want to know more about this, just email me at gardenofhalos@gmail.com .

With all this excitement, I have decided to sit down and write down some thoughts – some Bold Statements, if you will – about the upcoming season. These Bold Statements will be very hard for some of you to read, as I might call out or say not so nice things about your favorite Angel. So please do not be offended.

PITCHING:

Starters

Weaver and Kazmir WILL win 15 + games

Santana will END the year with an ERA under 3.50

Saunders will END the year with an ERA over 4.00

Relievers

Matt Palmer will end the season with an ERA over 5.00

Scott Shields will play only HALF the year (he will be out with injury)

Jepsen will lead the bullpen in Strikeouts

Rodney will get at least 10 saves

Fuentes will get less then 30 saves

CATCHERS

Another season of split catching (not very bold, but hard for me to say)

INFIELD

Wood will not bat over .260 before All-Star Break

Aybar will end the season with over .320 BA

Kendry Morales will hit over 35 HR and 120 RBI

Izturis will play the majority of the season at 3^rd.

OUTFEILD

Juan Rivera will be GONE by All-star break

Hideki Matsui will play less then 75% of the year

Vladimir will hit 3 or more HR’s in Angel Stadium (yes I know he is on the Rangers, but they come here and I just miss the guy)

So that’s it, got something to say? Comment below. Got some bold statements of your own? Lets hear them.

Alex

gardenofhalos@gmail.com