RING...RING...Hello?

...Alpha Foxtrot, line secure.

Copy Alpha, please authenticate.

..."An Angel cannot fly with broken wings".

Roger that Alpha Foxtrot. Authentication verified. What is your status?

...On location. Premliminary recon complete. Cover intact.

Completion overview?

...Subjects seem unaware, overly confident. Initial atmospheric testing reveals high levels of toxins that may impair judgement.
...Sending intercepted radio transmission transcription now:

Host: "The Oakland A's begin a 3 game series with the Angels tonight. The A's, the hottest team in MLB since May 30th, find themselves only 7.5 games back in the division!"

Co-host: "The Angels will win the division. They are AL elite. The A's won't catch them".

Transmission received Alpha. Phase 2 status?

...Admission not secured due to heavy traffic volumes. Will exercise from remote location.

Weapon status?

...All sytems operational as evidenced in previous night's event:
...Molecular Mojo Decimator primed with adjusted bandwith for remote deployment.
...Foam-finger device locked and loaded.
...Lucky hat warming up.

Roger that Alpha Foxtrot.
Commence phase Z at 1900 hrs. Over.

...Roger.

And so it begins. The first game of the rest of the season.

But it is no ordinary game, and may, in fact, be the most important game of the season to date.

What Agent Force has discovered in LA is a complacent media and fan-base that does not fear what they should, the Oakland A's.

A media and fan-base that already has the Angels in the playoffs as runaway Western Division Champs as evidenced in an afternoon interview with Billy Beane earlier today:

Host: "Do you realy believe that you guys can catch the Angels and win the division???"

BB in a nutshell: "Yes"

Perhaps my application of text does not reflect the influction of doubtfulness in the hosts voice, but I can assure you with the changing of topics to Billy's love of USC, the concern of the A's catching the Angels complacently dissapeared.

Perhaps another sign of complacency was the Angels announcers continually knocking the A's the last 2 nights for being a "poor road team, while the Angels are one of the best". All the while failing to mention that on the A's last road-trip they swept the White Sox, who some revere as the best team in baseball.

So we are left with tonight, and the game itself.

A win by the Angels tonight will go just as expected in So-Cal. A more talented team taking 2 of 3 from their pesky No-Cal neighbors while they await the more worthy Yankees.

Therefore I proclaim this: We must win tonight.

A win tonight will have a huge affect on the standings. In my eyes, the difference between 8.5 and 6.5 games back is immense.

But digging even deeper, you can see behind the curtain. A series win for the A's tonight will create the slightest of cracks in the armor of the Angels and thier fans.

Even the slightest of cracks will allow the fear to seep in and eventually overwhelm them with doubt.

If the A's win tonight, by this time next week they will be in 1st place.

If the A's win tonight, the World will take notice.