Mediocre team wins huge number of games, despite barely outplaying opponents. Mediocre team is fawned on by analysts. Mediocre team then loses playoff series in which it arguably outplayed its opponent substantially.

It’s times like these when I can confuse myself into thinking that there is actually justice in the universe.

"Once again, we fell short," said closer Francisco Rodriguez, about to embark on free agency and sensing this might have been his final game with the organization that brought him off the streets of Caracas, Venezuela, and made him rich and famous. "It’s really disappointing. I’m about to cry. I don’t know what to say, what to think, what to do."

…I have no problem with any of the remaining teams.

I could make a case for each:

Boston: In my eyes currently have the best front office in the game, and it’s nice to see that rewarded

Philly: Who doesn’t love their offense? Charlie Manual is that crazy drunk uncle you always wanted

LA Dodgers: The Manny factor is the story here. Also, it’d be nice for all the arrogant stat boys to have to acknowledge that the GMs of two of the last four world series winners are Colletti and Williams. I bet some would still credit DePo though!

Tampa Bay: World Championships won by Tampa Bay: 1 ; World Championships won by San Francisco Giants: 0.

Meh, thank pucking God it’s hockey season!

I am as happy as anyone that the slegnA were knocked out of the playoffs. I don’t have to hear anymore about “the best team in baseball” and how they are so well managed and use their agressiveness and small ball run-manufacturing to win games that other teams would lose.

That being said, I have to take issue with some of what you wrote Blez. As a fellow A’s Fan, I think you would know better then to make a comment like “their great regular season means nothing when all is said and done because they ultimately only got two more home games than the A’s did”. This is the same sort of crappy logic I had to listen to Angels fans spout at me when the A’s were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. This is just not true, making the playoffs is an admirable acheivement whether or not you go on to “win it all” or not. How many times have I heard you and other front page writers talk about how it is such a great achievement that the A’s have been able to stay competitive for so many years, even if they did not win the big one.

So, lets enjoy the fact that the Angels worship at the altar of over-aggressive baserunning and run-manufacturing finally bit them in the a** multiple times this postseason. Lets be happy they will not be winning a World Series this season and that they may be losing many good players. But lets not sink to their level and claim that their season is meaningless because they lost in the first round. We of all teams should know better.

Oh well – I’ll be cheering when the Rays own the Red Sox in the ALCS!

that dawn Angel free! Hope the boys from Anaheim had a lovely flight home last night.

look, i know where lackey is coming from. its the same whine i had when we lost to the twins in 2002 and to boston in 2003. bottom line is that you NEED to finish games and series, neither of which the angels did over the last week. lackey needs to realize that boston earned the series having gone through lackey twice and giving the k-rod the L in game two.

now, time to root for america’s underdog, the rays.