It’s not that the Angels lacked offense in Game 1 Wednesday night in Anaheim, but like me at the end of every high school dance, they just couldn’t score. The Halos had 9 hits to Boston’s 8. However, their traditional small ball way of playing the game is not going to work against these guys…again. Hey, that’s why they went out and bagged Texiera from the Braves so they wouldn’t find themselves down a game, played at home, after finishing the season with the best record in baseball. But that was then, and this is October. Maybe someone should tell Vladimir Guerrero.

If you’ve read any of my previous articles, you know that I’m an Angels fan from way back. I’m not a bandwagoner. I’ve suffered through decades of mediocrity and lousy management, as any Dodger fan can relate to. I’ve watched this team blossom under the watchful eye of Mike Scioscia over the last 8 years. There is now an Angel style of baseball, a type of patient aggressiveness, that has been emulated around the league (cue the Tampa Bay Rays). They have a formula. They have the talent. They have the support from the fans. So, why can’t they seem to beat the Red Sox in the postseason? Here’s what they need to do.

Please, for the love of all that is holy, get Gary Matthews, Jr. out of the line-up. Are you kidding me? This guy hasn’t done a damn thing in his 2 years on the squad, and Wednesday nights “misplayed” line drive was the cherry on top. He’s not happy being the 4th outfielder, so fine, make him the 5th and get Juan Rivera in there whenever Vladdy is the DH. At least Rivera can slug it for power and get a read on the ball in the outfield.

Stop giving Guerrero the green light on every pitch. I know he’s the best bad ball hitter in the league, if not the Majors, but he’s got to lay off those high fast balls that he seems to pop up to the infield. He’s incredible to watch when he’s on it, but frustrating when it seems like he’s placing every swing in la mano de dios. His base running error in Game 1 was pretty bad also. Is he the only one that doesn’t know his knees are completely shot from his years in Montreal? It looks like Vladimir’s best bet is to pay attention to Dino Ebel, the third base coach, for signs in the box and when charging around second with the speed of an injured Biggest Loser contestant.

The last thing they need to do at this point is just get pissed. Get mad, damn it! They’ve got red all over your uniform, and it’s time they actually saw it. Losing 10 straight postseason games to one particular team should make them want to beat the crap out of the ball, win the game, do some shots, and knock over a few trash cans on your way out of the park. Come on, I used to do it when I worked there. It’s quite liberating.

Game 2 of the ALDS is Friday night in Anaheim. The BoSox have Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-3) going up against the ever-so-calm Ervin Santana (16-7). Daisuke only pitched against the Angels once this year on July 28 at Fenway, surrendering six runs on seven hits. The Angels need to win this, and probably Sunday’s game, to be able to wrap everything up in Boston next week. Game time is 6:30 on TBS.

AP Photo by Mark J. Terrill