It was my understanding that the team that wins a division is also supposed to be the same team that reports to work during the playoffs, not its evil and less talented twin (no offense to Minnesota). The Angels came into Friday night's game down 1-0 and in need of a win before hopping a plane out to Beantown for Sunday's possible series ending game. With the best record in the regular season behind them and $124 million on the field in red and white, a win at home was crucial. Unfortunately for Angels fans, we've witnessed the film version of a long running and critically acclaimed TV show these last two games, The Simpsons Movie of baseball, if you will.

The Angels dropped Game 2 of the ALDS to the Red Sox 7-5 after a rally monkeyed comback in the eighth. Ervin Santana's nickname is "El Meneo", which means "the shaker", due to his demeanor on the mound. Santana was definitely shakey in his 2008 postseason debut, giving up four runs with two outs during the first inning. Boston added another run in the fourth inning, and the Angels were able to crawl back, adding one run in consecutive innings and eventually tying the game at 5 in the eighth following Chone Figgins' lead-off triple and Mark Texiera's sacrifice.

Enter Francisco Rodriguez, the all-time Major League saves leader. Not tonight, apparently. K-Rod gave up a two run homer to J.D. Drew in the top of the ninth bringing the Angels and their fans back down to Earth, reminding them who the defending World Champions were. The bottom of the ninth played like sargeant stripes with three up and three down. If the Halos are going to pull if off the series, they had better hit the cages and do some serious meditation. The nerves are obvious, the fans are frustrated, and the monkey should probably be put down. Comebacks are not the key. Securing a win early on with dominating pitching and defense seems to be the only way their going to get this done, because big hits and scoring are becomming about as rare as, well, about as rare as an Angels postseason win against the Red Sox.

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