Also, they didn’t run enough when they got on base. This would have been an attempt to rattle the Boston pitching staff. Some of which are young and possibly affected by the pressure.

Masterson’s wild pitch/passed ball was just as costly as the mistakes the Angels made and there was also the error made by Sox SS Lowrie earlier in the series. The difference is that Boston overcame those mistakes and the Angels did not. And Lackey is upset about that, and the fact, or so it seems, that his team played poor defense at times in this series (except for 1B Teixeira).

I actually comment Hunter for not throwing anyone under the bus. This is his first year in LA (previously played for the Minn. Twins). He was not here for the previous Angel disappointing losses against Boston in years past. He was just sharing his feelings and disappointment, but it seems as if Lackey had an axe to grind. He probably doesn’t like Pedroia’s BIG mouth! I wouldn’t after a loss like that either.

“We lost to a team that’s not better than us,” growled pitcher John Lackey, who gave up two runs and seven hits in seven innings. “We are a better team than they are. The last two days, we shouldn’t have given up anything.”

When asked about the aggressive base running and the squeeze play that went awry, Lackey had this to say: “That’s our style of baseball,” Lackey said. “That got us here.”

“[Sunday] night they scored three runs on a pop fly that was called a hit, which was a joke,” Lackey said, referring to Ellsbury’s pop that fell between center fielder Torii Hunter and second baseman Howie Kendrick in Game 3.

“[Monday] night they scored on a broken-bat ground ball and a fly ball that anywhere else in America is an out, and he’s fist-pumping on second base like he did something great.” He’s talking about the Pedroia wall ball double. Hey, that’s Fenway!

Asked to describe his feelings, Lackey said, “Like I want to throw somebody through a wall.”

“With a 2-0 count, I felt he had to get a ball around the plate,” Scioscia said. “Erick is one of the best bunters we have, and it didn’t work out.”

“I’m not going to second-guess my manager,” Hunter said. “He made the decision, I’m going to stick by it. If he gets the bunt down and we score the run, everyone would love him. It’s hard to swallow. I’m disappointed it didn’t work out.”

“I’m [ticked], I’m upset, this one’s going to be with me for a while,” Hunter said. “It doesn’t feel good, because we’re a better team than they are. But they’re moving on.”

I’m interested in your take on some Angels’ statements after last night’s loss.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-angels7-2008oct07,0,6242252.story

Is that sportmanship giving way to frustration, or refreshing honesty in this day of political correctness and explicit self-censoring?

And lastly, were they right? Were the Angels the better team?

Keep up the great work!

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