Don't Believe The Hype Of The Curse

I know some of you have already been talking about it, but I don't want to hear it. I know it helps you deal with the pain of yet another playoff loss, but I don't want to hear it. I know it's the only reason you can come up with to explain why this keeps happening, but I still don't want to hear it.

THERE IS NO BOSTON RED SOX CURSE ON THE ANGELS!

Just go ahead and get that nonsense out of your head right now. There is no curse. It does not exist. It never has and it never will.

A curse is not the reason the Angels lost this series. A curse is not the reason why Reggie Willits didn't catch that ball in Game 2. A curse is not the reason why the Angels had 20 hits in the first two games but only one of them went for extra bases. A curse is not the reason Erik Aybar missed the bunt on that suicide squeeze.

The Angels lost because they didn't play well enough. It's that simple.

We've seen it countless times across countless sports. The best team doesn't always win, and it's always for the same reason. They simply didn't play well enough to win.

Mike Scioscia and the rest of the team will be the first to tell you. They had their chances, but they didn't take advantage of them. You can get away with that sometimes during the regular season, especially in the AL West. But in order to advance in the playoffs, you have to make the most of each and every opportunity.

Now, the Angels will be faced with some serious decisions in the off-season. The futures of Garret Anderson, Vladimir Guerrero, Mark Teixeira, Jon Garland, and Frankie Rodriguez will all be determined by either Arte Moreno and Tony Reagins or, in some cases, the players themselves. This winter will go a long way in shaping the Angels chances of a return trip to the playoffs to pursue yet another World Series title.

But if you want to do your part to help the Angels this off-season. Do everyone a favor and get that damn curse out of your head. Holding on to such nonsense is not good for the soul or the team. Just ask the Cubs!

Angels/Red Sox Notes--Game 4

Los Angeles Angels at Boston

* The Angels’ victory on Sunday snapped an 11-game playoff losing streak to the Red Sox, dating to Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS. It also broke a nine-game postseason winning streak for Boston that dated to Game 5 of last year’s ALDS versus Cleveland.

* Teams trailing two games to one are 16-18 in Game 4 of Divisional Series all-time, and have a 9-25 series record.

* The Red Sox’ loss on Sunday was their first in a potential series-winning game since losing to the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. Boston had won six in a row when playing a potential series-winning game.

* John Lackey has lost his last three playoff starts, permitting a .304 batting average while compiling a 5.60 ERA. The Angels have lost Lackey’s last four postseason starts, after winning three of his first four. Including the playoffs, Lackey is 3-8 in his career versus Boston.

* Jon Lester allowed no earned runs over 7.0 innings while winning Game 1 last Wednesday. Including that victory, Lester is 11-0 with a 1.91 at Fenway Park since April 29. The Red Sox have won all 14 of his starts over that span.

* After batting just .183 (11-for-60) in his first 16 career playoff games, Vladimir Guerrero is hitting .583 (7-for-12) in this series. His average is .438 since the beginning of September.

* Mark Teixeira and Torii Hunter have joined Fred Lynn (1982) as the only players to collect at least two hits in each of their first three postseason games with the Angels.

* Over his last five postseason games (since Game 3 of the 2007 World Series), Jacoby Ellsbury has hit .522 (12-for-23) with seven doubles and seven RBI.