Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and I hope that is the case, but in my opinion, the Angels wasted any opportunity they had of qualifying for the World Series when they lost the five-hour, 13 inning nail-biter to the Yankees on Saturday night.

There is now no way the Halos can clinch the American League Championship Series in Anaheim. Even if they were to take all three games that could be played at the Big A, they would still have to return to New York for Game 6 and perhaps Game 7.

Three weeks ago, in this space, my written words were, ” I would like the Angels chances in the postseason a lot more if Brian Fuentes were not their closer.”

Brian Fuentes

Sure enough……the Angels grab a 3-2 lead in the 11th inning of Game 2 and are in a position to deadlock the series before going back to California. However, Fuentes gets two quick strikes on Alex Rodriguez leading off the bottom of the 11th, and then inexplicably gives A-Rod an 0-2 pitch that he can drive out of the ballpark to right field. It’s a cardinal sin for a pitcher, and more importantly in this case, for his team to get hurt on an 0-2 pitch. That mistake may have cost the Angels the pennant and a shot at the world championship. Fuentes had 48 saves this year to pace the majors, but he and the man he succeeded at Anaheim, Frankie Rodriguez, are the shakiest saves leaders baseball may have ever seen. When Fuentes comes in to pitch, I tell my wife, “This is going to be like a D ride at Disneyland. Hold on, it’s going to be scary.”

Alex Rodriguez has belted 68 home runs against the Angels, the most by an active player against one club.

There were over 8,500 players under contract to big league teams when this season began, and that includes minor leaguers. Joel Millman of The Wall Street Journal did some checking and found that nine of the top 10 most common surnames among today’s baseball players have Latino origins. Rodriguez is the most popular.

Baseball’s Biggest Extended Clans

• Rodriguez 95
• Martinez 68
• Gonzalez 65
• Perez 63
• Garcia 62
• Hernandez 57
• Ramirez 53

The only non-Latino surname in the top 10 is Smith, and there are 41 of them.
There are over 2,700 players from either the Dominican Republic or Venezuela——32 percent.

Vladimir Guerrero

It’s not my money……but……..

Vladimir Guerrero of the Angels would not figure in my plans for 2010, and certainly not if he asks for the 15 million dollars he is being paid this season in the final year of his contract.

Guerrero is a free agent after this postseason, and at 34 ( which is also Fuentes’ age ), shows signs of decline at the plate, as evidenced by the eight runners he left on base Saturday night, and his numerous horrible swings. His injuries limited Vlad to 100 regular season games, and he produced just 15 home runs and 50 RBI in more than 400 plate appearances. I would rather give Matt Holliday the money Guerrero will request, and Jason Bay would be a second option. They can be free agents. Holliday made $ 13 1/2 million this season and Bay $ 7 1/2 million.

It would have been a shame if umpire Jerry Layne’s call at second base in extra innings during Game 2 of the ALCS had led to the Yankees winning. An apparent double play executed by the Angels was nullified when Layne ruled shortstop Erick Aybar did not touch second base. That “phantom” or in the “neighborhood” double play has been allowed for years so the infielder taking the throw is not injured by the sliding baserunner. That was a bad time for Layne to make the decision he made with so much riding on the outcome.

The umpiring this season has been the subject of criticism. Maybe watching the pitches from the center field camera is not the way to judge plate umpires, but I’m frequently saying to myself while watching a game on television, “Where was that pitch? It looked like a strike.”

Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have a .722 winning percentage. ( 57-22 )

The Phillies felt confident as they returned home for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series with the Dodgers, even at a game apiece. They knew that Cliff Lee would be pitching for them, and when Philadelphia rocked Hiroki Kuroda for six runs in the first inning and a third Sunday evening, the outcome was almost a certainty.

Here are my blogs on Games 1, 2 and 3 written for the Los Angeles Times.

October 18, 2009 |  9:54 pm

Former Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter analyzes Game 3 of the Dodgers-Phillies series

The Los Angeles Times is pleased to have Ross Porter providing analysis of the Dodgers playoff games.

Fifty years ago, the Dodgers won their first National League pennant in Los Angeles and opened the World Series at Comiskey Park in Chicago. In Game 1, the White Sox embarrassed the team from California, 11-0. It would be a miracle if any of the current players know that, but maybe Vin will not only recall that, but inform them that the 1959 Dodgers came back to win four of the next five games and captured the world title. Read the full blog post

October 16, 2009 |  7:37 pm

Former Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter analyzes Game 2 of the Dodgers-Phillies series

The Los Angeles Times is pleased to have Ross Porter providing analysis of the Dodgers playoff games.

Only six outs away from being in a position where they had to win four of the next five games–three of those in Philadelphia–to win the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers came off the deck with the help of the Phillies to even the playoff set at a game apiece.  Read the full blog post

October 15, 2009 |  11:59 pm

Former Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter analyzes Game 1 of the NLCS

The Los Angeles Times is pleased to have Ross Porter providing analysis of the Dodgers playoff games.

Philadelphia’s Philllies lead the National League in runs and home runs so their eight runs and a pair of three-run homers against the Dodgers in game 1 of the LCS were not that surprising.

What really hurt the Dodgers in an 8-6 defeat were three walks doled out by Clayton Kershaw and two by George Sherrill. Five of the Phils runs scored as the result of walks issued to Pedro Feliz, pitcher Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth.  Read the full blog post

The first BCS poll of the college football season, the only one that counts, has been released

BCS Poll

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Texas
4. Boise State

AP Poll

1. Alabama (39 first place votes)
2. Florida (20 first place votes)
3. Texas
4. USC

It’s becoming apparent that there are no invincible teams in college football this fall.

Number 1 Florida was behind at home to Arkansas by seven points with nine minutes to play and won by three with nine seconds left.
Number 2 Alabama was just seven points ahead of South Carolina with six minutes remaining.
Number 3 Texas scored only three points in the first half against Oklahoma.

ARE THE ODDSMAKERS PRETTY ACCURATE?

Texas was favored by 3 points over Oklahoma
FINAL SCORE: Texas 16 Oklahoma 13

Oklahoma has lost three games by a total of five points and Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford has missed most of each one.

Who is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this year?

ESPN Experts Poll

1. Tim Tebow (14) 74
2. Jimmy Clausen 45
3. Colt McCoy 43

Fourteen of ESPN’s college football experts believe Florida quarterback Tim Tebow is the leader at the moment followed by another signal caller, Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame, and then Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, neither of whom received a first place vote. Before the season, I considered McCoy the frontrunner because Tebow and Bradford had won the last two, but McCoy has not played as well as he did last year.

When the Gators mounted their winning drive against the Razorbacks Saturday in a tie game, Florida reached the Arkansas 29 yard line with 55 seconds to go. Tebow ran the ball on five straight plays for a net 18 yards to put it on the 11. Tim went to the sideline, closed his eyes, and would not watch the winning 27-yard field goal. The crowd at The Swamp let him know it was good for a 23-20 victory.

UPSETS in COLLEGE FOOTBALL—-Week 7

Drew Brees (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

If you had to vote for an M-V-P in the National Football League right now, wouldn’t quarterback Drew Brees of the Saints be your choice?

Brees shredded the league’s top defense Sunday when he completed 23 of 30 passes, including 15 in a row at one stage, for 369 yards and four touchdowns against the Giants in a 48-27 rout. New York had been giving up only 14 points per game, but allowed 34 in the first half. Drew has now thrown 101 touchdown passes since joining New Orleans in 2006. The Saints have not trailed once in opening 5 and 0.

In June when I emceed the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Awards in Tulsa, Brees was honored as the male recipient having completed an NFL record 440 passes in 2008. Drew spoke reverently of his grandfather who had been a successful highschool football coach in Texas. He told the story of the day when his grandfather said to him, “There are people who don’t care what happens…..there are those who watch what happens…and then there are the ones who make things happen. Which do you want to be, Drew?” Brees said he replied, “I want to make things happen.” To which his grandfather said, “Good. Get that lawn mower and cut the grass.”

The unbeatens in the NFL are the Vikings, Saints, Colts and Broncos. The winless are the Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans. What has happened to Tennessee? AFC South champs with a 13 and 3 record last season, 0 and 6 now, and humiliated, 59-0 by the Patriots on Sunday. And, New England did not score in the fourth quarter.

UPSETS in PRO FOOTBALL—–Week 6

In the three biggest surprises Sunday, defense dominated.

OUR POIGNANT STORY OF THE MONTH:

There is an eight year-old boy in Suffolk, Virginia whose name is Jonathan Brittain.

Doctors have had to repair a ventricular shunt that drains excessive fluid from Jonathan’s brain. They fail, without warning, necessitating brain surgery to repair, and for no reason, his had failed seven times. On October 5, Jonathan underwent emergency brain surgery number eight. But, six days later, he asked his father if they could play golf on the local par 3 course that day. Jeff Brittain agreed because his son was doing very well in his post-op recovery. Jonathan played a few holes, but then skipped a few to focus on the ninth, the “water” hole, 80 yards, with an island green.

As Jonathan teed it up, Jeff realized that six days before, at the exact moment, his son was having an operation on his brain. The youngster swung and the ball cleared the water, landed on the green, rolled 25 feet and dropped in the cup. A HOLE IN ONE ! Jonathan, his two brothers, and his father all went “crazy” and Jeff commented, “It could be the best moment of my life.”