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Y E S T E R D A Y…

Red Sox 3, Angels 2: There were moments late- after Torii Hunter drove home two in the eighth with a clutch two out single to tie the game, after Kendry Morales doubled to lead off the ninth, after Mark Teixeira (momentarily) saved the game with an incredible diving stab on a Mark Kotsay shot down the first base line- that it seemed the Angels might push the series back to Anaheim for a deciding Game 5.  Didn’t happen.  Erick Aybar whiffed on a squeeze, erasing the Morales double, and in the bottom half Jed Lowrie, batting immediately after Kotsay, singled home Jason Bay to win the game for Boston and end the season for the Halos.  100 wins, gone.  Now it’s a wait and see- does Teixeira come back?  K-Rod?  Garrett Anderson?

Prepare for an interesting winter.

T O D A Y… 

Lakers vs. Utah (preseason, 7:00 pm): It’s the exhibition opener for the purple and gold, and while the score doesn’t really matter, it’ll be the first chance to see Phil Jackson’s positional experiment with Lamar Odom, who will run the point while Kobe Bryant slides to small forward.  It’s also the first game action with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in the same front court.  Maybe these pretend games aren’t so boring after all?

N E W S W O R T H Y…

• With lefty mashers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (among others) in the Philadelphia lineup, the Dodgers will need lefty Hong-Chih Kuo out of the pen.  He took a step towards coming back with a clean bullpen session on Monday.  The Blue are hopeful they’ll be able to activate him for the series.
• USC WR Vidal Hazelton might play this weekend. Or he might not.  Or he might transfer.  It’s tough to say at this point.
  
• With Mark Sanchez on the sidelines with a bum knee, Mitch Mustain took snaps with the first team Monday.
• Patrick O’Sullivan and Kings management can’t agree on a contract, meaning Teddy Purcell is skating with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown on the top line.
• The Ducks, who open up Thursday night, have set their roster.
• Rick Neuheisel points to continuity in the offensive line and improvement in the receiver corps to help explain UCLA’s offensive improvement over the last two weeks.
• Lakers forward Luke Walton has been dealing with a stalker.
• Clippers forward Marcus Camby, slowed with flu-like symptoms, finished a full workout Monday.
• Officials in Anaheim are confident they’ll be able to lure an NBA franchise to the OC within five years.

I N  T H E  B L O G S…

• Scott Wolf of the Daily News answers your USC questions.  Well, maybe not yours, but people you might know.
• Rev. Halofan has his series recap posted at Halos Heaven.  
• Rob at 6-4-2 looks at the series, and the Angels’ season in the big picture.  

O N  S P O R T S H U B  L A…

• More LAA postmortem, as Brian Kamenetzky looks at Game 4, the series, the season, and where they go from here.

C O L U M N S…

•  Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports takes a look at the squeeze play that could have won it for the Angels… but will instead be second guessed by fans and media alike.  The play fit LAA’s style, but the lack of execution didn’t- either way, the call was big, bold, and risky.  There’s a reason, Edes reminds us, it’s called the “suicide squeeze.”
• ESPN.com’s Amy K. Nelson was inside an Angels clubhouse filled with disappointment, anger, and confusion as to how it went sour again.  Oh, and that squeeze was also a topic of conversation.  But the prevailing emotion was frustration- at the loss, at how they lost, at what team they lost to… again.
• Why not stick with the Halos?   Mark Whicker of the OC Register says the situation was primed for a squeeze, but Aybar just didn’t get it down.  It was one of many mistakes the Angels will look back on with regret this offseason.
• SportsHubLA.com Column of the Day: Speaking of the offseason, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times notes the Angels will have some serious decisions to make this offseason. Do they pay Mark Teixeira (assuming he wants to come back)?  What about Frankie Rodriguez?  Arte Moreno has already said they won’t ramp up the payroll too much this winter, but John Lackey will want an extension, the team could be looking at CC Sabathia, and if Teixeira walks, how do they replace his bat?  The Angels don’t have the same uncertainty as the Dodgers, who could go back to being very mediocre with a bad offseason.  LAA will likely be very good again next season.  But if they’re to once again set themselves up for another crack at the World Series, they’ll have to make good choices.

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