The press release isn't on-line yet, so it's below, but the Quakes have posted their Opening Day roster.

Conspicuous by their absence are C Hank Conger, 2B Ryan Mount and 3B Matt Sweeney. All three suffered spring training injuries. I'll get updates on their status when I'm out with Rancho this weekend.

The mild surprise, in my opinion, is that Jordan Renz and Drew Toussaint remain at Rancho rather than moving up to Arkansas. Maybe this is temporary until the big guns return from the DL, or maybe they just weren't ready. But I can't help to think that adding those two to a healthy lineup with Conger, Mount, Sweeney and Mark Trumbo could add up to the most potent offense in the league.

The pitching staff could be the best in the league. Dynamite starting rotation, dynamite bullpen. The pitchers should keep the Quakes in the first-half divisional hunt until the wounded return to active duty.

Rancho Cucamonga Quakes Announce 2008 Roster

Quakes Roster Has Nice Mix of Old and New

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes will open up 2008 with quite a few new faces in the dugout. Twelve pitchers and thirteen position players will join Manager Ever Magallanes, Hitting Coach Francisco Matos, and Pitching Coach Dan Ricabal as announced by Director of Player Development with the Los Angeles Angels, Abe Flores.

The Quakes will feature five players that are rated in Baseball Americas "Top 30 Prospects" list headlined by pitchers Sean O'Sullivan (5) and Barret Browning (20), infielders Mark Trumbo (29) and P.J. Phillips (15), and outfielder Peter Bourjos (9). They will also feature former 1^st rounder (37^th overall) Trevor Bell in their starting rotation.

Rancho Cucamonga will bring back a few familiar faces for the 2008 campaign. With pitchers Aaron Cook and Jared Incinelli, catcher Flint Wipke, infielders Tadd Brewer and Larry Infante, and outfielders Jordan Renz, Cliff Remole, and Drew Toussaint, this version of the Quakes will have a good mix of young talent and strong veteran leadership.

To see the newest Quakes in action, they will host Azusa Pacific University Tuesday, April 1 at 6:05pm at the Epicenter, with the season opener scheduled for Thursday, April 4 at Lake Elsinore against the Storm.

The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes are the Advanced-A California League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and open their 2008 home schedule on Monday, April 7th at the Epicenter against the High Desert Mavericks. For information about ticket packages and group information, please call the Quakes at (909) 481-5000.

The Salt Lake Bees have issued a press release announcing their roster.

The roster doesn't appear to be on-line yet, so here's the one that was part of the e-mail press release. The only mild surprise is Brad Coon making the leap to Triple-A; he split 2007 between Rancho Cucamonga and Arkansas.

PITCHERS (12)                    B-T      HT       WT      AGE    BORN

Adenhart, Nick                       R-R     6'3       185      21        8/24/1986

Alvarado, Giancarlo               R-R     6'4       210      30        1/24/1978       

Arredondo, Jose                    R-R     6'0       170      24        3/20/1984

Bonilla, Henry                        R-R     6'0       190      29        8/16/1978

Green, Nick                           R-R     6'4       200      23        8/20/1984

Kennard, Jeff                         R-R     6'2       220      26        7/26/1981

Loux, Shane                          R-R     6'2       210      28        8/31/1979

Olenberger, Kasey                R-R     6'4       235      30        3/18/1978

Pullin, Aaron                          R-R     6'3       200      27        2/17/1981

Rodriguez, Rafael                 R-R     6'1       170      23        9/24/1984

Serrano, Alex                         R-R     6'1       200      26        2/18/1981

Wilhite, Matt                           R-R     6'1       185      25        7/3/1981

CATCHERS (2)                    B-T      HT       WT      AGE    BORN

Budde, Ryan                         R-R     5'11     200      28        8/15/1979

Wilson, Bobby                       R-R     6'0       220      24        4/8/1983

INFIELDERS (7)                   B-T      HT       WT      AGE    BORN

Brown, Matt                           R-R     6'0       200      25        8/8/1982

Morales, Kendry                    B-R      6'1       225      24        6/20/1983

Patchett, Gary                       R-R     6'2       180      29        9/25/1978

Pavkovich, Adam                  R-R     6'2       185      26        12/31/1981

Rodriguez, Sean                   R-R     6'0       190      22        4/26/1985

Sandoval, Freddy                  B-R      6'1       200      25        8/16/1982

Wood, Brandon                     R-R     6'3       185      23        3/2/1985

OUTFIELDERS (3)              B-T      HT       WT      AGE    BORN

Brown, Dermal                      L-R      6'0       215      30        3/27/1978

Coon, Bradley                       L-L       6'1       175      25        12/11/1982

Evans, Terry                          R-R     6'3       205      26        1/19/1982

The Cedar Rapids Kernels have announced their Opening Day roster. It's basically an amalgam of the 2007 Tempe Angels and Orem Owlz.

The starting rotation features three left-handers — Michael Anton, Robert Fish and Trevor Reckling. On the right side are Mason Tobin and ace prospect Jordan Walden.

The outfield could be the fastest in the league with Clay Fuller, Tyler Johnson, Jeremy Moore and Anthony Norman.

The pop will have to come from the corner infield spots, in particular 1B Gordie Gronkowski and 3B Jay Brossman.

The Arkansas Travelers have announced their Opening Day roster. No real surprises, other than Stephen Marek moves into the bullpen where he'll be the closer. It was always assumed this move would come one day. Today is the day.

The Angels have announced their Opening Day roster. Darren O'Day makes the leap from Double-A to join the Angels bullpen. Moving up from Triple-A are relievers Jason Bulger and Rich Thompson.

Dustin Moseley returns to the starting rotation. Nick Adenhart will report to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The minor league affiliates should be able to announce their rosters today or tomorrow. Soon as we know anything official, I'll have it here.

You'll need a subscription to read the article, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a lengthy article on the Angels' minor league pitchers, focusing in particular on Nick Adenhart and Nick Green.

The article concludes:

Angels director of player development Abe Flores said the organization, long known for producing quality, versatile middle infielders, now is about to see a wave of young pitchers come through the ranks.

Players like Adenhart and Green, as well as former Travs Darren O'Day and Kasey Olenberger, who have made a bid to join the Angels' bullpen, are the beginning of that wave, General Manager Tony Reagins said.

"We think that we can build some depth in the organization. We have some young kids that are exciting," Reagins said. "Some of those kids were in camp earlier and the candidates that we have internally, Green, Adenhart, Olenberger, we're optimistic. Hopefully we can get Escobar and Lackey back so those kids can continue to develop."

Flores said continuity is one of the reasons the young pitchers have continued to develop as they have climbed the minor league ranks.

"All of our [roving pitching coaches] spend enough time in major league camp and are in constant contact with our major league staff that we're uniform in our philosophy," Flores said. "Nobody ever sits back scratching their head wondering 'What are they doing up there?' There is none of that. That's been completely eliminated."

The last paragraph is rather amusing, as occasionally I see some self-declared experts on Angels fan sites who claim there's no communication at all between the Player Development staff and the parent club's coaching staff.

The Quakes have an exhibition game Tuesday evening against Azusa Pacific University. I'm told the games will be webcast. If it is, I'll have the webcast link on the FutureAngels.com home page.

Don't look at me, I had nothing to do with this.

I came to the blog today and found a notice that MLBlogs.com was down for a redesign.  When it finally came up, the design had changed -- and in my opinion, for the worse.

Certain HTML tags which used to work no longer do. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some documentation in their control panel, but I'm not counting on it.

Oh well, back to baseball ...

UPDATE March 30, 2008 8:30 AM PDT — By the way, it appears that if you post a comment it won't appear automatically. I looked at a new "Comment" feature in the control panel and found two comments that had been posted by readers last night, but didn't appear publicly. Apparenly I have to manually review and approve them first. But do I get any notice of comments to be approved? Noooooooooo ...

Nick Adenhart's start today could determine whether he starts 2008 in Anaheim or Salt Lake.

At this rate, the Angels' opening night roster might be the Salt Lake Bees of Anaheim.

Players who might be on the disabled list when the season begins are pitchers John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Chris Bootcheck, Scot Shields and now outfielder Gary Matthews. None are likely to be out longer than late April, but at least for a couple weeks there will be opportunities for players who were otherwise destined for Salt Lake.

The surviving starting rotation includes Jon Garland, Jered Weaver, Joe Saunders, and Ervin Santana. The fifth job should go to either Dustin Moseley or Nick Adenhart, who starts today. Nick has never pitched above Double-A, but there's some sentiment that three or four starts might do him some good to give him exposure to major league bats.

If Adenhart gets the job, then Moseley goes to the bullpen in long relief. Right now, bullpen jobs are guaranteed for Frankie Rodriguez, Justin Speier, and Darren Oliver. If Moseley is in the rotation, that means three jobs at least for guys who would have started 2008 in Salt Lake. Those three would appear to be Rich Thompson, Jason Bulger and the surprising Darren O'Day, who like Adenhart lacks Triple-A experience. Alex Serrano, a 2005 minor league free agent signing after he was released by the Rockies, is also making a run.

So much inexperience might tend to move Moseley back to the bullpen, with Adenhart making a few starts until someone returns. Chris Bootcheck threw yesterday but will need a little more time before he's ready to join the Angels; when that happens, Moseley could go into the rotation and Nick reports to Salt Lake.

Gary Matthews' sprained ankle postpones a painful decision for the Angels, choosing between outfielders Reggie Willits and Nathan Haynes. Willits has options left, which means he can be sent to Salt Lake, whereas Haynes would have to pass through waivers and would probably be claimed by another organization.

Regardless of how it plays out, thank goodness Angels management ignored all those demands by certain fans and sportswriters last winter to flush the farm system for the mythical "big bat." All that depth is protecting the parent club roster right now, instead of cavorting for Florida or some other team. How foolish it would be to risk the future of the organization on one mortal who can get injured at any time. Not many teams could absorb the loss of Lackey, Escobar, Bootcheck, Shields and Matthews without blinking.

UPDATE 5:45 PM March 25, 2008 -- MLB.com reports that Kelvim Escobar has been shut down after suffering a setback in his rehab program.

Following up on the overblown reports about Hank Conger's injury ... I remembered today another Angels minor league catcher who had similar experiences in his career a few years ago.

In 2000, his rookie season, he played only ten games in rookie ball due to a lower back strain. Conger had a similar injury last year.

In 2003, he missed most of the season after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder for a torn labrum, an injury apparently more severe than what's reported for Conger.

That catcher was Mike Napoli.

For reasons unfathomable to me, some people out there want to spin a hysterical fantasy that Conger's career is over as a catcher. All one has to do is look at Mike Napoli and see that the people peddling this tale have no idea what they're talking about.

Jordan Renz is congratulated by Travs manager Bobby Magallanes after homering in today's spring training game against the Oakland A's Double-A squad.

Beginning with the rumor du jour ...

I spoke with Hank Conger this morning about the rumors that appeared in yesterday's Orange County Register and Rotoworld.com suggesting he faced surgery and a season lost if his labrum injury doesn't improve in the next couple weeks.

Hank's physical condition is his business — that's not my opinion, it's the law — so I won't discuss in public what Hank said. But in summary, it boils down to Hank's situation is not as dire as reported.

I'll refer you to this article on MLB.com, which concludes:

"You have to be excited about his upside," Scioscia said. "His shoulder has him a little behind, but he should be fine. He's very intelligent, and he's come a long way behind the plate. He has terrific power from both sides."

That about sums it up. He's a little behind, but he should be fine.

On to today's exhibition games.

I wrote down the lineups for the Triple-A and Double-A games, but those turned out to be bupkis when Robb Quinlan walked up. The Angels sent over Robb and Reggie Willits to play in the Triple-A game, and Bobby Wilson to catch scheduled starting pitcher Joe Saunders.

Saunders was scheduled to pitch the first five innings, followed by Jason Bulger, but when Joe was done it was Rich Thompson who pitched the next two innings. We never saw Bulger.

So this was the starting lineup, I think:

SALT LAKE

1. Reggie Willits CF
2. Gary Patchett SS
3. Sean Rodriguez DH
4. Matt Brown 1B
5. Robb Quinlan 3B
6. Bobby Wilson C
7. Adam Pavkovich 2B
8. Raymi Dicent LF
9. Aaron Peel RF

The Double-A lineup was something like this:

ARKANSAS

1. Cody Fuller CF
2. Nate Sutton 2B
3. Pat Reilly DH
4. Jesse Hoorelbeke 1B
5. Jordan Renz RF
6. Cliff Remole 1B
7. Tim Duff C
8. Matt Pali RF
9. Larry Infante SS

Flint Wipke was listed as the starting catcher, but Duff took the field. Wipke played in the later innings.

Miguel Gonzalez was the starting pitcher, followed by Francisco M. Rodriguez (not the big-league Frankie, last year's Rancho pitcher), David Austen, Baron Short, Von Stertzbach and Kevin Jepsen. Or at least that was the list before the game.

Click Here to watch video highlights of the day. You need Windows Media Player and a broadband Internet connection (cable modem, DSL) to watch.

Among the highlights, you'll see Reggie Willits' leadoff double, then he steals third, and later scores on a triple by Matt Brown. You'll also see Joe Saunders strike out two batters.

I was shooting still photography when Jordan Renz homered for the Double-A lineup. It was an impressive shot to left-center field.

I head home in the morning with plenty of video and photography in storage. Eventually they'll appear on-line at www.futureangels.com.

Mike Scioscia talks with pitcher Tommy Mendoza and catcher Hank Conger after their bullpen session.

Rumors of Hank Conger's demise are premature.

Apparently it started with a blog entry by Orange County Register sportswriter Bill Plunkett. He wrote:

I noticed Hank Conger warming up pitchers in one of the bullpens. Conger was catching the pitches — and then flipping the ball under-handed to a coach standing nearby who would throw it back to the pitcher.

Not a good sign.

During a break, I went up to Conger and asked him why he wasn’t throwing. Turns out he has a slight tear of the labrum in his right shoulder.

The shoulder has been bothering him since early in spring training. Invited to the major-league camp to start the spring, his throwing was limited. When the discomfort continued after he was re-assigned to the minor-league camp, Conger underwent an MRI which revealed the tear.

He has begun a rehabilitation program that could last as long as four weeks, meaning he will most likely miss the start of the minor-league season and stay behind at the extended spring training camp in Tempe. Surgery remains a possibility at some point.

The Angels’ first-round pick in 2005, Conger has already had to deal with wrist and back issues in his first two professional seasons.

Citing the Register blog, the fantasy baseball site Rotoworld.com overreacted and posted:

Conger is expected to rehab for a month before attempting a return. Depending on how the strengthening program takes, he could undergo surgery that would likely cost him the rest of the season. The lost year would likely be very significant to his development, and it shows that the Angels might have guessed wrong when they opted to develop him as a catcher. There's a good chance he'll end up at first base or DH anyway, and that wear and tear associated with catching could prevent him from reaching his ceiling as a hitter.

To quote Drew Barrymore in E.T., "Give me a break."

An athlete who throws a lot suffers a slight labrum tear and that's definitive proof the team "guessed wrong" developing him at that position?!

Joe Saunders had a much more severe labrum tear and missed the entire 2003 season. Did the Angels "guess wrong" developing him as a pitcher?!

What a stupid thing to say.

Nevertheless, I'm already seeing hysterical overreactions on Angels fan boards who think a roto web site knows more about developing ballplayers than the professionals with decades of experience in the game.

For the record, I watched Hank this morning engage in a full range of workouts. He took batting practice, he participated in catcher fielding drills, he caught Tommy Mendoza in the bullpen. Afterwards, Hank and Tommy met with Angels manager Mike Scioscia and minor league pitching instructor Kernan Ronan.

I didn't see anyone giving Hank the Last Rites.

That said, a fan told me yesterday he'd heard that rumor, but it must not be that big a deal if Hank is participating full-time in drills. I will ask Hank myself tomorrow if I get the chance and if he's willing to talk about it. But let's not get all hysterical and declare his catching career over until all the facts are in.

Scioscia, pitching coach Mike Butcher, and much of the front office were in attendance because the parent club had the day off. Jon Garland started the Triple-A game and gave up three runs in five innings. Mike Napoli caught Garland and then exited.

The starting lineup for the Salt Lake game was:

SALT LAKE

1. Nathan Haynes CF
2. Hainley Statia SS
3. Mike Napoli C
4. Matt Brown DH
5. Terry Evans RF
6. Brandon Wood 3B
7. Chris Pettit LF
8. Freddy Sandoval 1B
9. Sean Rodriguez 2B

... with Garland as the starting pitcher. He was followed by Brok Butcher for three innings, then Rafael Rodriguez pitched a scoreless 9th.

The Arkansas starting lineup was:

ARKANSAS

1. Josh LeBlanc CF
2. Cliff Remole DH
3. Ben Johnson C
4. Corey Smith 3B
5. Michael Collins 1B
6. Drew Toussaint LF
7. Matt Pali RF
8. Ryan Leahy 2B
9. Kevin Ramos SS

... with Shane Loux the starting pitcher. He was followed by Fernando Rodriguez, Robert Mosebach, and Kevin Jepsen.

As I warned yesterday, don't take these lineups too seriously. It's way too early for assignments to the various affiliates, and as players are returned from big league camp you can expect a domino effect, with players at upper levels being pushed down a level or two.

Click Here to watch video highlights from today's games. The pitcher/catcher battery is Garland and Napoli. You'll also see Scioscia talking to Mendoza and the moribund Mr. Conger (if you believe the roto site).

Tomorrow is my last day at camp, then I return home on Wednesday.

The winds tore the batter's eye on one of the minor league practice fields.

My first day in minor league camp is always the most memorable.

Or forgettable.

Forgettable in the sense that nearly 150 players are in camp, and many uniform numbers are worn by two or even three players, and I'm trying to put all those faces back together with their names. I know them, they know me, but neither of us is really sure who we really are, so we just kinda nod and try to remember who each other is.

But it's always memorable because I get to see friends after six months, all those players and coaches gathered in one place, knowing that in a couple weeks they'll scatter to all corners of the baseball globe.

Most of the upper-level players are over at major league camp, so minor league rosters right now have no meaningful resemblance to what their Opening Day lineups will look like. But for what it's worth, here were the lineups for today's Quakes and Kernels games.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA
1. Stantrel Smith LF
2. P.J. Phillips SS
3. Jeff LaRue 1B
4. Tadd Brewer 2B
5. Abel Nieves 3B
6. Rian Kiniry CF
7. Greg Dini C
8. Anderson Rosario RF
9. Tyler Mann DH

David Herndon started for Rancho Cucamonga.

CEDAR RAPIDS
1. Anthony Norman LF
2. Hector Estrella 3B
3. D'Andre Miller CF
4. Gordie Gronkowski 1B
5. Donato Giovanatto DH
6. Tyler Johnson RF
7. Jerry Gonzalez 2B
8. Chris Rosenbaum C
9. Carlos Colmenares SS

Trevor Reckling started for Cedar Rapids.

The predicted scattered thunderstorms gave us a pass for the most part, other than the occasional sprinkle. But it was quite cool and windy at times. I noticed a batter's eye on one of the practice fields was torn so a City of Tempe service truck had to repair it in the afternoon while the games were played on two other fields.

Click Here to watch March 16 minor league spring training highlights. You need Windows Media Player and a broadband Internet connection (cable modem, DSL) to watch.

Quakes broadcaster Jeff Levering was in town and recorded an interview with Angels farm director Abe Flores that will air later in the year on a Quakes pre-game show. But both agreed to let me videotape the interview, so Click Here to watch the interview.

The Angels played two exhibition games during their 1961 spring training at Indio against the PCL San Diego Padres.

On the way to Arizona, I stopped in Indio to find South Jackson Field. On February 5, I wrote that the Angels played two spring training games in Indio during their first spring training in 1961. The games were against the PCL San Diego Padres.

It's likely the field doesn't look much like it did 47 years ago, but the photo will give you a rough idea of the modest conditions for those exhibition games.

If today's Angels were to barnstorm all over the Inland Empire during spring training, playing in towns like Indio, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario, they'd have to call out the riot squad to keep the crowd manageable. Back then, when the Inland Empire was sparsely populated and the Angels were definitely second-fiddle to the established Dodgers, their presence was probably considered a novelty and not much else.

I'll be at minor league camp tomorrow for the Quakes/Kernels games. The weather forecast for the afternoon is a 40% chance of scattered thunderstorms. Hopefully the games don't get banged, as the next two days have the Bees and Travs at home, so it'll be my one chance to see the Quakes and Kernels.

(And with Casey Kotchman's freaky bad luck, he'll probably get struck by a bolt of lightning ...)

The big news is that John Lackey is down with a triceps strain, and for the first time in his pro career will miss a start. News reports say he's out at least a month.

Media speculation has Nick Adenhart a candidate for the Angels' starting rotation, along with Dustin Moseley, Nick Green and Kasey Olenberger. I really think it's a stretch to consider Nick the favorite, as he's only 21 and yet to pitch above Double-A. He needs more experience. But neither do I think three or four big-league starts will "ruin" him, as some people on fan boards will inevitably claim. It'll just be experience for him to take to Salt Lake.

In my mind, the likely scenario is Dustin Moseley moving into the rotation, which means the chances improve for two out of Jason Bulger, Darren O'Day and Rich Thompson to make the Opening Day bullpen. But Kelvim Escobar and Chris Bootcheck should be back by mid- to late-April, which would push Moseley back to the pen and two of those three back to Salt Lake.

Once again, I give thanks that the Angels GM didn't give in to the instant gratification demands of certain fans and media scribes who wanted the Angels to flush all their depth for a "big bat." If Nick Adenhart and Ervin Santana had been dealt last winter, the Angels' pitching staff would have some major problems and they'd probably have to make another move just for a short-term fix.

Bill Stoneman showed that patience pays off, and so far Tony Reagins is showing the same patience.

Before I go, let's note Matt Brown's performance today. Brownie homered in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game 4-4, then tripled in the bottom of the 10th and scored the winning run on a single by Juan Rivera. Matt tends to get overlooked because Brandon Wood is ahead of him, but he's 4 for 12 with a homer and triple this spring in parent club games.

It should be interesting to see how the Salt Lake infield shakes out to start the season. If Wood is at shortstop, then Brown would be at 3B. But the Angels need to find a home for 3B Freddy Sandoval, and Sean Rodriguez is in the mix too. One should be the 2B, and there don't seem to be any obvious first basemen unless Kendry Morales returns to Triple-A, so maybe Sandoval or Brown play some 1B. Brown also played some 2B in 2007.  Sean will probably become a roving agent of chaos to prepare him for the utility role envisioned throughout his career. Michael Collins will probably make a run at the 1B job too along with Matt Pali.

So guys will move around to get them experience, enhancing their opportunity to move up to Anaheim.

Adam Pavkovich hit a two-run single in the bottom of the 9th on September 6th to give the Bees a 2-0 playoff series lead against Sacramento.

Not much longer before the regular season begins, which means our traditional Minor League Game of the Week series is about to reach its crescendo.

This week it's Game #2 of the best-of-five series between the Salt Lake Bees and the Sacramento River Cats (A's affiliate). The two teams were playing for the Pacific Conference title, and the winner would go on to face the winner of the American Conference for the PCL title.

Click Here to listen to the game. You need Windows Media Player to listen.

Next week it's Game #1 of the Midwest League Western Division playoff series between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the Clinton Lumberkings (Rangers affiliate). The C.R. roster should arrive more or less intact in Rancho Cucamonga to begin the 2008 season.

And our final webcast in two weeks will be the epic 16-inning battle between the Orem Owlz and Great Falls White Sox for the Pioneer League championship. Owlz' ace Jordan Walden faced White Sox ace Aaron Poreda in a battle of two top pitching prospects.

Be sure to check this blog starting Sunday night for my reports directly from the Angels' minor league camp in Tempe, Arizona. Hopefully I'll have video footage to go along with the blogs.

Today's Riverside Press-Enterprise reports:

Jon Garland, who allowed three runs on seven hits in four innings during Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Royals, will pitch in a Class AAA game Monday.

I'll be at minor league camp Sunday-Tuesday to shoot the games, so if this happens look for video footage of Garland's start Monday evening on FutureAngels.com.

Monday is an off-day for the parent club, so I suspect we'll see more major leaguers over at the minor league camp. My guess is either Mike Napoli or Jeff Mathis will catch Garland.

It also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. Some teams do a "green" theme on that day so I'm curious to see if the Angels do anything, but I doubt they'll spend a dime for the minor league camp to don green caps or will deploy green bases. Ya never know.

USA Today published an article about troubled former Angels first baseman Scott Spiezio. Troy Percival tried to intervene last year when both were on the Cardinals roster, but to no avail.

Well worth the read.

Jordan Walden is a mystery to some, but not to those who read the 2007 FutureAngels.com Top 10 Prospects Report.

Why it is that some people don't do their research when the Internet boasts many fine search engines?

Case in point: This thread on MinorLeagueBall.com which declared that Jordan Walden's velocity dropped his senior year in high school "for no apparent reason."

Comparing Jordan to Padres prospect Matt Latos, the author writes: "Which is the bigger problem, Latos' makeup issues or Walden's vanishing fastball?"

Well, anyone who read the FutureAngels.com Top 10 Prospects Report last November knows it was no mystery at all.

Jordan suffered a groin injury his senior year. It was reported not only on FutureAngels.com, but a quick Google search would have found these reports:

Baseball America: "A matchup with projected second-round pick Zach Britton drew a horde of scouts, but Walden pitched at just 85-88 mph due to a groin injury. He did rebound to throw 92-93 mph in his next outing, so his draft status is secure."

WFAA.com: "The Texas recruit also had 11 home runs and 36 RBIs during a season hindered by a nagging groin injury. He was drafted in the 12th round by the Los Angeles Angels."

MLB.com: "He's got a projectable body and a fastball that touches 97 mph. A drop in velocity, and a groin injury, this year hurt his stock, though when he's on, he's got a plus fastball and curve with easy delivery.

And so on ...

I have the highest respect for John Sickels, the column's author. He's one of the few independent analysts out there who tries to get it right. But none of us are perfect.

My concern is more with how these things take on a life of their own. If you read the replies, one person claims Walden has a "disappearing fastball," another speculates he was suffering from fatigue, a third claims Jordan is "soft." For cryin' out loud! All this nonsense over a non-issue.

I just can't abide by intellectual laziness, and the Internet certainly encourages it.

Joe Torres (left) and Nick Adenhart in August 2004 after their "Tommy John" surgeries.

Buried in an Orange County Register article is this crummy news:

For the second time in the past four years, the Angels drafted a pitcher who needed Tommy John surgery.

When the Angels made Nick Adenhart their 14th-round pick in 2004, they knew the right-hander had damaged the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and would need surgery. When they made another high school pitcher, Jon Bachanov, their first pick last summer, they didn't realize the right-hander would need surgery.

General Manager Tony Reagins said the team's scouts saw Bachanov pitch late before last summer's draft and had no indication of a problem. But Bachanov threw in workouts for the team shortly after signing his first contract in July and complained of a sore elbow. He was sent to the team's minor-league complex in Arizona to begin a rehabilitation program. When the pain persisted, Bachanov underwent an MRI that revealed ligament damage in the elbow. He had Tommy John surgery in December.

Recovery from the surgery can take 10 months or more. Reagins said there is a possibility Bachanov could be ready to pitch in the fall instructional league. Most likely, he will not throw his first pitch in the Angels' organization until 2009.

Adenhart had his surgery before his 18th birthday in August 2004 and made his minor-league debut in 2005. He has since emerged as the Angels' top pitching prospect. Bachanov turned 19 in January.

The success rate on "Tommy John" surgeries is much higher than a generation ago, but it's still not perfect. For every Nick Adenhart there's a Joe Torres, the Angels' first-round pick in June 2000 (#10 overall). Joe missed part of 2003 and all of 2004 after the surgery, and was never the same. The last I checked, he was knocking around the White Sox system.

I interviewed Jon Bachanov last July in summer league. Click here to listen. You need Windows Media Player.

I've been very busy lately with non-baseball stuff. My day job had me in San Diego for three days at a training seminar (within walking distance of Petco Park, but I didn't walk ...). I also dabble in local politics, and as of late I've been doing what I can to help cage a certain local politician with corrupt tendencies. But I keep that world separate from here.

So far the injuries thankfully have been minimal in spring training camp.

Chris Bootcheck may miss eight weeks due to a strained oblique muscle. My first reaction was, "Oh cool, I get to see Booty at Rancho," which is a rather selfish attitude but there we are. Like any mortal human being, I have my favorites, and Chris has been a favorite since he made his pro debut with Rancho Cucamonga in 2001.

Ryan Mount injured his left knee sliding into second base during Monday's game. According to Matt Hurst at the Riverside Press-Enterprise, Mountie sprained his medial collateral ligament (MCL) with an unknown timetable. My chiropractor, who has some background as an athletic trainer, says most MCL injuries aren't that big a deal and at worst it will affect Ryan's lateral movement. Mountie was probably going to be the starting 2B for Rancho come April. Until he returns, it should be Wil Ortiz at 2B and P.J. Phillips at SS for the Quakes.

Meanwhile, Mark Whicker at the Orange County Register tells us that "the sky is falling" in Angels camp and proceeds to rattle off his fantasies. But then the Register also happens to be ignoring the corruption of a certain local politician in my town, so what else would we expect from this kitty box liner.

As aforementioned, I'll be at Angels minor league camp March 16-18. Hopefully the political shenanigans calm down and I can get back to what's more important, i.e. baseball.

Trevor Bell pitched seven shutout innings on August 24, 2007 when the Kernels visited Quad Cities.

August 24, 2007 — Riding an eight-game winning streak, the Cedar Rapids Kernels visit the Swing of the Quad Cities as both teams seek post-season playoff slots.

With everyone finally healthy, by late August the Kernels were firing on all metaphorical cylinders.  This game features all the regulars who should be at Rancho Cucamonga in 2008 — P.J. Phillips, Peter Bourjos, Wil Ortiz, Mark Trumbo, Hank Conger, Matt Sweeney, Ryan Mount, Trevor Bell, and Barret Browning.

For Trevor Bell, he was as hot in August as the rest of the Kernels.  In that month, Trevor was 4-0 with a 2.20 ERA.  In 41.0 IP, he struck out 29, walked just five, and gave up just one homer.

Although the Angels have been affiliated with Cedar Rapids since 1993, Quad Cities was a long-time Angels affiliate as well, starting with the Angels' second year of existence in 1962.  The Angels were in Davenport from 1962-1978, then returned for 1986-1992 before switching their Midwest League affiliation to Cedar Rapids.

I'm hoping this year I can catch at least one Kernels road game at Quad Cities.  Historic John O'Donnell Stadium is one of the most picturesque ballparks in the minors.  Literally against the Mississippi River, the Centennial Bridge arches across the water next to the stadium.  The field does flood now and then, forcing the ballclub to move elsewhere, but a recent renovation project supposedly will help protect from future floods.  (I'm sure Mother Nature will have something to say about that ...).

The franchise has gone through several names over the years.  When they were affiliated with the Angels, they were known as the Quad Cities Angels but also known at times as the Quad Cities River Bandits.  A previous owner changed the team name in 2004 to the Swing of the Quad Cities (ick!), but new ownership this winter changed it back to River Bandits.  Unfortunately, they also sold the stadium naming rights, so it's now called Modern Woodmen Park.  Supply your own punch line.

Click Here to listen to the game.  You need Windows Media Player.