MVN: Most Valuable Network

We are tired here at Big A Baseball.

Tired but happy.

And while Sunday night's marathon win for the Halos did keep Red Sox fans on the east coast up after midnight, I would argue that they still did not have it as bad as Angels fans.

Every pitch to a Red Sox batter in the latter innings of the game came with a heaping dose of anxiety for Angel fans. Was this the pitch? Was this the pitch that would result in a late-inning run for the BoSox? Would this pitch be another walk-off for the Sox like in 2004 and 2007 and another sweep?

For me, and I would argue, other Angels fans, Game 3 was a crash course in watching your team live on the edge.

The Angels have obviously played poor in this series - with errors, poor decision making and a tremendous ability to leave runners on base giving the Red Sox a two game edge to start the series and nearly a sweep.

(ATTENTION READER - My rant on the second inning pop-up that became a bases-clearing SINGLE is about to start. You may want to pass this section by if you are a Howie Kendrick fan.

That Jacoby Ellsbury pop-up in the second inning was just about the final straw for Angels fans and Howie Kendrick. Good grief. The Ellsbury pop-up looked like a scene from the beginning of "Major League."

After that play I joked to my friend that if someone told me that Howie Kendrick was paid to throw the ALDS, I would not be surprised. "Say it ain't so, Howie!!"

Also I thought it was funny that AM830 (the Angels radio affiliate here in SoCal) was still playing commercials featuring Howie Kendrick for Howard's (a big television store that Mike Scioscia schills for). Don't the good people at Howard's know right now that Kendrick is playing poorly? I think he may actually decrease sales at Howard's after these first three games.

In fairness, though, Kendrick was injured and only played about five games with the Halos at the end of the season before being inserted into the postseason line-up. And he did lay down a solid bunt in the 12th-inning on Sunday that allowed Erick Aybar to knock in Mike Napoli with the winning run. Anyway, that is my rant about the Ellsbury pop-up and Kendrick's poor play. Rant over.)

Sunday night's victory was a gutty win for this Angels team and as many writers are saying today, it showed the Halos have a pulse. It may be faint but it is still there.

The win on Sunday was the kind of gritty, gutty win that the Angels have not had for some time.

And despite the pop showed by Napoli, it speaks volumes for this Angels team that the winning run came when the Angels were playing small ball and executed with a bunt and then - finally(!) - a hit with a runner in scoring position.

The Angels still face another uphill battle today with Jon Lester throwing at home - where he has been nearly dominant all year long.

But the Halos will throw John Lackey and they live to play again for another day which is more than we could have asked some 24 hours ago. And if they can somehow steal this game, then all bets are off for a Wednesday finale in Anaheim.

I can't wait.