Dear Mr. Scioscia,

          First things first, thank you very much for what you've done for my favorite team, the Angels. You've been at the helm of a bunch of very successful seasons. The club is experiencing unprecedented success (can't complain about four division titles in five seasons and a World Series win, which occurred on my 20th birthday, by the way). We finished with the top record in the ML this year and set a new franchise record for wins with 100. It's been a heck of a season. We also have a rich farm system, with many young prospects coming up all the time. It's exciting to see.

But recent events have me questioning the way things are going. I know, I know...they don't pay me millions of dollars to manage the team, and who knows what I would have done in your place. It's probably wrong for me to second-guess, but here goes...

Why the lack of success in the playoffs? Particularly these past two games, we've looked flat. These Boston Red Sox are the same guys we went 8-1 against in the regular season. Sure, it's playoffs, and you can throw out everything you know from the regular season. But our team is healthy, we were very hot coming into the playoffs, and we just look weak.

What's happening at the plate? Where's "Angels Baseball?" No bases are being stolen, we haven't seen the hit-and-run, no squeeze, and, one miserable attempt last night in the ninth aside, the bunt has been conspicuously absent. This doesn't look like the same team on offense. And not pulling Guerrero for Willits in the 8th when Guerrero has a terrible track record on the base paths?  Inexcusable.  It's obviously impossible to say, but that might have lost the game for us and set the tone for the rest of the series.

And after attending game two, I have to ask, where's the defense? Two errors and other assorted sloppy play. This team was built on pitching and defense. Or so I thought.

Please, at least take one from Boston. Your fans are begging you. And the fact that we have to beg for one playoff win is sad.  Prove that 2002 wasn't a fluke.

In closing, this is not the same team I remember from a week ago. Please do something. We're all sick of getting our hopes up for choking in the playoffs.

         Thank you,

                          Jonathan Martinez

                          Angel fan from birth and for life