162 games later, and what do we know?  

We know the Angels are champions of the AL-West for the second year in a row.  We know that Torii Hunter was worth every penny of his 5-year $70 million dollar contract.  We know that it’s ok to let a veteran player and presence in the clubhouse go and replace him with a cheaper, younger alternative from the farm-system (ahem, Orlando Cabrera).   We know that Gary Matthews Jr. will never live up to his 5-year $55 million dollar contract.  We know that no one in their right mind (Mariners?) will trade for Gary Matthews Jr. and the three remaining years on his contract.

We know that Mark Teixeira is a behemoth at the plate, great in the clubhouse and with fans, and that he will soon after the season be able to afford a diamond-encrusted flying-machine with either Arte, or another baseball owner’s money.  We know that pitching and defense still and always will be the way to succeed in Major League Baseball.  We know that the Angels have made great decisions over the past 5 years with their farm system.  We know that Vladimir Guerrero is human after all, but not human like you and me, human like a sure thing, first-ballot hall of famer that is starting to show his age.

We know that Howie Kendrick is one heck of a hitter, but that he’s also as fragile as most of NBC’s new fall lineup.  We know that as much as Garrett Anderson continues to produce well into his mid-thirties, he will still be looked upon with much distaste by Angels’ fans for his lack of emotion and range in the outfield.  We know that Ervin Santana has finally matured into the type of pitcher that every scout in the universe said he would be.  We know that the Angels were very smart in not acquiring Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins in the off-season.

We know that General Manager Tony Reagins is a breath of fresh air to a rabid fan-base who has begged ownership to pull-the-trigger on a meaningful mid-season.  We know that Francisco Rodriguez had one of the most special seasons in the history of modern baseball.  We know that because of that historic season that K-rod has pitched his last regular season game in Halo-red.  We know that sometimes two is better than one as both Jeff Mathis and Mike Napoli are quality major league catchers.  We know that for at least one week every season Scot Shields will go on the fritz and will be unable to locate the strike-zone.

We know that Reggie Willits will probably never become a meaningful member of the Angels despite a tenacity and ability to play Angels’ baseball to a “T”.  We know that Justin Speier is no longer a feared set-up man and that he’s susceptible to the really-really-long-ball.  We know that John Lackey is an absolute horse of a man and will go down in history as the Angels greatest pitcher of all time (yeah, Nolan, I said it).

We know that any Angels vs. Dodgers game is an excuse for an alcohol-induced outdoor fist fight.  We know that the Rally Monkey is perhaps the greatest baseball marketing ploy of all time.  We know that the Angels’ ticket prices are sure to go up for the 2009 season.  We know that the Angels have one of the best and most respected Managers in all of baseball and a likely candidate for AL-Manager of the Year.

So with all that we’ve learned from the 2008 season where does that leave us.  Well, to be honest, I don’t know.  Despite an incredible regular season filled with mostly highs and few lows, everything can easily be forgotten within the first week of October.

I would like to say that things will be different this year against the Red Sox in the post-season.  Home-field advantage is absolutely meaningful, but this fan/writer still has that upsetting feeling knowing that the Red Sox seem to be a team of destiny lately in the playoffs while the Angels just haven’t caught the breaks (I hate you A.J. Pierzynski).  

The playoffs are a completely different animal.  A time when each game feels like a mini-season and the tides shift so many times back and forth.  A hero one night is a bum the next and even the best of players don’t necessarily come through.  

So if there is one thing that we do know, it’s that we don’t really know anything.  But when you think about it, isn’t that the best part?