FanHouse JustinSpeier

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- A series full of drama and emotion got a little more entertaining today, when Josh Beckett whistled a ball past Bobby Abreu's head, inciting a bench-clearing incident that resulted in four Angels getting ejected.

Even after it was all over and the Angels had pulled out another dramatic 5-4 victory, taking two of three in the series, there were some unhappy folks in the winning clubhouse.

"That was as flagrant as anything I've seen in this game, and it's unfortunate," said manager Mike Scioscia, who had to watch the last eight innings of the game on television after he got the boot.

Making history, or falling prey to it? Fall Down or Fall Classic looks at the reasons each playoff team could win it all -- or could become a mere footnote in 2007's MLB yearbook.

Postseason baseball is becoming a bit of a habit for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Some of Southern California Including Orange County Some Of The Valley A Little Bit Of Malibu But None Of East Los Angeles. Since the Angels celebrated a World Series championship in 2002, they've made the playoffs in two of four seasons, making it to the ALCS in 2005 when the lost to the White Sox.

So how will the story end in 2007?

The Angels took over first place back in April and they never let it go. Sure, the Mariners provided some excitement at the beginning of September, but the Angels responded by letting us all know who the cream of the crop really is in the AL West. When it was all said and done, the Angels finished 94-68, five games ahead of the Mariners.

So will 2007 end up the same way 2002 did, or are the Angels on the verge of another early exit from the playoffs? I'm of the opinion that the Angels may officially take over the city of Los Angeles this fall, but that's just my opinion. Let's all take a deeper look.

Anybody who's paid attention to the Angels the last few years knows that Scot Shields is one of, if not the best, setup guys in the game. For years the Angels have been turning games into 7 inning affairs with Shields and Francisco Rodriguez shutting things down in the 8th and 9th inning.

Or at least they used to be. K-Rod is still doing his job, but Shields has been struggling lately. He gave up a game winning grand slam to Hank Blalock on Sunday, and he has an ERA of 10.00 since the All-Star break. Even worse? He hasn't had a 1-2-3 inning since July 7th. It's hard to keep your job when you perform like that, and Shields found out first hand, as he's been demoted from his normal set up role.

Welcome to the wonderful world of middle relief, Mr. Shields!

"He's a huge part of our bullpen," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Right now, to get him back to where he needs to be, he needs to take a half-step backward."

Scioscia said Shields would pitch a simulated game today -- a step usually reserved for pitchers rehabilitating an injury -- and would not pitch for another day or two thereafter. Scioscia said Shields would then be used in middle relief so as to "reinsert him in more of a way where he can get his feet on the ground."

Stepping in to Shields old position will be Justin Speier. Luckily for the Angels, Seattle's recent 9-game losing streak helped them build a more comfortable 6.5 game lead in the West, so this move should only be a minor bump in the road.

Going on Shields' track record, I don't think it will be too long until fixes whatever is wrong, and gets his old job back.

The Athletics may not be used to being out of a division race this early in the season, but luckily enough for them, there are always a few things that they can count on happening. This season in particular. It's a pretty simple formula for the Athletics when they play a baseball game.

Strong pitching performances, and one of their players leaving a game thanks to injury. This time, it's Bobby Crosby's turn.....again.

Shortstop Bobby Crosby, who was out much of the previous two years with injuries, was struck on the back of the left hand by an 0-2 pitch from Angels reliever Justin Speier and Crosby immediately clutched his hand as he hit the ground. He stayed at first for one pitch, then left and he will get X-rays this morning.

"It didn't look good,'' A's manager Bob Geren said. "It's pretty sore. ... He didn't think he could throw, broken or not broken.''

I think Bobby Crosby should really start drinking more milk. The man has some brittle bones. In the last three years he's broken his ankle, cracked a few ribs, and even broke a vertebra. The results of Crosby's x-rays aren't known right now, but I think we can all figure out what they'll be. It is Bobby Crosby, and this is 2007 for the Oakland Athletics.

That hand is probably broken, and he'll probably be done for the season.