Sports Redux: Angels With Crabby Faces

The Red Sox didn't just win a series the other night. They may have destroyed a Major League franchise. The Angels, winners of 100 games and the best record in the bigs, spend the entire flight home to California boo-hooing about how this never should have happened.

"I'm pissed off. I'm just upset, and it's going to be with me for a while," said Torii Hunter. John Lackey, who was bettered twice by Jon Lester, was even franker. "We are way better than they are. We lost to a team not as good as us," he said, forgetting the rules of the best-of-five series. He also took shots at Fenway Park, Dustin Pedroia, and the Sox' ability to manufacture runs. Have a great winter, John!

Adam Hart at The Boston Score uses the Angels' woe-is-us attitude as a launching point to round up who is hating whom on the Boston sports scene.

Speaking of things people hate, Dan Shaughnessy finds a quotable gold mine in Don Zimmer, who is working for the Rays and trying to eliminate the Red Sox and ruin their season, like he did in 2003 and 1978.

New beginnings! The Celtics sort of begin their title defense tonight, with their first preseason game against the 76ers in Amherst. Kendrick Perkins won't play (his shoulder's bugging him, but we are Not Panicking) and Ghidorah will play limited minutes, while the Sixers will be trying to integrate Elton Brand into what was already a pretty scary team. Let's get all those old rivalries cranked up again! You're next, Milwaukee!

And the Bruins are on their way to Colorado to kick off what could be a really interesting season. ESPN has them finishing seventh in the Wales Conference; the Globe has them sixth. SI has them 13th overall. The Bruins will be kicking off without some old friends, as they waived Jeremy Reich and Peter Schaefer, which means they're headed to Providence unless someone picks them up, which will probably happen.