Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Another Angel has been given his halo far too soon.

Rory Markas passed away at his home in Palmdale. He was 54.

Markas spent the last eight years as the primary radio and television play-by-play man for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He also called games for USC's men's basketball team and served as a reporter for FOX 11 KTTV in Los Angeles.

From 1994-97, Markas lead the radio broadcast team for the Los Angeles Clippers. Certainly, he was a true broadcasting veteran and lent his voice to several different sporting realms.

It is only late December, and already the offseason for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim feels like it's winding down.

Most of the big fish that dominated the post-Word Series headlines have already been caught and what remains is little more than bait for future trade hooks.

Two monsters still lurk the depths, but each appears to be circling one lone lure, searching for another to compare it with.

Matt Holliday and Jason Bay have received sizable offers from the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets respectively, and no team has been reported to match either.

We all know the well-publicized losses of the Los Angeles Angels: Chone Figgins, John "The Traitor" Lackey, Darren Oliver, and Rex Hudler.

They all hurt in one way or another, although for my money, Figgins is a loss worth losing. I want to see what Brandon Wood can do, and there are other players to fill the gap if he flames out.

The Angels made their second big free agent signing by coming to terms with Fernando Rodney on a two year/$11 million dollar contract:

Angel management used to be very forthcoming with fans in the past.  Whether it was real or imagined we fans always felt as if we understood the direction the team was going.  That could mean something non-baseball related, like the clubs desire to improve our experience in the stadium, to the intricacies of player movement.

When the club signed Mark Teixeira the risks were spelled out to fans.  Where Teixeira was plan A, Kendry Morales was plan B.  It was clear, it was spelled out it was, and it remains a good way to do business.

So, let me get this straight.

Your team's spark-club and legitimate stolen-base threat—gone.

Arguably, the club's best starting pitcher and Game Seven starter in 2002—gone.

The club's most consistent reliever and great clubhouse guy—gone.

The team's most feared hitter and former league MVP—gone.

The sole additions being two 35-year-olds with weak knees?

What exactly is going on over in the the offices in Anaheim of Los Angeles?

This time of year there are two types of teams—spenders and savers. 

Talk about coming full circle: 17 years after Darren Oliver began his career with the Texas Rangers, it looks as though Oliver will be returning to the Rangers.

The Texas Rangers are nearing completion of a one-year deal to add LHP Darren Oliver to the bullpen, two sources said Sunday night.

Oliver, 39, has been used as a reliever for the last four years and has found significant success in that role.