Root, root, root for the OTHER team

Angels fans need to do a little extra rooting these days.

For the Texas Rangers.

Yes, I know that the Rangers are in the American League West, and them winning would put the Angels' lead in the division in jeopardy, but wait a second and follow me on this one.

Let's go back a year, and the Angels' 100-win season. That they had the division all-but wrapped up in, oh, late July. They were in cruise control for a good part of the season. The only thing they had to play for a long time was the quest for 100 wins and Francisco Rodriguez's save record.

That's no way to stay sharp, especially when you need to be at the top of your game in the playoffs.

So having Texas hang around will keep pressure on the Angels to win. While it seems nice to clinch the division early, it'll be good for this team to play meaningful games late in September.

But there's a bigger, more important reason for Angels fans to get behind Texas.

One word: Boston.

You don't want the Sawx anywhere near the city of Anaheim in October. No way. No how.

Home-field advantage? Throw it out the window. Better pitching staff? They have to do it in Fenway, something they haven't done. And the vaunted lineup? In the cold of October, again, in Fenway.

They can say whatever they want about it being a new year, or a new challenge, and that it won't get into their head.

Yeah, sure. After the 20th question about the Angels' woes in the playoffs against the Red Sox, and it will seep into the unconscious of any player.

And all the history will be dredged up ... again.

The way the standings are going, with 44 games or so to go, the Rangers and Sox are tied for the wild card. And it won't matter if the Angels have the best record over the Yankees if the Sox are the wild card. The two AL East teams can't play each other in the first round, so Boston will be shipped West to take out the Angels and make the east-coast media happy.

But if Texas can hang with Boston, and win the wild card, they'll get thrown to the Yankees, and the Angels will get the Central Division winner (which, if it's the other Sox, will be another painful problem for the Halos). But it would still be preferable to having to deal with the thousands of issues that come with having to play Boston -- again.

So, join me in rooting down the stretch for the Rangers to keep pace. And, it would be nice to throw a wrench in plans of Fox and the other baseball partners by having to go to Arlington in October, instead of their favorite of Fenway.