A rare touch of rain fell in Anderson's baseball life last Tuesday in Game 1 of the division series, when he misplayed Robinson Cano's double in the first inning of the AL division series. The ball fell in behind him, and the Yankees scored three runs that proved crucial in their 4-2 victory. Anderson was soundly criticized by the local news media -- probably less for the misplay than for the fact that there has been so little to criticize in his 11 years with the Angels.
"I got more attention for that particular play than all those other things," he said. "It kind of caught me off guard; that's how I've been playing for 11 years, I play aggressive."
You can argue that time is beginning to catch up with Anderson. Last season he was placed on the disabled list for the first time because of stiffness in his upper back. This season, a stiff lower back and a sore left knee limited Anderson to the designated hitter spot for eight of the Angels' last 10 regular-season games. This season was his first full season since 1998 in which he hit fewer than 20 homers. (He hit 14 in his injury-shortened 2004 season.) In the series against the Yankees, Anderson was hitless in his first eight at-bats, and he was pushed down to sixth in the batting order for Friday night's game.
Outside of that, there hasn't been much rain in Anderson's world.
"I've always said I want to end my career in California with the Angels," he said, "but it's a business, you never know what direction the team's going to go.
"Fortunately, they've kept me."
Anderson likes the chaos of weather from a distance. The energy and excitement of New York, the threat of rain, is a welcome drama.
"A lot of guys on our team like playing in this kind of setting, on this kind of stage," he said. "I know I do."
Storm clouds are hovering over Yankee Stadium; if Anderson's Angels somehow win this series, there will be a fury, indeed.
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