Dan Haren should improve Angels’ chances for years to come

Dan Haren should make the Angels a more formidable team in October — but maybe not this October. …

This could be a make-or-break week for the Angels. …

Joe Saunders seemed to channel Dick Vermeil in tearfully discussing his trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks. …

Kenley Jansen’s strong right arm was a factor, of course, but a .229 minor league batting average also played a role in his conversion by the Dodgers from catcher to pitcher. …

The impressive rookie, by the way, is able to discuss his improbable rapid rise to the majors in five languages: English, Dutch, Spanish, French and Papiamento, the official language of Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, where he grew up. …

Trivia time: How is it that Hall of Famer Stan Musial, who played 22 seasons, was a 24-time All-Star? …

The family of Lorenzen Wright says it suspects foul play in the disappearance of the 6-foot-11 former Clippers lottery pick, last seen July 19 at a Memphis, Tenn., barbershop. …

Wright, who spent three of his 13 NBA seasons with the Clippers, was the seventh pick in the 1996 draft, widely considered among the deepest in NBA history. …

Three future most valuable players — Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash — were drafted that year. …

Already a veteran of the Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, newest Laker Matt Barnes this fall would become the first player to have suited up for all four California-based NBA teams, according to Elias Sports Bureau. …

Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is one of a handful of players who’ve played for four of the state’s five major league teams, missing only the San Francisco Giants. …

No one has played for all five, according to Elias. …

The furor over Lane Kiffin’s hiring of Kennedy Pola as offensive coordinator blurs the fact that USC fans — and quarterback Matt Barkley — would prefer Norm Chow. …

Including Pau Gasol in the NBA Finals, Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon, Andres Iniesta & Co. at the World Cup and Alberto Contador at the Tour de France, Spaniards keep coming up winners on the world’s grandest sports stages. …

Lance Armstrong’s swan song — a 23rd-place finish — was as disappointing as Michael Jordan’s or Muhammad Ali’s. …

Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, hoping to end the season by playing the Super Bowl on their home field, will again spend two weeks training in Oxnard next month. …

Newly inducted Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey made his major league debut at Dodger Stadium on April 10, 1962, in the first game played in Chavez Ravine. …

He was a football and baseball player at San Diego State. …

Next year’s Cooperstown inductees should include former Angels and Garden Grove Santiago High right-hander Bert Blyleven, who fell five votes short this year. …

Only four players have missed reaching the Hall by a narrower margin — Nellie Fox, Pie Traynor, Billy Williams and Jim Bunning — and all were later elected. …

Several readers e-mailed to chide reader Pete Donovan for leaving Tustin High graduate and ex-Dodger Shawn Green off his all-time All-Orange County baseball team in favor of Garden Grove alumnus Lenny Dykstra, whose lifetime statistics in several offensive categories fall far short of Green’s. …

The late Ralph Houk, a backup catcher with the New York Yankees before becoming a manager, took a backseat to no major leaguer when it came to serving his country. …

Houk, an Army Ranger, took part in the Battle of the Bulge, earning a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. …

His nickname was “The Major,” reflecting his military rank. …

A crowd of 140,000 doesn’t look like much at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was little more than half-full for Jamie McMurray’s winning ride in Sunday’s Brickyard 400. …

Trivia answer: From 1959 to 1962, two All-Star games were played each year, and Musial was a two-time All-Star each year. …

According to “Lucky,” an HBO documentary about lotteries, Americans spend $16 billion a year on sporting events. …

On lottery tickets, they spend about $62 billion.

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