When you figure out who the impostors are wearing Anaheim Angels uniforms, don’t hesitate to tell Mike Scioscia. It already may be too late.

Wild throws. Bobbled groundballs. Bullpen letdowns. Failed sacrifice bunts. These can’t be the same Angels who fought through injuries and clubhouse adversity to pass the Oakland A’s down the stretch and win the American League West. And this certainly doesn’t look anything like the gritty, always-executing bunch that sprung three playoff series upsets on their way to a world championship only two Octobers ago.

Whoever they are, the guys wearing the halos on their hats found themselves to be no match for the powerful Boston Red Sox.   

And even if the Angels could have won twice at Fenway and extend the series to a deciding fifth game, they would have faced a rematch with Curt Schilling.

Granted, cleanup hitter Garret Anderson played on a sore left knee. Yes, second baseman Adam Kennedy was out with an injured knee. Sure, Troy Glaus was limited to designated hitting due to a surgically repaired right shoulder, and struggled to get his regain back after missing most of the season. And while the suspension of Jose Guillen was a necessary evil, there was no getting around the fact that his dangerous bat and left-field defense were missed.

But all that doesn’t explain …

• An errant throw to the plate by third baseman Chone Figgins that led to four unearned runs in a Boston's seven-run fourth inning that effectively ended Game 1.
• Figgins’ botched bunt attempt in the fifth inning of Game 2.
• A bobbled ground ball that was ruled a hit in the seventh inning that led to a Red Sox go-ahead run.
• Even fundamentally flawless David Eckstein failed to get a bunt down in Game 2.

After Bartolo Colon and Pedro Martinez dueled to a 3-3 tie through six innings in Game 2, one thought the Angels had the Red Sox right where they wanted them — in a bullpen game. But usually brilliant setup man Frankie Rodriguez bounced a wild pitch to advance runners to second and third, and then Manny Ramirez delivered a go-ahead sacrifice fly.

The Angels never tied the game, and instead, the heart of the order — Anderson, Vlad Guerrero and Glaus — each were struck by a different pitcher in the eighth inning. Then Donnelly put a comeback out of the question with the big Red Sox top of the ninth.

Very uncharacteristic — and very damaging, too, because if anybody is going to derail the Red Sox, they will have to play near-flawless baseball to do it. The Angels were nowhere close in the first two games.                

Q: How much responsibility should be placed on Dusty Baker for the Cubs’ collapse this season? I often hear that he is a good personnel manager but a bad game manager. Or has the manager’s role been overplayed here?
— Eric Wilcox, Chicago

A: I made my feelings on this year’s edition of the Cubbies quite clear in a column a few weeks ago, and I’ve got a bunch of juicy ‘fan mail’ to prove it.

You hear correctly on Baker. He’s the ultimate players’ manager; if you can’t play for him, you can’t play for anybody. He’s been the National League manager of the year three times (1993, 1997, 2000) and his career winning percentage is .540, so he’s obviously doing something right.

But his pitching decisions are questionable, and he’s a hunch player, not a by-the-book/matchups kind of guy, and that can blow up in your face sometimes. He’s also overly sensitive to criticism, hence his stoking of the issue with Cubs analyst Steve Stone, who’s one of the best in the business. That was weak on Baker’s part, just as it was with players like Moises Alou, who ought to concentrate more on Baserunning 101 rather than broadcasting critiques.

But the bigger issues were on the field, not in the dugout. Losing their closer proved to be too much for the Cubs to overcome, as LaTroy Hawkins has a marvelous arm, but just isn’t suited for the role. Bullpen collapses can infect a team, and that definitely was the case here. Add in a suspect defense, an over reliance on the longball, a lack of situational hitting and numerous cases of terrible base running, and you saw the results.

And I don’t want to hear about losing two-fifths of the starting rotation, because the Astros lost Andy Pettitte and Wade Miller, and you didn’t hear them whining about it.

General manager Jim Hendry has some work to do in the offseason, and getting rid of his two corner outfielders should be on top of the list. Sammy Sosa’s me-first act was tolerable when he was hitting 60 homers and driving in 150 runs a year (1998-2001 cumulative averages), but he’s nowhere near that player anymore. His conditioning (or lack of) was an issue as far back as when Don Baylor was the manager, and he can be a clubhouse distraction. And an $11.5-million option on Alou for 2005 should be declined. The money would be better spent on luring Magglio Ordonez crosstown, or keeping Nomar Garciaparra.

Q: Artie Moreno spent a lot of money this season on free agents, and for the most part it has paid off. The Angels are in the playoffs and attendance never has been better. But Moreno probably will lose money this year. Will he continue to spend money like George Steinbrenner, or will he be more conservative in the future?
— Russell W. Coover, Running Springs, Calif.

A: Moreno wanted to make an immediate impact and get the Angels back to the postseason, and spending big money for Vlad Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar and the now-departed Jose Guillen did exactly that.

The good news is that kind of spending won’t be necessary to keep the Angels in the hunt on a yearly basis. That’s because the Angels system has some of the game’s best prospects who are on the verge of breaking into the majors with third baseman Dallas McPherson, first baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis, as well as some quality arms. McPherson’s presence could allow the Angels to let Troy Glaus walk this winter, cutting about $10 million from the payroll, although I’m not positive that losing Glaus is the way to go. More of the longtime Angels are about to reach the end of their runs, and losing them will free up some money.

I’m talking about Troy Percival being a free agent this winter (along with Aaron Sele), and Tim Salmon’s contract being up after next season. I also think Ramon Ortiz will be traded this winter.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the Angels. With Colon, Escobar, Jarrod Washburn and John Lackey, they have the potential for an excellent rotation to go with a deep bullpen, which should see Frankie Rodriguez move to the closer role. And with the top young players mixing in with their core of excellent veteran position players, I think they will be a contender in the AL West for the foreseeable future.

Q: Will new Dodgers owner Frank McCourt make Adrian Beltre a fair offer, or will the team continue its cost-cutting moves in the off-season? If the Dodgers are unable to re-sign Beltre, which teams will step up and make him an offer? Scott Boras already has compared Beltre to Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez in terms of ‘starting points’ for a new contract.
— Mark Eomurian, Long Beach, Calif.

A: The Dodgers’ desire to shed payroll is no secret if you look at their big trade-deadline dealings. Ex-Dodgers Paul LoDuca and Guillermo Mota are looking at big raises in arbitration this winter, and the Dodgers also practically gave away a pretty good left-handed reliever who throws 90-plus mph in Tom Martin.

That said, Beltre’s MVP-caliber season absolutely forces the Dodgers to make him a fair-market offer, or risk some huge fan backlash. What's fair market remains to be seen, but as good as Beltre’s year was, he’s only done it once, so he’s not in the same category as a Pujols or A-Rod, as much as his agent would like you to believe. I’m thinking something in the neighborhood of Eric Chavez’s six-year, $66-million deal with Oakland is about right, although that length probably should scare the Dodgers a bit.

As for who else would go after Beltre, the Dodgers will benefit from the fact that the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets and Angels aren’t in that market. Seattle could be one possibility. But my guess is Beltre will be staying put.

Q: After firing Bob Melvin, who do you think the Mariners will hire as their next manager?
— Justin, Spokane, Wash.

A: Given that general manager Bill Bavasi has said the new skipper will be a) someone people in the Mariners’ organization already knows ‘real well’, and b) likely to fall on the emotional scale somewhere between the low-key Bob Melvin and fiery Lou Piniella, here are a handful of the top likely candidates, in no particular order: Angels bench coach Joe Maddon, Dodgers bench coach and former Cubs manager Jim Riggleman, former Red Sox manager Grady Little, former Blue Jays manager Carlos Tosca, Orioles bench coach Sam Perlozzo and ex-Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine, currently managing in Japan. Maddon’s close ties to Bavasi from their days in the Angels organization could win out.

Players are far back as Dante Bichette, who came up in the Angels system, rave about Maddon’s tutelage. But it’s too early to tell at this point.

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