Man-Crush on Juan Rivera.

Ok, remember 2006?

That's when it started, for me.

Who is this guy?

He's so...so different.

Where has he been all my life?

Ok, so that's a little much, I'll admit.

OR IS IT?

In 2006, Juan Rivera hit .310 with 23 HRs, 85 RBIs in 124 games.

He was on fire through July-August.

He was pencilled into starting LF last year, maybe platooning with GA, and certainly a significant number of DH spots.

Then, it all went awry.

He broke his leg in winterball, severely, and took the majority of the 2007 season off to recover, appearing in only 14 games.

2008 was rough, too, for a variety of reason, and the slugger-in-waiting was limited to 89 games with the Angels outfield depth chart his biggest opponent that season. (Outfielders Garrett Anderson, Torri Hunter, Vlad Guerrero, and Gary Matthews Jr. all competed along side Rivera for playing time.)

Then the off-season happened, and to be honest, I was a little bummed.

Juan Rivera made it to the off-season a free agent, able to sign with any team, alongside lifetime Angel Left Fielder Garrett Anderson.

In a move that surprise many (read: Me), the Halos ponied up for an extended contract, all but handing Rivera the starting role with his shiny new 3-year contract.

Angels fans said goodbye to a declining GA and hello to their first new left fielder in years.

And whats' happened?

Rivera's responded well to playing time, and seems to be starting to get hot.

Real hot.

The 30 year old turns 31 on Friday, and has had a heckuva season to so far this year. In 66 games, he's batting .307 with 13 homeruns and 43 RBI's, with 3 homers coming in his last 6 games.

With Angel power numbers lagging significantly behind career averages for big boppers Guerrero and Abreu, the Angels have felt very little dip in production thanks to the resurrected big bat of Rivera, and the just-getting-his-legs-under-him Kendry Morales.

Throw in Catcher Mike Napoli's ability to get streaky with the long ball, too.

This power potential has been an absolute revelation for Angels fans and management alike, provider hitting depth throughout the lineup unlikes years passed.

Top it off with Torii Hunter's amazing MVP numbers (17 HR's, 56 RBIs, .306 average and about all the highlight reel catches you can imagine in CF) and the Angels have some formidable presence in the box for the first time in years.

The best part, however, might just be what it translates to on the field instead of the box score: Angels baseball is suddenly fun again.

Sure the bullpen is still shaky at times, and our infield is a big question mark from time to time, but all in all, the Angels are just starting to play to their potential.

Isn't it fun to watch, halo fans?

My Man crush on Rivera is going stronger than ever.

The Angels are a full 10 games above .500 baseball for the first time this season, and hold a 2 1/2 game lead on the AL West, with their next two games coming against second place Texas in Arlington.

The starting pitching, young, old, and in between, has been lights out.

And all seems right in the baseball universe.

Let's keep that Halo lit, fellas.