It’s New Year’s Day and that means New Year’s Resolutions…I know mine it’s about those 20 pounds I’ve been trying to lose…

How about your team? What kind of New Year’s Resolution would you want them to make? We’re not going to cover all the teams today but we’ll talk about some of the ones that have made the most (or least) news so far in this off-season.

First up the Los Angeles Angels, who no doubt have resolved to re-take their spot at the top of the American League West. No team except the newly-minted Miami Marlins came close to making the splash made by the Angels, who recovered from several fallow off-seasons where they missed out on their targets. This year they pulled the biggest tarpon of them all into their boat, King Albert Pujols, and then followed up with the biggest pitching prize in C.J. Wilson, also dealing damage to their divisional rivals the two-time AL champion Texas Rangers. New General Manager Jerry DiPoto acted with deadly stealth and owner Arte Moreno, enriched by unprecedented TV money, finally decided that yes, the Angels are a big-market club.

For the Texas Rangers their resolution is to get back to the World Series for a third consecutive season and this time to win it. Their heartbreak this time, twice one strike away from victory, I can well understand as a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan. They let their top pitcher walk, and he walked home to Southern California and the warmth of their sworn nemesis. They responded by outbidding everyone for the rights to negotiate with Japanese-Iranian wunderkind Yu Darvish now they will have to sign him. Do the Rangers have the moxie and muscle now to go get the remaining big fish, Prince Fielder? The Rangers have beaucoup TV bucks, as well. We’ll see but it would strike me that they are the perfect spot for the Fresh Prince to land.

For the Cleveland Indians, they resolve to do more with less and make it a tussle in the American League Central. The fans started to come back to Progressive Field in 2011, and a winning team will keep the turnstiles turning. I hope it happens. I have good friends who are fans of the Tribe and they are long-suffering. They are going to have a tough row to hoe with the dominant Tigers, but there’s an extra playoff berth this year and it would be great to see them contend.

For the Boston Red Sox, resolve to have no more beer, fried chicken and video games in the clubhouse during games, OK? At least not for the pitchers!