Angels Will Run Wild: Wednesday Halolinks

Twins clinch AL Central with playoff win over Tigers in 12th -  CBSSports.com
"This is the most unbelievable game I've ever played or seen," Twins shortstop Orlando Cabrera said.

First-pitch surprise for Game 1 -  OCRegister.com
What Moreno wanted this time was to tell Mead who he wanted to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the first game of the playoffs in Anaheim — Mead. "It was very unexpected," Mead said.

Congratulations Mr. Mead, well deserved.

Seeing red in postseason -  FOX Sports on MSN
If Chone Figgins reaches base in the first inning of Game 1, how long will it take to steal second? The Red Sox are a huge challenge, but the Angels' expert running game and Boston's inability to defend it could be a difference-maker in perhaps the most intriguing Division Series.

Even The Aflac Duck Has It Out For The Mets -  Deadspin
Since we won't have them to kick around in October, let's dump this here

LA Times has 3 good stories today:

Angels are a reflection of Mike Scioscia -- latimes.com
"If anything, if you walk into the clubhouse there's definitely a relaxed feel," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "But there is a focus that these guys bring. As that clock starts to get closer to game time, you start to see that focus come into play."

A real Freeway Series would get local juices flowing -- latimes.com
We're longing for a Freeway Series, when blue flags and red flags would jostle for supremacy in the carpool lane, when neighbors and friends would have to declare their loyalty.

Angels are better playing at Fenway Park -- latimes.com
While the Angels won a playoff game in Fenway Park last October, a dramatic 5-4, 12-inning victory in Game 3, they are winless in five playoff games against the Red Sox at home since 2004, including Games 1 and 2 last season.

Seeing red in postseason -  FOX Sports on MSN
If Chone Figgins reaches base in the first inning of Game 1, how long will it take to steal second? The Red Sox are a huge challenge, but the Angels' expert running game and Boston's inability to defend it could be a difference-maker in perhaps the most intriguing Division Series.

Curt Schilling's 38 Pitches " Breaking down Red Sox vs. Angels: Keys to the ALDS
To be honest one of my biggest fears is the umpiring crew. This is about as bad a crew as I have ever seen assembled. Joe West for all his pomp and circumstance can ump a game. C.B. Buckner? Greg Gibson? Not so much. I’m blown away that A) they made the postseason and B) they are umping what I think will be the most watched series. If I HAD to put them on the postseason roster, I’d try and hide them on the outfield foul lines of Colorado. Look for BOTH to have game impact in this series.

Schilling has the same concerns, but for different reasons.

Breaking down every divisional series -  FOX Sports on MSN
Recent history notwithstanding, the Angels look better poised to advance. Prediction: Angels in five

Early adversity a motivation for Angels - angelsbaseball.com
It was the aftermath of one of the Angels' worst performances of the season on June 11, an 11-1 drubbing by the Rays of Tampa Bay. Scioscia was livid. He vented uncharacteristically with harsh words and unmistakable warnings, turning the visitors' clubhouse at Tropicana Field into the quietest room in America.

Does Abreu stir the Angels' drink? - SweetSpot by Rob Neyer - ESPN
While the perennially walk-starved Angels have jumped from 12th in the league this year to seventh this year, that improvement is due almost entirely to Abreu and Figgins. Elsewhere on the club, more players' have lower walk rates this season than higher.

Service worker, 59, dies in Dodger Stadium press box -  CBSSports.com Baseball
Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch identified the man as John Foster, an employee of Farmer Brothers Coffee. He had been in the press box working on the coffee machine.

WAR and the 2009 Mariners -  U.S.S. Mariner
1. The Mariners won 85 games
2. The M’s were outscored by 52 runs
3. Their pythag record, based on the above run differential, was just 76-86.

People have extrapolated all kinds of things from those facts. One of the more popular explanations for those three facts is that the team isn’t as good as their final record indicates, and that the extra wins are either due to unrepeatable good luck or the bountiful harvest of unquantifiable team chemistry. I’m here to say that both of those explanations are bunk.

Any of this sound familiar?

October 7 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on October 7.