The Art of 'Linking'

Everyone has their gripes about blog etiquette.  Some people hate when others write in all lower-case.  Some people hate others who go by Fan IDs such as Ca1IFORNIA ANGELS or johnsamo. 

 What annoys me more than just about anything on this site is when people create fanposts full of links.  Now the links alone aren't what bother me, its what they link and what they choose to attach to those links.  Links should either lead to informative information or something humorous, such as a picture or video.

If you are going to talk about a certain team, you don't need to attach a link that sends me to their home page.  I know the Yankees are good and the Athletics are bad.  If I want to read news or check standings, I will go to their websites on my own.

If you are going to talk about a current league leader or legendary player, you don't need to attach a link to their biography.  I know Babe Ruth hit a lot of homeruns, I know Ken Griffey Jr. has had a decent career, and I know that Albert Pujols is an outstanding player.  I don't need to see their career/season stats to find these things out.

Having said that, let me demonstrate some examples of both good and bad links:

Bad link example:  So in the game against the Yankees last night . . . .

Good link example:  So in the game against the Yankees last night . . . .

Bad link example:  The first time I saw Mark McGwire play . . . .

Good link example:  The first time I saw Mark McGwire play . . . .

Bad link example:  Robb Quinlan's swing reminds me of a walrus mating . . . .

Good link example:  Robb Quinlan's swing reminds me of a walrus mating . . . .

Bad link example:  Torii Hunter has been such a positive force in the clubhouse and community . . . .

Good link example:  Torii Hunter has been such a positive force in the clubhouse and community . . . .

Starting to get the picture?  Just about everyone on this site has a great baseball mind, with a couple of exceptions, of course.  If you're talking about a current player, we likely know who it is and what kind of player they are.  No links to stats or bios are necessary.  While I didn't necessarily show examples of informative information (I know, a little redundant...) in this post (as I was in the mood to go the more humorous route), obscure information that may help explain some stat-head sabermetric is also acceptible.  Just remember who you are dealing with:  Great Angel fans, great baseball fans, and great sports fans.  Spare us the time of clicking on a link that will only lead us to something we already know.  Unless you're bringing entertainment value or concrete and informative (to the well-informed) information (even more redundant...), save yourself the effort of adding a link to the most basic of baseball knowledge.

Now feel free to reply about how annying it is to read a post with so many parentheticals in the text (my apologies).