Ervin Santana Is Letting It Go, Vegas Odds, and Darin Erstad: Halolinks

Yesterday afternoon, according to his "inside sources", the Executive Editor of another Angels site posted on the front page of his blog and within his message board that the Angels were going to sign Darin Erstad to a minor league deal.  A few hours later, the Executive Editor posted, again on his message board, that he had talked to an Angels representative and the deal wasn't going to happen.  He subsequently removed the article from his blog and locked the message board thread.  I have two thoughts on that rumor:

1)  Mainly, I think it's a great idea!  If Erstad hasn't received any other offers and still wants to play, why not?  In my opinion, if the Angels are going to go with Willits as their fourth/fifth outfielder, why not Erstad instead?  Sure, Erstad's not the hitter he once was (and he wasn't as good as most fans thought), but at 36 years-old he's probably better than what Willits has to offer, plus he'd be an able back-up for Morales at firstbase.
2)  Less importantly,  I think the Executive Editor posted this rumor looking for it to be picked up by MLBTraderumors or some other site to boost their sagging numbers.  If he has the ability and contacts, which I don't doubt he has, it's probably a good idea (and responsible journalism) to verify the rumor with "an Angels representative" before posting it on his site.  And one more thing, if you're going to post rumors, at least don't try to hide it after the fact by removing the post and locking the ability of your readers to comment any further.  I'm not trying to badmouth the site, but at least stand behind what you post. (Update: The post is back on the blog and they've unlocked the message board)

Here are today's links...

Angels' Ervin Santana hopes to return to 2008 form - latimes.com
"I feel good -- I don't have to lie about my arm," said Santana, who was slowed by an elbow sprain much of last season, when he was 8-8 with a 5.10 earned-run average. "I'm letting the ball go."  Here's the accompanying video: Video -- latimes.com

He doesn't have to lie about his arm?  There was an earlier story (during a AM830 interview) about Joe Saunders not telling anyone his arm hurt last season too.  While I admire their competitiveness, I question their thought process.  How much are you helping your team when pitching with an injury results in losses?  And possible further injury?

Vegas Watch: 2010 MLB Wins Over/Unders
LA Angels- 84
Seattle- 83
Texas- 83
Oakland- 78

84 wins?  I'd bet the over.

Waiting on the ol' reliable -  Yahoo! Sports
Shields was suffering, worse than anyone knew, and all his efforts to think his way through hitters and then finish them the way he always did were lost the moment his left foot hit the mound, when the pain from his knee nearly took him apart.

I think a lot of people have forgotten how important Shields is to the Angels bullpen, and how with him being healthy, how strong (and deep) the Angels' bullpen will be.

The Top Three Questions Angels Fans Need To Ask - Bleacher Report
Addicts often experience mental and emotional instability, changes in physical appearance, and a sudden rejection of family or friends. Fans, then, are addicts.

Not the top 3 questions in my book, but they are interesting...especially number 1.

Baseball Prospectus - Guest Column: Building a Better Broadcast
So how do we make a better broadcast? It's gotta be fun. Entertaining. To us. Yes. But, by extension, to the audience. What else? Well, it's as much about eliminating certain stats from the lexicon as it is about adding them. We need to slowly erase the "noise." Stop mentioning and graphically supporting with stats like RBI and wins because that stuff doesn't make people smarter. Let's not forget "it's the search for objective knowledge about baseball." The goal is not unveiling newfangled stats; it's about getting people to understand basic ideas and concepts. To achieve that, we can't just slap stats up on the screen and explain them. Understanding has to come in the form of analysis. We have to use the stat and explain it. Sometimes it needs to be the PBP guy playing analyst and getting the color guy to react.

Hopefully, someone forwarded this to the Angels front office.

Braves' Glaus enjoying good health at new position -  Yahoo! Sports
Glaus, a third baseman most of his 11-year career, is launching a new phase of his career as a full-time first baseman. He has played only six games in his career at his new position but was signed by the Braves to replace Adam LaRoche.

I like reading about former Angels, I hope you do too.

February 26 - BR Bullpen
Happy birthday...
1983 - Francisco Rodriguez, minor league pitcher

No, not that Francisco Rodriguez, the other one.