Submitted for your approval, today's Halolinks:
- It's strange, but sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to notice. For example, when I think about the Angels having a successful season, I think of a World Series win. Obviously that's the pinnacle of the baseball world, yet before any team can win the Series, they have to make the playoffs (no kidding!). That's where I get off track when deciding if the club will have a successful year or not. If you want to be realistic about a teams success, making the playoffs has got to be the most important goal. And this is what I haven't thought about...the AL West kinda sucks. Who's a lock for playoffs? 2015 is up for grabs - MLB.com, "2. and 3. Angels and Mariners Both these teams seem to be among the top five or six in baseball, and with questions about the Athletics, Rangers and Astros, there ought to be enough division wins to position both teams for a nice little October run."
- We talk about this pretty frequently around these parts, but I honestly don't think it's a big deal. However, if I were to care, the fact that Nolan Ryan is in the Hall of Fame as a Ranger and not an Angels would be my biggest gripe: Still no Angels in the Baseball Hall of Fame- Orange County Register, "Ryan is in the Hall as a Texas Ranger, but he had more victories, innings, strikeouts and no-hitters for the Angels than he did for any other team. He established the single-season strikeout record (383) as an Angel in 1973, but he signed with the Astros before the 1980 season. Buzzie Bavasi, then the Angels’ general manager, refused to make Ryan the game’s first $1 million player. Infamously, Bavasi said he could find two pitchers to go 8-7 to replace one who had just gone 16-14. "Years later, when Ryan was continuing to pitch into his 40s, Buzzie sent him a telegram," said Ross Newhan, the retired baseball columnist. "He said, ‘Not signing you was my biggest mistake - but you don’t have to keep rubbing it in.’"
- Uh-oh. That makes three teams with tons of money looking to sign Moncada: Dodgers miss out on Lopez, turn focus toward Moncada - Hot Stove, "Though Moncada is still yet to be cleared by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the 19-year-old has plans to hold seven private workouts this month with undisclosed teams. Sanchez expects the Dodgers to be one of those clubs, while Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel has also mentioned the Yankees and Red Sox as potential landing spots." They're saying he'll sign in the $40M range.
Source: #Dodgers aggressively pursued Yoan Lopez but came up short. Will now shift attention to OF Yoan Moncada. Expect a private workout.
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 13, 2015 - The Halos missed a huge opportunity! Nationals To Sign Mike Carp To Minor League Deal – MLB Trade Rumors, "The Nationals have agreed to a minor league deal with first baseman/outfielder Mike Carp, his agents at O’Connell Sports Management tweeted. The deal includes an invitation to MLB camp, and will pay Carp $1MM if he makes the big league roster, per a tweet from Bob Nightengale of USA Today."
- Here's something to make you chuckle:
Beyond the hot foot: Enjoy 10 of the greatest clubhouse pranks in MLB history - MLB.com, "But before he reached the big leagues, pitcher Jered Weaver made sure the top prospect's phone number was put on the scoreboard with the message to call "Mike Trout directly with your baseball questions."
- I've recently started semi binge-watching "IASIP" on Netflix about a month ago (I'm up to season 6). Looking forward to seeing this: