Thursday Halolinks: Pujols and the Hit-and-Run Data

Only two shopping days left edition of Halolinks:

• I can remember the Academy Awards shows showing all of the movie people who had died during the previous year and thinking, "He died?" and "Whoa, I thought he died 10 years ago." Here's baseball's version: In memoriam: The baseball men we lost in 2011 - Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports. "From aging Hall of Famers to a pair of troubled ex-pitchers to a young man murdered just as he was approaching his prime, we lost a lot of good baseball men in 2011." Damn, Duke Snider died.
  
• Hey, guess which team lead the major leagues in hit-and-run attempts in four of the last 9 season...including the last two: Spinning Yarn: Hit-and-Run Success is No Accident - Baseball Prospectus. "The hit-and-run play is not highly regarded by the analytical crowd. It is considered a one-run play and, like the sacrifice bunt attempt, it garners derision from people who hate small-ball tactics." Small-ball tactics. Still trying to figure out the league-leading team? Oh alright. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim has the most hit-and-run attempts in baseball, but the sad part (if that isn't sad enough), they are the 6th best at generating extra runs. Will the addition of Pujols change the Angels' hit-and-run philosophy?
  

MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

• Lyle Spencer's replacement has his own MLB blog titled "Gonzo and The Show". Angels may still be in play for bullpen help - Gonzo and 'The Show'. "Zumaya performed in front of what was believed to be about 50 scouts in Houston last Wednesday, and some of them were members of the Angels, general manager Jerry Dipoto confirmed."
• Baseball cards highlight players' bizarre injuries - latimes.com. ""I found all these guys who had gotten hurt in very strange ways," Mancini says, "and I compiled my 10 favorite injuries." Why do I think this woman also collects hair clippings? Slows down when driving by car accidents? And may have more than one restraining order filed against her?
  
• This guy thinks Yu Darvish is going to be good mainly because the Rangers' staff thinks so. Okay, I can understand his thinking...sort of. Remember when we(I) lost faith in the Angels front office around this time last year, and we(I) thought the club could do no right just because they were doing it? Yeah, it's like that, but inverse: Hindsights: 12/22/11 - Baseball Time in Arlington. "The Daniels-era Texas Rangers are very, very, very good at talent evaluation. They are "scary smart" says Baseball Prospectus author Kevin Goldstein. The Rangers enjoy enormous success in this area because they have very smart, talented people, but they also excel in this department because they outwork everyone." (Hat tip to baseball musings.com)