Thursday Halolinks: Sometimes Deeper Isn't Better, The Golden Globe Nominations Are Here!

I only made it through 2 episodes of "Firefly". Today I have some real import bidness to take care of, so the "Firefly" marathon will have to wait. In the mean time, here are your Halolinks:

• I want whatever he's having: Angels quietly restocking after pitching losses - Yahoo! Sports. "General manager Jerry Dipoto said the Angels' staff is deeper than it was last season, despite the losses of starters Zack Greinke, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana." Okay, first off, "deeper" does not mean "better". To replace Greinke, Haren, and Santana with Hanson, Blanton, and Someone doesn't improve the rotation. The additions of Burnett and Madson make the bullpen a little better, and potentially deeper, but those first 6 or 7 innings are going to be pretty rough three out of 5 games. Dipoto also said, ''Our goal was to create 1 through 12 pitching depth, I don't feel like anything else is imminent and anything else is required.'' At least for now, this is your Angels pitching staff. Learn it, live it, love it.
  
• Wait, maybe there's another transaction or 5 on the preseason horizon? Some flexibility exists to potentially add pitching - angels.com. "We're constantly looking to get better, whether it's small subtle moves, whether it's increasing the depth in the organization, bettering our systems or programs or talking about impact free agents. We're always looking to get better." Whew! And here I thought Joe Blanton was going to be the team's #4 starter. "Don't take that to mean the Angels are immersed in talks to acquire Kyle Lohse or Anibal Sanchez or Ryan Dempster or Edwin Jackson or basically anybody at this point. They aren't." Well, shit.
  
• Oh, I get it. There's something "magical" about Blanton. Or he's a "proven winner": Angels think pitching quantity is also quality - latimes.com. "CC was on the market, and the Phillies really wanted him," Blanton said. "But he went to Milwaukee, I was traded from Oakland to Philly, and we won the World Series. I'm not comparing myself to CC, but I think it proves that it takes 25 guys to win the World Series, not one. The deeper you make a team, the better." There's that "deeper" word again. Actually, I get that being deeper does improve your team, but moves that improve the tenth or eleventh spots on your depth charts does have much of an impact on the club unless those changes are significant. Burnett and Madson take the place of Hawkins and Isringhausen, and that is an improvement, but that's not creating depth, that's just improving your lineup. Creating depth is adding players without losing what you had, and although Hawkins and Izzy weren't the greatest pitchers in Halo history, they did have their strengths...whatever those happened to be. And remember, the pitching staff also lost Jordan Walden when they acquired Tommy Hanson. Getting Hanson wasn't adding depth, just innings (potentially). No, the Angels are trying to sell us this "depth" crap in order to deflect the fact that they haven't gotten better.
  
• Hey C.J., next time you know something, how about letting the rest of us in on it? Greinke's exit from Angels was no surprise to Wilson - The Orange County Register. "His agent was very adamant early in the negotiations that 'We're going to get the biggest right-handed pitcher contract ever,'" Wilson said Wednesday. "That just sets up the vibe that they are going to get some ridiculous amount. You have to make good decisions in the front office. It was totally understandable."
• You've probably heard ESPN has compiled their top 100 list of the "greatest frickin' players evah, yo!" ESPN's Hall of 100 - ESPN. If you've heard of this list then you've undoubtedly heard about this: Old Hoss Radbourn on Twitter
  
• This is kinda funny: The Wiki-war on Kevin Towers has begun - CBSSports.com. "Recent edits to the Wikipedia page of Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers hint at a disgruntled fan base."
  
  Remember when someone updated Tony Reagins' page? I was unaware his middle name was "Dolt" (it's since been changed back) Tony Reagins - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• "And now ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Our Lady of Perpetual Boredom's class of 2013."

• Oh, snap! Miller: Angels hoping to make splash in postseason rather than the offseason - The Orange County Register. "A day after the Dodgers sold us their sexy signing, the Angels trotted out a collection that was, well, rather unsexy. And I'm not saying that just because Mike Scioscia was on the stage, too."
• Goddam hipsters: 7 of the top 10 Facebook check-ins were at ballparks in 2012 - HardballTalk. "Seven of the top ten locations for Facebook check-ins occurred at ballparks last year:
  Times Square, New York
  Disneyland, California
  AT&T Park, California
  Yankee Stadium, New York
  Rangers Ballpark, Texas
  Fenway Park, Massachusetts
  Dodger Stadium, California
  Universal Studios, Florida
  Wrigley Field, Illinois
  Angel Stadium, California
  
  And then someone commented this: "cosanostra71 - Dec 12, 2012 at 9:25 PM Quite a few of those Angel Stadium checkins were from me. Go Halos!" Who's been Facebooking at the ballpark? Fess up.
  
• This is dumb. Dumb. DUMB: The Lineup Card: 11 Potential Trades - Baseball Prospectus.
  6. Kendrys Morales and Hank Conger for Jeremy Hellickson and James Loney
  The Angels’ rotation still has a good deal of uncertainty at the back end, and adding Hellickson would alleviate a lot of that uncertainty. The 25-year-old’s peripherals aren’t very good; he has benefitted greatly from the Rays’ strong defense, but that would presumably continue (although to a lesser extent) with the Angels’ relatively strong group of defenders. Hellickson would fit nicely into the third spot of the rotation, right behind Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson, and right ahead of Tommy Hanson and Joe Blanton. (Blanton makes a lot more sense as a fifth starter than as a fourth starter.) The Angels would control Hellboy for at least four years at a very affordable rate, which is something that can’t be said for most of the club’s rotation. The Rays would receive a significant upgrade at first base and a young catcher with some upside. Morales isn’t much, but he’s very clearly better than Loney. After missing 2011, he posted a modest comeback campaign in 2012, and his plus power resurfaced as the season progressed. Morales also shouldn’t see too big of a raise in his final go at arbitration, so the dollars and cents make… sense. Conger would balance out giving up Hellickson; he’s a 24-year-old catcher with moderate offensive upside that could step in immediately. He’s struggled in spurts in the majors, and a deal would depend mostly on Tampa’s pro scouting reports on him, but the tools are there for him to become a solid-average regular at a premium position. This deal works for both sides. Both teams upgrade at positions of need. The money makes sense for both sides. It’s time for Mr. Dipoto to start texting Mr. Friedman, or vice-versa. —Hudson Belinsky" James Looney? Why in the hell would the Angels want or need James Looney?? You know who I'd rather have from the Rays? Sean Rodriguez.
  
• Ouch. High-School Girls Basketball Team Loses 107-2. "And yet, Bloomington South's head coach, Larry Winters, insists that his team was not trying to run up the score." Thank God for that or else the final score might have been 109-2!
  
• It's the off-season: 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations - Yahoo! Movies