Wednesday Halolinks: Mike Trout Makes It Home, Brick Killed A Guy

Time for some post-Christmas Halolinks...

Well... Let's go see if we can make this little kitty purr:

• Take me to Pleasure Town: Smith: Trout home for the holidays - The Orange County Register. ""It's tough for Mikey at home now because everything has changed. There aren't too many places he can go where he won't get mobbed or hit up for photos, autographs or requests."
• The Los Angeles Dodgers, the steroid debate, the Blue Jays and other key stories of 2013 - ESPN. "Three years ago, Mike Scioscia was widely regarded as the most powerful manager in the game, and if the Angels struggle, his job could be in jeopardy, depending on the sometimes volatile whims of owner Arte Moreno." Mike, we're 72% sure Arte loves you.
• Very interesting interview: Q&A: Kevin Towers, Diamondbacks GM - FanGraphs Baseball.
  DL: Under [scouting director] Ray Montgomery, your drafts have been heavily up-the-middle. Does your overall player-acquisition philosophy follow that same formula?
  KT: Absolutely. That’s our focus, not only domestically, but internationally. A lot of guys that start off up the middle end up on the corners, and the ones that start as corner players fade out of the game. Up the middle, it’s usually foot speed, athleticism, first-step quickness. Those are attributes that play on both sides of the ball. Your successful organizations typically build that way, especially in the National League.
  
  That's the smell of desire my lady.
• The myth of going for broke - The Hardball Times. "A lot of baseball teams look great on paper, but the games aren't played on paper, or on spreadsheets for that matter." No, they're played on grass, and dirt for that matter. Because they are men who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of men they are. You're just a blogger with a small brain. With a brain a third the size of theirs. It's science.
• Baseball card industry grows up - ESPN. "I asked them how these shows have changed through the years. "Well, still not too many women here," Weiser laughed. "A little better than a Dungeons and Dragons convention, however."
• Former Angels pitcher Scott Kazmir signed a minor league deal (with an invite to spring training) with the Cleveland Indians: Kazmir grateful for another shot at majors - Ultimate Astros. "Kazmir traced the beginning of his fall to the end of 2007. After going 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA and leading the AL in games started (34), he pulled a triceps muscle. A groin injury followed. By the time Kazmir’s body healed, his mind wasn’t right. Once his focus and confidence were gone, Kazmir became a constant liability on the mound." 60% of the time, it works every time.
• You know I don't speak Spanish: Segura wins Dominican batting title - JSOnline. "Segura, 22, was 48 for 148 with two homers and 21 RBI, and compiled a .379 on-base percentage. He tied for second in the Dominican Winter League with 11 stolen bases."
• My hero: Mark Cuban, this is my AMA : IAmA.
  "Hey Mark, how close did you come to buying the Cubs?
  mcuban: not close at all. When I couldnt get the owner of the Cubs to sit in a room with me that pretty much told me it wasnt going to happen. I never made a final formal bid" "Cuban" which of course in German means a whale's vagina.