I want Albert to be my Valentine Halolinks:
- Not only is he the best player in baseball, but he now has the weather on his side: For Albert Pujols and Angels, numbers don't lie ... or do they? - latimes.com. ""Nobody has brought up how being on the West Coast should benefit Albert," said McGwire, who ranks 10th on baseball's career home run list with 583. "He'll get away from the Midwest summer heat and into cooler nights with less humidity. "I played in Oakland for 11 years, and when we came back from a hot summer city it was refreshing; your body felt a lot better. I truly believe the weather, plus using Albert as a designated hitter, will add three years to his career."" And then...
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Question No. 1: Albert Pujols and new scenery - ESPN Los Angeles. "Each of the three scouts, who spoke on condition of anonymity, seemed to think Pujols was poised for some monster seasons in the early part of his deal. They don't envision much of a transition period to a new set of pitchers and hitting backdrops."
- This article is just bizarre. It has a conspiracy theory-type of vibe to it that kind of creeps me out: Did Moreno Mastermind The Pujols Deal? - Modern Times. "The Wells deal, which probably cost Reagins his job, just seemed like the latest in a long line of disastrous baseball moves made by the Angels of late. But was it? Was the Teixeira fiasco and the train wreck that followed really just a mistake made by an inept, conservative front office? Or was Arte Moreno making a series of moves that would make the Angels a surprise player for Albert Pujols." And then, to make it even more creepy, HALOWOOD shows up with his comment, "Scotty Allen - Let us not forget that Moreno's supposed "inability" to resign Mark Teixeira resulted in Kendrys Morales hitting 34 HR's as his replacement and the Angels compensatory pick was used to draft Mike Trout, who would become the top prospect in baseball. " And then this guy with the voice of reason: "Phil Meyer · CSU San Bernardino - This is the dumbest article i've ever read."
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Jeff Mathis is still in Tim Brown's thoughts: Arrival of Albert Pujols lets Angels continue owner Arte Moreno's plan to win over fans in Los Angeles - Yahoo! Sports. "Granted full confidence by Moreno, new GM Jerry Dipoto traded a decent young arm (Tyler Chatwood) for a catcher (Chris Iannetta) who’d be something more than four automatic outs a night."
This is smart, put the onus on Abreu to earn playing time: Angels GM Jerry Dipoto not eager to trade Bobby Abreu - latimes.com. "Bobby is an Angel," Dipoto said. "Right now, he fits on our 25-man roster, in our clubhouse, on our team. Where he is in eight weeks is predicated on how he’s playing and everyone’s health. We have some unknowns with the health of Kendrys and the progress of Mark, but we know Bobby is healthy. As I told him, if he swings the bat like he can, we’re going to find a way to play him."
This is a cool article about an Angels-Rockies game 5,000 days ago featuring the current Angel's GM: 5,000 days since bizarre ending to Rockies-Angels game - The Hardball Times, "For this final half-inning, Colorado removed starting pitcher Jamey Wright for Jerry Dipoto. It would prove to be a bad move as Dipoto didn’t have his stuff."
Who is the guy on the card? A baseball card mystery: Where’s Dave Collins? - The Hardball Times. "Complicating matters is the fact that the player on this card is wearing an airbrushed cap and windbreaker. The Mariners did not yet exist when Topps took this photograph. Collins played for the California Angels in 1976, so it must be someone else from the ‘76 Angels. H/T: baseballmusings.com So that’s our mystery for the week. Who is this curly-haired player impersonating Collins on his 1977 card?"
Who's going to pony-up for this for our next Halos Heaven ballgame? Angels Offer Single Game Luxury Suites: Fan's View - Yahoo! Sports. "Dugout Suites: These suites offer that down-on-the-field viewing angle, only 50 feet from the batters. The seats are actually lower than the level of the field and are so close you can hear all the sounds of the game. For non-premium games, the Dugout Suites are $3,395 and $7,495 for premium games. The suite price includes 12 tickets and 3 parking passes." By the way, I'll be in town the week prior to May 19th for my daughter Holly's graduation from CSF (more about her later in this edition of Halolinks). Who wants to go to a game??
I thought this was an interesting way to look at this signing: Yoenis Cespedes agrees to 4-year, $36 million deal with Oakland Athletics - ESPN. "Cespedes will receive $6.5 million in his first year, $8.5 million in his second year and $10.5 million in each of the last two years of the deal. The deal would make the 26-year-old Cespedes the highest-paid player on Oakland's roster this season before he plays a major league game. The next-highest salary belongs to outfielder Coco Crisp at $6 million."
Who would you rather have, Hamilton or Napoli? Hamilton, Napoli, or Other? - FanGraphs. "How much better is Hamilton projected to be than Napoli with the bat? Well, according to the projections I’ve looked at, it is the other way around. Oliver’s updated projection sees Napoli as slightly better than Hamilton"
I'll check back on this later as it seems like it'll be an interesting series: Introducing the "How to Land a Job in Baseball" Series - Beyond the Box Score. "After speaking with front office members and thinking aplenty, I've realized that, though not in any particular order, there are five necessary steps for those with their eyes set on becoming a member of a major league club's baseball operations department."
Building Through the Draft: Best of the Best - FanGraphs Baseball. "For a lack of a better endpoint, I chose to look at the draft history of the past decade. I ranked teams in total wins above replacement added by these homegrown players since the 2002 Draft, but also included the average WAR per homegrown player for that club."
On Saturday night, my daughter Holly ran into this guy at the Goat Hill Tavern...
You all are invited to the wedding.
