Wednesday Halolinks: Brad Mills Is Not Jeff Mathis, Frank McCourt Is Rich

"Real" baseball is being played today, and probably finished by the time you read this, as the A's take on the Mariners in Japan to open the 2012 season. "Big deal" you say? Well how about this...the stats count in your fantasy league. Yeah, that got your attention. Here's some links:

• Does Angels' GM Jerry DiPoto look like a genius? I mean even more so in that he was able to deal Jeff Mathis for Brad Mills after Mills' good spring? Mills goes 6 to help Angels beat Giants 5-3 - Yahoo! Sports. "Brad Mills matched Tim Lincecum pretty much pitch for pitch. Mills tossed six strong innings and the Los Angeles Angels beat the San Francisco Giants 5-3 on Tuesday. Mills allowed two runs and four hits. The 27-year-old left-hander, who has pitched in 14 big league games for Toronto, likely will start the season at Triple-A Salt Lake despite a 1.23 ERA this spring." Writing that Mills matched Lincecum pitch for pitch is like saying Mathis matched Mike Napoli homer for homer. There was a scary scene in the 9th when a lady was knocked silly by a fly bat, "The game was delayed in the ninth inning when a 50-year-old female fan was hit by a piece of a broken bat from the Angels’ Mark Trumbo. (Actually it was Jorge Cantu, but whatever). Paramedics were called and the fan, who was seated behind the Angels’ third-base dugout, was taken for medical attention. She was able to walk out of Scottsdale Stadium, moments before Alexi Amarista’s three-run double off Javier Lopez broke a 2-all tie."
  
• Apparently the bat didn't belong to Bobby Abreu since it actually hit something: Fans OK after being struck by bat during Angels-Giants game at Scottsdale Stadium - angels.com. "Angels first baseman Jorge Cantu shattered his bat on a foul ball, part of it hurtling into the stands at Scottsdale Stadium and hitting two fans seated several rows behind the visitors' dugout." There's video if you're into that sort of thing...

MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

• Trumbo makes good on first look at slow roller - angels.com. "The toughest play for the Angels' Mark Trumbo in his quest to be an adequate Major League third baseman is the slow roller, which tends to be pretty difficult for a man listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. At last, in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium, Trumbo finally got his chance to convert one in a game, charging a softly-hit grounder by Emmanuel Burriss and swiftly throwing to first base for the easy out in the fifth." The conversion of Trumbo into a major league third baseman is going much better than I thought it would. I'm pleasantly surprised.
• And this seems like it's getting worse: Bobby Abreu drama continues - ESPN Los Angeles. "In Abreu's case, it shows us how pride and overwhelming ego can blind successful people to their own limitations. How can he not see that he's no longer the Angels' best option at designated hitter, that his slowing bat and the return of Kendrys Morales have changed the landscape? How is he not grateful to this team for allowing his $9 million option to vest last season, the fateful decision that created this mess?"
• I'm sorry, but this is just retar...., this is just lame: Lackey sorry for 'retarded' reference, says he 'meant no harm' - CBSSports.com. "Speaking with a Boston Globe columnist, Lackey said it was "retarded" to make too much of reports about some Red Sox starters drinking beer and eating fried chicken in the clubhouse last year during games when they weren't pitching. "I apologize for my thoughtless choice of words that appeared in print earlier today. I meant no harm, and I am sorry to all I offended," he said." This seems to be such a non-issue. When did everyone get so sensitive about things like this? And why?
• Frank McCourt is rich. And that REALLY pisses me off: Magic Johnson-led group wins bid to buy Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion - FOX Sports. "''This agreement with Guggenheim reflects both the strength and future potential of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and assures that the Dodgers will have new ownership with deep local roots, which bodes well for the Dodgers, its fans and the Los Angeles community,'' McCourt said in a statement."
• That’s Bobby Thomson’s cap! ‘Shot Heard ‘Round The World’ item is going up for auction - Yahoo! Sports. "Eskin said that his father held Giants season tickets for 27 years and that Davies obtained the cap in a moment of elation, not malice. His seats were near a gate that umpires used to leave the field and the location gave him easy access to reach the mob that engulfed Thomson as he crossed home plate."
• Cool music video of the day: